Astroblog: May 2026

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Thursday May 28 to Thursday June 4

The Full Moon is Sunday May 31. This is a "Blue" apogee Moon, the second full Moon in a month. Difficult occultation of Antares, the brightest star in Scorpio, on the 31st. In the morning Saturn and Mars form a line. Venus now is seen when the sky is fully dark and is coming closer to Jupiter. The pair are attractive in the late twilight. On the 28th Venus is very close to Epsilon Geminorum. On the 4th Venus, Jupiter and the bright star Pollux form an attractive triangle.

The Full Moon is Sunday May 31.This is a "Blue" Moon, the second full Moon in a month. The Moon is at apogee when it is furthest from the Earth furthest from Earth, on the 1st. Although apogee officially occurs on the 1st, the Full Moon on the 31st is close enough to compare with the later perigee Full Moon.

Eastern horizon on the morning of Saturday, May 30 as seen from Adelaide at 6:14 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).

Saturn and Mars form a line in the twilight. Saturn is now high enough for telescopic observation, and its rings are widening.

The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).

Western sky on the evening of Thursday, May 28 as seen from Adelaide at 18:12 ACST ( 60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Venus is very close to Epsilon Geminorum. Venus will continue to rise, coming closer to Jupiter.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

Western sky on the evening of Thursday, June 4 as seen from Adelaide at 18:41 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Venus, Jupiter and the bright star Pollux form an attractive triangle.

The inset shows the telescopic views of Jupiter and Venus at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

The eastern sky at 17:31 AEST Sunday, May 31, as seen from Sydney. The moon is about to occult the bright star Antares.

The Blue Moon of the 31st see a difficult twilight occultation of Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius. It starts low in the twilight and is mostly visible fro the east coast. See my Occultation of Antares page for major city times.

The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen). Click to embiggen

The east coast of Australia Australia will see a similar view at roughly the equivalent time (see link above for specific times).

Whole sky on Saturday, May 30 as seen from Adelaide at 18:42 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Jupiter and Venus are prominent low in the north-west.

Bright Canopus and Sirius are sinking from the Zenith. Orion is now low in the north-western horizon as Orion's Nemesis, Scorpius, rises above the south-eastern horizon.

The Southern Cross is rising in the Southern sky. The moon waxing and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming harder to see.

Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

Mercury enters the evening twilight, but is not really visible until next wee.

Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight and is now visible when the sky is fully dark. Venus is coming closer to Jupiter. The pair are attractive in the late twilight. On the 28th Venus is very close to Epsilon Geminorum. On the 4th Venus, Jupiter and the bright star Pollux form an attractive triangle.

Mars is climbing in the twilight.

Jupiter is low above the horizon, setting in the early evening. Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux. On the 4th Venus, Jupiter and the bright star Pollux form an attractive triangle.

Saturn is climbing in the twilight above Mars.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm ACST, Western sky at 10 pm ACST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.

Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to the current time.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:37 pm 0 comments

Occultation of Antares, 31May 2026


The eastern sky at 17:19 ACST Sunday, May 31, as seen from Adelaide. The moon is about to occult the bright star Antares. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen). Click to embiggen	The eastern sky at 17:31 AEST Sunday, May 31, as seen from Sydney. The moon is about to occult the bright star Antares. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen). Click to embiggen	The eastern sky at 17:48 AEST Sunday, May 31, as seen from Melbourne. The moon is about to occult the bright star Antares. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen). Click to embiggen

The occultation of Antares, the brightest start in Scorpio, on the 31st of May by the Full (blue) Moon will be difficult, low on the horizon starting at twilight. Telescope only, unaided eye and binoculars will not be enough. The occultation is mostly visible from the east coast. Times for major cities are shown in the table below. This will also be an apogee full Moon, so you can take images to compare with the November and December perigee Moons.

