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What’s up? Night sky for February 2014

WHEN STARTING OUT IN STARGAZING, most people are particularly keen to spot the planets. The problem is, that, to the novice, planets and stars look pretty much alike. The best way to identify planets is to determine their locations in relation to nearby bright stars or the Moon, and then see how watch as they change their positions slightly as each night passes. The information below will help you spot planets using this method.

Except where indicated, all of the phenomena described here can be seen with the unaided eye. Dates and times are for the Australian Eastern Summer Time zone, and sky directions are from the point of view of an observer at mid latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere.

7 Feb

It is First Quarter Moon today at 6:22am Sydney 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.

8 Feb

The just-past-half Moon is the north-western sky this evening, and just above it is a group of stars called the Hyades. See if you can spot them – they’re in a triangular formation. The Hyades is an ‘open star cluster’ about 153 light years from Earth, making it the closest such cluster to our Solar System. Although you’ll probably only be able to see a handful of stars with the naked eye (assuming, of course, that you’re not standing under a streetlight), a pair of binoculars will show many more – and long-exposure photographs reveal hundreds.

Just above and to the right of the Moon is a bright orange-coloured star called Aldebaran, although astronomers classify it as a red giant. It is roughly 44 times as big as the Sun and located about 65 light-years from Earth. Think about that – if Aldebaran were at the same distance from us as the Sun, it would appear 44 times as big in the sky. Just as well it’s a long way away!

View showing where the Moon is on the night of 8 February 2014

The Moon (shown bigger than it really is) will be near the star Aldebaran and the star cluster the Hyades on the evening of 8 February. Another star cluster, the Pleiades, is lower in the sky.

11 Feb

By tonight, you’ll see that Moon has moved a fair distance to the right (or east) of the Hyades, as a result of its slow orbit around the Earth. You won’t be able to miss what looks to be a bright star just below the Moon – this is the planet Jupiter. Grab a pair of binoculars and see if you can make out some tiny pinpricks of light on either side of the planet – these are the moons discovered by Galileo; Ganymede, Europa, Io and Callisto. Try to see all four – you might find there are two on each side of Jupiter, or one and three, or all four on one side – depending on where they are in their orbits around the planet. You might find that one or more are missing – this’ll be because that moon or moons is currently hidden behind Jupiter, or in the glare in front of the planet.

On the evening of 10 February, the Moon (not shown to scale) will be just above the planet Jupiter.

12 Feb

Today the Moon will reach the farthest point in its orbit around Earth, apogee, at a distance of 406,231 kilometres.

15 Feb

Full Moon occurs today at 10:53am Sydney time. If you’re out stargazing tonight and look just above (or north of) the Moon, you’ll see a bright blue star. This is Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo. Located about 77.5 light years from Earth, Regulus is not one star but four, grouped into two pairs – with the naked eye we see only the brightest of the four. Multiple star systems are very common throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

20 Feb

Take a look around midnight tonight and you’ll see the Moon just below what appears to be a brightish red star. This is not actually a star but the planet Mars. A small planet, it doesn’t give away much detail even when viewed through a telescope.

Just below the Moon is Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. Like Regulus, Spica is a member of a multiple star system, in this case a binary (or two) star system. The two stars orbit each other so close together that not even a telescope can show them separated. In fact, so close are they that their mutual gravitational pull distorts each of them from a round shape into an egg shape. The Spica system is about 260 light years from Earth.

View showing the position of the Moon on 20 February

If you’re up after midnight on 20 February, you’ll be greeted by the sight of the Moon with the star Spica above and the planet Mars below.

22 Feb

Tonight it’s Saturn‘s turn, with the ringed planet appearing just below and to the right of the Moon. If you have access to even a small telescope, take a look at Saturn’s amazing rings.

23 Feb

It is Last Quarter Moon today at 4:15am Sydney time. In the early hours of this morning you’ll find the star Antares above and to the right of the Moon. Antares is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Like Mars, it is a red colour too – in fact, the name Antares means ‘rival of Mars’. Because they’re both in the same part of the sky, this is a good time to compare the two.

26 Feb

If you’re up before dawn, take a look out to the east and you’ll see the thin crescent Moon just above a bright ‘star’ – this is actually the planet Venus, which, aside from the Sun and the Moon, is the brightest object in the sky. Because it is in our morning sky at present, it is called the ‘morning star’. Later in the year it will be visible to west in the evening sky, and will be known as the ‘evening star’.

This shows the view out to the east less than an hour before sunrise on 26 February. The thin crescent Moon is just above the planet Venus. Very low down on the horizon, and difficult to see, is the planet Mercury. The Moon will be just to the left of Mercury on 28 February.

