Astroblog

The western sky at 23:37 ACST Tuesday, September 17, as seen from Adelaide. The Moon is about to occult the bright star Antares low on the horizon. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).	The western sky at 00:0 AEST Wednesday, September 18, as seen from Canderra. The Moon is about to occult the bright star Antares low on the horizon. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).	The western sky at 23:59 AEST Tuesday, September 17, as seen from Melbourne. The Moon is about to occult the bright star Antares low on the horizon. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).

This is an occultation best seen from the east coast south of Sydney around midnight. You will need a level, unobstructed horizon, like the sea, yo see this. The Moon is Approaching first Quarter and low above the horizon.  The Moon sets before Antares can reappear.

Place	Disappears Bright Limb	Reappears Dark Limb
Adelaide ACST	23:37	-
Brisbane  AEST	-	-
Canberra AEST (18th)	00:00	-
Darwin ACST	-	-
Hobart AEST	23:51	-
Melbourne AEDST	23:59	-
Perth AWST	-	-
Sydney AEST	-	-

Labels: Antares, binocular, Occultation, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 4:49 pm 0 comments

Location of Nova Sge 2026, looking north from Adelaide at 21:39 ACST. The location of the Nova is indicated by the circle. The nova is around magnitude 7. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the same equivalent time.  Click to embiggen.	Approximate 10x50 binocular views of Nova Sge 2026, looking north from Adelaide at 21:39 ACST. The location of the nova is indicated by the circle. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the same equivalent time.  Click to embiggen.
Black and white Spotter chart for the location of the new nova in Sagittae. View is to the north  is when the Nova is at it's highest as seen from Adelaide at 9:39 ACST. Similar views will be seen form the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time. The nova location is indicated by the black square with a circle inside it. The larger circle is the field of view of 10x50 binoculars	Black and white Binocular chart for the location of the new nova in Sagittae. The circle is the field of View of 10x50 binoculars is when the Nova is at it's highest as seen from Adelaide ay 9:39 ACST. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time. The nova location is indicated by the black square with a circle inside it. Delta Sge is a handy guide to the Nova.

A new "bright" nova has been reported in the constellation of Saggitae (the Arrow). The Nova is "bright" in the sense that it is magnitude 7, just below unaided eye observability, bu easily seen in binoculars or a small telescope. People have successfully imaged it with simple point and shoot cameras and phone cameras (with a little bit of fiddling about with brightness and contrast). 

The constellation is dime, all of its stars are aorund magnitude 4 (about as bright as Gamma Crucis). looking north at around 21:30 ACST (22:00 AEST), You will immediately see bright Altair towards the Zenith, about a binocular width below you can see see the distinct triangle from of Saggitae. 

The nova is close to Delta (δ) Sge, on a line between Sham (α Sge) and Delta (δ) Sge. You will need to let your eye adjust to the dark to see it poperly, and the nearby bright moon may add substantially to your difficulty. but it is work a try.  

Downloadable, printable PDF charts are here, Spotters Chart, Binocular Chart.

Labels: binocular, nova, Nova Sge 2026

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 2:08 pm 0 comments

View of the Northern Sky as seen from Adelaide at astronomical twilight(90 minutes before Sunrise) on August 11 showing the location of comet 220P McNaught (red cross). Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes before sunrise.  The location of the asteroid Ceres and Mars are also shown as Ceres is within a binocular field of Mars. Click to embiggen	Binocular view of Cetus as seen from Adelaide at astronomical twilight (90 minutes before Sunrise) on August 11 showing the location of comet 220P McNaught (red cross). The location of the Guide Stars μ Ceti and Menkat (λ Ceti) are shown for comparison with the black and while charts. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes before sunrise. Click to embiggen

Comet 220P McNaught should have been a barely visible telescopic object but it has undergone two large outbursts, soaring from magnitude 18 to now roughly magnitude 7, a nearly 7000 fold increase in brightness. Of course, while this is "bright" in astronomical terms, you will still need binoculars or a small telescope to see it. 

It will only stay binocular bright for a short time, so you should look in  the next few days .The bad news is that it is only visible in the morning. The good news is that it is quite high just before Astronomical twilight, and the moon is trending to New, so it should be easy to pick up in binoculars. 

The other good news is that there are good guide stars, μ Ceti and λ Ceti (Menkar), just below the bright star α Ceti (also called confusingly Menkar) in the loop of Cetus, See the charts below.