Place	Disappears Bright Limb	Reappears Dark Limb	Sun Set
Adelaide ACST	17:19	17:35	17:20
Brisbane AEST	17:17	18:10	17:07
Canberra AEST	17:36	18:13	17:07
Darwin ACST	-	-	18:30
Hobart AEST	-	-	16:58
Melbourne AEDST	17:48	18:10	17:18
Perth AWST	-	-	17:27
Sydney AEST	17:31	18:4	17:02

Labels: Antares, Moon, Occultation, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:29 pm 0 comments

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Thursday May 21 to Thursday May 28

The First Quarter Moon is Saturday May 23. In the morning Saturn and Mars form a line. Venus now is seen when the sky is fully dark and is coming closer to Jupiter. The pair are attractive in the late twilight. On the 28th Venus is very close to Epsilon Geminorum. The First Quarter Moon is very close to the bright star Regulus on the 23rd.

The First Quarter Moon is Saturday May 23.

Eastern horizon on the morning of Saturday, May 23 as seen from Adelaide at 6:10 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).

Saturn and Mars form a line in the twilight. Saturn is now high enough for telescopic observation, and its rings are widening.

The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).

Western sky on the evening of Saturday, May 23 as seen from Adelaide at 18:14 ACST ( 60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Venus is visible above the western horizon coming closer to Jupiter. Venus is now visible when the sky is fully dark, by the end of the week Venus will be very close to Epsilon Geminorum as it rises.

The inset shows the telescopic views of Jupiter and Venus at this time.

The nearby First Quarter Moon is very close to the bright star Regulus.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

Whole sky on Saturday, May 23 as seen from Adelaide at 18:45 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Jupiter and Venus are prominent low in the north-west.

Bright Canopus and Sirius are sinking from the Zenith. Orion is now low in the north-western horizon as Orion's Nemesis, Scorpius, rises above the south-eastern horizon.

The Southern Cross is rising in the Southern sky. The moon waxing and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming harder to see.

Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

Mercury is lost in the twilight.

Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight and is now visible when the sky is fully dark. Venus is coming closer to Jupiter.

Mars is climbing in the twilight.

Jupiter is low above the horizon, setting in the early evening. Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux.

Saturn is climbing in the twilight above Mars.

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:47 pm 0 comments

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Thursday May 14 to Thursday May 21

The New Moon is Sunday May 17. In the morning Saturn and Mars form a line. On the 14th the crescent Moon is near Saturn, then on then 15th it is near Mars. Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight and is close to the thin crescent Moon on the 19th. Jupiter dominates the north-western sky and is close to the crescent Moon on the 20th. Comet C/2025 R3 PANSTARS is fading but is still visible in binoculars.

The New Moon is Sunday May 17. The Moon is also at perigee, when it is closest to Earth.

Eastern horizon on the morning of Thursday, May 14 as seen from Adelaide at 6:04 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).

Saturn, and Mars form a line in the twilight. The crescent Moon is close to Saturn, forming a triangle with Mars. The following morning the thin crescent Moon is close to Mars.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).

Western sky on the evening of Tuesday, May 19 as seen from Adelaide at 18:18 ACST ( 60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Venus is visible above the western horizon with Jupiter nearby, you may need a level, unobscured horizon to see it. The thin crescent Moon is close to Venus.

C/2025 R3 will be visible in binoculars just above the bright star Saiph, which is in turn just above the bright star Rigel.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

North-western sky on Wednesday, May 20 as seen from Adelaide at 18:46 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux. The crescent Moon is below Jupiter

The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Western sky on Saturday, May 16 as seen from Adelaide at 18:48 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen) when the sky is fully dark. Comet C/2025 R3 will be visible in binoculars near the bright star Saiph, just up from the bright star Rigel. The inset shows the binocular view at this tome

Comet C/2025 R3 has passed through Orion's belt and is now around magnitude 6. It is climbing into darker skies higher above the horizon murk and will be visible when the sky is full dark. I have been able to detect fairly easily it in 10x50 binoculars under suburabn skies. It should remain visible when it gets fully dark for several days more, cloud permitting.

