Astroblog: May 2024

The last Quarter Moon is Friday, May 31. Comet 12P Pons-Brooks is visible when the sky is fully dark but remains a binocular only object. The comet leave the iconic Orion constellation behind and moves into Canis Major. In the morning the Moon moves down the lineup of Saturn, Mars and Mercury. Despite claims of a rare alignment of planets being visible to the unaided eye on June 3, the actual alignment on June 5 will be difficult to see.

The last Quarter Moon is Friday, May 31. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closet to earth, on June 2.

Evening sky on Saturday, June 1 as seen from Adelaide at 18:42 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet 12P is now above the bright star Arneb in Lepus when the sky is fully dark. The inset shows the binocular view at this time.

The comet has faded to magnitude 6, and you need binoculars. With the Moon rising out of the way the comet is easier to see now. Over the week the comet will climb higher into darker skies heading towards Canis Major. Updated spotters charts are here.

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

Morning sky on Monday, June 3 as seen from Adelaide at 06:18 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The crescent Moon, Saturn, Mars and Mercury make an attractive lineup. Despite what some sources say, while Uranus and Neptune are in the line-up they are not visible to the unaided eye. Jupiter is too deep in the twilight to be readily seen.The Moon is close to Mars.

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 (60 minutes before sunrise).

Morning sky on Wednesday, June 5 as seen from Adelaide at 06:32 ACST, (45 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The crescent Moon is near Mercury an Jupiter deep in the twilight. You may need binoculars to see Jupiter and Mercury. Saturn and Mars will be barely visible. The inset is the binocular view of Mercury and Jupiter at this time.

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

Whole sky on Saturday, June 1 as seen from Adelaide at 18:42 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Orion is low on the north-west horizon. Bright Sirius is still dominant in the north-western sky. Scorpius now well visible above the Eastern horizon. Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are a wealth of binocular objects to discover. The fainter clusters will be be better with the moon no longer in the evening sky.

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

Mercury sinks into the twilight and is soon lost to view. Mercury and Jupiter are close on the 5th.

Venus is lost in the morning twilight.

Mars is rising in the morning twilight. Mars is close to the crescent Moon on the 3rd.

Jupiter returns to the the morning twilight sky. Mercury and Jupiter are close on the 5th.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning twilight. Saturn is close to the crescent Moon on the 1st.

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 Full Moon is Thursday, May 23. Comet 12P Pons-Brooks is now visible when the sky is fully dark but remains a binocular only object. The comet starts the week close to the iconic Orion constellation and is within a binocular field of the bright star Rigel. As the Moon passes from the evening sky the comet becomes easier to see. In the morning the lineup of Saturn, Mars and Mercury makes for nice viewing. By the end of the week the waning Moon joins the lineup.

The Full Moon is Thursday, May 23.

Evening sky on Thursday, May 23 as seen from Adelaide at 18:44 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet 12P is now beside Orion when the sky is fully dark.

While the comet is a reasonable magnitude 5.5, you will still need binoculars. Especially with the Full Moon making it harder to see. Nonetheless the binocular view with the comet near Orion's belt is nice.

Over the week the comet will climb higher into darker skies past the bright stars of Orion towards the constellation of Lepus the hare. Updated spotters charts are here.

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

Evening sky on Sunday, May 26 as seen from Adelaide at 18:43 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet 12P is now just below the bright star Arneb in Lepus when the sky is fully dark. The inset shows the binocular view at this time.

The comet has faded to magnitude 6, and you need binoculars. With the waning Moon rising later the comet is easier to see now. Over the week the comet will climb higher into darker skies coming closer to the bright star Arneb. Updated spotters charts are here.

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

Morning sky on Thursday, May 30 as seen from Adelaide at 06:15 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The waning Moon, Saturn, Mars and Mercury make an attractive lineup.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 (60 minutes before sunrise).

Whole sky on Saturday, May 25 as seen from Adelaide at 18:44 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Orion is low in the north-west. Bright Sirius is still dominant in the north-western sky. Scorpius is rising in the East. Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are a wealth of binocular objects to discover. The fainter clusters will be be better as the Moon fades.

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

Mercury begins to sink into the twilight but still remains bright in the morning twilight.

Venus is lost in the morning twilight.

Mars is rising in the morning twilight.

Jupiter is lost in the twilight sky.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning twilight.

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 @ 11:28 pm 0 comments

The Full Moon is Thursday, May 23. Comet 12P Pons-Brooks is now visible when the sky is fully dark but is still a binocular only object. The waxing Moon may make it harder to see. The comet is close to the iconic Orion constellation and is within a binocular field of the bright star Rigel. In the morning the lineup of Saturn, Mars and Mercury makes for nice viewing.

The Full Moon is Thursday, May 23. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 18th.

Evening sky on Sunday, May 19 as seen from Adelaide at 18:46 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet 12P is now just below Orion when the sky is fully dark. The inset shows the binocular view at this time.

While the comet is a reasonable magnitude 5.5, you will still need binoculars. Especially with he waxing Moon making it harder to see. Over the week the comet will climb higher into darker skies past the bright stars of Orion. but will remain within a binocular field of the bright star Rigel. Updated spotters charts are here.