28 Feb

Today 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 360,438 kilometres. If you’re up and about before dawn, and you have an unobstructed (by buildings, trees, hills etc) view of the eastern horizon, see if you can spot the planet Mercury just to right of the very thin crescent Moon. It won’t be easy to see either Mercury or the Moon, but give it a try.

Here are some more great sources of southern stargazing information:

Melbourne Planetarium

Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand

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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Jonathan Nally | Feb 04, 2014 | Comments 0

What’s up? The night sky for January 2014

WHEN STARTING OUT IN STARGAZING, most people are particularly keen to spot the planets, five of which are visible to the naked eye – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The problem is that, to the novice, planets and stars look pretty much alike. An easy way to identify planets is to find them in relation to nearby bright stars or the Moon, and then watch as they change their positions slightly as each night passes. The information below will help you spot planets using this method.

There’s plenty to see in the night sky during January 2014.

Jan 1

The Moon is in its ‘new’ phase (the opposite of ‘full’) tonight at 10:14pm. This means that, seen from Earth, it is in the same direction as the Sun, and therefore won’t be seen all night – which is good for stargazing, as the absence of its light will make fainter objects easier to see.

Jan 2

Today at 8:01am, the Moon will be at the closest point – called perigee – in its elliptical orbit around the Earth. The distance between the centres of the two bodies will be 356,921 kilometres.

Jan 4

Today the Earth reaches perihelion, which is the point at which our planet is closest to the Sun during its orbit. The distance separating the two bodies is 147,089,638 kilometres. Note the similarity between the words perigee and perihelion – perigee is used for anything orbiting the Earth (‘peri’ coming from the Greek for ‘around’, while the ‘gee’ part derives from gaia, the Greek word for Earth), while perihelion is used for anything orbiting the Sun (the ‘helion’ part coming from ‘Helios’, the ancient Greek god of the Sun).

There’s a common misconception that the Earth’s changing distance from the Sun (it varies from about 147 million to roughly 152 million kilometres over the course of the year) is responsible for giving us our summers and winters. This is wrong, and a few moments thought shows why. Taking perihelion as an example, the misconception says that with the Earth being at its closest point to the Sun, our planet should experience summer. Well, it’s certainly true that perihelion occurs when it is summertime in the Southern Hemisphere… but what season is it in the Northern Hemisphere? It’s winter. And why is it winter and not summer? Because perihelion has nothing to do with our seasons. The seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis of rotation, which sees the Southern Hemisphere tilted toward the Sun at the end of the calendar year, and the Northern Hemisphere tilted away. Six months later it’s the other way around – the north is tilted toward the Sun (and thus the northern summer and southern winter are in the middle of the calendar year) and the south is tilted away.

Jan 8

It is first quarter Moon today at 2:39pm. A few days either side of 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.

Jan 12

Tonight, the almost-full Moon will be just below the star Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus. Aldebaran is a red giant star roughly 44 times as big as the Sun, located about 65 light-years from Earth. Have a look to the left of Aldebaran and you’ll see a beautiful, broad group of stars in a V-shape. These are the Hyades. If you have a pair of binoculars, take a look; you’ll be amazed by the beautiful sight of these sparkling stars! (A little further to the left, or west, is an even more beautiful cluster of stars – the Pleiades. See the diagram for its location.)

The Moon will be near the star Aldebaran on the evening of January 12. Just above and to the left of Aldebaran is a group of stars called the Hyades – take a look with a pair of binoculars; it’s a beautiful sight. An even better cluster of stars, the Pleiades, is a little further to the left (or west). Below and to the right in this view is the planet Jupiter – the Moon will be close to it on January 15.

Jan 15

Tonight the almost-full Moon will be just above and to the right of what looks like a very bright star, but is in fact the planet Jupiter – the largest planet in our Solar System. If you have a decent pair of binoculars (ie. anything bigger than opera glasses), train them on Jupiter and you should be able to see its shape and perhaps even some of the ‘banding’ of the atmosphere (the planet’s different weather zones). You should also be able to see up to four tiny, bright pinpricks of light – these are the famous moons discovered by Galileo. You might see one or two on one side of Jupiter, and the others on the other side. (If you take a look in the late evening on January 18, you’ll see them all on the same side.)

Jan 16

Full Moon occurs today at 3:52pm. When the Moon is full, it rises in the east around the same time as the Sun is setting in the west, which means it will be visible all night long. This is great for finding your way around in the dark, but the Moon’s glare is generally not welcomed by stargazers as it makes fainter objects harder or impossible to see.

