Night Sky this Month
Ian Morison tells you what can be seen in the night sky this month.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during August 2009. This month, on the night sky pages, the images of the month show LRO images of the Apollo landing sites. It is also worth visiting the Lunar World Record 2009 and Google Moon.
Northern Hemisphere
Leo is setting in the glare of the Sun but it is still just possible to see Saturn and then Mercury in the first few weeks. Higher up is the constellation of Bootes. Just to the left of Bootes is Corona Borealis - the Northern Crown. Moving up towards the south you'll see the constellation of Hercules. It has four stars making up the keystone. Looking up the right hand side of the keystone you'll see globular cluster M13. Below Hercules is Ophiuchus and below that is Scorpius with its lovely red star Antares. To the left is the constellation of Sagittarius - The Archer - which does look like a rather nice representation of a teapot. Where the liquid would leave the spout, with binoculars you might see the little fuzzy glow of open cluster M7. Above the teapot is the Lagoon Nebula. Over to the east in the sky you'll see the lovely region of the Summer Triangle with Aquila, Lyra and Cygnus.
The Planets
- Jupiter, now lying in Capricornus, becomes more easily visible this month rising soon after twilight. During August its magnitude remains pretty constant at -2.8 as, on August 14th, Jupiter is at opposition - that is opposite the Sun and so approximately due south at midnight - and thus its distance from us does not change that much during the month. It has an angular size of 48 arc seconds so a small telescope will show much detail on the surface if seeing conditions are good. It will lie to right of the almost full Moon on the 6th of August.
- Saturn is just be seen seen as twilight deepens lying in Leo - but somewhat below the main body of the Lion. You will need a very low western horizon to spot it though! Its magnitude is +1.1 - not as bright as usual, with Saturn significantly less bright this year than it sometimes is: the rings are very close to edge on and thus there is less apparent reflecting area. At the beginning of August they are at an angle of just 1.9 degrees from the line of sight! This narrows to during the month as they will be edge on to the Earth on September 4th. However they are edgewise on August 10th so it might be posible to see that they have turned from bright to dark! Those with a computer controlled telescope might be able to pick up Saturn whilst it is higher in the sky before the the sky darkens significantly. It will not be until 2016 that they will be at their widest again. A small telescope will easily show its largest moon, Titan, and show some bands around the surface.
- Mercury may be seen, probably with the help of binoculars, low in the west but in bright twilight. It dims from magnitude -0.4 to magnitude +0.4 during the month. It will lie just 0.6 degrees above the star Regulus in Leo on the 2nd of August and passes 3 degrees from Saturn on the 26th, but I suspect that both planets will, by then, have been lost into the glare of the Sun.
- Mars is becoming more prominent in the pre-dawn sky this month as it rises just after midnight and will be seen in the east before dawn. It has a magnitude of +1. Its angular size will increase from 5.3 to 5.8 arc seconds during the month so, under ideal seeing conditions, a telescope might begin to show some of the more prominent features such as Syrtis Major. We will have to wait a month or so until it will be seen more easily as the nights get longer and it rises earlier in the night! The Earth will, of course, be overtaking Mars "on the inside track" so we will come closer to it and its angular size will increase so allowing more features on the surface to be seen.
- Venus is moving increasingly further away from the Sun and by mid month will be 27 degrees above the eastern horizon by sunrise. A small telescope will show a waxing gibbous disc dropping from 14.8 arc seconds in diameter to 12.6 arcseconds as it moves towards the far side of the Sun. It magnitude drops from -4 to -3.9 during the month.
Highlights
- If you observe Jupiter in the first week of August you may be surprised to observe 5, not 4, Galilean moons! There is an interloper, the +5.9 magnitide star 45 Capricorni, which is only just fainter than Callisto. If you have a telescope of 6 inches or more, you may well see that whilst the satellites of Jupiter appear as tiny discs, the star will look pointlike. As Jupiter passes westwards across the sky it will occult (pass in front of) the star at 23:52 BST on August 3rd. 45 Capricorni will emerge almost two hours later at 02:00 BST on the morning of the 4th August.
