All Entries in the "Night Sky" Category
What’s up? Night sky for January 2012
Summer nights are perfect for stargazing.
Except where indicated, all of the phenomena described here can be seen with the unaided eye. And unless otherwise specified, dates and times are for the Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) zone, and sky directions are from the point of view of an observer in the Southern Hemisphere.
January 1
It is First Quarter Moon today at 5:15pm AEDT. First Quarter is a good time to look at the Moon through a telescope, as the sunlight angle means the craters and mountains throw nice shadows, making it easier to get that 3D effect.
January 3
Today the Moon will reach the farthest point in its orbit from the Earth, which is called apogee. It’s distance from our planet will be 404,578 kilometres.
While you’re out looking at the Moon, you’ll notice a bright looking star above and to the left. Well, that’s not a star; it’s actually the planet Jupiter. If you have access to a telescope, or even a pair of 7×50 (or better) binoculars, train them on Jupiter and you should see up to four tiny pinpoints of light on either or both sides of the planet—these are the moons Galileo discovered, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. If you take a look again tomorrow night, you’ll see that their positions will have changed as they whiz around the planet.
And in fact, we’re only a few days away from the anniversary of their discovery. On the 7th of this month, it will be 402 years since Galileo spotted them!
January 5
Today the Earth reaches perihelion in its orbit around the Sun. Perihelion is the point in a solar orbit when the body in question (eg. Earth) is at its closest to the Sun. Perihelion occurs today at midday AEDT, at a distance between Earth and Sun of about 147,098,000 kilometres. (The opposite of perihelion is aphelion, which for Earth will occur on July 5, 2012 at a distance of about 152,098,000 kilometres.)
If you have a pair of binoculars, you’ll see a pretty sight tonight, with the soon-to-be-full Moon appearing to sit above a beautiful star cluster called the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters. When the Moon is not around and the sky is dark, most people can make out 6 to 7 of the Pleiades stars, although eagle-eyed stargazers can see a few more. There are actually hundreds of stars in this beautiful “open star cluster“, and it is also filled with beautiful whispy gas clouds, although the stars and the gas are not actually related to each other—we just happen to be seeing them at a time when the stars are drifting through the gas.
This is the view in the evening of January 5, with the Moon sitting above the beautiful star cluster known as the Pleiades. A pair of binoculars will show the scene well. Tomorrow night the Moon will have shifted east, and will be near to Albebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus.
January 6
Tonight you might notice a fairly bright, reddish-looking star just above the Moon. This is Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus.
January 9
Full Moon occurs today at 6:30pm AEDT.
January 12
Tonight, the Moon will appear above and to the right of a bright blue star. This is Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo.
January 14
In this morning’s pre-dawn sky out to the east, the Moon will appear above and to the left of the planet Mars, which looks like a ruddy-coloured star. As you gaze at it, spare a thought for the Mars Science Laboratory, which was launched a little under two months ago and which is due to reach the Red Planet on August the 6th this year.
January 16
It is Last Quarter Moon today at 8:08pm AEDT.
January 17
In this morning’s sky, the Moon will be just above and to the right of the planet Saturn, which looks like a bright star. Nearby is Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.
The Moon will be near to both the star Spica and the planet Saturn (the bright yellowish "star" below the Moon) on January 17. If you have access to a small telescope, take a look at both the craters and mountains on the Moon and Saturn and its glorious rings.
January 18
Today the Moon will be at the closest point in its orbit, called perigee. The distance between the two bodies today will be 369,887 kilometres.
January 20
In the early dawn sky, take a look for the Moon and you should see a reddish-looking star just above it. This is Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Compare Antares with Mars—do you think they look similar? The ancients thought so, and in fact the name Antares means “rival of Mars”.
January 23
New Moon occurs today at 8:39pm AEDT.
January 27
Tonight, there’ll be a lovely sight in the evening sky out to the west, with the crescent Moon paired with the bright planet Venus (about 20 Moon widths to its left).
January 30
This evening, the Moon meets up with Jupiter again, appearing below the planet in the northwestern part of the sky.
Also today, the Moon will again reach apogee again, at a distance from Earth of 404,323 kilometres.
The Moon will sit just below the planet Jupiter in the evening sky of January 30.
January 31
And finally for January, we have a second First Quarter Moon, which occurs today at 3:10pm AEDT.
There’s more great night sky viewing information at Melbourne Planetarium’s Skynotes site.
