Astroblog

Morning sky on Saturday, September 14 as seen from Adelaide at 05:25 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be visible in the twilight, in the coming days it will rise higher in the twilight and may 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 (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).	Morning sky on Sunday, September 22 as seen from Adelaide at 05:10 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be visible in the twilight, the comets brightness is exaggerated in the illustration to make it eaier to see. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (click 60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).	Morning sky on Thursday, September 26, on the day before perihelion, as seen from Adelaide at 05:05 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be visible in the twilight, the comets brightness is exaggerated in the illustration to make it easier to see. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Morning sky on Monday, September 30 as seen from Adelaide at 04:59 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be visible in the twilight, the comets brightness is exaggerated in the illustration to make it easier to see. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).	Path of C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in the eastern morning sky from 12 September 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.	Binocular hart of the path of C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in the eastern morning sky from 12 September 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 long anticipated  comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has been seen in the morning sky by Terry Lovejoy (of comet Lovejoy fame). At magnitude 5.5 it is a bit brighter than predicted, and although the more optimistic predictions of it's potential brightness are unlikely to be fulfilled, it looks like it will be a nice little comet. Visible to the unaided eye but not spectacular. 

Probably the earliest most of us will be able to see the comet is this Saturday, when it is around 4 degrees above the horizon. You will need a level, unobstructed horizon to see it and binoculars. Although theoretically visible to the unaided eye, the atmospheric density near the horizon and the encroaching dawn will mean the comet will be obscured. Through binoculars it will be a fuzzy dot. 

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.

 When the comet makes its closest approach to the Sun on 27 September, at a distance of 0.40 A, it will be in a better position at around 9 degrees (nearly two hand-spans) above the horizon at nautical twilight (60 minutes before sunrise) and should be (just) unaided eye visible and likely its tail will be binocular visible. 

The comet will continue to brighten as it heads towards its closest approach to earth on the 12th of October, sadly for most of the time it is too close to the sun to see. and from 2nd October to 13 October the comet will be lost in the twilight.

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

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:40 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

The Full Moon is Wednesday, September 18, this is a perigee/syzygy moon. The Moon occults Saturn as seen from northern Australia on the 17th. Saturn is just past opposition, and is visible all night long. Venus draws close to the bright star Spica and is closest on the 18th. Mars and Jupiter continue to draw apart as Mars enters Gemini. Mars is close to the star mu Geminorum on the 14th. Comet C/2023 A3  might be seen low in the morning twilight.

The Full Moon is Wednesday, September 18, this is a perigee/syzygy (super) moon. The Moon occults Saturn as seen from northern Australia on the 17th.

 Western evening sky on Thursday, September 18 as seen from Adelaide at 19:04 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible now and is now visible when the sky is fully dark. Venus has been coming closer the the bright star Spica (alpha Virginis) and is closest on the 18th at two finger-widths away.

 

 

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

 

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).

 

 Brisbane see Saturn disappear at 18:26 and reappear at 18:53. Darwin sees it reappear at 18:33. Also visible from Alice springs (reappear at 18:23), Rockhampton (disappear 18:15 reappear at 19:02) , Cairns disappear (18:10 reappear at 19:07) etc.

 

 

Similar views will be seen from northern Australia, the rest of Australia will see a close approach in the twilight at the equivalent local time.

Morning sky on Saturday, September 14 as seen from Adelaide at 05:22 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), Mars and Jupiter form a line with the red star Aldebaran. Mars is close to the moderately bright star mu Geminorum.

 

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).  

 

Morning sky on Thursday, September 19 as seen from Adelaide at 05:15 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be visible in the twilight, in the coming days it will rise higher in the twilight and may become visible to the unaided eye with a nice little tail.  

 

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 14 as seen from Adelaide at 19:30 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn is peeking over the eastern horizon as Venus sets on the western horizon. Scorpius is moving off the zenith with the heart of the milky way now at 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 close to the bright star Spica and is closest on the 18th.

Mars is rising in the morning sky and near Jupiter. The pair continue to draw apart as as Mars enters Gemini. Mars is close to the star mu Geminorum on the 14th.

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is below the red star Aldebaran.

Saturn climbs higher in the late evening sky. Saturn is visible all night long. The Moon occults Saturn as seen from northern Australia on the 17th.

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 @ 10:39 pm 0 comments

The western sky at 23:50 ACST Tuesday, September 10 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 western sky at 23:50 ACST Tuesday, September 10 as seen from Alice Springs. 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 22:07 AWST Tuesday, September 10 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

On Tuesday 10 September, Antares, the brightest start in Scorpio, is occulted by the Moon as seen from the central and western states. This can be seen from Perth, Darwin, Alice Springs, Adelaide and other sites (see the table below for more locations). Everywhere else sees a close approach or graze low to the horizon

The occultation occurs with the moon low above the western horizon for the central states just before midnight. Perth and Western Australia generally sees the occultation start around 10 pm well above the western horizon.  Northern sites will see the Moon set before the Antares reappears. Disappearance and appearance times are given in the table below. For several sites the Moon sets before Antares reappears. 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. Other sites can be found at IOTA (timings in UT)

Labels: binocular, Moon, Occultation, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 8:59 pm 0 comments

The First Quarter Moon is Wednesday, September 11. The Moon occults Antares as seen from central and Western Australia on the 10th. The thin crescent Moon is very close to Venus on September 5 in the evening twilight.  Saturn is rising in east when the sky is fully dark, and is at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 8th. Mars and Jupiter continue to draw apart as Mars enters Gemini. On the 9th Mars is close to the open cluster M35. On the 12th comet C/2023 A3  might be seen low in the morning twilight.

