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

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

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. 

Labels: Antares, Moon, Occultation, telescope

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

Western evening sky on Friday, August 1 as seen from Adelaide at 20:17 ACST	Western evening sky on Friday, August 1 as seen from Melbourne at 20:57 AEST	Western evening sky on Friday, August 1 as seen from Perth at 18:57 AWST

The Lunar X (also known as the Werner X) and the Lunar V will be visible this Friday as the Moon reaches First Quarter. The Lunar X is a chiaroscuro effect in which strong contrasts of light and shadow create the appearance of a letter 'X' on the rim of the Lunar craters Blanchinus, La Caille and Purbach and a letter V from the rim of the crater Ukert, along with several smaller craters. 

The X and V are seen at first quarter, visible on the lunar surface for about 4 hours. However, the Moon is not always above the horizon from a given vantage point when this happens. This month is good for Australian observers, with the Moon moderately high above the horizon in the eastern sates, and quite high on the west coast.

Lunar X occurs on Friday, August 1, 10:57 UT,  20:57 AEST, 20:17 ACST, 18:57 AWST). This is earlier than official first Quarter which occurs at 22:11 ACST.

This is a telescope (and maybe good binoculars) only event. For the west coast the start of the Lunar X occurs with the Moon being 70° above the horizon, central states see it at 53° above the horizon, and for the east coast at 45° above the horizon.

Upcoming Lunar X' s are shown below:

Dates and time Lunar X and V are visible. Typically visible from about 4hours from the starting time, times in colour are daylight saving times.

Labels: Lunar X, Moon, Occultation, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 9:16 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

Printable black and white chart of the southern evening sky at 18:42 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide, showing the location of Nova V572 Velorum. 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 V572 Velorum. The circle is the approximate field of view of 10x50 binoculars. The nova is roughly a binocular field from the eta Carina nebula, Click to embiggen and print
southern evening sky at 18:42 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide, showing the location of Nova V572 Velorum (+marker 1). Similar views will be seen from elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset). The circle at top left is the position of of nova V462 Lupi. Click to embiggen	Chart suitable for use with binoculars of the area around Nova V572 Velorum (+marker 1in yellow).The nova is roughly a binocular field from the eta Carina nebula, Click to embiggen.

Labels: binocular, nova, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 4:39 pm 0 comments

Western evening sky on Wednesday, June 3 as seen from Adelaide at 22:31 ACST	Western evening sky on Wednesday, June 3 as seen from Sydney at 23:18 AEST	Western evening sky on Wednesday, June 3 as seen from Perth at 21:18 AWST
Sunrise on the Moon: Moon at 19:00 ACDST, the Lunar V is just becoming visible.	Sunrise on the Moon: Moon at 22:00 ACDST, the Lunar V is becoming visible. Some crater walls are beginning to light up and the first hints of the Lunar X are there.	Sunrise on the Moon: Moon at 23:00 ACDST, the Lunar V is  visible. Some crater walls are lighting up and the Lunar X is clear.

The Lunar X (also known as the Werner X) and the Lunar V will be visible this Saturday as the moon reaches First Quarter. The Lunar X is a chiaroscuro effect in which strong contrasts of light and shadow create the appearance of a letter 'X' on the rim of the Lunar craters Blanchinus, La Caille and Purbach and a letter V from the rim of the crater Ukert, along with several smaller craters. 

The X and V are seen at first quarter, visible on the lunar surface for about 4 hours. However, the Moon is not always above the horizon from a given vantage point when this happens. This month is okay for Australian observers, with the Moon low to the horizon in the eastern sates, and reasonably high on the west coast.

Lunar X occurs on Wednesday, June 3, 13:18 UT,  23:13 AEST, 22:30 ACST, 21:11 AWST). This is later than official first Quarter which occurs at 13:11 ACST.

This is a telescope (and maybe good binoculars) only event. For the west coast the start of the Lunar X occurs with the Moon being 36° above the horizon, central states see it at 24° above the horizon, and for the east coast at 9° above the horizon.

Upcoming Lunar X' s are shown below:

Dates and time Lunar X and V are visible. Typically visible from about 4hours from the starting time, times in colour are daylight saving times.

If you are setting up to see the Lunar X, why not start early so you can watch sunrise on the Moon? You can watch the sides of crater walls light up as hours progress.Starting from nautical twilight, an hour after sunset, image the Moon through binoculars of a telescope every hour until around moon set and you can see the walls of the Lunar V light up, then the walls of the X. 

Also if you are setting up early, catch the reappearance of Chi Leo from occultation by the Moon. this is an occulation in the late twilight, Darwin and Perth miss out.

