Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The Sky This Week - Thursday June 20 to Thursday June 27
Earth is at solstice on Friday June 21. The Full Moon is Sunday June 23. At this time it will be closer to Earth than any other time this year (a so called "Super Moon"). Mars rises in the morning
twilight. Venus and Mercury are close together in the evening twilight. Saturn is high in the evening skies. The Moon occults the bright star alpha Librae 2 on the 20th.
The Full Moon is Sunday June 23. At this time the Moon will be at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth. This is the closest perigee for 2013 at 356989 km. A full Moon at perigee has been called a "SuperMoon", this is not an astronomical term, but an astrological one. While the Moon is close, it will have no real effect (or be distinguishable without a telescope and a good memory).
The Moon at Perigee and apogee as seen through a
telescope. With the unaided eye, the Moon only appears half a
finger-width wide, so the difference is much harder to see.
This months Full Moon could appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter in the sky than average. But will you actually notice if it is different to the last Full Moon? The limit of distances that someone with good vision can distinguish between is 1 minute of arc (about the width of a human hair). So, for the vast majority of people any difference smaller than 1 minute of arc cannot be seen.
The Moon this Full Moon will be 33'57" wide (just a touch over half a degree, around half a finger-width wide), last months Full Moon (358374 km) was 33'47" wide. Without a telescope and careful astrophotography you will not notice the difference.
If you can wait until January the 16th 2014, when the Full Moon is at Apogee, then it’s diameter will be 29'32" , and you could notice a difference if you have a good memory, but it won’t be spectacular. The illustration above is from November 28, 2012, when the Moon was at apogee and 29'33" wide when it was 406364 km from Earth
However, while the "SuperMoon" will not be spectacular, it will be a good photo opportunity, if you have a decent zoom on your camera, taking a photo of the Moon on June 23 and then again on January 16 2014 you will see a decent difference (you need to use exactly the same zoom enlargement, see Inconstant Moon for instructions).
The
evening sky facing east in Sydney on June 20 at 5:05 pm AEST showing
the waxing Moon just about to cover alpha2 Librae. (similar views will
be seen from other locations at a similar local time eg 5:08 AEST
Canberra). The inset shows a telescopic view of the Moon at 5:05 pm
AEST, with alpha2 Librae about to go behind the Moon.
The waxing Moon passes in front of the bright alpha2 Librae in the constellation of Libra on the evening of June 20. Alpha2 Librae is a bright white star readily visible to the unaided eye (magnitude 2.8). The occultation will be seen from eastern Australia and South Australia. Everywhere else will see a nice, close approach.
From Adelaide the star reappears from the bright limb at 17:23 ACST. From Brisbane the star reappears at 18:05 AEST (the disappearance behind the dark limb is too deep in the twilight to be really seen).
From Canberra the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:08 AEST, and reappears at 18:08 AEST. From Hobart the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:28 AEST, and reappears at 18:07 AEST.
From Melbourne the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:13 AEST, and reappears at 18:03 AEST. From Sydney the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:06 AEST, and reappears at 18:10 AEST.
With the Moon not far from Full, this event is really best seen with binoculars or a small telescope (especially for the reappearance of the star on the bright limb of the Moon). If you have a tripod or other stand for your binoculars, it will be much easier to observe. Set up about half an hour before the occultation to watch the star dissapear (so you are not mucking around with equipment at the last moment).
Evening sky looking west as seen from Adelaide at 18:00 pm local time on Friday June 21. Venus and Mercury are closest at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local times. Click to embiggen.
Venus and Mercury come close together this week. From the 20th-23rd they are no further than two finger-widths from each other. On the 21st they are closest, being only a finger-width apart.
Jupiter is lost in the twilight, it is in conjunction with the Sun on June 20.
Mercury is visible above Venus but slowly lowers towards the horizon.
Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight, and catches up to Mercury this week. It is now reasonably easy easier to see up to an hour and a half after sunset.
Saturn is easily visible above the eastern horizon in the early evening in the constellation of Libra. By 10 pm local time it is high above the northern-western horizon and very easy to see.This is an excellent time to view this planet in a small telescope, as there will be the little interference from horizon murk and air turbulence (and you can show the kids before they go to bed). By the end of the week Saturn is half a finger-width from the dim star Kappa Virginis.
Saturn, Arcturus and Spica from a broad triangle above the northern-western horizon.
