Astroblog

The Last Quarter Moon is Friday September 4. The Moon is at perigee on September 7.

North-Eastern horizon on the morning of Monday,  September 7  as seen from Adelaide at 5:03 ACST (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). 

Saturn is above the north-western horizon.  Mars passes close to delta Geminorum and the crescent Moon is near Mars on the 7th. 

 

 

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

Venus is well above the horizon when the sky is fully dark. It is now leaving the bright star Spica behind.

Venus is a clear "Crescent Moon"  shape and is increasing in size.  The shape is readily visible in even small telescopes (although the brightness may make it hard to see). 

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

Saturn is the brightest object above the eastern horizon. Saturn is rising around 8:30 pm local time, but is still best for telescopic observation in the morning, and its rings are widening.

The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.    

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time. 

Whole sky on Saturday,  September 5  as seen from Adelaide at 19:21 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Venus is prominent in the north-west. 

 

Scorpius, and the core of the Milky way are at the Zenith. 

 

The Pointers are declining from their zenith in the Southern sky as the Southern Cross sinks to the south west.  The Moon is waning and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming easier to see.     

 

   

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

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:44 pm 0 comments

   

Western sky on the evening of  Wednesday,  September 2  as seen from Adelaide at 19:21ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).  Venus is well above the horizon when the sky is fully dark. has been coming closer to to the bright star Spica and is closest on the 2nd. Venus is a clear "Crescent Moon"  shape and is increasing in size.  The shape is readily visible in even small telescopes (although the brightness may make it hard to see). Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time  (90 minutes after sunset)	North-Eastern horizon on the morning of Monday, September 7 as seen from Adelaide at 5:03 ACST (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).  Saturn is above the north-western horizon.  Mars is low in the east.The Moon is near Mars.  Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time  (90 minutes before sunrise) .
Western sky on the evening of  Monday,  September 14  as seen from Adelaide at 19:01 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).  Venus is well above the horizon when the sky is fully dark. It is close to the thin crescent Moon. Venus itself is a clear "Crescent Moon"  shape and is increasing in size.  The shape is readily visible in even small telescopes. Mercury is just peeping over the horizon. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time  (60 minutes after sunset)	Western sky on the evening of  Saturday,  September 26  as seen from Adelaide at 19:01 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).  Mercury is Visible close to the bright Star Spica  at nautical twilight, below Venus.Venus is a  thinning "Crescent Moon" shape. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time  (60 minutes after sunset)

 Mercury enters the evening twilight late in the month. From the 16th it can be seen low above th western horizon, forming a line with Spica and Venus, On the 26th, Mercury will be less than a degree from 1st magnitude Spica, with Venus above.

Venus is now in Virgo. It begins to sink in the evening sky dut is still well visible after the sky is fully dark. Venus is a distinct “Crescent Moon” phase in even small telescopes. For the first couple of days, Venus will be less than 2°from Virgo’s brightest star, Spica. On the 14th, Venus is 2°from the 4-day-old waxing crescent Moon, an impressive sight in the evening sky. On the 19th, Venus is at its greatest brilliance at − 4.5 magnitude.

Saturn is rising higher ahead of opposition next month, when it is biggest and brightest as seen for earth.  At the beginning of the-month it is rising around 8:30 pm and is highest at 2:30 am. Mid-month it is rising around astronomical twilight and is highest around 1:30 pm. By the end of the Month, it is highest around midnight. On September 27th the full Moon is ~6° from Saturn. The rings are widening

Morning sky:

Mars is above the eastern horizon at astronomical twilight in the morning. Mars in Gemini. On the 7th, it is 4° south of the 25-dayold waning crescent Moon. 

Saturn is highest around 2pm to midnight as the month rolls on. While in a good viewing position in the evening, it is still best telescopically in the very early morning. 

Jupiter enters the morning sky and -is low above the horizon. On the 9th, the planet will be around 2° from the 27-day‑old waning crescent Moon, low above the horizon it the twilight. By the end of the month it is still low, but more readily seen.

First Quarter perigee moon at 21:58 ACDST on February 24. Actual First Quarter is 8:48 on the 25th and perigee is 21:58 (a 1 day 10 hour difference).	First Quarter apogee moon at 19:34 ACST on September 19, actual First Quarter is 07:19, apogee is 13:30 (an ~6 hour difference). The size difference between this and the Perigee First Quarter in February will be clear in telescopes.