Still on the subject of the Moon, today at 12:54pm it will reach apogee (the opposite of perigee), which is the farthest point in its orbit around the Earth. The distance separating the centres of the two bodies will be 406,536 kilometres.

Jan 23

If you’re awake around midnight, look out to the east and you’ll see the Moon with a reddish star just below it. That ‘star’ is actually the planet Mars. Mars is a small planet, so you need at least a medium-sized backyard telescope to get any decent sort of view of it. But even as you gaze at it with the naked eye, stop and think for a moment – right now there are two missions on their way to Mars (NASA’s MAVEN and India’s Mars Orbiter), plus there are three orbiters and two operational rovers already working at or on the Red Planet. When the two new spacecraft reach their destination in September 2014, Mars is going to become a busy place!

Diagram of the evening sky for January 23

The Moon and Mars will be near each other in the sky in the early hours of January 23.

Jan 24

It is last quarter Moon today at 4:19pm. When you take a look tonight, you’ll notice that Moon has moved a bit since last night (as a result of its slow crawl around its orbit), and Mars is now above and to its left. But directly above the Moon is a bright star called Spica, which is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. Spica is a blue giant star located about 260 light-years from Earth.

Jan 26

If you’re awake in the early hours after midnight, you’ll be rewarded with the view of the just-less-than-half Moon down near the eastern horizon, with a brightish ‘star’ just above it. That’s not a star, it’s the planet Saturn. If you have access to a small telescope, train it on Saturn and you’ll its magnificent system of rings.

Jan 29

If you’re up before the sunrise today, look out to the east and you’ll see a very thin crescent Moon. Just below it is what looks to be a very bright star, but is in fact the planet Venus. After the Sun and the Moon, Venus is the brightest object in the sky.

Diagram of the morning sky for January 29

The thin crescent Moon will be near Venus in the morning sky on January 29. (Venus is not shown to scale in this diagram.)

Jan 30

The Moon reaches perigee today, with the distance between the centres of the Earth and Moon being 357,079 kilometres.

Jan 31

New Moon occurs for the second time this month, at 8:39am

Here are some more great sources of southern stargazing information:

Melbourne Planetarium

Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand

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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Jonathan Nally | Dec 29, 2013 | Comments 0

Saturn and the Moon will appear near each other on February 3, 2013.

Feb 3

If you’re a night owl, look out to the east after midnight and you’ll see the Moon near the horizon. Below and to its right is what seems to be a bright star. It’s actually the planet Saturn. If you have access to even a small telescope, take a look. Its rings never fail to entrance. The gas giant planet has 62 confirmed natural satellites (ie. moons), and one artificial satellite – the NASA/ESA Cassini spacecraft, which has been exploring the Saturnian system since 2004. Saturn is presently about 1,455 million kilometres from Earth.

Feb 4

It is Last Quarter Moon today at 12:56am Australian Eastern Daylight Time (Feb 3, 13:56 Universal Time).

Feb 5

This evening, the Moon will appear close to the star Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Antares is a red supergiant star, about 880 times bigger and 10,000 times brighter than our Sun! It is about 550 light-years from Earth.

Feb 7

Today the Moon will be at the closest point in its orbit around Earth, called perigee. The distance between the two bodies will be 365,318 kilometres.

Feb 10

New Moon occurs today at 6:20pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (07:20 Universal Time).

Feb 12

Just after sunset this evening, you might be able to see a very thin crescent Moon low on the horizon due west. To its left will be a brightish-looking ‘star’; it’s actually the planet Mercury. And just to Mercury’s left will be the ruddy-coloured planet Mars. Today Mercury is about 161 million kilometres from Earth, while Mars is about 348 million kilometres away.

For stargazers in southern Australia, the Moon will pass in front of Jupiter on February 18, 2013.

Feb 18

There will be a major sky event this evening for those in the southern half of Australia! – the Moon will appear to move in front of the planet Jupiter. This is called an occultation (where ‘to occult’ means to ‘make go dark’). You’ll see the Moon slowly approaching Jupiter (which, to the naked eye, just looks like a bright star). Then, all of a sudden, as the Moon’s edge ‘reaches’ the planet, Jupiter will wink out. A short while later, after the Moon has moved on a bit (you’re actually watching it trundle along in its orbit), Jupiter will reappear on the other side.

Timings for the beginning of the event, in Standard (that is, non-Daylight Saving time – please adjust for your location if necessary) for capital cities are:

Adelaide: 10:00pm

Hobart: 10:22pm

Melbourne 10:33pm

Perth: 7:39pm

Unfortunately, the other capital cities will miss out.