Opposition (when Saturn is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth) was on April 28. However, Saturn will be a worthwhile evening target for telescopes of any size for several months. The sight of this ringed world is always amazing.
Morning sky
on Sunday June 23 looking north-east as seen from Adelaide at 6:45 am
local time in South Australia. Mars is below the red star Aldebaran in
the twilight. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the
equivalent local time (click to embiggen).
Mars rises in the twilight, but will still be hard to see unless you have a flat, clear horizon. It forms a triangle with two red giant stars, Aldebaran and Betelgeuse.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Saturn so prominent in the sky. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums. Especially during the school holidays.
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.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
The Full Moon is Sunday June 23. At this time the Moon will be at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth. This is the closest perigee for 2013 at 356989 km. A full Moon at perigee has been called a "SuperMoon", this is not an astronomical term, but an astrological one. While the Moon is close, it will have no real effect (or be distinguishable without a telescope and a good memory).
This months Full Moon could appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter in the sky than average. But will you actually notice if it is different to the last Full Moon? The limit of distances that someone with good vision can distinguish between is 1 minute of arc (about the width of a human hair). So, for the vast majority of people any difference smaller than 1 minute of arc cannot be seen.
The Moon this Full Moon will be 33'57" wide (just a touch over half a degree, around half a finger-width wide), last months Full Moon (358374 km) was 33'47" wide. Without a telescope and careful astrophotography you will not notice the difference.
If you can wait until January the 16th 2014, when the Full Moon is at Apogee, then it’s diameter will be 29'32" , and you could notice a difference if you have a good memory, but it won’t be spectacular. The illustration above is from November 28, 2012, when the Moon was at apogee and 29'33" wide when it was 406364 km from Earth
However, while the "SuperMoon" will not be spectacular, it will be a good photo opportunity, if you have a decent zoom on your camera, taking a photo of the Moon on June 23 and then again on January 16 2014 you will see a decent difference (you need to use exactly the same zoom enlargement, see Inconstant Moon for instructions).
The
evening sky facing east in Sydney on June 20 at 5:05 pm AEST showing
the waxing Moon just about to cover alpha2 Librae. (similar views will
be seen from other locations at a similar local time eg 5:08 AEST
Canberra). The inset shows a telescopic view of the Moon at 5:05 pm
AEST, with alpha2 Librae about to go behind the Moon.The waxing Moon passes in front of the bright alpha2 Librae in the constellation of Libra on the evening of June 20. Alpha2 Librae is a bright white star readily visible to the unaided eye (magnitude 2.8). The occultation will be seen from eastern Australia and South Australia. Everywhere else will see a nice, close approach.
From Adelaide the star reappears from the bright limb at 17:23 ACST. From Brisbane the star reappears at 18:05 AEST (the disappearance behind the dark limb is too deep in the twilight to be really seen).
From Canberra the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:08 AEST, and reappears at 18:08 AEST. From Hobart the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:28 AEST, and reappears at 18:07 AEST.
From Melbourne the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:13 AEST, and reappears at 18:03 AEST. From Sydney the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:06 AEST, and reappears at 18:10 AEST.
With the Moon not far from Full, this event is really best seen with binoculars or a small telescope (especially for the reappearance of the star on the bright limb of the Moon). If you have a tripod or other stand for your binoculars, it will be much easier to observe. Set up about half an hour before the occultation to watch the star dissapear (so you are not mucking around with equipment at the last moment).
Evening sky looking west as seen from Adelaide at 18:00 pm local time on Friday June 21. Venus and Mercury are closest at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local times. Click to embiggen.
Venus and Mercury come close together this week. From the 20th-23rd they are no further than two finger-widths from each other. On the 21st they are closest, being only a finger-width apart.
Jupiter is lost in the twilight, it is in conjunction with the Sun on June 20.
Mercury is visible above Venus but slowly lowers towards the horizon.
Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight, and catches up to Mercury this week. It is now reasonably easy easier to see up to an hour and a half after sunset.
Saturn is easily visible above the eastern horizon in the early evening in the constellation of Libra. By 10 pm local time it is high above the northern-western horizon and very easy to see.This is an excellent time to view this planet in a small telescope, as there will be the little interference from horizon murk and air turbulence (and you can show the kids before they go to bed). By the end of the week Saturn is half a finger-width from the dim star Kappa Virginis.
Saturn, Arcturus and Spica from a broad triangle above the northern-western horizon.