A printable B&W spotters chart and viewing guides are at my comet C/2025 R3 viewing page.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Whole sky on Saturday, May 16 as seen from Adelaide at 18:48 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Jupiter is prominent in the north-west.

Bright Canopus and Sirius are sinking from the Zenith. Orion is now low in the north-western sky.

The Southern Cross is rising in the Southern sky. The moon waning and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming easier to see.

Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

Mercury is lost in the twilight.

Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight. Ii is close to the thin crescent Moon on the 19th.

Mars is climbing in the twilight. On then 15th the thin crescent Moon is near Mars.

Jupiter is seen most of the evening, setting before midnight. Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux. Jupiter is close to the crescent Moon on the 20th.

Saturn is climbing in the twilight above Mars. On the 14th the crescent Moon is near Saturn

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:18 pm 0 comments

Tuesday, May 05, 2026

UPDATE on Comet C/2025 R2 (PANSTARRS)

Comet C/2025 R3 captured from Caufield Australia by Con Stoitsis ©, May 4th.

Comet C/2025 R3 (PANSTARRS) has been recovered in the Southern Hemisphere and Australasia by multiple observers. Magnitude seems to be in the order of 5 or so. Although this makes it theoretically dark sky visible to the unaided eye, most observers will find binoculars or a small telescope best.

The comet is now climbing into darker skies and will be visible when the sky is full dark. I have been able to detect it in 10x50 binocular at nautical twilight, so it should remain visible when it gets fully dark for several days, especially as the moon wanes.

Of course this cloud permitting. Which it hasn't been.

While there has been outstanding images of the comet (see here and here) they are all long exposures, though binoculars it will look like a small fuzzy ball with a stubby tail

I finally got Comet C/2025 R3 after days of rain and cloud. It was still cloudy, but there were gaps that let me catch it in binoculars. Its the fuzzy dot roughly in the centre above the line of three stars. My long exposure got photobombed by clouds so I'm not presenting it. Under difficult conditions with twilight and drifting clouds interfering I estimated maybe magnitude 5.5?


Comet C/2025 R3, 4May, 2026 at 18:39 ACST as captured with my Samsung S24, 5x zoom, ISO 3200 and 2 seconds exposure from Largs Bay. The small unprepossessing fuzzy blob roughly in the centre is the comet, compare with the stellarium chart. t the right. Click to embigen	Stellarium chart of the comets position on 4May, 2026 at 18:39 ACST. Nestled between 48 and 57 Eridanus.

A printable B&W spotters chart and viewing guides are at my comet PANSTARRS page

https://astroblogger.blogspot.com/2026/04/c2025-r3-panstars-how-to-see-it-from.html

Labels: binocular, C/2025 R3, comet

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 7:41 pm 0 comments

Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower 6-7 May, 2026

The north-eastern horizon as seen from Adelaide at 5:00 am ACST on 7 May, the eta Aquariid radiant is marked with a starburst. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen).

The eta Aquariid meteor shower, which is produced by the debris from Halley’s Comet, will should peak on May 7 (strictly speaking May 6, 3UT).

This year the waning gibbous moon interferes. Dark sky sites could expect to see meteor every 6 minutes.

People in the suburbs should see a meteor around once every 10 minutes, and in the country about once every 6 minutes. The radiant of the shower is about five hand-spans up from the eastern horizon, and three hand-spans to the left of due east at 4 am (see spotter chart at 5:00 am above). The radiant is above the disincentive pair of Saturn and Mars below near the eastern horizon , which makes a good reference point.

Weather prediction looks a bit dodgy for South Australia and the east coast.

You may have read that this year the eta Aquariids have a predicted ZHR of 50 meteors. The figure ZHR is zenithal hourly rate. This is the number of meteors that a single observer would see per hour if the shower's "point of origin", or radiant, were at the zenith and the sky was dark enough for 6.5-magnitude stars to be visible to the naked eye.