As a bonus, the asteroid Ceres is close to Mars. although at magnitude 9 it will be more of a tough catch.

Black and white view of the Northern Sky as seen from Adelaide at astronomical twilight(90 minutes before Sunrise) on August 11 showing the location and track of comet 220P McNaught. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes before sunrise. The circle shows the field of View of 10x50 binoculars. The tracks of Asteroid Ceres and Mars are also shown as Ceres is within a binocular field of Mars

Black and white Binocular view of Cetus as seen from Adelaide at astronomical twilight (90 minutes before Sunrise) on August 11 showing the location and track of comet 220P McNaught. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes before sunrise. The circle shows the field of View of 10x50 binoculars.

Downloadable printable B&W maps are at the links for the Spotters Map and the Binocular Map. 

Labels: binocular, comet

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:49 pm 0 comments

The eastern sky at 04:54 ACST Sunday, August 9, as seen from Adelaide. The Moon is about to finish occulting the bright star Elnath. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).	The eastern sky at 04:34 AEST Sunday, August 9, as seen from Brisbane. The Moon is about to occult the bright star Elnath. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).	The eastern sky at 04:41 AEST Sunday, August 9, as seen from Melbourne. The Moon is about to occult the bright star Elnath. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).

An occultation of Elnath, (Beta Tauri) occurs in the early morning of Sunday August 9.
This is best seen from the east coast. For Mebourne and Hobart, the Moon occults Elnath when it is very low, so egress may be better for observation.Western Australia sees a close approach. The Moon is past last quarter low in the eastern sky for easy binocular/telescope observation, although telescope is best

Labels: binocular, Moon, Occultation, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 2:18 pm 0 comments

The western sky at 02:22 AEST Sunday, June 28, as seen from Canberra. 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 western sky at 02:27 AEST Sunday, June 28, 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 western sky at 02:12 AEST Sunday, June 28, 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

On Sunday June 28 there is an early morning occultation best seen from the east coast, south of the Gold Coast (which sees a graze). Everywhere else in Australia sees a close approach. The Moon is two days off full and sufficiently high in the sky for easy binocular/telescope observation, although telescope is best.

Labels: Antares, binocular, Moon, Occultation, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 5:11 pm 0 comments

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

Western sky on Thursday, April 30  as seen from Adelaide at 18:30 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet C/2025 R3 may be visible in the twilight. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time  (60 minutes after sunset)	Path of Comet C/2025 R3 over the month. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time  (60 minutes after sunset).	Approximate binocular view of Comet C/2025 R3 until May 4th. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time  (60 minutes after sunset).

C/2025 R3 (PANSTARS) has passed through the field of view of the SOHO, CORR-1 and STEREO satellites. C/2025 R3 has survived perihelion on 20 April and so we have a chance to view it after it is closest to the earth on April 27. 

It may be visible in Australia from the 27th if the brightest predictions are correct (probably not) and from the 30th if more modest predictions are correct. 

SOHO LASCO C3 image of comet C/2025 R3 on the 26th.

In the satellite images it looks like the comet got no brighter than magnitude 1, and by the time it is in our skies it may be magnitude 4. 

While this is theoretically unaided eye visible, it is low in the twilight and may fade substantially before it gets high enough in dark skies to see properly. Nonetheless, at the very least it will be a nice little binocular comet.

 

 At Nautical twilight (60 minutes after sunset) on April 30th, if you sweep down from blue-white Rigel, the brightest star in Orion. to almost level with Venus and Aldebaran, you should see the comet (it will be a faint fuzzy dot most likely). 

 

On the 3rd to the 5th  the comet is within a binocular field of nu Eridanus, star hopping down from Rigel by 3 binocular widths should bring you to nu Eridanus (see charts below) 

On the 8th the comet is closest to bright Rigel.  By then it may be at the limit of binocular observation. 