Opposition (when Saturn is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth) was on April 28. However, Saturn will be a worthwhile evening target for telescopes of any size for several months. The sight of this ringed world is always amazing.
Mars rises in the twilight, but will still be hard to see unless you have a flat, clear horizon. It forms a triangle with two red giant stars, Aldebaran and Betelgeuse.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Saturn so prominent in the sky. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums. Especially during the school holidays.
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.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Labels: weekly sky
The "Super Moon" of June 23, 2013
The Full Moon is Sunday June 23 in Australia. At this time the Moon will be at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth. This is the closest perigee
for 2013 at 356989 km. A full Moon at perigee has been called a
"Super Moon", this is not an astronomical term, but an astrological one (see also here).
While the Moon is close, it will have no real effect (or be
distinguishable without a telescope and a good memory).
The Moon at Perigee and apogee as seen through a
telescope. With the unaided eye, the Moon only appears half a
finger-width wide, so the difference is much harder to see.
This months Full Moon could appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter in the sky than average. But will you actually notice if it is different to the last Full Moon?
The limit of distances that someone with good vision can distinguish between is 1 minute of arc (about the width of a human hair). So, for the vast majority of people any difference smaller than 1 minute of arc cannot be seen.
The Moon this Full Moon will be 33'57" wide (just a touch over half a degree, around half a finger-width wide), last months Full Moon (358374 km) was 33'47" wide. Without a telescope and careful astrophotography you will not notice the difference. For a list of full/new Moons and the dates of apogee/perigee see here.
If you can wait until January the 16th 2014, when the Full Moon is at Apogee, then it’s diameter will be 29'32" , and you could notice a difference if you have a good memory, but it won’t be spectacular. The illustration above is from November 28, 2012, when the Moon was at apogee and 29'33" wide when it was 406364 km from Earth.
However, while the "SuperMoon" will not be spectacular, it is still pretty and will be a good photo opportunity. If you have a decent zoom on your camera, after taking a photo of the Moon on June 23 and then again on January 16 2014 you will see a decent difference (you need to use exactly the same zoom enlargement, see Inconstant Moon for instructions).
And, no, we will not get earthquakes from the "Super Moon".
This months Full Moon could appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter in the sky than average. But will you actually notice if it is different to the last Full Moon?
The limit of distances that someone with good vision can distinguish between is 1 minute of arc (about the width of a human hair). So, for the vast majority of people any difference smaller than 1 minute of arc cannot be seen.
The Moon this Full Moon will be 33'57" wide (just a touch over half a degree, around half a finger-width wide), last months Full Moon (358374 km) was 33'47" wide. Without a telescope and careful astrophotography you will not notice the difference. For a list of full/new Moons and the dates of apogee/perigee see here.
If you can wait until January the 16th 2014, when the Full Moon is at Apogee, then it’s diameter will be 29'32" , and you could notice a difference if you have a good memory, but it won’t be spectacular. The illustration above is from November 28, 2012, when the Moon was at apogee and 29'33" wide when it was 406364 km from Earth.
However, while the "SuperMoon" will not be spectacular, it is still pretty and will be a good photo opportunity. If you have a decent zoom on your camera, after taking a photo of the Moon on June 23 and then again on January 16 2014 you will see a decent difference (you need to use exactly the same zoom enlargement, see Inconstant Moon for instructions).
And, no, we will not get earthquakes from the "Super Moon".
Labels: earthquakes, Moon, unaided eye
Monday, June 17, 2013
Carnival of Space #306 is Here!
Carnival of Space #306 is now up at the Urban Astronomer. There is a Black Hole Bonanza, science outreach in libraries, Martian Streambeds, robotics for space development and more! Clank on over and have a read.
Labels: carnival of space
Occultation of alpha2 Librae (Zubenelgenubi) by the Moon, June 20, 2013
The waxing Moon passes in front of the bright alpha2 Librae in the constellation of Libra on the evening of June 20. Alpha2 Librae, which rejoices in the name Zubenelgenubi, is a bright white star readily visible to the unaided eye (magnitude 2.8). The occultation will be seen from eastern Australia and South Australia. Everywhere else will see a nice, close approach. Appearance and disappearance times are shown in the table below.
| City | Disappears Dark Limb | Reappears Bright Limb |
| Adelaide | - | 17:23 ACST |
| Brisbane | - | 18:05 AEST |
| Canberra | 17:08 AEST | 18:08 AEST |
| Darwin | - | 1deg at twilight |
| Hobart | 17:28 AEST | 18:07 AEST |
| Melbourne | 17:13 AEST | 18:03 AEST |
| Sydney | 17:06 AEST | 18:10 AEST |
| Perth | - | 1deg at twilight |
With the Moon not far from Full (23 June), this event is really best seen with binoculars or a small telescope (especially for the reappearance of the star on the bright limb of the Moon). If you have a tripod or other stand for your binoculars, it will be much easier to observe. Set up about half an hour before the occultation to watch the star dissapear (so you are not mucking around with equipment at the last moment).