- Full Moon occurs just after midnight on August 6th. This is, of course, when eclipses of the Moon can occur and this month there is a penumbral eclipse when the lower third of the Moon will lie in the partial shadow of the Earth and so will appear somewhat dimmer and have a flatter, dull grey, tone.
- During the first two weeks of August, Saturn may still be seen low above the western horizon just after sunset. You may well not observe any rings as, on August 9th, they are edge on to the Sun and will thus not be illuminated! Thereafter the rings are tilted so that they will be illuminated on their other side from us and not be directly visible. One will observe a thin dark line bisecting Saturn which is partly a silhouette of the rings and partly their shadow on Saturn's surface. Sadly Saturn, by then, will be increasingly lost in the glare from the Sun.
- If it is clear on the 11th and 12th of August, one will have a chance of seeing the meteors in the Perseid Meteor Shower - the year's most dependable meteor shower. It is not, perhaps,the best year to observe the Perseids as a waning gibbous Moon will be rising in the north-east and its glare will obscure the fainter meteors. Look up towards the North-East from 11 pm onwards on the nights of August 11th, 12th and 13th and 14th. After midnight, as Perseus rises higher into the sky, the numbers seen may well rise too! Most meteors are seen when looking about 50 degrees away from the "radiant" (the point from which the meteors appear to radiate from) which lies between Perseus and Cassiopea. (See the star chart below) The Perseid meteors are particles, usually smaller than a grain of sand, released as the comet Swift-Tuttle passes the Sun. The shower in quite long lived, so it is worth looking out any night from the 10th to the 15th of August. This last day could well be the best as the Moon will be rising later and be less bright.
Southern Hemisphere
Looking north at about 8pm in mid-August you have a lovely view of the Milky Way arcing high overhead. Below Sagittarius we have Aquila the Eagle and lower in the north east is Lyra. Down to the right of Aquila is Delphinus the dolphin. Looking towards the south there is the Milky Way dropping down to the south west. There are the constellations of Centaurus, Crux, Musca, Vela and Carina - a very rich part of the Milky Way. Fairly low in the sky is Vela which has a fairly large cross of stars that is often confused with the smaller Southern Cross. Almost due south is the Large Magellanic Cloud and up to the left of that is the Small Magellanic Cloud with globular cluster 47 Tucanae just above. To the right of LMC is the Tarantula Nebula (30 Doradus).
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during July 2009.
Northern Hemisphere
As the Sun is setting, Leo is low in the west with the planet Saturn. A little higher, towards the south west, is the rather sparse constellation of Virgo with a bright star Spica. High up in the south is the constellation Bootes with one very nice bright star - Arcturus. Just to the left of Arcturus is a rather lovely arc of stars called Corona Borealis - the Northern Crown. To the south, and higher up, is the constellation Hercules. The four brighest stars make up the key-stone and two-thirds of the up the right-hand side of the keystone, binoculars will show a slightly fuzzy object. With a telescope you see the wonderful globular cluster M13. Below Hercules is Ophiuchus. Below Ophiuchus we have Scorpius and Sagittarius (containing the Teapot). From the northern latitudes of the UK we don't see these constellations well and a better view is seen from further south. Looking towards the south east, rising through the night, is the wonderful part of the sky containing Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila - the Summer Triangle. If you have binoculars, go from Altair up towards Altair about a third of the way. There you will see a dark region called the Cygnus Rift containing Brocchi's+Cluster - the Coathanger.
Jupiter is now in Capricornus, becomes more easily visible this month as its elevation in the pre-dawn sky is getting higher - about 23 degrees above the horizon by beginning of the month. One problem with observing Jupiter with a telescope when it is so low in the sky is refraction in the atmosphere. This shifts the different colours of light in Jupiters image by differing amounts, so giving a blurred image. Using a green filter will help considerably in giving a cleaner image.
Saturn is seen low below Leo - but somewhat below the feet of the Lion. You'll be able to see it in the first couple of weeks of July.
Mercury reached "Western Elongation" in the middle of June which is when it lies furthest in angle from the Sun and seen before sunrise. In the first few days of July you'll see it very low in the east just before dawn.
Mars is becoming more prominent and is at an elevation of 25 degrees due east as the Sun rises on 1st July. On a particularly good night, a small telescope might be able to make out some of the features but we really have to wait a few months to see it at its best.