If you have any questions or comments on the night sky, we’d be happy to answer them. Please use the Feedback Form below. Happy stargazing!
Main image courtesy IAU.
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What’s up? The night sky for December 2011
Stargazing is great fun, now that the warmer summer weather is here.
Except where indicated, all of the phenomena described here can be seen with the unaided eye. And unless otherwise specified, dates and times are for the Australian Eastern Standard Time zone, and sky directions are from the point of view of an observer in the Southern Hemisphere.
December 2
It is First Quarter Moon today at 8:52pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT). First Quarter is a good time to look at the Moon through a telescope, as the sunlight angle means the craters and mountains throw nice shadows, making it easier to get that 3D effect.
December 6
Today the Moon will reach the farthest point in its orbit, apogee, at a distance from Earth of 405,412 kilometres. And if you take a look at the Moon this evening, you’ll see a bright ‘star’ above and to its right. That’s not a star—it’s actually the planet Jupiter!
December 9
Take a look at the Moon in this evening’s sky, and you’ll see a brightish star a little way out to its right. And yes, this one really is a star. It’s called Aldebaran, and it’s the brightest star in the constellation Taurus. Aldebaran is a red giant star roughly 44 times as big as the Sun, and is about 65 light-years from Earth.
December 10
Full Moon occurs today at 1:36am AEDT, and tonight everyone in Australia and New Zealand will experience a total lunar eclipse. See our separate lunar eclipse story for full details on how, when and where to see it.
Eclipses aside…although it looks very pretty high up there in the sky, astronomers, both amateur and professional, generally hate the full Moon. This is because its light tends to drown out many of the fainter objects they’re interested in seeing. (It does this by actually making the sky glow.) It’s also not a good time to look at the Moon itself through a telescope, as the overhead sunlight (as seen from the perspective of the Moon) doesn’t throw any shadows across the lunar surface—and shadows are what give the craters and mountains their 3D look.
The Moon looks great through a telescope, but you won't need one to see the total lunar eclipse on December 10, 2011.
December 17
If you’re up early today, look for the Moon and you’ll see that it seems to have two companions. A little way below and to its left is the star Regulus, and below and to its right is the planet Mars. Regulus is actually a quadruple star system, comprised of four stars in two groups of two, gravitationally bound to one another. But the main star is a young, blue star a little over three times the mass of the Sun, and about three to four times as big as the Sun too.
December 18
It is Last Quarter Moon today at 11:48am AEDT. The Moon is still near Mars in the sky, being above and to the right of the planet in the hours before dawn.
December 21
The Moon, a star and a planet make a nice triangle in this morning’s sky. The star is Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, and the planet is Saturn. Saturn will be to the left of the Moon, and Spica will be above Saturn. Spica, a blue giant star, is the 15th brightest star in the night sky and is about 260 light-years from Earth.
December 22
There are two items of note for today. First, the Moon will be at the closest point in its orbit, called perigee, which is the opposite of apogee. The distance between the two bodies today will be 364,800 kilometres. And secondly, today marks the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. This is the day of the year when the Sun is highest in the sky.
December 25
New Moon occurs today at 5:06am AEDT.
December 27-28
The Moon is back in the western evening sky. Over these two nights, it’ll be paired up with the planet Venus—the duo will make a very attractive sight in the evening dusk.
There’s more great night sky viewing information at Melbourne Planetarium’s Skynotes site.
If you have any questions or comments on the night sky, we’d be happy to answer them. Please use the Feedback Form below. Happy stargazing!
Story by Jonathan Nally. Images courtesy IAU.
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What’s up? Night sky for November 2011
Late spring nights and mornings are ideal for stargazing, and there are some interesting things to see this month.
Except where indicated, all of the phenomena described here can be seen with the unaided eye. And unless otherwise specified, dates and times are for the Australian Eastern Standard Time zone, and sky directions are from the point of view of an observer in the Southern Hemisphere.
November 3
It is First Quarter Moon today at 3:38am Australian Eastern Daylight Time. First Quarter is a good time to look at the Moon through a telescope, as the sunlight angle means the craters and mountains are throwing nice shadows, making it easier to get that 3D effect.
November 9
Take a look in the evening sky and you’ll see the Moon with what looks like a bright star above and to its right. Well, that’s not a star, it’s the planet Jupiter. Also today, the Moon will reach the farthest point from Earth in its orbit, apogee, at a distance from Earth of 406,176 kilometres.
November 10
Take a look at the western horizon after sunset and you’ll see a pretty group comprising Venus, Mercury and the star Antares.
