Astroblog

The Full Moon is Thursday October 17. This is a perigee ("super") Moon. The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday October 24. Comet C/2023 A3 has been low in the evening twilight is rising into darker skies, but fading as it goes. Venus is in the head of the Scorpion with Mercury low in the twilight below Venus. Mars and Jupiter continue to draw apart. The Moon is near Jupiter on the 21st and 22nd and Mars forms a triangle with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.

The Full Moon is Thursday October 17. This is a perigee ("super") Moon as perigee, when  the Moon is closest to the earth, is also on the 17th. The last quarter Moon is Thursday October 24.

Western evening sky on Sunday, October 20 as seen from Adelaide at 20:32 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible and is now visible when the sky is fully dark. Venus is in the head of the Scorpion, close to the bright star delta Scorpii. Mercury and Comet C/2023 A3 are below it. 

You may need binoculars to see the comet. It might be possible to see the comets tail after the head has set as twilight deepens. The inset is the telescopic view of Venus at this time.

 

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

The north-eastern sky at 21:03 ACDST Saturday, October 19 as seen from Adelaide (90 minutes after sunset).

 

Saturn is just past opposition and is visible all night long. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).

 

 

 

 

 

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

North-eastern morning sky on Tuesday, October 22 as seen from Adelaide at 05:28 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise), Mars and Jupiter form a line with the red star Aldebaran. Mars forms a shallow triangle with the bright stars Castor and Pollux. The moon is near Jupiter (also on the 21st)

 

The inset is the telescope view of the Jupiter at this time. 

 

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

 Eastern evening sky on Saturday, October 19 as seen from Adelaide at 20:15 ACDST (45 minutes after sunset), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be unaided eye visible in the twilight. The chart shows the position of the comet every night over the coming week.

 

Some spectacular photos are emerging, but they are all long exposures, and the unaided eye view may be less impressive, but still well worth viewing although binoculars are advised. The comet is rising higher into the darker twilight, but fading as it goes. 

 

Detailed printable charts are at my comet page.

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (45 minutes before sunrise).

Whole sky on Saturday, October 19 as seen from Adelaide at 20:55 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn is now above the northeastern horizon as Venus sets on the western horizon. Scorpius is now prominent in the west with the heart of the milky way now just off the zenith. The Southern Cross is low in the Southern sky.  The moon is rising later and the fainter clusters and nebulae are once again coming into view.

 

 

   

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

 

 

Mercury is now visible in the evening  twilight below Venus.

Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight and is readily visible in the evening twilight. Venus is in the head of the Scorpion this week.

Mars is rising in the morning sky and near Jupiter. The pair continue to draw apart as as Mars passes through Gemini forming a shallow triangle with Castor and Pollux..

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is below the red star Aldebaran forming a line with Mars. The Moon is near Jupiter on the 21st and 22n.

Saturn climbs higher in the evening sky. Saturn is visible all night long.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. 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 @ 10:06 pm 0 comments

The First Quarter Moon is Friday, October 11, the Full Moon is Thursday October 17. This is a perigee ("super") Moon. Comet C/2023 A3 may be visible low in the evening twilight from the 13th and should be visible by weeks end not far from Venus. Mercury is low in the twilight below Venus. Saturn is just past opposition, and is visible all night long. Saturn is close to the Moon on the 14th.  Mars and Jupiter continue to draw apart and Mars forms a triangle with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.

The First Quarter Moon is Friday, October 11, the Full Moon is Thursday October 17. This is a perigee ("super") Moon as perigee, when  the Moon is closest to the earth, is also on the 17th.

Western evening sky on Sunday, October 13 as seen from Adelaide at 19:54 ACDST (30 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible now and is now visible when the sky is fully dark. Venus is passing through Libra and heading for the head of the Scorpion. Mercury and Comet C/2023 A3 are below it. 

You will need a level, unobstructed horizon and possibly binoculars to see them. It might be possible to see the comets tail after the head has set as twilight deepens. The inset is the telescopic view of Venus at this time.

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (30 minutes after sunset).

 

The eastern sky at 20:57 ACDST Monday, October 14 as seen from Adelaide (90 minutes after sunset).

 

Saturn is just past opposition and is visible all night long. Saturn is close to the waxing Moon. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).

 

 

 

 

 

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

Eastern morning sky on Saturday, October 12 as seen from Adelaide at 05:41 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise), Mars and Jupiter form a line with the red star Aldebaran. Mars forms a triangle with the bright stars Castor and Pollux

 

The inset is the telescope view of the Jupiter at this time. 

