Astroblog

The First Quarter Moon is Saturday November 9.  Late on the 8th is a good chance to see the Lunar X in telescopes. In the evening Venus has left the Scorpion with Mercury taking its place. Mercury is close to Antares on the 10th. Venus is close to the Lagoon Nebula on the 13th. On the 11th Saturn is close to the waxing gibbous Moon. In the morning Mars and Jupiter continue to draw apart. Mars has left Gemini and is now in Cancer.

The First Quarter Moon is Saturday November 9. Late on the 8th is a good chance to see the Lunar X in telescopes.

 Western evening sky on Sunday, November 10 as seen from Adelaide at 20:55 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible and is now visible when the sky is fully dark. Venus passing from the Scorpion in Sagittarius. Mercury is below and close to the red star Antares. 

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).

 

Western evening sky on Wednesday, November 13 as seen from Adelaide at 21:35 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is close to the Lagoon Nebula. The inset is the binocular view at this time.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

The northern sky at 21:32 ACDST Monday, November 11 as seen from Adelaide (90 minutes after sunset).

 

Saturn is past opposition and is visible all evening long. Saturn is close to the Moon, and the Moon will occult the faint star 96 Aquarii later in the evening. The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. (click to embiggen).

 

 

 

 

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

Northern morning sky on Saturday, November 9 as seen from Adelaide at 05:06 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise), Mars and Jupiter form a line with the red star Aldebaran.  Mars is leaving Gemini for Cancer.

 

The inset is the telescope view of the Jupiter at this time.  (click to embiggen).

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

Western evening sky on Friday, November 8 as seen from Adelaide at 23:19 ACDST (1249 UT), The Lunar X will be visible in telescopic views.

The Lunar X (also known as the Werner 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. (click to embiggen).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at 1249 UT (23:49 AEDST, 22:49 AEST, 20:49 AWST).

Whole sky on Saturday, November 9 as seen from Adelaide at 21:29 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn is now above the northern horizon as Venus sets on the western horizon. Scorpius is now setting in the west with the heart of the milky way now below the zenith. The Southern Cross is low in the Southern sky.  The moon is waxing and the fainter clusters and nebula are fading.

 

 

   

 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. Mercury is close to Antares on the 10th.

Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight and is readily visible in the evening twilight. Venus is close to the Lagoon Nebula on the 13th.

Mars is rising in the morning sky and near Jupiter. The pair continue to draw apart as as Mars passes into Cancer.

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is below the red star Aldebaran forming a line with Mars. Jupiter is now rising before midnight but is best in the morning.

Saturn is high in the evening sky. Saturn is visible all night long. On the 11th Saturn is close to the waxing gibbous Moon.

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 @ 11:10 pm 0 comments

The New Moon is Friday November 1. Comet C/2023 A3 is rising into darker skies, but fading and this may be the last week to see it in binoculars. Venus is leaving the the Scorpion with Mercury taking its place. Mercury is close to Delta Scorpii on the 4th and 5th. The thin crescent moon is close to Mercury on the 3rd and Venus on the 5th. Saturn is in the northern skies. Mars and Jupiter continue to draw apart. Mars forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux. Mars is leaving Gemini for Cancer.

The New Moon is Friday November 1.

Western evening sky on Sunday, November 3 as seen from Adelaide at 20:47 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible and is now visible when the sky is fully dark. Venus passing from the Scorpion in Sagittarius. Mercury is below and close to the thin crescent moon. Comet C/2023 A3 is nearby. 

You will need binoculars to see the comet. 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).

 

Western evening sky on Tuesday, November 5 as seen from Adelaide at 20:49 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is close to the thin crescent moon. Mercury is in the head of the Scorpion and close to Delta Scorpii

 

 

 

 

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

 

The northern sky at 21:21 ACDST Saturday, November 2 as seen from Adelaide (90 minutes after sunset).

 

Saturn is 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).

Northern morning sky on Saturday, November 2 as seen from Adelaide at 05:12 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise), Mars and Jupiter form a line with the red star Aldebaran. Mars also forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux. Mars is leaving Gemini for Cancer.

 

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 31 as seen from Adelaide at 21:18 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is only visible in binoculars and fading fast, this may be the last week to see it with binoculars. The chart shows the position of the comet every thirs night over the coming week.

 

Spectacular photos continue to be see, but they again are all long exposures, but still well worth viewing through binoculars. 

 

Detailed printable charts are at my comet page.

 

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

 

Binocular view of the eastern evening sky on Thursday, October 31 as seen from Adelaide at 21:18 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS showing the Guide stars that will help you find the comet. 

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

 

Whole sky on Saturday, November 2 as seen from Adelaide at 21:21 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn is now above the northern horizon as Venus sets on the western horizon. Scorpius is now setting in the west with the heart of the milky way now below the zenith. The Southern Cross is low in the Southern sky.  The moon is just past new and the fainter clusters and nebula can now be readily seen.

 

 

   

 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. Mercury is close to Delta Scorpii on the 4th and 5th. The thin crescent moon is close to Mercury on the 3rd and Venus on the 5th.

Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight and is readily visible in the evening twilight. Venus leaves the scorpion this week. The thin crescent moon is close to Venus on the 5th.

Mars is rising in the morning sky and near Jupiter. The pair continue to draw apart as as Mars passes through Gemini into Cancer forming a line 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. Jupiter is now rising before midnight but is best in the morning.

Saturn is high 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 @ 11:12 pm 0 comments

The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday October 24. Comet C/2023 A3 is rising into darker skies, but fading and is visible in binoculars. Venus is in the the Scorpion and is close to the red star Antares on the 26th. Mercury is low in the twilight below Venus. Saturn is in the north-eastern skies. Mars and Jupiter continue to draw apart. Mars forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux and the last quarter Moon.

The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday October 24.

Western evening sky on Saturday, October 26 as seen from Adelaide at 20:38 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 Aldebaran, alpha Scorpii. Mercury and Comet C/2023 A3 are below it. 

You will need binoculars to see the comet. 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 21:11 ACDST Saturday, October 26 as seen from Adelaide (90 minutes after sunset).

 

Saturn is 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 Thursday, October 24 as seen from Adelaide at 05:24 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise), Mars and Jupiter form a line with the red star Aldebaran. Mars forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux and the Last Quarter Moon.

 

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 24 as seen from Adelaide at 20:36 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be theoretically unaided eye visible in the twilight. But in practice you nee to be in a dark sky site in northern Australia. The rest of us need binoculars. The chart shows the position of the comet every night over the coming week.

 

Spectacular photos continue to be see, but they again are all long exposures, the unaided eye view is less impressive, but still well worth viewing although binoculars are needed. 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 the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset). 

 

 

Binocular view of the eastern evening sky on Thursday, October 24 as seen from Adelaide at 20:36 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS showing the Guide stars that will help you find the comet. 

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

 

Whole sky on Saturday, October 26 as seen from Adelaide at 21:11 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 the Scorpion this week and close to the bright red star Antares.

Mars is rising in the morning sky and near Jupiter. The pair continue to draw apart as as Mars passes through Gemini forming a line with Castor and Pollux and the last quarter moon on the 24th.

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is below the red star Aldebaran forming a line with Mars. Jupiter is now rising before midnight but is best in the morning.

Saturn is high 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 @ 11:40 pm 0 comments

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 22nd.

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