The Moon teams up with several planets during November
November 11
Full Moon occurs today at 7:16am Australian Eastern Daylight Time.
November 11-12
Out to the east in the early morning sky (pre-dawn) you’ll find a pair of celestial orbs that contrast each other nicely in colour. Ruddy coloured Mars will appear very close to Regulus, a blue giant star that is the brightest star in the constellation Leo.
November 19
It is Last Quarter Moon today at 2:09am Australian Eastern Daylight Time. If you’re up before dawn, take a look out to the eastern sky and you’ll see the Moon with the star Regulus close by, and the planet Mars about 4 degrees away as well.
November 23
Another attractive grouping, but quite low in the eastern sky before dawn (so you’ll need a clear horizon). There’ll be the Moon, plus the star Spica (the brightest star in the constellation Virgo) and the planet Saturn as well.
November 24
Today the Moon will be at the closest point to Earth in its orbit, called perigee, which is the opposite of apogee. The distance between the two bodies today will be 359,691 kilometres.
November 25
New Moon occurs today at 5:10pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time.
November 27
Take a look out to the west just after sunset, and you might see the very thin crescent Moon below and to the right of the planet Venus.
If you have any questions or comments on the night sky, we’d be happy to answer them. Please use the Feedback Form below. Happy stargazing!
Images courtesy IAU / TWAN / Babak /A. Tafreshi.
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What’s up? Night sky for August 2011
This month, Saturn will be the planet to watch in the western part of the sky after sunset.
FOUR PLANETS ARE VISIBLE THIS MONTH, although you’ll have to be quick to spot Mercury, as it starts the month low on the western horizon after sunset and within about a week will have become lost in the Sun’s glare.
Slightly higher in the western sky after sunset is Saturn, shining brightly and visited by the Moon on the 4th.
Jupiter and Mars are still the luminaries of the morning sky—Jupiter high in the north, and Mars low in the north-east. Their brighter sibling, Venus, will not be visible this month, as it is on the opposite side of the Sun from us.
Except where indicated, all of the phenomena described here can be seen with the unaided eye. And unless otherwise specified, dates and times are for the Australian Eastern Standard Time zone, and sky directions are from the point of view of an observer in the Southern Hemisphere.
August 1
Look for the very thin crescent Moon low in the west after sunset. The planet Mercury will be about seven Moon widths above and to the right. Mercury is becoming much harder to see now, and over the next week will sink lower and lower toward the horizon and become lost in the Sun’s glare. The innermost planet will reappear in our morning sky out to the east next month.
August 3
Today the Moon will be at the closest point to Earth in its orbit, called perigee, at 7:00am. The distance between the two bodies will be 365,755 kilometres.
August 4
Look for the Moon and Saturn close together in the west in the early evening sky.
August 5
The Moon and the star Spica—the brightest star in the constellation Virgo—will appear close together tonight. The Moon will be about six Moon widths above the star.
August 6
It is First Quarter Moon today at 9:08pm. First Quarter is a good time to look at the Moon through a telescope, as the sunlight angle means the craters and mountains throw nice shadows, making it easier to get that 3D effect.
August 8
Now almost three-quarters full, the Moon will be near the star Antares—the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Antares has a reddish colour, and to the naked eye it looks a bit like the planet Mars. In fact, its name means ‘rival of Mars’.
Make the most of the late-winter nights by doing some stargazing.
August 14
Full Moon will occur today at 4:58am.
August 16
If you’ve been wondering why Venus doesn’t appear to be in our evening or morning skies, it’s because it is lost in the glare of the Sun. Today marks its ‘superior conjunction’, which means that it is on the exact opposite side of the Sun from us.
August 17
Mercury, which has been lost in the glare of the setting Sun for a while now, today reaches ‘inferior conjunction’, which means that it is exactly between us and the Sun. Mercury will reappear low in the east in the morning sky next month.
August 19
Today the Moon will be at the farthest point from Earth in its orbit, called apogee, at 2:24am. The distance between the two bodies will be 405,159 kilometres.
August 21
Look out to the east this morning, and you’ll see the Moon and what looks like a very bright star above and to its left. That’s not a star; it’s the planet Jupiter. Even if you don’t have a telescope, a normal pair of binoculars should reveal up to four of Jupiter’s largest moons, looking like small pinpricks of light to one or both sides of the planets.
August 22
It is Last Quarter Moon today at 9:55pm.
