Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Thursday April 24 to Thursday May 1
The New Moon is Monday April 28. Jupiter and Mars are visible in the evening sky. Jupiter forms a line with the stars Aldebaran and Elnath and sets early evening. Mars is high in the early evening sky forming a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux as it heads towards Cancer. Look for the constellation Corona Borealis before midnight, the blaze star T Coronae Borealis (TCrB) may go Nova eventually. The asteroid Vesta is visible nearby. Saturn, Venus and Mercury are visible in the morning twilight. The Crescent Moon is close to Venus and Saturn on the 25th, the mercury on the 26th.
The New Moon is Monday April 28. The Moon isat perigee, when it is closest to the earth, on the 28th as well.
The crescent Moon forms a triangle with Saturn and Venus. Mercury is below
The inset is the telescope view of Venus at this time. (click to embiggen).
Saturn is visible in the twilight near Venus with the crescent moon close to Mercury below.
If you look to the North just before midnight, you will see a prominent bright orange star, Arcturus, if you look northeast you will see a dainty circlet of stars. Corona Borealis, the northern crown. The blaze star T CrB is located on the right-hand side to the circlet, where the line of stars turns down, there are no other bright stars in the region, so when it erupts it will be easily visible. Viewing tips at my T CrB post.
Just above this is the asteroid Vesta, nearing opposition and theoretically visible to the unaided eye. it is roughly between the bright red Star Antares and Arcturus, two binocular widths from the bright star Beta Librae. The inset shows the approximate binocular view of Vesta, near the star 16 Librae.
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).
Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).
Mercury begins sinking in the morning twilight. It is close to the crescent moon on the 26th.
Venus climbs higher in the morning twilight. It forms a pair with Saturn and a triangle with the crescent moon on the 25th.
Mars is high in the evening sky. Mars forms a crooked line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.
Jupiter is sinking in the the north-western evening sky when the sky is fully dark. Jupiter forms a line with the stars Aldebaran and Elnath, then with the crescent moon on May 1.
Saturn is rising in the morning the twilight. It forms a pair with Venus and a triangle with the crescent moon on the 25th.
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
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