Labels: Moon, Occultation
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Don't Forget CosmoQuest Hang-out-a-thon on Now!
The CosmoQuest Hangout-a-thon is on now! just to remind you:
- Blog post: http://bit.ly/18U733k
- Schedule of Events: http://bit.ly/15VFNgv
- FB Event: http://on.fb.me/15VNyTD
And you can donate here http://cosmoquest.org/blog/2013/06/24-hour-hangout-a-thon/
Faced with governmental funding cuts to science education and research, we have decided to go old school with a twist: On June 15-16, we are hosting a telethon using Google Hangout on Air – a Hangout-a-thon – to raise money to support public engagement in science.If you want to be part of this awesome hangout here's where you find out more.
- Blog post: http://bit.ly/18U733k
- Schedule of Events: http://bit.ly/15VFNgv
- FB Event: http://on.fb.me/15VNyTD
And you can donate here http://cosmoquest.org/blog/2013/06/24-hour-hangout-a-thon/
Labels: Science Blogging, science communicators
Venus and Mercury, June 16, 2013
 |  |
| Venus and Mercury as seen from Largs Bay, Adelaide on 16 June at 5:50 ACST. This was taken with my Canon IXUS at ASA 400 and 0.4 of a second exposure. You will need to click to embiggen to see Mercury in this shot. | Venus and Mercury as seen from Largs Bay, Adelaide on 16 June at 5:55 ACST. This was taken with my Canon IXUS at 3x Zoom, ASA 400 and 0.6 of a second exposure. Unfortunately the dust on the CCD chip ruins the picture a bit. The colours were more vivid in real life. |
After more cloud finally got a view of Venus and Mercury together. they are closing in on Each other and will be closest on the 22nd. Venus is really quite easy to see now.
Labels: Mercury, unaided eye, unaided eye observation, Venus
Thursday, June 13, 2013
CosmoQuest 24-Hour Hangout-a-thon.
Most people will be somewhat aware that the US budget sequester has had a wide range of impacts, amongst which are the education and outreach services of NASA. Faced with suspension or closing down, the educators are trying to do something to keep going. In the words of Pamela Gaye.
- Blog post: http://bit.ly/18U733k
- Schedule of Events: http://bit.ly/15VFNgv
- FB Event: http://on.fb.me/15VNyTD
It starts Saturday 15 June at 11:00am US central time (UTC -5 hours, that's Sunday, 16 June 2013 at 1:30:00 AM, in Australian Central Time, and 2:00 AM AEST). There's a great line-up, and lot's of citizen science and activities for everyone.
Faced with governmental funding cuts to science education and research, we have decided to go old school with a twist: On June 15-16, we are hosting a telethon using Google Hangout on Air – a Hangout-a-thon – to raise money to support public engagement in science.If you want to be part of this awesome hangout here's where you find out more.
- Blog post: http://bit.ly/18U733k
- Schedule of Events: http://bit.ly/15VFNgv
- FB Event: http://on.fb.me/15VNyTD
It starts Saturday 15 June at 11:00am US central time (UTC -5 hours, that's Sunday, 16 June 2013 at 1:30:00 AM, in Australian Central Time, and 2:00 AM AEST). There's a great line-up, and lot's of citizen science and activities for everyone.
Labels: citizen science, Science Blogging, science communicators
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Carnival of Space #305 is Here!
Carnival of Space #305 is now up at AARTScope blog. There's citizen science, a CosmoQuest 24 hour hangout-a-thon, hot gas in clusters, space apps for the iPad, 10 years of Mars express and lots, lots more. Rocket over and have a read (and apologies for missing a few weeks Carnivals while I was laid low with Flu, you can find past episodes here).