August 26
If you’re an early riser, take a look out to the east and you’ll see the Moon very close to the planet Mars.
August 29
New Moon occurs today at 1:04pm.
August 31
Today the Moon will again be at the closest point to Earth in its orbit, perigee, this time at 3:36am. The distance between the two bodies will be 360,857 kilometres.
If you have any questions or comments on the night sky, we’d be happy to answer them. Please use the Feedback Form below. Happy stargazing!
Images courtesy IAU.
Get SpaceInfo.com.au daily updates by RSS or email! Click the RSS Feed link at the top right-hand corner of this page, and then save the RSS Feed page to your bookmarks. Or, enter your email address (privacy assured) and we’ll send you daily updates. Or follow us on Twitter, @spaceinfo_oz
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What’s up? Night sky for July 2011
Stargazing during winter is chilly, but the nights can often be crisp and clear. And there's plenty to see this month!
THE INNERMOST PLANET, Mercury, has delighted us in the morning sky for the past couple of months, but this month it makes a reappearance in our evening skies, in the west after sunset. It’ll be quite easy to see, above the horizon for around 100 minutes after the Sun sets at the beginning of the month, increasing to almost two-and-a-half hours after the Sun sets by the end of the month.
Also in the evening sky, to the north-west, is Saturn. The famous ringed planet will be on show during the first half of the night, setting around 11:00pm by the end of the month.
In the morning sky to the east, Jupiter and Mars are still putting on a show before sunrise.
Venus is too close to the Sun to be seen this month.
Except where indicated, all of the phenomena described here can be seen with the unaided eye. And unless otherwise specified, dates and times are for the Australian Eastern Standard Time zone, and sky directions are from the point of view of an observer in the Southern Hemisphere.
July 1
There will be a partial eclipse of the Sun today, but you’ll have to be an albatross or maybe a seal in order to see it. That’s because the Sun’s shadow will fall across a remote area of ocean between South Africa and Antarctica. Unless there are some fishing boats or a scientific expedition in the area, it’s entirely possible that no one will witness this eclipse which, at its maximum, will see less than 10% of the Sun’s disc covered by the Moon. And speaking of the Moon, New Moon occurs today at 6:54pm Sydney time (08:54 Universal Time).
July 3, 2011, 5:15pm: The thin crescent Moon will sit just above the planet Mercury in the western sky after sunset.
July 3
Take a look out to the west after sunset, and you should see the planet Mercury above the horizon, and above it will be the thin crescent Moon.
July 5
Earth reaches aphelion today (or July 4 in the western hemisphere), which is the farthest point from the Sun in our orbit. The distance between Earth and Sun will be 152.1 million kilometres.
There’ll be an interesting sight out to the east in the morning sky today. The planet Mars will appear close to the star Aldebaran. Both are of similar brightness, and both have similar colouring—a sort of orangey-red.
In this evening’s sky, the Moon will sit above the bright star Regulus. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo. The amazing thing about Regulus is that, although to the naked eye it appears to be one star, in reality it is composed of four stars grouped into two pairs, all gravitationally bound to each other! This sort of thing is not too uncommon—many other stars are members of double, triple or quadruple systems too.
July 8, 2011, 7:15pm: The Moon will be bracketed by the planet Saturn and the star Spica, in the north-western sky.
July 8
It is First Quarter Moon today at 4:29pm Sydney time (06:29 Universal Time). First Quarter is a good time to look at the Moon through a telescope, as the sunlight angle means the craters and mountains throw nice shadows, making it easier to get that 3D effect. Also today, the Moon will be at the closest point to Earth in its orbit, called perigee, at 12:05am (14:05 on July 7, Universal Time). The distance between the two bodies will be 369,565 kilometres. And finally, tonight the Moon will appear reasonably near the planet Saturn.
July 9
A little more than half full, the Moon will appear quite close to the star Spica tonight. Spica, a blue giant star, is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo and the 15th-brightest star in our night sky.
July 12, 2011, 8:00pm: High in the northern sky, the Moon and the star Antares (the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius) will appear close together.
July 12
The now almost-full Moon will appear quite close to the star Antares tonight. Antares means “the rival of Mars’, and it’s not hard to see why, as it’s ruddy colour makes it look just like the fourth planet from the Sun. Antares is a red supergiant star, 800 times bigger than the Sun!