 

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

 

Eastern evening sky on Thursday, October 17 as seen from Adelaide at 20:29 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be unaided eye visible in the twilight.

 

Some spectacular photos are emerging, but they are all long exposures, and the unaided eye view may be less impressive, but still well worth viewing although binoculars are advised (have said that the images from SOHO and STEREO spacecraft give us some hope for a nice display). 

 

Detailed printable charts are at my comet page.

 

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

 

Whole sky on Saturday, October 12 as seen from Adelaide at 20:55 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn is now above the northeastern horizon as Venus sets on the western horizon. Scorpius is now prominent in the west with the heart of the milky way now just off the zenith. The Southern Cross is low in the Southern sky and Canopus can no longer be seen.  The moon is waxing but this is still a good time to see the fainter clusters and nebulae until the full moon arrives.

 

 

   

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

 

 

Mercury is now visible in the evening  twilight below Venus.

Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight and is readily visible in the evening twilight.

Mars is rising in the morning sky and near Jupiter. The pair continue to draw apart as as Mars passes through Gemini forming a triangle with Castor and Pollux..

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is below the red star Aldebaran forming a line with Mars.

Saturn climbs higher in the late evening sky. Saturn is visible all night long. Saturn is close to the Moon on the 14th.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. 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 @ 10:14 pm 0 comments

Evening sky on Sunday, October 13 as seen from Adelaide at 20:09 ACDST (45 minutes after sunset), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be visible in the twilight, in the coming days it will rise higher in the twilight should become visible to the unaided eye possibly with a nice little tail. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (45 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).	Evening sky on Tuesday, October 15 as seen from Adelaide at 20:11 ACDST (45 minutes after sunset), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be visible in the twilight. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (45 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).	Evening sky on Saturday, October 19 as seen from Adelaide at 20:31 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS should 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, click to embiggen).
Evening sky on Saturday, October 26 as seen from Adelaide at 20:31 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS should be visible in the twilight, although you may need binoculars. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).	Path of C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in the western evening sky from 9 October on. Black&White chart suitable for printing (click on the image to embiggen and print). The image is at civil twilight 30 minutes after sunset to show the path of the comet over the month, however, the best time to observe is nautical twilight (60 minutes before sunrise). The circle is the approximate field of view of 10x50 binoculars. The greyed out section is below the horizon. The path of Venus and Mercury is also shown.	Binocular hart of the path of C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in the western evening sky from 13 October on. Black&White chart suitable for printing (click on the image to embiggen and print). The image is at civil twilight 30 minutes before sunrise to show the path of the comet over the month, however, the best time to observe is nautical twilight (60 minutes before sunrise). The circle is the approximate field of view of 10x50 binoculars. The greyed out section is below the horizon. The path of Venus and Mercury is also shown.

The long anticipated  comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has been putting on a nice show for early risers (although the spectacular images are all zoomed in long exposures, most people see fuzzy dots with their unaided eyes). 

The comet is now too deep in the twilight to be seen. It will return to western evening twilight from around 12 October.  It has been preforming better than expected, and while the most optimistic predictions of it's potential brightness are unlikely to be fulfilled, it looks like it will peak somewhere around magnitude -3 to -4, around as bright as Venus, it will be around 8° from the Sun, and unlikely to be seen at its brightest. How bright it will be when it emerges from the twilight is still uncertain. 

Probably the earliest most of us will be able to see the comet is next Saturday, 12 October, when it is closest to the Earth. You will need a level, unobstructed horizon to see it, as it is only a degree above the horizon, and binoculars. Although theoretically visible to the unaided eye, the atmospheric density near the horizon and the bright twilight will mean the comet will be obscured. Through binoculars it may be a fuzzy dot, depending on exactly how its brightness evolves. 

The printable black and white charts above  will help you locate the comet, you may need binoculars first to locate it before you can spot is with your unaided eye. Fortunately Venus is a bright landmark, and if you sweep down from Venus with binoculars you should be able to catch the comet. 

Although the comet may be obscured, it is possible to catch the tail above the horizon as twilight deepens.

 C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS rapidly climbs into darker skies, unfortunately dimming as it goes, but long exposure images should catch it quite nicely even if it looks like a fuzzy dot to the unaided eye. 