Labels: carnival of space
The Sky This Week - Thursday June 13 to Thursday June 20
The First Quarter Moon is Monday June 17. Mars rises in the morning twilight. Venus and Mercury come closer together in the evening twilight. Saturn
is high in the evening skies and is close to the Moon on the 19th. The Moon occults the bright star alpha Librae 2 on the 20th.
The First Quarter Moon is Monday June 17.
The evening sky facing east in Sydney on June 20 at 5:05 pm AEST showing the waxing Moon just about to cover alpha2 Librae. (similar views will be seen from other locations at a similar local time eg 5:08 AEST Canberra). The inset shows a telescopic view of the Moon at 5:05 pm AEST, with alpha2 Librae about to go behind the Moon.
The waxing Moon passes in front of the bright alpha2 Librae in the constellation of Libra on the evening of June 20. Alpha2 Librae is a bright white star readily visible to the unaided eye (magnitude 2.8). The occultation will be seen from eastern Australia and South Australia. Everywhere else will see a nice, close approach.
From Adelaide the star reappears from the bright limb at 17:23 ACST. From Brisbane the star reappears at 18:05 AEST (the disappearance behind the dark limb is too deep in the twilight to be really seen).
From Canberra the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:08 AEST, and reappears at 18:08 AEST. From Hobart the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:28 AEST, and reappears at 18:07 AEST.
From Melbourne the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:13 AEST, and reappears at 18:03 AEST. From Sydney the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:06 AEST, and reappears at 18:10 AEST.
With the Moon not far from Full, this event is really best seen with binoculars or a small telescope (especially for the reappearance of the star on the bright limb of the Moon). If you have a tripod or other stand for your binoculars, it will be much easier to observe. Set up about half an hour before the occultation to watch the star dissapear (so you are not mucking around with equipment at the last moment).
Evening
sky
looking west as seen from Adelaide at 17:45 pm local time on Saturday June
15. Venus and Mercury draw closer. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local times indicated
here. Click to embiggen.
Venus and Mercury form a line in the evening sky this week. The pair come closer to each other as the
Jupiter is lost in the twilight.
Mercury is visible above Venus and becomes more visible as it climbs in the evening sky.
Venus also climbs higher in the evening twilight, chasing Mercury. While It is still relatively close to the horizon, and you need a resonably clear, level horizon to see it at its best, it is becoming much easier to see.
Saturn is easily visible above the eastern horizon in the early evening in the constellation of Libra. By 10 pm local time it is high above the northern horizon and very easy to see.This is an excellent time to view this planet in a small telescope, as there will be the least interference from horizon murk and air turbulence.
Saturn, Arcturus and Spica from a broad triangle above the northern horizon.
Opposition (when Saturn is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth) was on April 28. However, Saturn will be a worthwhile evening target for telescopes of any size for several months. The sight of this ringed world is always amazing.
Morning sky
on Sunday June 16 looking north-east as seen from Adelaide at 6:45 am
local time in South Australia. Mars is below the red star Aldebaran in the twilight. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the
equivalent local time (click to embiggen).
Mars rises in the twilight, but will be hard to see unless you have a flat, clear horizon.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Saturn so prominent in the sky. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums. Especially during the school holidays.
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.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
The First Quarter Moon is Monday June 17.
The evening sky facing east in Sydney on June 20 at 5:05 pm AEST showing the waxing Moon just about to cover alpha2 Librae. (similar views will be seen from other locations at a similar local time eg 5:08 AEST Canberra). The inset shows a telescopic view of the Moon at 5:05 pm AEST, with alpha2 Librae about to go behind the Moon.The waxing Moon passes in front of the bright alpha2 Librae in the constellation of Libra on the evening of June 20. Alpha2 Librae is a bright white star readily visible to the unaided eye (magnitude 2.8). The occultation will be seen from eastern Australia and South Australia. Everywhere else will see a nice, close approach.
From Adelaide the star reappears from the bright limb at 17:23 ACST. From Brisbane the star reappears at 18:05 AEST (the disappearance behind the dark limb is too deep in the twilight to be really seen).
From Canberra the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:08 AEST, and reappears at 18:08 AEST. From Hobart the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:28 AEST, and reappears at 18:07 AEST.
From Melbourne the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:13 AEST, and reappears at 18:03 AEST. From Sydney the star disappears behind the dark limb of the Moon at 17:06 AEST, and reappears at 18:10 AEST.