Today, the eighth planet from the Sun, Neptune, has completed one full orbit of the Sun since its discovery in 1846. Neptune takes almost 165 years to complete one circuit of the Sun. Neptune is too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but it is within the range of medium-and-larger backyard telescopes, if you know exactly where to look. This chart, provided by the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand, will help you to find it.
July 15
Full Moon occurs today at 4:40pm Sydney time (06:40 Universal Time).
July 20
Mercury reaches its greatest angle from the Sun today, so if you have a clear evening sky, why not take the opportunity to go out and spot it in the west after sunset?
July 20, 2011, 5:20pm: Mercury will be at its greatest angle from the Sun today, and visible in the west after sunset.
July 22
Today the Moon will reach the farthest point in its orbit around the Earth, called apogee, at a distance of 404,356 kilometres at 8:48am Sydney time (22:48 on July 21, Universal Time).
July 23
It is Last Quarter Moon today at 3:02pm Sydney time (05:02 Universal Time).
July 24
Slightly less than half full, the Moon will appear close to the planet Jupiter in this morning’s sky. Jupiter will be about 12 Moon widths above the Moon. Look a little further east and you’ll see Mars too. In between will be the beautiful star cluster called the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. Use binoculars or a small telescope and you’ll be delighted with the view.
July 24, 2011, 6:20am: The Moon and two planets—Jupiter and Mars—will be visible in the north-eastern sky before sunrise. See if you can spot the Pleiades star cluster as well.
July 25-28
In the western sky after sunset, the planet Mercury will appear close to the star Regulus (see July 5 for more information on this star).
July 28
The crescent Moon will appear very close to the planet Mars in this morning’s sky. They’ll be separated by only three Moon widths.
July 31
New Moon occurs today at 4:40am Sydney time (18:40 on July 30, Universal Time).
If you have any questions or comments on the night sky, we’d be happy to answer them. Please use the Feedback Form below. Happy stargazing!
Images courtesy IAU.
Get SpaceInfo.com.au daily updates by RSS or email! Click the RSS Feed link at the top right-hand corner of this page, and then save the RSS Feed page to your bookmarks. Or, enter your email address (privacy assured) and we’ll send you daily updates. Or follow us on Twitter, @spaceinfo_oz
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Total eclipse of the Moon
The Moon often goes a reddish colour during a total lunar eclipse, due to red wavelengths of light bending through Earth's atmosphere and reaching the lunar surface. Thursday's eclipse is likely to be quite red, due to all the volcanic dust in our atmosphere at the moment.
STARGAZERS ACROSS AUSTRALIA will be treated to a total eclipse of the Moon in the pre-dawn hours tomorrow, Thursday, June 16, 2011.
An eclipse of the Moon happens when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. If the Moon goes through the middle of the shadow, it is a total lunar eclipse. If it “cuts the corner” of the shadow, we get a partial eclipse.
There are usually 3-4 lunar eclipses each year, but they’re not always visible from the same place.
For any particular spot on Earth, you might see 1 or 2 lunar eclipses each year.
This will be the best total eclipse for Aussie observers since the year 2000, as the Moon will be in the main part of the Earth’s shadow—the umbra—for around 100 minutes.
Weather permitting, everyone across Australia will be able to see it, although those on the east coast will miss the final stages of the eclipse, as the Moon will have dropped below the western horizon.
The further west you are across the country, the more you’ll see of the final stages. Those in WA will see the whole thing from start to finish.
The Moon will be in the western part of the sky (that’s the direction in which Sun sets).
As long as the weather is clear, you won’t have any difficulty spotting it.
What you’ll see
The Moon will begin to move into the darkest part of Earth’s shadow at 4:23am, Sydney time. From this point, they moon will appear to have a progressively larger “chunk” taken out of it. This, of course, is the Earth’s shadow projected onto the lunar surface.
As the hours go by, the Moon will get progressively darker until it is completely covered up at about 5:23am. Mid-eclipse will come at 6:13am.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow.
But by this time, for east coast observers, the sky will be getting brighter, with sunrise not far away. The Moon will be sinking lower and lower, down toward the western horizon and, for Sydney stargazers, the main part of the eclipse will finish just as the Moon dips below the horizon, and as the Sun rises above the eastern horizon, about 7:00am.
In fact, for most of the east coast, the Moon will set in the west roughly at the same time as the Sun rises in the east.
Eclipses happen slowly, so the best idea is to go outside every 15-20 minutes or so and see how it has changed. You don’t need a telescope or binoculars – just your own eyes are enough. And unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are perfectly safe to watch.