The First Quarter Moon is Wednesday, September 11. The moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 6th. the Moon occults Antares as seen from central and Western Australia on the 10th.

Western evening sky on Thursday, September 5 as seen from Adelaide at 18:55 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible now and is now visible when the sky is fully dark.The crescent Moon is very close to Venus. The inset is the binocular view of the pair at the time. The pair will also be visible in low power telescope eye pieces.

 

 

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

 

The eastern sky at 19:26 ACST Sunday, September 8 (90 minutes after sunset) with Saturn at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. It is still best for telescopic viewing in the late evening.

 

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).

 

The western sky at 23:50 ACST Tuesday, September 10. The moon is about to occult the Bright star Antares.

 

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

 

Adelaide 23:58 ACST
Darwin 23:58 ACST
Alice springs 23:38 ACST
Perth 22:07 AWST

Similar views will be seen from the rest of central and Western Australia at the equivalent local time (see times above). 

 

Morning sky on Monday, September 9 as seen from Adelaide at 05:29 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), Mars and Jupiter are below the red star Aldebaran.Mars is close to the open cluster M35.

 

The insets are the telescope view of the Jupiter at this time and the binocular view of Mars and M35. 

 

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

 

Morning sky on Thursday, September 12 as seen from Adelaide at 05:40 ACST (45 minutes before sunrise), C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS may be visible in the twilight, in the coming days it will rise higher in the twilight and may become visible to the unaided eye with a nice little tail.  

 

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

 

Whole sky on Saturday, September 7 as seen from Adelaide at 19:25 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn is peeking over the eastern horizon as Venus sets on the western horizon. Scorpius is moving off the zenith with the heart of the milky way now at the zenith. The Southern Cross is low in the Southern sky and Canopus can no longer be seen. 

 

 

   

 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. The crescent Moon is close to Venus on September 5.

Mars is rising in the morning sky and near Jupiter. The pair continue to draw apart as as Mars enters Gemini. On the 9th Mars is close to the open cluster M35.

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is below the red star Aldebaran.

Saturn climbs higher in the late evening sky. Saturn is at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 8th.

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 @ 12:28 am 0 comments

The New Moon is Tuesday, September 3. Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight, the thin crescent Moon is very close to Venus on September 5.  Saturn is rising in the twilight, and is a decent telescopic object in the late evening. Mars and Jupiter continue to draw apart as Mars passes between the tips  the horns of Taurus the Bull. The crescent Moon forms a line with Aldebaran, Jupiter and Mars on August 29. 

The New Moon is Tuesday, September 3.

Western evening sky on Thursday, September 5 as seen from Adelaide at 18:55 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible now and is now visible when the sky is fully dark.The crescent Moon is very close to Venus. The inset is the binocular view of the pair at the time. The pair will also be visible in low power telescope eye pieces.

 

 

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

 

The eastern sky at 19:20 ACST Saturday, August 31 (90 minutes after sunset) with Saturn now reasonably high above the horizon. It is still best for telescopic viewing in the late evening.

 

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 Thursday, August 29 as seen from Adelaide at 05:44 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), Mars and Jupiter are close below the red star Aldebaran. The crescent Moon forms a line with Aldebaran, Jupiter and 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).

 

Whole sky on Saturday, August 31 as seen from Adelaide at 19:20 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn is just peeking over the eastern horizon as Venus sets on the western horizon. Scorpius is moving off the zenith with the heart of the milky way now at the zenith. The Southern Cross is still prominent low in the Southern sky. Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are a wealth of binocular objects to discover. 

 

 

   

 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. The crescent Moon is close to Venus on September 5.

Mars is rising in the morning sky and near Jupiter. The pair continue to draw apart as Mars passes between the tips  the horns of Taurus the Bull. The crescent Moon forms a line with Aldebaran, Jupiter and Mars on August 29.

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is below the red star Aldebaran.

Saturn climbs higher in the late evening sky.

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 @ 11:25 pm 0 comments

The Last Quarter Moon is Monday, August 26. Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight.  Saturn enters the evening sky around 7:00 pm, and is now a decent telescopic object in the late evening. Mars and Jupiter continue to draw apart as Mars passes between the tips  the horns of Taurus the Bull. On the 27th the waning moon forms  line with Jupiter and Mars and on the 28th the waning Moon forms a triangle with the pair.

The Last Quarter Moon is Monday, August 26.

Western evening sky on Saturday, August 24 as seen from Adelaide at 18:46 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible now and climbing higher in the twilight.

 

 

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

 

The eastern sky at 22:00 ACST Saturday, August 24 with Saturn now reasonably high above the horizon for viewing.

 

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.

Morning sky on Wednesday, August 28 as seen from Adelaide at 05:48 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise), Mars and Jupiter are close below the red star Aldebaran. The Moon form a triangle with the pair and is close to the bright star Elnath.

 

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).

 

Whole sky on Saturday, August 24 as seen from Adelaide at 19:11 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Scorpius is at the zenith with the heart of the milky way below it. The Southern Cross is still prominent in the Southern sky. Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are a wealth of binocular objects to discover.  Saturn is just peeking over the horizon.

 

 

   

 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.

Mars is rising in the morning sky and near Jupiter. The pair continue to draw apart as Mars passes between the tips  the horns of Taurus the Bull. On the 27th the waning moon forms  line with Jupiter and Mars and on the 28th the waning Moon forms a triangle with them.

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is below the red star Aldebaran. On the 27th the waning moon forms  line with Jupiter and Mars and on the 28th the waning Moon forms a triangle with them.

Saturn climbs higher in the late evening sky.

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 @ 12:01 am 0 comments