Astroblog

Tuesday, June 06, 2023

Thursday June 8 to Thursday June 15

The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday, June 11. Saturn is now rising just after local midnight and is high in the morning sky above the pair of Jupiter and Mercury. On the 10th waning Moon is close to Saturn, on the 14th the crescent moon is close to Jupiter. Venus is prominent from the evening twilight to early evening and comes closer to Mars. On June 13-14 Venus is on the outskirts of the Beehive open cluster, on the 2nd and 3rd it is in the heart of the Beehive.

The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday, June 11.

Morning sky on Saturday, June 10 as seen from Adelaide at 05:44 ACST, (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn is high in the sky close to the waning Moon, above Jupiter and Mercury. The inset is the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.

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

Morning sky on Wednesday, June 14 as seen from Adelaide at 06:21 ACST, (50 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn is high in the sky above Jupiter and Mercury. The crescent Moon is close to Jupiter. Mercury is low to the horizon near the Hyades and Pleiades. The inset is the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time.

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

Evening sky on Wednesday, June 14 as seen from Adelaide at 18:41 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Venus is close to the beehive cluster with Mars nearby. The inset is the binocular view of Venus and the Beehive.

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

Whole sky on Saturday, June 10 as seen from Adelaide at 18:41 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Mars is visible above the north western horizon and Venus is just below.

Orion the Hunter, is setting on the western horizon while Sirius is still prominent low in the western sky. Scorpius is rising in the east.

Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to discover. However the Moons light is washing them out.

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

Mercury is heading towards the horizon in the morning twilight, and is below Jupiter. As the week goes on Mercury leaves Jupiter behind in the morning twilight.

Venus climbs still higher in the twilight coming closer to Mars. On the 13th-14th Venus is on the outskirts of the Beehive open cluster.

Mars and Venus come closer.

Jupiter is prominent in the morning sky, with Mercury below it. As the week goes on Jupiter climbs higher in the morning twilight leaving Mercury behind. On the 14th the thin crescent Moon is close to Jupiter.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning skies and is rising just after local midnight. On the 10th the waning Moon is close to Saturn.

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 @ 11:56 pm 0 comments

No, Garlic will not Cure COVID.

Garlic extracts are in the news with somewhat breathless headlines ( see here [paywall] and here and here) as the Doherty Institute has reported that garlic extracts are able to prevent influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infection of cells in culture. Unfortunately, the full experimental details are not available, but the effects of garlic extracts on viral infection in isolated cells have been seen before and suggest garlic is unlikely to affect the course of COVID infection.

Garlic extract has been shown to inhibit virus activity previously (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7434784/), and SARS-CoV-2 in particular (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8581659/)

However, while these preclinical studies are an essential first step to developing therapies, there is a long way to go before these extracts can be adopted as preventatives or treatments. After all, as I said on Media Watch, many things kill viruses in dishes, including extract of old shoes.

Garlic has been used in medicines for millennia, although evidence that it is actually useful is largely lacking. Garlic’s most prominent components are organic sulfur compounds which give it its distinctive smell. More than thirty sulfur containing compounds are present in garlic along with other potentially active compounds such as lecithin's and flavonoid antioxidants (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7434784/). The organic sulfur compound Allicin is thought to be the primary component responsible for antiviral activity.

Absorption and metabolism of the active components of garlic extracts may mean that the levels of these compounds may not reach levels that are effective in the body. In the previous In vitro studies, rather high concentrations of extract (https://journal.isv.org.ir/article-1-205-fa.pdf, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4780135/) and Allicin are required to inhibit viral activity (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8581659/). Furthermore, the cell type used in the in vitro experiments affects the results, with Allicin in human lung cells being less effective against SARS-CoV2 than Vero cells (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8581659/).

Garlic compounds are readily broken down and results suggest they do not enter the body at the levels required to inhibit viral reproduction. (https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/131/3/955S/4687054, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6073756/).

There was a suggestion that consuming garlic might help with the gastrointestinal effects of COVID, and possibly lead to faster recovery via effects on the GI tract. While it is quite clear that COVID causes gastrointestinal symptoms, it is less clear if this is due to virus in the GI tract binding to the GI epithelium, virus getting to the GI cells via the blood or due to the systemic effects of the virus. Even if it is due to virus in the GI tract infecting the GI epithelium, it is not clear there would be a high enough concentration in the gut content to stop virus binding. The major issue and really serious effects of COVID is the virus binding in the lungs (and the effects on circulation and the heart), so affecting the GI tract is not likely to have a significant impact on the course or the worst adverse effects of COVID.