Here’s a video of last December’s total solar eclipse. Tomorrow’s eclipse will be pretty similar:
What’s the best time to see the eclipse?
Here are the times for the capital cities around Australia, with the times listed as follows: start of the eclipse, when we can first expect to see a chunk taken out of the Moon; totality, which is when the Moon is fully covered up by the Earth’s shadow; mid-eclipse, when it is halfway through totality; and finally the end of totality.
Darwin: start, 3:53am; totality, 4:53am; mid, 5:43am, end of totality, 6:00am.
Brisbane: start, 4:23am; totality, 5:23am; mid, 6:13am, end of totality, 7:00am.
Sydney: start, 4:23am; totality, 5:23am; mid, 6:13am, end of totality, 7:00am.
Canberra: start, 4:23am; totality, 5:23am; mid, 6:13am, end of totality, 7:00am.
Melbourne: start, 4:23am; totality, 5:23am; mid, 6:13am, end of totality, 7:00am.
Hobart: start, 4:23am; totality, 5:23am; mid, 6:13am, end of totality, 7:00am.
Adelaide: start, 3:53am; totality, 4:53; mid, 5:43am, end of totality, 6:00am.
Perth: start, 2:23am; totality, 3:53; mid, 4:13am, end of totality, 5:00am.
Complicating matters is that for most places on the east coast of Australia, the Moon will have set below the western horizon before the eclipse is finished. Also, for most east coast locations, the time of “moonset” is pretty much the same as sunrise, so the Sun will be coming up in the east and the sky will be bright by the time the Moon disappears.
Nevertheless, if you get a chance, please go outside and take a look. If you have kids, get them involved too—a total lunar eclipse is a wonderful thing to see, and you never know when the weather gods might be kind enough to show you another one.
The next major eclipses for Australian stargazers will be:
Another total lunar eclipse, on December 10, 2011.
A total solar eclipse on Nov 14, 2012. This will be the last total solar eclipse visible from Australia for many a year, so lots of eclipse chasers are already making plans to witness it. Totality will be visible along a small strip of land in far north Queensland—the rest of the nation will see a partial eclipse instead.
Story by Jonathan Nally, SpaceInfo.com.au
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What’s up? Night sky for June 2011
Stargazers are gearing up for the June 16, 2011, total eclipse of the Moon.
THREE OF THE NAKED-EYE BRIGHTNESS PLANETS will be visible in the eastern sky before sunrise this month. These are Venus, Jupiter and Mars. Mercury has left the scene, having dropped down to the horizon and become lost in the glare of the Sun.
In the evening sky, Saturn is holding it’s own, shining high and bright.
The major sky event this month for Australian skywatchers, is the total eclipse of the Moon on the morning of June 16.
Except where indicated, all of the phenomena described here can be seen with the unaided eye. And unless otherwise specified, dates and times are for the Australian Eastern Standard Time zone, and sky directions are from the point of view of an observer in the Southern Hemisphere.
June 2
New Moon occurs today at 7:03am Sydney time (June 1, 21:03 Universal Time). New Moon is the opposite of Full Moon, and means
June 7-8
The almost half-full Moon will be near the star Regulus (the brightest star in the constellation Leo) over these two days. On the 7th it will be to the left of Regulus, and on the 8th it will be above it.
June 9
It is First Quarter Moon today at 12:11pm Sydney time (02:11 Universal Time). First Quarter is a good time to look at the Moon through a telescope, as the sunlight angle means the craters and mountains are throwing nice shadows, making it easier to get that 3D effect.
June 10
Look for the Moon to the left of the planet Saturn in tonight’s evening sky.
June 11
Tonight the Moon will appear quite close to the star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.
June 12
Today the Moon will be at the closest point in its orbit, called perigee. The distance between the two bodies will be 367,189 kilometres.
June 13
The planet Mercury has been getting lower and lower in our morning sky, and has been lost in the glare of the Sun for a couple of weeks. Today, it reaches “superior conjunction“, which means that it is on the opposite side of the Sun from us.
June 14
Look for the almost-full Moon to the left of the planet Antares in tonight’s evening sky. Antares is a red supergiant star, 800 times the size of our Sun!
Don't miss the total lunar eclipse on the morning of June 16, 2011.