The comet should remain visible for the rest of October (although possibly only in binoculars towards the end), at the same time you will be able to follow Venus moving through the Scorpion and Mercury rising towards the head of the Scorpion too.

Labels: binocular, C/2023 A3, comet, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:35 pm 1 comments

The New Moon is Thursday, October 3. Daylight savings stars October 6. Saturn is just past opposition, and is visible all night long. Venus is near the crescent moon on 5 and 6 October, and is also close to the star 𝛂2 Librae. Mars and Jupiter continue to draw apart and Mars is in the heart of Gemini. Comet C/2023 A3 is too close to the Sun to be seen after October 5, although we might get a glimpse of its tail by weeks end. It will reappear in the evening twilight next week.

The New Moon is Thursday, October 3. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth on the 3rd as well. Daylight savings stars October 6.

Western evening sky on Saturday, October 5 as seen from Adelaide at 19:18 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible now and is now visible when the sky is fully dark. Venus is near the crescent moon on 5 and 6 October, and is also close to the star 𝛂2 Librae.. The inset is the telescopic view of Venus at this time.

 

 

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

 

The eastern sky at 19:46 ACST Saturday, October 5 as seen from Adelaide (90 minutes after sunset).

 

Saturn is just past opposition and is visible all night long. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).

 

 

 

 

 

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

Eastern morning sky on Saturday, October 5 as seen from Adelaide at 04:51 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), Mars and Jupiter form a line with the red star Aldebaran. Mars is in the heart of Gemini.

 

The inset is the telescope view of the Jupiter at this time. 

 

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

 

Eastern morning sky on Thursday, October 3 as seen from Adelaide at 04:53 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is binocular visible in the twilight.

 

It seems a little brighter than predicted and in the coming days it will be lost in the twilight the reappear in the evening twilight. On the Sept 27th it was closest to the Sun and is reported as visible to the unaided eye with a nice little tail.  Detailed printable chars are at my comet page.

 

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

 

Whole sky on Saturday, Saturday, October 5 as seen from Adelaide at 19:46 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn is well above the eastern horizon as Venus sets on the western horizon. Scorpius is now prominent in the west with the heart of the milky way now just off the zenith. The Southern Cross is low in the Southern sky and Canopus can no longer be seen.  The moon is waxing but this is still a good time to see the fainter clusters and nebulae.

 

   

 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 readily visible in the evening twilight. Venus is near the crescent moon on 5 and 6 October, and is also close to the star 𝛂2 Librae.

Mars is rising in the morning sky and near Jupiter. The pair continue to draw apart as as Mars enters the heart of Gemini.

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is below the red star Aldebaran forming a line with Mars.

Saturn climbs higher in the late evening sky. Saturn is visible all night long.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. 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 @ 11:45 pm 0 comments

The New Moon is Thursday, October 3. Saturn is just past opposition, and is visible all night long. Venus draws away from the bright star Spica heading towards Libra. Mars and Jupiter continue to draw apart and Mars is in the heart of Gemini. Comet C/2023 A3 may be seen low in the morning twilight, it is closest to the Sun on September 27.

The New Moon is Thursday, October 3. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth on the 3rd as well.

Western evening sky on Saturday, September 28 as seen from Adelaide at 19:12 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible now and is now visible when the sky is fully dark. Venus is now moving away from the bright star Spica (alpha Virginis) towards Libra. The inset is the telescopic view of Venus at this time.

 

 

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

 

The eastern sky at 19:42 ACST Saturday, September 28 as seen from Adelaide (90 minutes after sunset).

 

Saturn is just past opposition and is visible all night long. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).

 

 

 

 

 

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

Eastern morning sky on Saturday, September 28 as seen from Adelaide at 05:02 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), Mars and Jupiter form a line with the red star Aldebaran. Mars is in the heart of Gemini.

 

The inset is the telescope view of the Jupiter at this time. 

 

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

 

Eastern morning sky on Saturday, September 28 as seen from Adelaide at 05:02 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is binocular visible in the twilight.

 

It seems a little brighter than predicted and in the coming days it will rise higher in the twilight. On the 27th it is closest to the Sun and  may become visible to the unaided eye with a nice little tail.  Detailed printable chars are at my comet page.

 

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

 

Whole sky on Saturday, September 28 as seen from Adelaide at 19:42 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn is well above the eastern horizon as Venus sets on the western horizon. Scorpius is now prominent in the west with the heart of the milky way now just off the zenith. The Southern Cross is low in the Southern sky and Canopus can no longer be seen.  The moon being new makes this a good time to see the fainter clusters and nebulae.