Small clinical trials of garlic preparations suggest they may reduce symptoms, but not incidence, of colds and flu. The composition and concentrations of these extracts may not be comparable to the materials tested by the Doherty Institute. A small trial with a fortified garlic extract in hospitalised COVID patients showed no significant effect on the primary measures of infection recovery (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10011030/).

Summary:

Overall, while the results reported by the Doherty Institute are interesting, until clinical trials have been done no claims can be made about the effects of these extracts for the prevention and/or treatment of influenza let alone COVID. With what information we already have, an actual benefit seems highly implausible.

References:

Rouf R, Uddin SJ, Sarker DK, Islam MT, Ali ES, Shilpi JA, Nahar L, Tiralongo E, Sarker SD. Antiviral potential of garlic (Allium sativum) and its organosulfur compounds: A systematic update of pre-clinical and clinical data. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2020 Oct;104:219-234. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2020.08.006. Epub 2020 Aug 19. PMID: 32836826; PMCID: PMC7434784.

Mehrbod P., Amini E., Tavassoti-Kheiri M. Antiviral activity of garlic extract on Influenza virus. Iranian Journal of Virology. 2009;3(1):19–23.

Chavan RD, Shinde P, Girkar K, Madage R, Chowdhary A. Assessment of Anti-Influenza Activity and Hemagglutination Inhibition of Plumbago indica and Allium sativum Extracts. Pharmacognosy Res. 2016 Apr-Jun;8(2):105-11. doi: 10.4103/0974-8490.172562. PMID: 27034600; PMCID: PMC4780135.

Mösbauer K, Fritsch VN, Adrian L, Bernhardt J, Gruhlke MCH, Slusarenko AJ, Niemeyer D, Antelmann H. The Effect of Allicin on the Proteome of SARS-CoV-2 Infected Calu-3 Cells. Front Microbiol. 2021 Oct 28;12:746795. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.746795. PMID: 34777295; PMCID: PMC8581659.

Lawson LD, Hunsaker SM. Allicin Bioavailability and Bioequivalence from Garlic Supplements and Garlic Foods. Nutrients. 2018 Jun 24;10(7):812. doi: 10.3390/nu10070812. PMID: 29937536; PMCID: PMC6073756.

Harunobu Amagase and others, Intake of Garlic and Its Bioactive Components, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 131, Issue 3, March 2001, Pages 955S–962S, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/131.3.955S

Taghavi MR, Tavanaei Tamanaei T, Oghazian MB, Tavana E, Mollazadeh S, Niloofar P, Oghazian S, Hoseinzadeh A, Hesari A, Ansari Mohseni M, Rezaei S, Haresabadi M. Effectiveness of Fortified Garlic Extract Oral Capsules as Adjuvant Therapy in Hospitalized Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Triple-Blind Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2023;98:100699. doi: 10.1016/j.curtheres.2023.100699. Epub 2023 Mar 14. PMID: 36998289; PMCID: PMC10011030.

Labels: COVID-19, Science Blogging, science matters

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 7:17 am 0 comments

Thursday, June 01, 2023

Southern Skywatch June 2023 edition is now out!

Evening sky on Friday, June 2 as seen from Adelaide at 18:42 ACST, (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Mars is in the heart of the beehive cluster. The inset is the binocular view of Mars and the cluster.

The June edition of Southern Skywatch is now up.

The planetary action is now now mostly in the morning skies, although Venus and Mars remain prominent and bright in the evening skies and have some nice encounter with the Beehive cluster. The Moon occults Delta Scorpii. Mercury is prominent in the morning twilight below Jupiter at the begining of this month but will be lost to view from mid month. Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky and is now rising before midnight, as Jupiter also climbs higher in the morning sky.

June 1-3; Mars crosses the Beehive cluster. June 3; the bright star delta Scorpius in the head of the scorpion is occulted by the Moon in the early evening just on Nautical twilight. June 4; Full Moon. June 7; Moon at perigee. June 10; the waning moon near Saturn in the morning twilight. June 11; Last Quarter Moon. June 13-14, Venus close to the Beehive cluster. June 14; the waning Moon close to Jupiter. June 18; New Moon. June 21; the crescent Moon forms a line with Venus and Mars. June 22; the crescent Moon is close to Venus in the evening forming a triangle with Mars. June 22; the Earth is at Solstice. June 23; the crescent Moon forms a line with Mars and Venus. June 23; apogee Moon. June 26; First Quarter Moon.