 

Occultation of Antares, Tuesday September 17/18. (Approaching first Quarter)

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).

An occultation best seen from the east coast south of Sydney around midnight. The Moon is Approaching first Quarter and low above the horizon. Antares sets before it 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	-	-

Stars:

The northern sky as seen at 19:28 ACST from Adelaide on September 11 (90 minutes after sunset, New Moon). The bright stars Altair, Deneb and Vega are seen forming the 'Winter triangle" in the northern sky.  Sagittarius is at the Zenith and  the location of the globular cluster M22 is indicated by the box. The inset shows the telescopic view. Similar views will been seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset.

The Southern sky as seen at 19:28 ACST from Adelaide on September 11 (90 minutes after sunset, New Moon). The bright stars alpha and beta Centauri are readily visible with the Southern Cross below. The globular clusters 47 Tucana and Omega Centauri are  indicated. The inset shows the telescopic view of 47 Tucana. The small and large Magellanuic clouds are also seen. Similar views will been seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset.

 Scorpius the scorpion is now heading westwards.  Sagittarius, and the heart of the Milky way, is at the zenith from around 8 pm. This is an excellent time to observe the wealth of clusters in this area. The magnificent globular cluster M22 is at its highest that this time. It’s rival Omega Centauri is setting but still high and readily visible, and the other magnificent globular cluster 47 Tucana is rising. The three form a broad triangle across the Southern Sky. To the north the winter triangle of Deneb, Vega and Altair is clear

By mid month, the classic Andromeda galaxy is seen rising low above the northern horizon, while in the south the two dwarf galaxies, the Magellanic clouds, are rising too, with the SMC almost at its highest.

The southern cross is at about the 4 o'clock position, with the pointers above, just to the south of the pointers is the obviously triangular constellation of Triangulum Australae, the above that is Ara, the altar. These dim constellations are often overlooked but are interesting and have some nice small clusters in them. 

Meteors: No notable meteor showers this month.

Labels: Astrophiz, Monthly sky

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

Venus and the Moon at 16:20, 1 hr 24 minutes before sunset. 10x zoom.  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ƒ/3.4 1/5001sec exposure  18.6 mm ISO32;	Venus and the Moon at 16:21, 1 hr 23 minutes before sunset. 30x zoom.  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ƒ/3.4 1/453 sec exposure  18.6 mm ISO32;	Venus and the Moon at 17:29,  10 minutes before sunset. 30x zoom.  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ƒ/3.4 1/100 sec exposure  18.6 mm ISO40;
Venus and the Moon at 18:51,  1 hr 7 minutes after sunset. 30x zoom.  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ƒ/3.4 1/100 sec exposure  18.6 mm ISO80;	Venus and the Moon at 19:40,  1 hr 56 minutes after sunset. 30x zoom.  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ƒ/3.4 1/100 sec exposure  18.6 mm ISO100;	Venus and the Moon at 20:37,  2 hr 53 minutes after sunset. 30x zoom. Cloud cover.  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ƒ/3.4 1/17 sec exposure  18.6 mm ISO2000;

Venus is approaching maximum brightness, so it is now visible during the daylight if you know where to look. On the 16th crescent Moon was about two finger-widths beside the crescent Moon, and was an excellent opportunity for finding Venus in the daylight. I was able to see, and image, Venus near the moon despite some cloud interference. Form about an hour before sunset on. You will have another chance to See Venus in the daylight near the Moon on 14 September. 

Not only that, I had the opportunity to show the relative motion of Venus and the Moon. We tend not to notice the relatively rapid movement on the Moon during the night, not many people are out looking at the sky for hours on end. Only when the Moon is close to a very bright star or planet do we sometime take notice. 

The Moon, which moves ~13.2 degrees every 24 hours,  roughly 2.2 degrees over the period I was imaging.  Alternatively ~ 4 lunar diameters, Venus moves on average ~1.2 degrees per day so the relative motion is easy to observe over a few hours. One of the more strange Flat Earth claims is that the Moon and planets move in lockstep. This is clearly wrong, as the above images show, and planetary occultations couldn't happen like the daytime occultation of Jupiter on November 3. 