The moon as seen from Adelaide at 17:750 ACST as Chi Leo is reappearing from occultation.	The telescopic view of the moon as seen from Adelaide at 17:750 ACST as Chi Leo is reappearing from occultation.

Labels: Lunar X, Moon, Occultation, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:16 pm 0 comments

The Lunar X and V (indicated) as visible in telescopic views. Click to embiggen for a clearer view.	Western evening sky on Saturday April 5 as seen from Adelaide at 23:17 ACDST	Western evening sky on Saturday April 55 as seen from Brisbane at 22:43 AEST
Sunrise on the Moon: Moon at 20:00 ACDST, the Lunar V is just visible.	Sunrise on the Moon: Moon at 21:00 ACDST, the Lunar V is becoming visible. Some crater walls are beginning to light up	Sunrise on the Moon: Moon at 21:00 ACDST, the Lunar V is  visible. Some crater walls are lighting up and the frist hints of the Lunar X are there

The Lunar X (also known as the Werner X) and the Lunar V will be visible this Saturday as the moon reaches First Quarter. The Lunar X is a chiaroscuro effect in which strong contrasts of light and shadow create the appearance of a letter 'X' on the rim of the Lunar craters Blanchinus, La Caille and Purbach and a letter V from the rim of the crater Ukert, along with several smaller craters. 

The X and V are seen at first quarter, visible on the lunar surface for about 4 hours. However, the Moon is not always above the horizon from a given vantage point when this happens. This month is okay for Australian observers, with the Moon low to the horizon in the eastern sates, and reasonably high on the west coast.

Lunar X occurs on Saturday April 5, 12:43 UT, 23:43 AEDST,  22:43 AEST, 23:17 ACDST, 22:17 ACST, 20:43 AWST). This is later than official first Quarter which occurs at 12:45 ACDST.

This is a telescope (and maybe good binoculars) only event. For the west coast the start of the Lunar X occurs with the Moon being 25° above the horizon, central states see it at 11° above the horizon, and for the east coast at 6° above the horizon.

Upcoming Lunar X' s are shown below:

Dates and time Lunar X and V are visible. Typically visible from about 4hours from the starting time, times in colour are daylight saving times.

If you are setting up to see the Lunar X, why not start early so you can watch sunrise on the Moon? You can watch the sides of crater walls light up as hours progressStarting from nautical twilight, an hour after sunset, image the Moon through binoculars of a telescope every hour until around moon set and you can see the walls of the Lunar V light up, then the walls of the X. 

Also if you are setting up early, catch the reappearance of Iota Geminorum from occultation by the Moon.

Iota Geminorum about to be occulted by the Moon as seen from Brisbane at 19:09 AEST	Iota Geminorum emerging from behind the Moon as seen from Brisbane at 20:09 AEST

Labels: Lunar X, Moon, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 12:14 am 2 comments

The Lunar X and V (indicated) as visible in telescopic views. Click to embiggen for a clearer view.	Western evening sky on Wednesday February 5 as seen from Adelaide at 21:43 ACDST	Western evening sky on Wednesday February 5 as seen from Brisbane at 20:19 AEST

The Lunar X (also known as the Werner X) and the Lunar V will be visible this Wednesday as the moon reaches Firt Quarter. The Lunar X is a chiaroscuro effect in which strong contrasts of light and shadow create the appearance of a letter 'X' on the rim of the Lunar craters Blanchinus, La Caille and Purbach and a letter V from the rim of the crater Ukert, along with several smaller craters. 

The X and V are seen at first quarter, visible on the lunar surface for about 4 hours. However, the Moon is not always above the horizon from a given vantage point when this happens. This month is good for Australian observers

Lunar X occurs on Wednesday February 5, 08:13 UT, 21:13 AEDST,  20:13 AEST, 20:43 ACDST, 19:43 ACST, 16:13 AWST). This is later than official first Quarter which occurs at 18:32 ACDST.

This is a telescope (and maybe good binoculars) only event. For the west coast the start of the Lunar X occurs when the sun is up, but the X is still visible 3 hours later in the deep twilight, with the Moon being 34° above the horizon, central states see it at 22° above the horizon, and for the east coast at 20° above the horizon.

Upcoming Lunar X' s are shown below:

Dates and time Lunar X and V are visible. Typically visible from about 4hours from the starting time, times in colour are daylight saving times.

Labels: Lunar X, Moon, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 9:56 pm 0 comments

First Quarter perigee moon at 22:18 ACDST on January 7. Actual First Quarter is midnight on the 7th and perigee is midnight on the 8th (a 24 hour difference).	First Quarter apogee moon at 23:11 ACST on August 1 at actual First Quarter, apogee is 6 am on the 2nd (an ~7 hour difference). The size difference will be clear in telescopes.