Incidentally, it is First Quarter Moon this morning at 7:31am Australian Eastern Daylight Time (Feb 27, 20:31 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.

Feb 19

In tonight’s evening sky, to the northwest you’ll see the Moon, and to it’s left will be a bright star. And it really is a star this time, not a planet. It’s Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus. Just to Aldebaran’s left, you might be able to see a wide grouping of stars (binoculars will help). This is called the Hyades star cluster.

And today the Moon is at the farthest point in its orbit around the Earth, called apogee, at a distance of 404,472 kilometres.

Feb 25

Just near the Moon in this evening’s sky, will be the star Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo.

Feb 26

Full Moon occurs today at 7:26am Australian Eastern Daylight Time (Feb 25, 20:26 Universal Time).

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!

Images courtesy IAU.

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Jonathan Nally | Feb 01, 2013 | Comments 0

What’s up? Night sky for January 2013

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 2

If you’re an early riser, take a look out to the north-west and high up you’ll see a bright star near the Moon. This is Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo. Actually, Regulus is not one star but four, grouped into two pairs. Multiple star systems are very common throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

The Moon will appear near the bright star Regulus on January 2.

And 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 147,098,089 kilometres. (The opposite of perihelion is aphelion, which for Earth will occur on July 5, 2012 at a distance of about 152,097,351 kilometres.)

January 5

It is Last Quarter Moon today at 2:58pm Sydney time (03:58 Universal Time).

January 6

If you’re up very early this morning (from 2:00am onwards), you’ll see a bright star appearing to almost touch the Moon. This Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo; it is a blue giant star about 260 light-years from Earth. And don’t miss tomorrow’s morning sight…

January 7

This morning, the Moon has moved along a bit in its orbit, and no longer appears to be near Spica. Instead, it appears to hover just above what appears to be another bright star, but which is instead the planet Saturn. If you have a small telescope, or can borrow someone else’s, take a look at Saturn – you’ll see the huge rings tilted nicely to our line of sight, and – depending on the power of your telescope – you might also be able to make out a couple of the planet’s moons, although they’ll only look like bright pinpricks of light.

January 7: If you’re an early riser, take a look at the Moon and you’ll see what appears to be bright star just below it. Well, that’s actually not a star but the ringed planet Saturn.

January 9

Again, the Moon has moved along in its orbit, and is now quite distant from both Spica and Saturn. This morning it appears near the red star Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Antares is a red supergiant star about 883 times bigger than our Sun, located about 470 light-years from us.

January 10

This morning the Moon, now a thin crescent, can be seen above what looks like a very bright star. Actually, it’s the planet Venus, low on the horizon. Venus will remain low in the east before dawn until the middle of February, when it will have moved too close to the Sun to be visible.

The Moon today will be at the closest point to Earth in its orbit, called perigee. The distance between the two bodies today will be 360,046 kilometres.

January 12

New Moon occurs today at 6:44am Sydney time (19:44 Universal Time on January 11).

January 14-27

If you have dark skies and are a little bit lucky, you might spot a few meteors between these dates, emanating from the southern sky. The Eta Carinid meteor shower occurs at this same time every year, but it’s not a very good one compared with others – you might be lucky to see a few meteors per hour, between midnight and dawn.

January 19

It is First Quarter Moon today at 10:45am Sydney time (23:45 Universal Time on January 18). 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.

January 21: The Moon, Jupiter and the Pleiades star cluster will all be close together in the evening sky.

January 21

In tonight’s evening sky, the Moon will be situated quite near a famous cluster of stars, 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. With the Moon tonight being more than half full, it might be a little harder to see them. But if you have a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, take a look and you’ll be rewarded with a lovely sight – there are actually hundreds of stars (only some of them are visible through small optical instruments) 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.

And what’s that bright object just to the right (east) of both the Moon and the Pleiades? That’s actually the planet Jupiter.

January 22

Today the Moon will reach the farthest point from Earth in its orbit, apogee, at a distance of 405,312 kilometres. Take a look at it, and you’ll see what looks like a bright star just above it – it’s actually the planet Jupiter, the largest planet in our Solar System. Even a pair of binoculars will begin to show its size and shape, as well as up to four of its moons. A small telescope will reveal the different cloud bands that colour its upper atmosphere.

January 27

Full Moon occurs today at 3:38pm Sydney time (04:38 Universal Time).

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!

Images courtesy IAU.

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Jonathan Nally | Jan 01, 2013 | Comments 0

The southern sky is full of wonderful treats for the stargazer. (This star trail photo by Iztok Boncina was made by keeping the camera shutter open.)