With the Moon not far from Full, this event is really best seen with binoculars or a small telescope (especially for the reappearance of the star on the bright limb of the Moon). If you have a tripod or other stand for your binoculars, it will be much easier to observe. Set up about half an hour before the occultation to watch the star dissapear (so you are not mucking around with equipment at the last moment).
Venus and Mercury form a line in the evening sky this week. The pair come closer to each other as the
Jupiter is lost in the twilight.
Mercury is visible above Venus and becomes more visible as it climbs in the evening sky.
Venus also climbs higher in the evening twilight, chasing Mercury. While It is still relatively close to the horizon, and you need a resonably clear, level horizon to see it at its best, it is becoming much easier to see.
Saturn is easily visible above the eastern horizon in the early evening in the constellation of Libra. By 10 pm local time it is high above the northern horizon and very easy to see.This is an excellent time to view this planet in a small telescope, as there will be the least interference from horizon murk and air turbulence.
Saturn, Arcturus and Spica from a broad triangle above the northern horizon.
Opposition (when Saturn is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth) was on April 28. However, Saturn will be a worthwhile evening target for telescopes of any size for several months. The sight of this ringed world is always amazing.
Mars rises in the twilight, but will be hard to see unless you have a flat, clear horizon.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Saturn so prominent in the sky. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums. Especially during the school holidays.
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.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Labels: weekly sky
Monday, June 10, 2013
Venus, Mercury and the Moon, June 10, 2013
 |  |
| Venus, Mercury and the Moon as seen from Largs Bay, Adelaide on 10 June at 5:44 ACST. This was taken with my Canon IXUS at 3x Zoom ASA 400 and 1/8 of a second exposure. Unfortunately the dust on the CCD chip ruins the picture a bit, and you will have to embiggen the picture by clicking on it to see Mercury though. The colours were more vivid in real life, and the Moon, Venus and Mercury really easy to see. | Venus, Mercury and the Moon as seen from Largs Bay, Adelaide on 10 June at 6:11 ACST. This was taken with my Canon IXUS at 3x Zoom ASA 400 and 4 seconds exposure. Mercury is easily seen to the upper right of Venus, and you can see the reflection of both the Moon and Venus in the water. Click to embiggen. |
 |  |
| Taken with my Canon IXUS at 3x Zoom. ASA 400 and 6 seconds exposure at 6:15 ACST. Mercury is easily seen to the upper right of Venus, and you can see the reflection of both the Moon and Venus in the water much better than the last image. Click to embiggen. | Taken with my Canon IXUS at 1x Zoom. ASA 400 and 6 seconds exposure at 6:17 ACST. Bord scale view, and you can see the reflection of both the Moon and Venus in the water again. Click to embiggen. |
Cloud has been my bane during the line up of Jupiter, Venus and Mercury. Days and days of cloud, even when the rest of the sky was clear, cloud would lurk around where the planets gathered. covering them totally. After a day of clear blue sky the clouds would gather at sunset.
Well, I finally got to see the line-up tonight, after a spectacular sunset with just a few clouds glowing red on the horizon, the wire thin Moon, Venus and then Mercury popped out of the darkening twilight, as the horizon went through a a glorious series of colours. Eventually I got to see Earhshine and the reflections of Both the Moon and Venus in the sea. Brilliant.
Friday, June 07, 2013
Aurora Happening Now (6 pm 7 June)
Confirmed reports of aurora coming from New Zealand and Tasmania. Bz -6 nT, Kp
currently 4, Australian IPS has issued an aurora watch
Tasmanians, NZ folk should go look NOW. Look to the South for unusual glows or moving lights, darks sky sites away from city lights have the best chance of seeing anything. Southern Victorians should be on alert too.
Tasmanians, NZ folk should go look NOW. Look to the South for unusual glows or moving lights, darks sky sites away from city lights have the best chance of seeing anything. Southern Victorians should be on alert too.
SUBJ: IPS AURORA WATCH ISSUED AT 0223 UT ON 07 Jun 2013 BY IPS RADIO AND SPACE SERVICES FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE A Coronal Mass Ejection has arrived at Earth accompanied by a magnetic field with a favourable alignment for generating Auroral activity. These solar wind conditions may continue for the next 24-48 hours. This may result in visible auroras during local nighttime hours, though likely confined to higher latitude regions (e.g. Tasmania). Aurora alerts will follow should favourable space weather activity eventuate.
Labels: aurora
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