Tonight (Tuesday 7 January) is a perigee first Quarter moon. Although we tend to get excited about perigee Full Moon, perigee First Quarter Moons are pretty good too. Not only is the moon at its closest, but there are a variety of interesting craters on terminator to see. 

This is not a particularly good year for the perigee First Quarter Moon, as Perigee and official first quarter are separated by 24 hours, but it will still be larger than the apogee first quarter Moon on August the 1st.

Labels: binocular, Moon, perigee, telescope, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 4:37 pm 0 comments

The Lunar X and V (indicated) as visible in telescopic views. Click to embiggen for a clearer view.	Western evening sky on Friday, November 8 as seen from Adelaide at 23:19 ACDST	Western evening sky on Friday, November 8 as seen from Brisbane at 22:49 ACDST

Pareidolia (the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful, image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern) abounds on the moon, the “Man in the Moon” and “the lunar Rabbit” are the most famous examples we can see every full moon, caused by the placement of the dark lava planes and the brighter uplands. 

Placement of craters and shadows can also case us to see fanciful shapes. 

One of the most famous and elusive is the Lunar X (also known as the Werner X) and the Lunar V. The Lunar X is a chiaroscuro effect in which strong contrasts of light and shadow create the appearance of a letter 'X' on the rim of the Blanchinus, La Caille and Purbach craters of the Moon and a letter V from the rim of the crater Ukert, along with several smaller craters. 

The X and V are seen at first quarter, visible on the lunar surface for about 4 hours. However, the Moon is not always above the horizon from a given vantage point when this happens. This month is good for Australia. 

Lunar X occurs on Friday November 8, 1249 UT 1249 UT (23:49 AEDST, 22:49 AEST, 23:19 ACDST, 22:19 ACST, 20:49 AWST). This is earlier than official first Quarter which occurs at 16:000 AEST.

This is a telescope (and maybe good binoculars) only event.The west coast is favoured with the Moon being 48° above the horizon, central states see it at a decent 29° above the horizon, and for the east coast a lower but still decent 24° above the horizon.

The next Lunar X is  Dec 08 0236 UT (14:36 AEDST, 14:06 AEDST, the Moon is on the horizon in WA), which is a daytime event in Australia, but still may be a decent telescope view.

Labels: Moon, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:45 pm 0 comments

The eastern sky at 19:26 AEST Tuesday, September 17 as seen from Brisbane (almost 60 minutes after sunset) with Saturn just about to be occulted by the Moon.   The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).	The eastern sky at 18:33 ACST Tuesday, September 17 as seen from Darwin with Saturn just exiting the Moon as the occultation ends.   The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).	The eastern sky at 19:08 ACST Tuesday, September 17 as seen from Cairns with Saturn just exiting the Moon as the occultation ends.   The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).

On the early evening of Tuesday, 17 September, between 6pm and 7pm  there is an occultation of Saturn as seen from Northern Australia (Queensland and Central Australia). Everywhere else sees a graze or close approach. This is the third and final of three occultations seen from Australia this year. This best as a binocular and telescope event. The Moon will have just risen in some areas, so ingress may be difficult for telescopes, although Saturn's exit may be a lot easier.

The path of the occultation, taken from the IOTA site 

This occultation is visible from the eastern and central Australia from the latitude of Surfers paradise and up (see table below). Other sites at the same approximate latitude will see similar views.

In the rest of Australia the Moon and Saturn will be very close when the Moon rises (eg Coffs Harbour sees a graze).  

Start watching about half an hour beforehand to get set up and familiar with the sky. Saturn will disappear behind the dark limb of the Moon very close to the horizon. In Alice Springs and Darwin the Moon will rise with Saturn behind the Moon. Generally, you will need a level, unobscured horizon to see the occultation at its best. 

Again, as the Moon is close to the horizon when ingress occurs (15-20°) it may be difficult to get telescopes to point that low, and binoculars may be required. By the time Saturn reappears the Moon will be higher (around 26°) so telescopes will be successful. 

Imaging Saturn and the Moon together will be a challenge, due to the differences in brightness, especially as the Moon is nearly full and the dark limb is a thin sliver. You will need a high ISO (3200 to 1600) to have a short enough exposure time to stop Saturn from trailing, but the Moon will be over exposed , you may need to take short exposures of the Moon and  long exposures of Saturn and overlay them. 

Try practicing the night before to get an idea of your cameras/mobile phones performance. You will need a tripod for your camera or binoculars, and possibly some way to attach the camera to binoculars or telescope (dedicated amateur astronomers will already have this kit). See this post for some examples.

Labels: binocular, Moon, Occultation, Saturn, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 6:03 pm 0 comments