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. (If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, please see the video at the bottom of the page for What’s Up in your night sky.)

April 3

The Moon, now just over three-quarters full, will be about 11 Moon widths above and to the left of the bright blue star, Regulus, the brightest star of the constellation Leo. A little further below is what looks like a red star, but is actually the planet Mars. The colours of Regulus and Mars make a nice contrast. About 77.5 light years from Earth, Regulus is not one star but four, grouped into two pairs. Multiple star systems are very common throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

April 4

The Moon is still in the vicinity of Mars tonight, being above and to the right of the planet. Incidentally, when I use a term such as “vicinity”, it is not to be taken as suggesting the two bodies are physically near each other out there in space. Rather, they are simply within similar lines-of-sight from our vantage point on Earth.

April 4, 8:00pm. The Moon, Mars and the star Regulus will make an attractive triangle in the northern part of the sky. Note the colour difference between blue Regulus and ruddy Mars.

April 7

Full Moon occurs today at 5:19am Sydney time (19:19 Universal Time on April 6). In a similar fashion to its “encounters” with Regulus and Mars a few days earlier, tonight the Moon will be about six Moon widths to the right of another bright star, Spica, and about 10 Moon widths above the planet Saturn. Spica is the brightest star of the constellation Virgo; it is a blue giant star about 260 light years from Earth. This is a great time to see Saturn (see April 16), so it’s a good idea to use the nearby Moon to identify it.

April 8

Today the Moon will be at the closest point in its orbit, called perigee. The distance between the two bodies today will be 358,311 kilometres.

April 10

This evening, take a look about 12 Moon widths below the Moon and you’ll see a reddish looking star that looks a bit like Mars. It’s the star Antares, and its name actually “rival of Mars”. Antares is the brightest star of the constellation Scorpius, and is a red supergiant star about 883 times bigger than our Sun!

Saturn, as it appears through a backyard telescope. Image by Steve Massey.

April 13

It is Last Quarter Moon tonight at 8:50pm Sydney time (10:10 Universal Time).

April 16

Today the planet Saturn reaches what astronomers call “opposition”. This means that, from an Earthly perspective, it is the opposite direction to the Sun—so if you could look down on the Solar System from above you’d see the Sun, Earth and Saturn (in that order) in a straight line … although Saturn, of course, is much further from us than the Sun. The period around opposition is a considered a great time to view a planet, as it rises in the east around the same time as the Sun sets in the west, and is therefore nice and high in the sky by late evening.

April 19

If you’re an early riser, out to east this morning before sunrise you’ll see the very thin crescent Moon. Above and to its right is a bright looking star. Well that’s not a star; it’s the planet Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.

April 19, 6:30am. The thin crescent Moon and the planet Mercury will be visible together in the eastern sky before sunrise.

April 21

New Moon occurs today at 5:18pm Sydney time (07:18 Universal Time).

April 23

Today the Moon will again reach the farthest point in its orbit, apogee, at a distance from Earth of 406,421 kilometres.

April 24

Today the Moon makes another apparent close approach to a star, this time Aldebaran, the brightest star of the constellation Taurus. The pair will be low in the western sky after sunset. Like Antares, Aldebaran too is a red star, but not a supergiant—it is only about 44 times the size of our Sun. It’s about 65 light years from Earth.

April 25

There’ll be a lovely astronomical pairing in this evening’s sky, with the Moon very close to Venus. The Moon is the second-brightest object in our night sky, and Venus is the third-brightest.

April 25, about 7:15pm. The thin crescent Moon and Venus will be close together in the western sky.

April 29

It is First Quarter Moon today at 7:58pm Sydney time (09:58 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.

There’s more great night sky viewing information at Melbourne Planetarium’s Skynotes site.

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, here’s a Jet Propulsion Laboratory video that details what you can see 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 and Iztok Boncina / ESO.

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Jonathan Nally | Mar 30, 2012 | Comments 3

Summer nights are perfect for stargazing.

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.

Diagram of Moon near Pleiades in January 5's night sky

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.

Diagram showing the Moon near Jupiter in January 30's night sky

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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Jonathan Nally | Jan 01, 2012 | Comments 2

Stargazing is great fun, now that the warmer summer weather is here.

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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Jonathan Nally | Nov 30, 2011 | Comments 2

Late spring nights and mornings are ideal for stargazing, and there are some interesting things to see this month.

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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Jonathan Nally | Nov 06, 2011 | Comments 0

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.

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.

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Jonathan Nally | Aug 01, 2011 | Comments 0

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.

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.

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Jonathan Nally | Jun 30, 2011 | Comments 2