Venus is now easily visible in the pre-dawn sky. It is about 20 degrees above the horizon as the Sun rises on the first of July, so will be easier to spot later in the month. It is at magnitude -4.1.
The highlights this month:
- On July 10th there is a very nice line up of Jupiter's Galilean satellites. At the same time, Jupiter is as close as it gets to Neptune in the sky. Neptune is much fainter - magnitude 7.8 - but between them will be a star Mu Capricornis. Given a transparent sky at a dark site, 8 x 40 binoculars should allow you to see Jupiter and Neptune together.
- In the early morning of July 13th, Venus is only 9 arcminutes from the star Epsilon Tauri.
- In the morning of July 18th, the Moon occults the star Merope in the Pleiades Cluster.
- July is also a very good time to spot Noctilucent Clouds!
Southern Hemisphere
Towards the north you'll see Leo setting in the north west. Above that is the constellation of Virgo. You then pass, going towards the east, the constellation Libra and then the lovely region of Scorpius and Sagittarius. Fairly low in the north is Arcturus and to its lower right Hercules. Towards the south is a wonderful view. Towards the south east is Sagittarius - the Teapot - and if you follow the line the water would take coming out of the teapot you will find a lovely star cluster M7. Just above the teapot is the Lagoon Nebula. Low in the south are the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds.
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The Night Sky
Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during June 2009.
Northern Hemisphere
June is not the best month to see the sky from the Northern Hemisphere as it doesn't get too dark. At around 11pm, overhead towards the north, is Ursa Major. There is more about Ursa Major on the night sky pages. Moving southwards you first cross the constellation of Hercules which has a 'keystone' of stars. Two-thirds of the up the right-hand side of the keystone, binoculars will show a slightly fuzzy blob. With a telescope you see the magnificent globular cluster M13. Below Hercules is the thirteenth constellation of the zodiac, the not particularly prominent Ophiuchus. To the right of Hercules is Corona Borealis - the Northern Crown. To the right of that is the constellation Bootes with one very nice bright star - Arcturus. Rising in the east towards the end of June we have Cygnus the Swan, Lyra, and Aquila the Eagle. The bright stars Deneb, Vega and Altair make up the Summer Triangle. With binoculars move from Altair a third of the way towards Vega. This part of the sky is called the Cygnus Rift and is a great cloud of dust. In front of that cloud we see Brocchi's Cluster or The Coathanger. Below Ophiuchus we have Scorpius and Sagittarius (containing the Teapot). From the northern latitudes of the UK we don't see these constellations well and a better view is seen from further south.
Jupiter, lying on the boundary of Aquarius and Capricornus, becomes more easily visible this month as its elevation in the pre-dawn sky is getting higher - about 24 degrees above the horizon by month's end. It rises at about 01:00 UT at the beginning of the month and 00:00 UT by the end of June. One problem with observing Jupiter with a telescope when it is so low in the sky is refraction in the atmosphere. This shifts the different colours of light in Jupiters image by differing amounts, so giving a blurred image. Using a green filter will help considerably in giving a cleaner image.
Saturn is seen as twilight deepens lying in Leo - but somewhat below the main body of the Lion. Its magnitude is +1 - not as bright as usual.
Mercury reaches "Western Elongation" on the 13th June which is when it lies furthest in angle from the Sun and seen before sunrise. However its elevation will be very low, and binoculars will almost certainly be needed to spot it (NB before the Sun rises!) at magnitude +0.6 given a very low north-eastern horizon. Warning: make sure that you are very careful to only observe before the Sun rises as seeing the Sun with binoculars is very dangerous.
Mars still remains low in the pre-dawn sky this month but, as it rises increasingly earlier than the Sun as the month progresses, will become easier to spot. It has a magnitude of +1.2.
Venus is now visible in the pre-dawn sky. It will only lie 14 degrees above the horizon as the Sun rises on the first of June, so will be easier to spot later in the month. It is at magnitude -4.2 at mid month, just to the lower right of Mars.
The highlights this month:
- On June 4th Neptune is close in the sky to Jupiter. Given a transparent sky it should be easily spotted in 8 x 40 binoculars just half a degree away from Jupiter.