June 16 – total eclipse of the Moon
Full Moon occurs today at 6:14am Sydney time (June 15, 20:14 Universal Time). But the big news for today is the total eclipse of the Moon, which for Australian observers will occur in the hours before sunrise. The Moon will be in the western sky, and will gradually move into the Earth shadow and become dark, dropping lower and lower toward the horizon. During a total eclipse, the Moon takes on a reddish hue—sometimes pale, sometimes intense. This occurs because some of the Sun’s light filters through Earth’s atmosphere and is refracted onto the Moon.
For Australian observers, there’s more information on the total lunar eclipse (including timings) at the IceInSpace site.
For New Zealand observers, please see the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand’s site.
June 18
Low in the east before sunrise, you’ll see bright Venus below and to the left of a ruddy-coloured star. This is Aldebaran, a giant orange-coloured star about 65 light-years from Earth.
June 22
Today is the Southern Hemisphere’s midwinter solstice, which means that the Sun is at its furthest north in the sky (at 3:17am Sydney time, or June 21 at 17:17 Universal Time). This is the day when the hours of sunlight are at their minimum.
Enjoying the evening sky
June 23
It is Last Quarter Moon today at 9:48pm Sydney time (11:48 Universal Time).
June 24
Today the Moon will reach the farthest point in its orbit, apogee (the opposite of perigee), at a distance from Earth of 404,274 kilometres.
June 26
Have a look out to the east this morning, and you’ll see the crescent Moon quite near Jupiter.
June 29
Today the very thin crescent Moon will be just below the planet Mars in the pre-dawn eastern sky.
June 30
Finally, the very thin crescent Moon will appear above and to the left of the planet Venus. You can’t miss Venus – apart from the Sun and the Moon, it is the brightest object in the sky.
And finally, here’s the terrific Tanya Hill from the Melbourne Planetarium, with her Sky Notes for this month:
If you have any questions or comments on the night sky, we’d be happy to answer them. Please use the Feedback Form below. Happy stargazing!
Images courtesy IAU.
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What’s up? Night sky for May 2011
May will be a great month for planet watchers, with four bright planets visible to the east before dawn.
THIS WILL BE A FANTASTIC MONTH for planet watchers, with a series of attractive close groupings in the eastern morning sky. Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter will be in the same part of the sky, and you’ll get the chance to watch their shifting positions as the month progresses.
Why do they appear to move around relative to each other? It’s because they’re on independent orbits about the Sun and travelling at different speeds. The Earth is moving around the Sun too, and our shifting perspective adds to the apparent sky motion. In fact, the word ‘planet’ comes from the Greek, and means ‘wandering star’.
Except where indicated, all of the phenomena described here can be seen with the unaided eye. And unless otherwise specified, dates and times are for the Australian Eastern Standard Time zone, and sky directions are from the point of view of an observer in the Southern Hemisphere.
May 1
There’ll be a fantastic planetary get-together in this morning’s eastern sky. First, Jupiter and Mars will be just less than half a degree (roughly one Moon width) apart. Jupiter will be the brighter, whitish-coloured one on the right, with ruddy-coloured Mars on the left. Also present will be the crescent Moon … below and to the left of the planet Venus, and left of the planet Mercury, and above and to the left of the Jupiter-Mars pair. It’ll be a fantastic sight! Why not try taking a photo of it?
May 3
New Moon occurs today at 3:51pm Sydney time (06:51 Universal Time).
The Moon is always a popular target for stargazers.
May 7
The planets Venus and Mercury will be side-by-side in this morning’s eastern sky, only 1.5 degrees apart (about three Moon widths).
May 8
Mercury, the innermost planet, will be at its greatest angular distance (27 degrees) from the Sun this morning.
May 11
It is First Quarter Moon today at 5:33am Sydney time (May 10, 20:33 Universal Time). The period around First Quarter is a good time to look at the Moon through a telescope, as the sunlight angle means the craters and mountains throw nice shadows, making it easier to get that 3D effect.
Also this evening, the Moon will appear close to Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo. The amazing thing about Regulus is that, although to the naked eye it appears to be one star, in reality it is composed of four stars grouped into two pairs, all gravitationally bound to each other! This sort of thing is not too uncommon, as many other stars are members of double, triple or quadruple systems too.
May 12
Another planetary grouping in this morning’s eastern sky, with Venus only half a degree (one Moon width) to the right of Jupiter, and Mercury about three Moon widths above and to the left.
May 14
This evening the almost-full Moon will be perched about 7 degrees above the planet Saturn.