Again, with The Moon close to Venus on 14 September you will also have a chance to document the Moon's movement with respect to Venus, and again on the 18th September you will have a chance to see the Moon move with respect to the bright star Antares (some states will see an occultation). 

On 2 September, when Venus is close to Spica, If you watch Venus between nautical twilight and Venus set through strong binoculars or a telescope (see chart to the left)  You may be able to catch Venus moving with respect to Spica. 

Mars moves a bit slower,  ~ 0.5242 degrees per day (roughly a lunar diameter), but on 25 February you can see it move 8 arc minutes with respect to eta Leo from astronomical twilight to astronomical twilight on the 26th. You will need a telescope for this (and great patience and mosquito repellent. 

The reason there is a gap between images at 17:29 and18:31 is I used my 8" Newtonian to take images of Venus close up. Venus is now just becoming crescent shaped. In the coming days it will become bigger ad more clearly crescent shaped. Hopefully the weather will be kind to me an let me get some more shots. Below is all the images I have managed between July 9 and August 16. 

Venus on July 9 using my 8" Newtonian, ASI224MC and 2x Barlow. Clear half moon shape.	Venus on 1 August using my 8" Newtonian, ASI224MC and 2x Barlow. Clear half moon shape and visibly larger.	Venus on 16 August using my 8" Newtonian, ASI224MC and 2x Barlow. Now approaching crescent phase and a bit larger still.

Labels: Moon, Venus

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:04 pm 4 comments

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

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

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

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

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

Labels: binocular, nova, Nova Sge 2026

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

The Full Moon is Friday August 28. 

North-Eastern horizon on the morning of Saturday,  August 29 as seen from Adelaide at 5:15 ACST (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). 

Saturn is above the north-western horizon.  Mars is low in the east, Mars passes close to the star Mebsuta (epsilon Geminorum) between the 28th-29rd. 

 

 

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

Venus is well above the horizon when the sky is fully dark. has been coming closer to to the bright star Spica and is closest on the 2nd.

Venus is a clear "Crescent Moon"  shape and is increasing in size.  The shape is readily visible in even small telescopes (although the brightness may make it hard to see). 

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

Saturn is the brightest object above the eastern horizon. Saturn is rising around 9:00 pm local time, but is still best for telescopic observation in the morning, and its rings are widening. Saturn is near the waning Moon at this time.

The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.    

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time. 

Whole sky on Saturday, August 29  as seen from Adelaide at 19:19 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Venus is prominent in the north-west. 

 

Scorpius, and the core of the Milky way are at the Zenith. 

 

The Pointers are at their zenith in the Southern sky as the Southern Cross sinks to the south west.  The Moon is waxing and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming harder to see.     

 

   

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

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:48 pm 0 comments

The First Quarter Moon is Thursday August 20.  The Lunar X is visible on the 20th.

North-Eastern horizon on the morning of Saturday,  August 22 as seen from Adelaide at 5:24 ACST (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). 

Saturn is above the north-western horizon.  Mars is low in the east, Mars passes close to the stars mu and eta Geminorum between the 20th-23rd, forming a shallow triangle. 

 

 

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

Venus is well above the horizon when the sky is fully dark. It is coming closer to the bright star Spica.

Venus is a clear "Half Moon"  shape and is increasing in size.  The shape is readily visible in even small telescopes (although the brightness may make it hard to see). 

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

Saturn is the brightest object above the eastern horizon. Saturn is rising around 9:30 pm local time, but is still best for telescopic observation in the morning, and its rings are widening. 

The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.    

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time. 

Whole sky on Saturday, August 22  as seen from Adelaide at 19:14 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Venus is prominent in the north-west. 

 

Scorpius, and the core of the Milky way are at the Zenith. 

 

The Pointers are at their zenith in the Southern sky as the Southern Cross sinks to the south west.  The Moon is waxing and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming harder to see.     

 

   

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

Labels: weekly sky

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

Western horizon as seen from Adelaide on Sunday  16 August at 5:25  pm, 20 minutes before sunset. Venus is about two finger-widths beside the crescent Moon. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 20 min before local sunset (click to embiggen)	10x50 Binocular view of the pair on Sunday  16 August at 5:25  pm.  (click to embiggen)

While regular readers of this blog know that I'm obsessed with seeing Venus in the daytime. I haven't posted about it for some time. But an excellent opportunity arises this Sunday. 