- On June 10th there is a chance to see a nice line-up of Saturn's brightest satellites.
- On June 19th, at 03:30 UT, Mars and Venus are below a crescent Moon.
- June is also a very good time to spot Noctilucent Clouds!
Southern Hemisphere
June is a great month to observe the night sky from the Southern Hemisphere. Towards the north you'll see Leo and Saturn above it. Towards the south is the most beautiful skyscape with the Milky Way arcing across the southern sky. Scorpius is above Sagittarius down in the south east. High up in the sky are Crux and Centaurus. Towards the south west is the beautiful region around Carina and Vela with the Eta Carina Nebula. Low in the south is the Small Magellanic Cloud and the Large Magellanic Cloud up and to the right.
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The Night Sky
Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during May 2009.
Northern Hemisphere
In order to see a dark sky in May you have to wait up quite a bit but when it does get dark you'll see Gemini, with its bright stars Castor and Pollux, setting towards the south west. Leo is holding pride of place in the south and below it is the planet Saturn. Below Gemini is the constellation of Canis Minor. Over to the south east is the constellation of Virgo with the bright star Spica. Between Spica and the tail of Leo is the Realm of the Galaxies. Here you'll find the Virgo Supercluster of galaxies. Our own local group of galaxies is on the outskirts of this supercluster. On the night sky pages you'll find some of the nice things you can see in these constellations with binoculars or a small telescope.
Jupiter is a morning object. It rises before the Sun but because the ecliptic is fairly low, it will only be around 20 or so degrees above the horizon before dawn. Even so, you'll have a chance to look at the Galilean moons. On May 17th Jupiter is just below the last quarter Moon in the pre-dawn sky. Mars is also low in the pre-dawn sky and is beginning to rise increasing earlier than the Sun as the month progresses. It has a magnitude of about +1.2. Venus passed between the Earth and the Sun in March. It will only lie 12 degrees above the horizon as the Sun rises on the first of May, so will be easier to spot later in the month. It is at magnitude -4.4 at mid month, up and to the right of Mars. In the middle of May, a small telescope will show a crescent phase equivalent to just before a first quarter Moon. An interesting fact about its brightness is that it stays pretty constant at about -4.4 (not +4.4) for most of the time that it is visible even though the apparent phase changes greatly. When the phase is thin, Venus is nearer to us and the effective reflecting area of Venus as seen from Earth remains pretty constant. May is prehaps the last month to see Saturn well in the evening sky. It starts the month at magnitude +0.8 and that falls to about +0.9 as the month progresses. On May 2nd we have the best chance to see Mercury next to the Pleiades Cluster about half an hour after sunset if you have a good low western horizon. On May 21st there is a chance to see Venus, Mars and the thin crescent Moon in the hour before dawn.
Southern Hemisphere
The New Zealand Astronomical Year Book has some lovely maps for each month showing you what you can see. Low in the south is a fairly empty part of the sky but the Small Magellanic Cloud is roughly due south around 9pm in early May. Above that to the right is the Large Magellanic Cloud. As we go through summer towards autumn, the Milky Way gets higher in the sky. The centre of our galaxy - towards the constellation of Sagittarius is just rising in the south-east. Above that is the constellation Scorpius. One way to find the Southern Cross is to use the Pointers - alpha and beta Centauri - which point up towards it. Beta Centauri does not appear as bright as Alpha Centauri but is actually about 100 times further away so is actually a very bright star. Up to the left of Beta Centauri past another bright star you should see a fuzzy glow with binoculars. This is Omega Centauri and was thought to be a globular star cluster. Recent analysis of the stars ages in Omega Centauri indicate that it may be the core of a galaxy that had its outer parts ripped off as came close to the Milky Way.
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The Night Sky
Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during April 2009.
Northern Hemisphere
The nights aren't as long now but after sunset you can still see the lovely area surrounding Orion and the bright star Sirius just west of south. Leo holds centre stage and contains Saturn at the moment. If you do have a small telescope there are some very nice galaxies that are just below the body of Leo. Between Gemini and Leo is the constellation of Cancer, The Crab. With binoculars, or unaided eyes under dark skies, you'll see a very nice star cluster known as the Beehive Cluster. Over to the lower left of Leo is a fairly empty patch of sky containing the star Spica in the constellation of Virgo. In Virgo and Coma Berenices you can find the region known as the Realm of the Galaxies.