Mercury is still prominent in the morning sky early in the month. It is easily visible above the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise, below Jupiter. As the month wears on Mercury heads towards the horizon and is lost in the twilight.

Venus continues to climb higher in the evening sky this month and now is easily visible from shortly until over an hour after astronomical twilight when the sky is fully dark. Venus is at its greatest distance from the Sun on the 4th but remains high in the evening sky for the rest of the month. Venus also increases in brilliance and goes from a half moon shape to a clear crescent shape in telescopes.

Venus has two notable close encounters this month: From the 13th to 14th, Venus skims past the open cluster M44, the beehive cluster, providing an excellent sight in binoculars.

Venus comes closer to Mars, but never quite catches up to it. On the 22nd, Venus Mars and the crescent moon form an attractive triangle. On the 21st and 23rd the trio form a line.

Earth is at Solstice on the Thursday 22nd, when the day is shortest.

Mars although well past opposition, is still easily visible It passes through Cancer and enters Leo late in the Month. On the 1st, Mars can be found on the outskirts of the Beehive cluster M44. And on the 2nd and 3rd Mars is in the heart of the beehive, a great binocular and telescope vista (also good in dark sky locations)

On the 22nd, Venus Mars and the crescent moon form an attractive triangle.

Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky, at the beginning of the month bright Mercury is below it, but Mercury is less prominent as the month progresses. On the 14th Jupiter will be 5 degrees from the waning crescent moon.

Saturn continues to climb higher in the morning skies and becomes visible in the late evening, although it remains best in the morning skies. On the 10th, Saturn is near to the waning Moon in the morning skies.

Labels: southern skywatch

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 7:18 am 0 comments

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Thursday June 1 to Thursday June 8

The Full Moon is Sunday, June 4. The Moon occults the moderately bright star Delta Scorpii (Dschubba) in the twilight on the early evening of the 3rd. Saturn is now rising just after local midnight and is high in the morning sky above the pair of Jupiter and Mercury. Venus is prominent from the evening twilight to early evening. On June 1 Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive open cluster, on the 2nd and 3rd it is in the heart of the Beehive. At this time Venus forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.

The Full Moon is Sunday, June 4. The Moon occults the moderately bright star Delta Scorpii in the twilight on the early evening of the 3rd. The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 7th.

Morning sky on Saturday, June 3 as seen from Adelaide at 05:42 ACST, (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn is high in the sky above Jupiter and Mercury. The inset is the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.

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

Evening sky on Saturday, June 3 as seen from Adelaide at 18:11 ACST, 60 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Venus forms a line with Castor and Pollux. Mars is in front of the Beehive cluster.

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

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

Evening sky on Saturday, June 3 as seen from Adelaide at 17:59 ACST, shortly before nautical twilight (click to embiggen). The Moon is about to cover Delta Scorpii. The inset is egress at 18:52 CST.

For specific times for other cities and charts see my occultation site.

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

Whole sky on Saturday, June 3 as seen from Adelaide at 18:42 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Mars is visible above the north western horizon and Venus is setting in the west.The nearly Moon is high above the western horizon in the head of the Scorpion, occulting delta Scorpii.

Orion the Hunter, is setting on the western horizon while Sirius is still prominent low in the western sky. Scorpius is rising in the east.

Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to discover. However the Moons light is washing them out.

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

Mercury is heading towards the horizon in the morning twilight, and is below Jupiter. As the week goes on Mercury leaves Jupiter behind in the morning twilight.

Venus climbs still higher in the twilight. On the 2nd-3rd Venus forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.

Mars On June 1 Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive open cluster. On the 2nd-3rd it is in the heart of the cluster.

Jupiter is prominent in the morning sky, with Mercury below it. As the week goes on Jupiter climbs higher in the morning twilight leaving Mercury behind .

Saturn climbs higher in the morning skies and is rising just after local midnight.

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 7:30 am 0 comments

Occultation of Delta Scorpii, June 3, 2023


Evening sky on Saturday, June 3 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 17:59 ACST showing the Moon and Delta Scorpii, just as the Moon is about to cover it. The inset shows the telescopic view of The Moon at 18:52, as the Moon moves off delta Scorpii. Click to embiggen	Evening sky on Saturday, June 3 looking east as seen from Melbourne at 18:33 AEST showing the Moon and Delta Scorpii, just as the Moon is about to cover it. The inset shows the telescopic view of The Moon at 19:29, as the Moon moves off delta Scorpii. Click to embiggen	Evening sky on Saturday, June 3 looking east as seen from Sydney at 18:26 AEST showing the Moon and Delta Scorpii, just as the Moon is about to cover it. The inset shows the telescopic view of The Moon at 19:28, as the Moon moves off delta Scorpii. Click to embiggen

On the evening of June 3, the bright star delta Scorpii (Dschubba) in the head of the Scorpion is occulted by the Moon in the early evening just on Nautical twilight. Ingress is low to the horizon and will be hard telescopically, but reappearance an hour later should be viewable.