May 15
Tonight the Moon, just a smidge short of being full, will be only 1.5 degrees (about three Moon widths) above and to the right of the star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. Spica is a blue giant star, 7.4 times as big as our Sun, and the 15th-brightest star in our night sky. Also today, the Moon will be at the closest point in its orbit around the Earth, called perigee. The distance between the two bodies will be 362,133 kilometres.
Four planets are visible in the morning sky. This diagram shows the view on May 16.
May 16
Yet another arrangement of planets in our morning sky to the east. Venus will be about three Moon widths below and to the left of Mercury, about eight Moon widths below and to the right of Jupiter, and about six Moon widths above ruddy-coloured Mars.
May 17
Full Moon occurs today at 8:09pm Sydney time (11:09 Universal Time).
May 18
Tonight, look for the Moon about four degrees (eight Moon widths) below and to the left of Antares. Antares is a red supergiant star, the brightest star in the constellation Leo and the 16th-brightest star in our night sky. And get this—Antares is 800 times the diameter of our Sun, so you can see why they call it a supergiant!
May 22-31
Venus, Mars and Mercury will do a dance with each other in the morning sky over the final week of the month, in close proximity to one another. Have a look each morning and see how the arrangement has changed.
May 25
It is Last Quarter Moon today at 3:52am Sydney time (May 24, 18:52 Universal Time).
May 27
Today the Moon will reach the farthest point in its orbit, apogee, at a distance from Earth of 405,003 kilometres.
May 30-31
The crescent Moon will join the Mars, Venus, Mercury triplet in the morning sky.
And here’s Melbourne Planetarium‘s fabulous astronomer, Tanya Hill, to show us what the month’s sky will look like in motion:
If you have any questions or comments on the night sky, we’d be happy to answer them. Please use the Feedback Form below. Happy stargazing!
Images courtesy IAU / TWAN / Babak A. Tafreshi / Andreas O. Jaunsen / IYA2009 / Galileoscope.
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Planets all in a row
EARLY-RISING AUSTRALASIAN SKYWATCHERS are in for a treat this coming Saturday morning, April 30, as four of the naked-eye planets and the crescent Moon all come together in the morning sky before dawn.
In the video above, Melbourne Planetarium’s marvellous astronomer, Tanya Hill, explains when and where to see the spectacle.
And you can keep up-to-date with sky happenings with SpaceInfo.com.au’s monthly Whats’ Up? section.
Video courtesy of Museum Victoria.
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Future stars to meet ancient stars
The Aspire to Astronomy programme in Western Australia, will give locals the chance to learn about astronomy, and hopefully will give students the incentive to consider going on to university.
THE NIGHT SKY WILL IGNITE the imagination of school students in Western Australia’s Pilbara region in a series of upcoming community events next month.
Staff from The University of Western Australia, the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, SPICE and Scitech are currently working in partnership with local high schools to bring the ‘Aspire to Astronomy’ event to Pilbara communities.
Armed with a passion for science, a host of hands-on activities and several large telescopes, ‘Aspire to Astronomy’ will mobilise in late May, visiting schools and students by day and delivering ‘observing on the oval’ events for communities at night.
In this fortnight long outreach initiative, Aspire to Astronomy will visit Port Hedland, Karratha, Roebourne, Tom Price and Newman.
Locals will be invited to join in the cosmic fun and can even bring along binoculars and telescopes of their own, adding to the equipment to be brought up from Perth.
Aspire to Astronomy will be fun, with lots of night sky viewing through telescopes.
On the celestial menu will be the gas giant planet of Saturn, the Orion Nebula, the Jewel Box star cluster, globular cluster Omega Centauri and a host of other night sky wonders.
Aspire to Astronomy will also include a special presentation about the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a $2 billion global science project to build the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope.
In the Murchison Shire of mid-west WA, teams of scientists and engineers are currently constructing new radio telescopes that test new technologies and demonstrate Western Australia’s ability to deliver world-class science.
Next year the international community will decide if Southern Africa or Australia and New Zealand are to host the radio telescope.
Aspire to Astronomy is part of Aspire UWA, a partnership between the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, the School of Indigenous Studies and Student Services at UWA.
Aspire UWA offers an on-going program to encourage students from communities under-represented in higher education to aspire to university study.
Aspire UWA partners with schools in the Pilbara region and outer metropolitan Perth that have a significant Indigenous student population.
It is funded by the Federal Government’s Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and The University of Western Australia.
Adapted from information issued by UWA. Images courtesy IAU / TWAN / Babak Tafreshi / Lee Pullen / Andreas O. Jaunsen / IYA2009.
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