In practice, you will never see this many meteors as the radiant will be some distance below the zenith. Also, unless you are out deep in the countryside, the darkness will be less than ideal (and of course this years Moonlight).

The radiant of the shower is about five hand-spans up from the eastern horizon and three hand-spans to the left of due east at 4 am (see above for a spotter chart at 5 am). When looking, be sure to let your eyes adjust for at least 5 minutes so your eyes can be properly adapted to the dark.

Don't look directly at the radiant site, because the meteors will often start their "burn" some distance from it, but around a hand-span up or to the side. The best way to watch the Eta Aquariids is to let your eye rove around the entire patch of the sky above the north-east horizon, between the only two obvious bright stars in the northeast, Altair and Fomalhaut, and Saturn as the center of your field (again, see the spotter chart at 5:00 am above). The meteors are fast, with few fireballs and persistent trains.

Be patient, although you should see an average of a meteor every 6 minutes, a whole stretch of time can go by without a meteor, then a whole bunch turn up one after the other.

Make yourself comfortable, choose an observing site that has little to obstruct the eastern horizon, have a comfortable chair to sit in (a banana lounger is best), or blankets and pillows. Rug up against the cold. A hot Thermos of something to drink and plenty of mosquito protection will complete your observing preparations. As well as meteors, keep an eye out for satellites (see Heavens Above for predictions from your site). The Milky way will arch above you, with Saturn and Mars below the radiant.You can follow the progress of the shower at the IMO live Aquariid site.

Guides for taking meteor photos are here and here.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: eta aquarid, Meteors, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 5:54 pm 0 comments

Thursday May 7 to Thursday May 14

The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday May 10. Venus climbs higher in the twilight. Jupiter dominates the north-western sky. In the morning Saturn and Mars form a line. On the 30th comet C/2025 R3 PANSTARS is fading but still should be visible in binoculars. Eta Aquariid meteor shower 7th May.

The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday May 10.

Eastern horizon on the morning of Saturday, May 9 as seen from Adelaide at 6:01 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).

Saturn, and Mars form a line in the twilight.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).

Western sky on the evening of Saturday, May 9 as seen from Adelaide at 18:23 ACST ( 60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Venus is visible above the western horizon with Jupiter nearby, you may need a level, unobscured horizon to see it.

C/2025 R3 will be visible in binoculars near the bright star Rigel.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

North-western sky on Saturday, May 9 as seen from Adelaide at 18:58 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux.

The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Western sky on Thursday, May 7 as seen from Adelaide at 18:54 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen) when the sky is fully dark. Comet C/2025 R3 will be visible in binoculars near beta Eridani, the next obvious star below the bright star Rigel.

Comet C/2025 R3 has now been reported visible in the Southern Hemisphere. It is probably around magnitude 5. Although this makes it theoretically dark sky visible, most observers will find binoculars best.

It is now climbing into darker skies and will be visible when the sky is full dark. I have been able to detect it in 10x50 binocular at nautical twilight, so it should remain visible when it gets fully dark for several days as at moon wanes, cloud permitting.

A printable B&W spotters chart and viewing guides are at my comet C/2025 R3 viewing page.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

The north-eastern horizon as seen from Adelaide at 5:00 am ACST on Thursday, 7 May, the eta Aquariid radiant is marked with a starburst. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen).

The eta Aquariid meteor shower, which is produced by the debris from Halley’s Comet, should peak on May 7 (strictly speaking May 6, 3UT). This year the waning gibbous moon interferes. Dark sky sites could expect to see meteor every 6 minutes.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time.

Whole sky on Saturday, May 9 as seen from Adelaide at 18:58 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Jupiter is prominent in the north-west.

Bright Canopus and Sirius are sinking from the Zenith. Orion is now low in the north-western sky.

The Southern Cross is rising in the Southern sky. The moon waning and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming easier to see.

Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

Mercury is lost in the twilight.

Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight.

Mars is climbing in the twilight.

Jupiter is seen most of the evening, setting before midnight. Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux.

Saturn is climbing in the twilight above Mars.