The occultation occurs with the Moon low above the horizon at the start for the eastern states, although higher the further north you are. South Australia has a reasonable view but Darwin and Perth miss out, although delta Scorprii will be seen near by the Moon. Disappearance and appearance times are given in the table below.

While the occultation is visible to the unaided eye, the sight will be better in binoculars or a small telescope (the low hight above the horizon may make it difficult for telescopes to point down that low). Set up ahead of time so that you can be sure everything is working well and you can watch the entire event comfortably. delta Scorpii will be clearly visible to the unaided eye near the Moon.

Delta Scorpii (Dschubba) reappears about an hour later, when the Moon is much higher and better for telescopic viewing.

To the west, Venus forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux and Mars is in the heart of the Beehive cluster.

Place	Moon rise	Disappears Dark Limb	Reappears Bright Limb	Astronomical Twilight	Sunset
Adelaide ACST	16:16	17:59	18:52	18:42	17:12
Brisbane AEST	16:05	18:18	19:17	18:24	17:00
Canberra AEST	16:02	18:28	19:28	18:29	16:59
Darwin ACST	17:35	-	-	19:44	18:28
Hobart AEST	15:47	18:42	19:38	18:27	16:45
Melbourne AEST	16:12	18:33	19:29	18:42	17:09
Perth AWST	16:27	-	-	18:46	17:20
Sydney AEST	15:57	18:26	19:28	18:22	16:54

Labels: binoculars, Moon, Occultation, telescope, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 2:22 am 0 comments

Monday, May 29, 2023

Mars Crosses the Beehive cluster 1-3 June, 2023


Evening sky on Thursday, June 1 as seen from Adelaide at 18:44 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive cluster (M44). The inset is the binocular view of Mars and the cluster. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).	Mars and M44 on 2 June, 18:42 ACST. 10 degree field of view. Simulated in Stellarium.	Mars and M44 on 3 June, 18:42 ACST. 10 degree field of view. Simulated in Stellarium.

From Thursday 1 June to Saturday 3 June, Mars crosses the Beehive cluster (M44). Under dark skies this delightful open cluster looks like a faint nebulous patch, but binoculars or a telescope will reveal it's wonderful starry mass.

While in principle seeing Mars in the heart of the beehive is possible with the unaided eye, This is far better seen with binoculars or a small telescope, On the 1st Mars on on the outskirts of the cluster, and on the 2nd and 3rd it is in the heart of the cluster. The cluster fits neatly into medium power telescope eyepiece fields. On the days leading up to the crossing and a couple of days after, Mars and the cluster are in the same binocular field.

The sight is best at Astronomical twilight, and hour and a half after sunset, much later than this and the beehive gets too close to the horizon to be seen clearly. Mars is not so bright that it will drown out the clusters dimmer starts, so this will be a nice opportunity for some astrophotography.

Labels: Beehive cluster, binocular, Mars, telescope

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

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Thursday May 25 to Thursday June 1

The First Quarter Moon is Sunday, May 28. Saturn is now rising just after local midnight and is high in the morning sky above the pair of Jupiter and Mercury. Venus is prominent in the late evening twilight. On the 25th Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line. On the 30th Venus forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux. On June 1 Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive open cluster.

The First Quarter Moon is Sunday, May 28. The Moon is at Apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 26th.

Morning sky on Saturday, May 27 as seen from Adelaide at 05:42 ACST, (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn is high in the sky above Jupiter and Mercury. The inst is the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.

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

Evening sky on Thursday, May 25 as seen from Adelaide at 18:44 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line.

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

Evening sky on Tuesday, May 30 as seen from Adelaide at 18:42 ACST, (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Venus form a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux. The telescopic view of Venus is shown in the inset.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (80 minutes after sunset).

Evening sky on Thursday, June 1 as seen from Adelaide at 18:44 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive cluster (M44). The inset is the binocular view of Mars and the cluster.