 

 

B&W spotters chart	B&W binocular chart

 

 Printable PDF versions of the charts are available. The B&W spotters chart is here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1owJ0a64MuxgW644us2p5Ih0_yWw7G1Aq/view?usp=sharing  and the printable binocular chart is here https://drive.google.com/file/d/17rMC0lW7tCIw6sFQCziQ8HE_tDULafpV/view?usp=sharing

Labels: binocular, C/2025 R3, comet

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 1:41 pm 0 comments

Eastern morning sky on Wednesday, March 18  as seen from Adelaide at 6:37 ACDST (45 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).  Mars, the crescent Moon and Mercury form a triangle above the horizon. The inset is the binocular view a this time. Mars and Mercury are at their closest on the 16th. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (45 minutes before sunrise)

North-western sky on Thursday, March 26  as seen from Adelaide at 20:43 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).  Jupiter is close to the waxing Moon, forming a narrow triangle with Castor and Pollux and a broad triangle with the bright stars Procyon and Betelgeuse.The inset is the telescopic view Jupiter at this time. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset)

Sky looking North-east on Tuesday March 3 as seen from Adelaide at 21:18 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). 

The rising full Moon is partially eclipsed. Totality will start at 22:33 and be at maximum eclipse at 23:03. Other states will see similar views at the equivalent local times. The inset show the binocular view at this time. 

Detailed times for selected cites and viewing charts are at my Lunar Eclipse page. 

 

 

 

 

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

Stars:

North-Eastern sky as seen from Adelaide at midnight1 ACDST on March 12. Similar views will been seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen)	Southern sky as seen from Adelaide at 21:05 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Similar views will been seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset. Omega Centauri is indicated by the brackets, The inset is the binocular view of Omega Centauri  at this time (click to embiggen)

March nights see the summer constellations of Orion the Hunter and Canis major (Orion’s hunting dog) head towards the western horizon, while Orion’s nemesis, Scorpius the Scorpion, rises in the east.
If you face east around midnight, the distinctive curled shape of Scorpius lies curled above the horizon. Slightly less romantically, it looks like one of those “use no hooks” signs on its side.  

In Greek mythology, Scorpius was a scorpion sent to kill Orion for his hubris. Indigenous Australians interpreted the constellation in a variety of ways. The sting of Scorpius the Scorpion (the curled “hook”) is variously the head of Ingalpir, the crocodile, Karick Karick a pair of hawks or a fringe of feathers around the wings of dark constellation the Emu. The body of the Scorpion contains the bright star Antares the “rival of Mars”. 

Omega Centauri, a magnificent globular cluster, will be readily visible late in the evening forming a triangle with the Southern cross and pointers.

Mira:

North western sky as seen from Adelaide at 21:05 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset) on March 11, when the Moon has not yet risen. Similar views will been seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset. The variable star Mira is above the western horizon and indicated by the jagged circle. The inset is the binocular view of the Mira and the two obvious stars Zeta and Chi Ceti at this time (click to embiggen).

The location of Uranus is indicated by the smooth circle. 

 
The variable star Mira is now around magnitude 3.5, and should be readily visible when the moon is out of the way. 

Labels: binocular, Monthly sky, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 1:18 am 0 comments

The eastern sky at 04:40 ACDST Thursday, January 15, 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 at 05:18 AEDST Thursday, January 15,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	at 02:13 AWST Thursday, January 15, as seen from Perth. 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

On Thursday, January 15, Antares, the brightest start in Scorpio, is occulted by the Moon as seen from the all of Australia. (see the table below for major cities). In Western Australia the occultation is seen in good circumstances, the east coast sees the occultation  (or  agraze) in twilight and the occultation end in daylight.

The occultation occurs with the moon above the eastern horizon when the sky is entering twilight for the Eastern and central states. Perth and Western Australia generally sees the occultation start low the south-eastern sky, and egress  somewhat higher under dark conditions.  

Disappearance and appearance times are given in the table below. Other locations will see the occultation at a similar time for cities at a similar latitude (eg Woomera is similar to Adelaide).

While the occultation is visible to the unaided eye, the sight will be better in binoculars or a small telescope. Set up ahead of time so that you can be sure everything is working well and you can watch the entire event comfortably. Antares will be clearly visible to the unaided eye near the Moon. 

Labels: binocular, Moon, Occultation, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 5:53 pm 0 comments

North-western sky on Tuesday, October 21 as seen from Adelaide at 21:05 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is between the handle of the teapot of Sagittarius and the bright star Altair. The inset is the approximate binocular view of the comet at the time.	North-western sky on Sunday, October 26 as seen from Adelaide at 21:11 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet C/2025 is close to the moderately bright star epsilon Aquarii not far from the obvious pair of alpha and beta Capricorni. The inset is the approximate binocular view of the comet at the time.	North-western sky on Wednesday, October 22 as seen from Adelaide at 21:05 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). The track of the comet every three nights is shown the comet starts at aroun magnitude 6 and will slowly fade, and the waxing Moon will make it harder to see.

Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is is now at its brightest, around magnitude 6 (binoculars only), but it is well placed near some reasonably bright guide stars so it will be easy to find. It is currently a fuzzy disk in 10x50 binoculars. Although it is ~ magnitude 6, and theoretically visible to the unaided eye, it is still best in binoculars or a telescope. It has climbed high enough into dark skis to make spotting relatively easy.  

 The comet is now setting after midnight, so you have plenty of time to observe. at the beginning of the week the comet is between the handle of the teapot of Sagittarius and the obvious bright star Altair. Sart hopping along the line of brightish stars from the handle of the teapot towards the obvious bright star Altair should bring to the the comet. By the 24th it is just under the obvious part of stars alpha and beta Capricorni and within a binocular field of  alpha Capricorni. By the 26th it is within a binocular field of the moderately bright star epsilon Aquarii. On the 29th and 30th it is within a binocular field of the moderately bright star beta Aquarii. The on 2 November it s almost on to of the brightish star alpha Aquarii (see the printable charts below).

more information can be found at  https://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2025R2/2025R2.html see also https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html for an ephemeris (type C/2025 R2 in the ephemeris box).

Black and White printable chart of the western sky starting Tuesday, October 21 as seen from Adelaide at 21:05 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen and print). The track of the comet over successive nights is shown (the comet starts around magnitude 6 and will fade over the month but still will be binocular visible).	Black and White printable chart suitable for binoculars of the comet for October 21 to October 24. (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen and print). Use in conjunction with the spotters chart.	Black and White printable chart suitable for binoculars of the comet for October 24 to October 30. (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen and print). Use in conjunction with the spotter chart.

Labels: binocular, C/2025 R2, comet

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 7:49 pm 0 comments

North-western sky on Tuesday, September 17 as seen from Adelaide at 19:35 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is just above Mars. The inset is the approximate binocular view of the comet at the time.	North-western sky on Saturday, September 20 as seen from Adelaide at 19:35 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is just above Mars. The inset is the approximate binocular view of the comet at the time.	North-western sky on Tuesday, September 17 as seen from Adelaide at 19:35 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). The track of the comet over successive nights is shown (ignore the magnitudes, the comet is around magnitude 7).

Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is (very) recently discovered comet that is around magnitude 7 (binoculars only), but it is well placed near some very bright guide stars so it will be easy to find (especially Mars and Spica this week). it is currently a dim dot in 10x50 binoculars. It will brighten a bit as it climbs higher into the darker skies, but will not really reach visual magnitude. 

 For this week it is relatively low above the horizon, and sets an hour after astronomical twilight, so you have a narrow window to observe. https://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2025R2/2025R2.html see also https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K25/K25RA2.html for an ephemeris. 

Black and White printable chart of the western sky starting Tuesday, September 17 as seen from Adelaide at 19:35 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen and print). The track of the comet over successive nights is shown (ignore the magnitudes, the comet is around magnitude 7).	Black and White printable chart suitable for binoculars of the comet for September 17 to September 23. (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen and print). Use in conjunction with the spotters chart.	Black and White printable chart suitable for binoculars of the comet for September 23 to September 30.(90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen and print). Use in conjunction with the spotter chart.

Labels: binocular, C/2025 R2, comet

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 5:47 pm 0 comments

Printable black and white chart of the eastern evening sky at 18:42 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide, showing the location of Nova V462 Lupi. Similar views will be seen from elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen and print)	Printable black and white chart suitable for use with binoculars of the area around Nova  V462 Lupi. The circle is the approximate field of view of 10x50 binoculars. The nova is roughly a binocular field from the bright stars beta and delta Lupi, Click to embiggen and print
south-eastern evening sky at 18:42 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide, showing the location of Nova V462 Lupi (circle marker). Similar views will be seen from elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset). Click to embiggen	Chart suitable for use with binoculars of the area around Nova V462 Lupi (circle marker).The nova is roughly a binocular field from the bright stars beta and delta Lupi, Click to embiggen.

My image of V462 Lupi taken on 28 June, 19:01 ACST, samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ƒ/3.4 2s 18.6 mm ISO3200 (5xZoom). Compare to charts above	My image of V462 Lupi labelled

Labels: binocular, nova, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 5:37 pm 0 comments