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

Morning sky on Saturday, May 18 as seen from Adelaide at 06:08ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn, Mars and Mercury make an attractive lineup.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 (60 minutes before sunrise).

Whole sky on Saturday, May 18 as seen from Adelaide at 18:47 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Orion is low in the north-west. Bright Sirius is still dominant in the north-western sky. Scorpius is rising in the East. Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are a wealth of binocular objects to discover. The fainter clusters will be washed out by the light of the waxing, then full Moon.

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

Mercury begins to sink into the twilight.

Venus is lost in the morning twilight.

Mars is rising in the morning twilight.

Jupiter is lost in the twilight sky.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning twilight.

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 @ 7:46 am 2 comments

The First Quarter Moon is Wednesday, May 15. Comet 12P Pons-Brooks is now visible when the sky is fully dark but is still a binocular only object. The comet will progressively climb higher and is near the iconic Orion constellation. In the morning the lineup of Saturn, Mars and Mercury makes for nice viewing.

The First Quarter Moon is Wednesday, May 15.

Evening sky on Thursday, May 9 as seen from Adelaide at 18:52 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet 12P is below Orion close to the star nu Eridanus in the constellation of the river.

While the comet is a modestly bright magnitude 5, despite now being visible when the sky is fully dark, you will still need binoculars. Over the week the comet will climb towards Orion and into darker skies, but becomes dimmer as it rises. Updated spotters charts are here.

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

Evening sky on Thursday, May 16 as seen from Adelaide at 18:52 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet 12P is now just below Orion when the sky is fully dark. The inset shows the binocular view at this time.

While the comet is a reasonable bright magnitude 5.4, you will still need binoculars. Over the week the comet will climb higher into darker skies and closer to the bright stars of Orion. Updated spotters charts are here.

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

Morning sky on Saturday, May 11 as seen from Adelaide at 06:03 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn, Mars and Mercury make an attractive lineup.

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

Whole sky on Saturday, May 11 as seen from Adelaide at 18:51 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Orion is low in the north-west. Bright Sirius is still dominant in the north-western sky. Scorpius is rising in the East. Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are a wealth of binocular objects to discover. This is a good time to see fainter clusters.

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

Mercury begins to sink into the twilight.

Venus is lost in the morning twilight.

Mars is rising in the morning twilight.

Jupiter is lost in the twilight sky.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning twilight.

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 @ 10:58 pm 0 comments

The New Moon is Wednesday, May 8. Comet 12P Pons-Brooks is visible in binoculars and will progressively climb higher over the week heading for the iconic Orion constellation. Between 3 and 6 May the waning Moon joins the lineup of Saturn, Mars and Mercury. On the 4th there is a spectacular close approach of the Moon to Saturn, with a daytime occultation in the eastern states. On the 5th The Moon is close to Mars and on the 6th it is close to Mercury. On the 6th-8th the eta Aquariid meteor shower is visible in the morning sky.

The New Moon is Wednesday, May 8. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to Earth, on the 6th.

Evening sky on Saturday, May 4 as seen from Adelaide at 18:27 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet 12P is rising higher in the evening twilight.

While the comet is a reasonable bright magnitude 4.7, it is still not too far from the horizon. You will definitely need binoculars. Over the week the comet will climb higher into darker skies and. Updated spotters charts are here.

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

Evening sky on Thursday, May 9 as seen from Adelaide at 18:52 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet 12P is below Orion close to the star nu Eridanus in the constellation of the river.

While the comet is a modestly bright magnitude 5, despite now being visible when the sky is fully dark, you will still need binoculars. Over the week the comet will climb towards Orion and into darker skies, but becomes dimmer as it rises. Updated spotters charts are here.

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

Morning sky on Saturday, May 4 as seen from Adelaide at 05:57ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The Moon is very close to Saturn with Mars and Mercury below. The eastern states see a daytime occultation of Saturn in the morning.

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

The Moon at 9:03 am AEST in Sydney on Saturday 4 May just as Saturn disappears behind the Moon. The insets shows the telescope view of Saturn going behind the Moon (left) and emerging from behind the Moon at 9:22 am AEST (right)

For detailed times and observing hints see the occultation page.

Morning sky on Sunday, May 5 as seen from Adelaide at 05:59ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The Moon is very close to Mars with Saturn above and Mercury below.

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

The north-eastern horizon as seen from Adelaide at 5:00 am ACST on 7 May, the eta Aquariid radiant is marked with a starburst. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen).

The eta Aquariid meteor shower, which is produced by the debris from Halley’s Comet, will peak on May 6 (strictly speaking May 5, 21UT).

Detailed times and charts are at the eta Aquariid meteor page.

Whole sky on Saturday, May 4 as seen from Adelaide at 18:56 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Orion is low in the north-west. Bright Sirius is still dominant in the north-western sky. Scorpius is rising in the East. Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are a wealth of binocular objects to discover. As the Moon wanes , the fainter clusters will be visible again.

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

Mercury climbs higher into the twilight. On the 6th the Moon is close to Mercury.

Venus is lost in the morning twilight.

Mars is rising in the morning twilight. On the 5th The Moon is close to Mars.

Jupiter is lost in the twilight sky.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning twilight. On the 4th there is a spectacular close approach of the Moon to Saturn, with a daytime occultation in the eastern states.

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 2 comments