Venus is currently bright enough (-4.3) to see during the daylight. However, finding a bright dot in the vast amount of blue can be challenging. It is easier to locate Venus if there is a handy foreground object nearby to use as reference. The Moon is such an object, fairly easy to spot making it a handy guide. 

On the 16th crescent Moon is about two finger-widths beside the crescent Moon, an excellent opportunity for finding Venus in the daylight.

Look for the thin crescent Moon, and Venus should be visible as a bright dot just to the left of it. The images above should help locate it. It's best to look in the afternoon when the Sun is low and the sky is less bright. Make sure the Sun is hidden behind something solid like a building or a wall when you are looking for Venus, not trees or your hand. Exposing your eyes directly to the glare of the Sun can be very dangerous and you could potentially lose your sight.

You may need to use binoculars at first to pick up Venus near the moon, but once you have spotted it it will be obvious (again make sure you practice sun safety when observing with binoculars).

I used a corner of the house and pergola to shut out the Sun and frame the Moon-Venus combination for previous daylight Venus adventures.

You may also use mobile phone apps such as Google sky map to locate the Moon and Venus in the vasty blue.

If you miss this opportunity, locate Venus around half an hour after Sunset, and find a convenient marker (a tree, a telephone pole or something like that) close by to Venus from a fixed position in your yard. Note the relative position of Venus and features on the marker. Next day, go to your viewing position about 5 minutes after Sunset and again note Venus's location. The next day, look 5 minutes before Sunset and note the location. And so on until you can see Venus well before Sunset.

Do remember to be very careful not to look directly at the Sun when doing all of this. Chose your viewing location so that the Sun will be hidden well behind some solid object at all of your projected viewing times.

Good luck Venus hunting.

Labels: Daylight, Daytime, Moon, unaided eye, Venus

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 12:19 pm 0 comments

On the early morning August 13 (afternoon August 12 UT) there is a Total Eclipse of the Sun, Visible from the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and Spain. Australia misses out completely, and Iceland looks like it will be clouded out.

Not to despair, Several places are doing live-streams of the Eclipse, so you can watch it in comfort, except of course it is in the wee small hours from Australia:

NASA   1:15 pm US EST (3:15 am AEST) : https://www.nasa.gov/live/ 

ESA 19:30–20:45 CEST (3:30 am-4:45 am AEST):  https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Total_solar_eclipse_how_to_watch_live_from_home

Time and date (1:04 am ACST-5:27 am ACST the site sets itself to your local time):  https://www.timeanddate.com/live/eclipse-solar-2026-august-12

SLOOH's Livestream 16:30 UTC (2:30 am AEST): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nURX5lnT50 

Labels: live-stream, solar eclipse, webcast

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 4:25 pm 0 comments

The New Moon is Thursday August 13 and the First Quarter Moon is Thursday August 20.  The Lunar X is visible on the 20th.

Saturn is high above the north-western horizon.  Mars is low in the east, and is close to the open cluster M35 from the 14th to 17th, and is closest on the 15th. 

The inset is the binocular view of Mars and M35 on  the 15th

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

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

For printable spotters charts and viewing guides see my comet 220P site. 

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

Venus is well above the horizon when the sky is fully dark. Venus is very close to the crescent Moon. The inset is the telescopic view of Venus at this time. 

Venus is a clear "Half Moon"  shape and is increasing in size.  The shape is readily visible in even small telescopes (although the brightness may make it hard to see). 

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

Saturn is the brightest object above the eastern horizon. Saturn is rising around 10:00 am loacl timet, but is still best for telescopic observation in the morning, and its rings are widening. 

The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.    

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time. 

Whole sky on Saturday, August 15  as seen from Adelaide at 19:10 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Venus is prominent in the north-west. 

 

Scorpius, and the core of the Milky way are at the Zenith. 

 

The Pointers are at their zenith in the Southern sky as the Southern Cross sinks to the south west.  The Moon is waxing and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming harder to see.     

 

   

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

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:13 pm 0 comments