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

Whole sky on Saturday, May 27 as seen from Adelaide at 18:43 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Mars is visible above the north western horizon and Venus is setting in the west.The waxing Moon is high above the northern horizon.

Orion the Hunter, is very low above the western horizon while Sirius is still prominent low in the western sky. Scorpius is rising in the east

Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to discover.

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

Mercury climbs higher in the morning twilight, and is just below Jupiter. As the week goes on the pair climb higher in the morning twilight.

Venus climbs still higher in the twilight. On the 25th Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line. On the 30th Venus forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.

Mars On the 25th Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line. On June 1 Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive open cluster.

Jupiter is prominent in the morning sky, with Mercury below it. As the week goes on the pair climb higher in the morning twilight.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning skies and is rising just after local midnight.

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 1:48 am 0 comments

Monday, May 15, 2023

Thursday May 18 to Thursday May 25

The New Moon is Saturday, May 20. Saturn is now high in the morning sky above the pair of Jupiter and Mercury. The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury in the morning sky on the 18th. Venus is prominent in the late evening twilight. On the 23rd Venus and the thin crescent Moon are close. Bright Mars forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux at the beginning of the week. On the 24th Venus, the crescent Moon and Mars form a triangle. On the 25th Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line.

The New Moon is Saturday, May 20.

Morning sky on Sunday, May 20 as seen from Adelaide at 05:38 ACST, (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn is close to the waning Moon with Jupiter and Mercury just above the horizon.

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

Morning sky on Thursday, May 18 as seen from Adelaide at 06:07 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Jupiter, Mercury and the thin crescent Moon form a triangle.

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

Evening sky on Tuesday, May 23 as seen from Adelaide at 18:14 ACST, (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Venus is close to the thin crescent Moon. The telescopic view of Venus is shown in the inset.

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

Evening sky on Wednesday, May 24 as seen from Adelaide at 18:44 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a triangle.

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

Whole sky on Saturday, May 20 as seen from Adelaide at 18:46 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Mars is visible above the north western horizon and Venus is setting in the west.

Orion the Hunter, is low above the north-western horizon while Sirius is still prominent low in the north-western sky. Scorpius is rising in the east

Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to discover.

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

Mercury returns to the morning twilight, The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury in the morning sky on the 18th. As the week goes on the pair climb higher in the morning twilight.

Venus climbs higher in the twilight. On the 23rd Venus and the thin crescent Moon are close. On the 24th Venus, the crescent Moon and Mars form a triangle. On the 25th Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line.

Mars forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux at the beginning of the week. On the 24th Venus, the crescent Moon and Mars form a triangle. On the 25th Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line.

Jupiter returns to the morning twilight. The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury in the morning sky on the 18th. As the week goes on the pair climb higher in the morning twilight.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning skies.

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 9:52 pm 0 comments

Monday, May 08, 2023

Thursday May 11 to Thursday May 18

The Last Quarter Moon is Friday, May 12. Saturn is climbing in the morning sky and is close to the waning moon on the 14th. The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury in the morning sky on the 18th. Venus is prominent in the evening twilight. Venus leaves Taurus and enters Gemini, and is close to eta Geminorum on the 17th. Bright Mars forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.

The Last Quarter Moon is Friday, May 12.The moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the earth, on the 11th.

Morning sky on Sunday, May 14 as seen from Adelaide at 05:34 ACST, (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn is close to the waning Moon with Jupiter just above the horizon.

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

Morning sky on Thursday, May 18 as seen from Adelaide at 06:07 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Jupiter, Mercury and the thin crescent Moon form a triangle.

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

Evening sky on Wednesday, May 17 as seen from Adelaide at 18:20ACST, (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Venus is close to the star eta Geminorum (Mebsuta). The telescopic view of Venus is shown in the inset.

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

Evening sky on Saturday, May 13 as seen from Adelaide at 18:50 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Venus and Mars are visible. Mars forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.

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

Whole sky on Saturday, May 13 as seen from Adelaide at 18:50 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Mars is visible above the north western horizon and Venus is setting in the west.

Orion the Hunter, is prominent along with Sirius low in the north-western sky. Scorpius is rising in the east

Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to discover.

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

Mercury returns to the morning twilight, The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury in the morning sky on the 18th.

Venus climbs higher in the twilight. Venus leaves Taurus and enters Gemini, and is close to eta Geminorum on the 17th.

Mars forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.

Jupiter returns to the morning twilight. The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury in the morning sky on the 18th.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning skies and is close to the waning moon on the 14th.