 

   

 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 readily visible in the evening twilight. Venus draws away from the bright star Spica heading towards Libra.

Mars is rising in the morning sky and near Jupiter. The pair continue to draw apart as as Mars enters the heart of Gemini.

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is below the red star Aldebaran forming a line with Mars.

Saturn climbs higher in the late evening sky. Saturn is visible all night long.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. 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 @ 11:34 pm 0 comments

Full Moon September 18 19:33 ACST (FM 13:00 ACST, Perigee, 18th 22:30 pm -10h)	Full Moon February 24, 23:30 ACDST (apogee 26th +1d 2h)

This year we have two good Perigee Moons, September 18th and October 17. The differences are in Full Moon size are subtle, especially if you compare tonight's Full Moon with the October 17 Moon which is also a perigee Full Moon.  

It requires a keen eye and good memory to distinguish a perigee "super" Moon from more ordinary moons, the best contrast is with the apogee "mini" moon of February 24, even though this is not a good apogee Moon). 

That doesn't mean you shouldn't try though. Daniel Fischer has been able to see the difference, you can read his account and viewing tips here
http://earthsky.org/space/can-you-discern-supermoons-large-size-with-the-eye-an-observer-says-yes

Photographing them can be more rewarding. You can see images of perigee Moon and apogee Moon pairs from 21 Jan 2019 here and 10 August 2014 here.Tips for photographing them are here.

A full Moon at perigee has been called a "Super Moon", this is not an astronomical term (the astronomical term is perigee syzygy, but that doesn't trip off the tongue so nicely), but an astrological one first coined in 1979 (see here).

Still, it is a good excuse to get people out and looking at the Moon, which will be beautiful (although technically the Moon will be full at 1 pm this evening and perigee occurs at 10:30 pm later this evening, if it is clouded out you have another opportunity on October 17). Make sure you are not fooled by the Moon Illusion.
 

Labels: binocular, Moon, perigee, public outreach, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 9:14 am 0 comments

The Last Quarter Moon is Wednesday, September 25. Earth is at equinox on the 22nd. Saturn is just past opposition, and is visible all night long. Venus draws away from the bright star Spica. Mars and Jupiter continue to draw apart as Mars passes through Gemini. The waning Moon is close to Jupiter on the 24th then Mars on the 26th. Comet C/2023 A3  may be seen low in the morning twilight.

The Last Quarter Moon is Wednesday, September 25. Earth is at equinox on the 22nd.

 

Western evening sky on Saturday, September 21 as seen from Adelaide at 19:06 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible now and is now visible when the sky is fully dark. Venus is now moving away from the bright star Spica (alpha Virginis). The inset is the telescopic view of Venus at this time.

 

 

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

 

The eastern sky at 19:36 ACST Saturday, September 21 as seen from Adelaide (90 minutes after sunset).

 

Saturn is just past opposition and is visible all night long. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen).

 

 

 

 

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

Morning sky on Tuesday, September 24 as seen from Adelaide at 05:08 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), Mars and Jupiter form a line with the red star Aldebaran. Jupiter is close too the waning Moon, in two days time it will be close to Mars.

 

The inset is the telescope view of the Jupiter at this time. 

 

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

 

Eastern morning sky on Saturday, September 21 as seen from Adelaide at 05:12 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is binocular visible in the twilight.

 

It seems a little brighter than predicted and  in the coming days it will rise higher in the twilight and may become visible to the unaided eye with a nice little tail.  Detailed printable chars are at my comet page.

 

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

 

Whole sky on Saturday, September 21 as seen from Adelaide at 19:36 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn is above the eastern horizon as Venus sets on the western horizon. Scorpius is now prominent in the west with the heart of the milky way now just off the zenith. The Southern Cross is low in the Southern sky and Canopus can no longer be seen.  The moon makes the fainter clusters difficult 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 readily visible in the evening twilight. Venus draws away from the bright star Spica.

Mars is rising in the morning sky and near Jupiter. The pair continue to draw apart as as Mars enters Gemini. The waning Moon is close to Mars on the 26th.

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is below the red star Aldebaran. The waning Moon is close to Jupiter on the 24th.

Saturn climbs higher in the late evening sky. Saturn is visible all night long.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. 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 @ 6:32 pm 0 comments