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Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Hi @outlander, @Former-Member and @utopia

Hi Utopia - I tagged you for this one because I recollect you are interested in Astronomy - and this is a little thread I will run because I love this stuff and will enjoy sharing it with others

I have a book I get for Christmas every year which tells me when anything interesting is happening - I can't see everything from my place - the Melbourne weather - pollution in the atmosphere and my low horizon is not good for starters - but I can tell you what you could see easily right now - weather being clear of course

The moon is past half and is visible in the afternoon sky and after dark it's near the bright planet Jupiter for a few days - so those two are easy to find

And following that the Moon will pass Antares which is a red star in the middle of the constellation Scorpio - and then Saturn which is the ringed planet and the furthest away of the planets we can see with the naked eye

Also - early in the evening - the the South West of Jupiter you can see Sirius or the Wolf-Star that follows the constellation Orion which is harder to see at this time of year - you may know The Saucepan or know the three bright stars in Orion's Belt

In the morning you can easily see Venus - the planet that is sometimes in the east and sometimes in the west - called the Morning Star or The Evening Star as it moves around the sun - it appears in our morning or evening sky - it's the brighest planet and sometimes it is visible after sunrise or before sunset and it very easy to see - actually - very hard to miss if it's there

Mercury is the smallest planet of the visible 5 and is closest to the sun and the hardest to find - and it's rising before sunrise and I have not seen it lately but I know it's there. You might be lucky to find it - but when then moon is in the last quarter it will be much easier to find

I am up for questions but need to take a break from the computer for a while - but unless I decide to go out - I will be back if anyone has any questions

I get very maternal about a thread when I open it - so I will be looking for this one

Dec

And if I can get suitable pics I will post them to show what I mean - I love all of this


264 replies

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In response to: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

On the night of Friday 26 May there will be a possibility of aurora sightings from the southern regions of Australia

@Shaz51@Owlunar@Former-Member@Change123@Former-Member@utopia@Former-Member everyone else ive missed

THIS IS TONIGHT is anyones interested

In response to: Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

these pics were captured at Cape Otway Lighthouse in Victoria on the 21st of may

how great would it to see in real life! @Former-Member@Former-Member@Change123@Former-Member@Owlunar

In response to: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Oh i forgot about last night... did anyone see ?

In response to: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Hi @Owlunar. It's 6.55am and I'm looking north north east (I think). Up in the sky - not the horizon. What star am I looking at?
I'm in Melbourne - in hospital - so can't het an accurate idea of how high from the horizon - but at a guess id say it's position would be 2 o'clock.
What star am I looking at?

In response to: Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Hi @utopia

If that is an incredibly bright object that is the planet Venus - it so obvious people can't miss it - hold on - I will see if I can find a pic - which means - I am going to leave your post and hunt through the images on Bing and see what I can find and come back and reload what I have already written

Back in a moment

And with all the magic of the internet I have a couple of pics for you

This is Venus from Space - it is a rocky planet but covered with gasses and this is what makes it so brilliant - and here is one from earth - with the moon - to give you an idea of size

The brighter of those two planets is Venus - the other one is probably Jupiter - I don't know when this photo was taken but with the moon you can see how big and bright it is

I haven't put much up on the thread lately because the weather has not been that helpful and nothing very much has been happening - but just wait - we have some interesting stuff happening later in the winter and in the spring

I hope this helps Utopia

Dec

In response to: Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Hi @utopia@outlander@Former-Member

I haven't forgotten my thread here - but nothing much has been different - and a lot of nights it is cloudy - but we have had some clear morning so guys

Sirius - The Wolf Star - is easy to see in the morning now - rising easy when it is still dark which doesn't mean that early at this time of year - and Orion is rising in the morning too - and if anyone feels like facing the cold and frosties it can be easily seen

So - get some shoes and dressing gown and get outside to see the summer constellalation rising in the east - it's a big sign of spring returning for us in the Southern Hemisphere -

And winter is nearly half-over - now that has to be good to know - the days have started to get a tiny bit longer and that will be really noticable.

And there is a full moon tonight - which does make it harder to see the stars but it is wonderful to see

Dec

In response to: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

I love seeing the full moons @Owlunar they are so bright

In response to: Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Thank you Dec,

I'm still not sure if I've seen Sirius, I think I have but you have re-ignited my determination to be sure!

I have a really warm gown and warm, water proof slippers 😄

@Owlunar

Niqua

In response to: Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Hi Outlander - I love the moon - when the sky is clear I keep watching it through all it's phases - I started this when I was only a child and my father and my Gran used to make sure I learned as much about it as I could early

And Niqua - the Wolf-Star is the brightest star in the night sky - I think this is a good pic but it is much bigger than you will see it in the east in the morning - but in a dark sky rather than in the evening as it used to be a few weeks back - it is brilliant esp on a frosty morning when the sky is full of dew

Once you see it you will always be able to see it - you will just know where to look for it

Dec

@Former-Member@outlander

In response to: Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Re: Dec's Guide to the Night Sky for Amateur Astromomers - including Melbourne weather

Dec,

Looking forward to the picture, I know what your saying about once I see it and know I'm seeing it, I will always be able to. I know the Southern Cross now and can see it every night (when the clouds allow it) and I'm really proud of that 🙂

Niqua @Owlunar

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