Jupiter is not easily visible this month in the pre-dawn sky but will lay very close to the crescent Moon on April 19th. Mars is still close in angle to the Sun in the pre-dawn sky so isn't going to be high above the horizon although it will be reasonably bright. Venus is also in the pre-dawn sky and will be nicely visible close to a thin, waning crescent Moon on April 22nd.
Highlights
- On the night of April 22nd/23rd is the Lyrid meteor shower peaking in the early morning. It isn't very spectacular although the peak of activity is just before new Moon.
- On April 26th Mercury is at its greatest elongation. It remains in the sky after sunset for about 2 hours.
- Also on 26th April, the Moon is going to be very close by and later in the evening it will occult some of the stars in the Pleiades Cluster.
- Saturn is below Leo at magnitude +0.6
Southern Hemisphere
Venus is rather high above the horizon so there is a good chance to see it. The Magellanic Clouds are reasonably high in the south and are arcing around the south celestial pole and moving towards the horizon but as they do the Milky Way rises upwards. Scorpius and Sagittarius are rising in the south-east and they are beautifully rich areas to look at.
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The Night Sky
Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during March 2009.
Northern Hemisphere
We have a wonderful sky-scape centred on Orion and that has been discussed last month and the month before. To the lower left of Gemini, in the south east at about 10pm, is the constellation of Leo. The question mark shape of the head drops down to the star Regulus. To the lower left of Leo is the constellation of Virgo. There isn't a lot to see by eye but between the tail of Leo and Virgo is the realm of the galaxies. Moving up towards the north we reach Ursa Major or the Great Bear. We tend to only talk about The Plough (The Big Dipper) which is a very nice part of the sky. The two right-hand stars of the Plough are the Pointers and point up towards the north star. If you look at the second star to the end of the tail with binoculars you'll see that it is in fact a double star. With a small telescope you will see that the brighter of those two stars is also a double star.
Jupiter is still very low. On March 22nd Jupiter will be to the left of a waning crescent Moon and on March 23rd it will be to the right. Saturn is one of the best placed planets in the sky rising at around 7.30pm at the start of the month and at sunset by the end of the month. It is sitting below Leo. Mercury is moving away from us this month and will be on the far side of the Sun (superior conjunction) on the 31st March. There is just a chance to spot it at the very beginning of the month before dawn. It will be very low (~2 degrees) above the horizon and seen down to the lower left of Jupiter but, to be honest, its probably not worth it. Mars is still close in angle to the Sun (just 21 degrees as March begins) so will be very hard to spot in the pre-dawn sky having a magnitude of 1.2. By the end of the month the angular seperation has increased to 28 degrees which helps, but as the ecliptic makes such a small angle to the horizon that Mars will be just 4 degrees above the horizon as the Sun rises. We will have to wait a month or so until it will be seen easily in the pre-dawn sky. Venus has been dominating the western sky after sunset for the last few weeks and can still, as March begins, be seen high in the west after sunset shining at magnitude -4.5 so can hardly be missed! Venus will be seen lower in the sky week by week and by the 20th will start to become hard to spot in the glare of the Sun. It will lie between us and the Sun (called inferior conjunction) on March 27th so will be invisible for some time before reappearing in the pre-dawn sky around the 5th of April.
Highlights
- Comet Lulin can still be seen with binoculars moving from Leo into Cancer.
- As the ecliptic in the evening is inclined at a high angle to the horizon, it gives us a chance to see a very thin crescent Moon just 27 hours after New Moon on March 27th. It will be around 6 degrees above the horizon in the west at around 6.30 pm.
Southern Hemisphere
In the north in the early evening you can see Orion, Gemini and Taurus. Below Gemini you might just see the bright star Capella in the constellation of Auriga just above the horizon. To the lower left are the Hyades and Pleiades open clusters in Taurus. Rising up from the southern horizon is a beautiful part of the Milky Way coming up through Centaurus, Carina and Vela. Over to the left is Omega Centauri that is thought to be the remains of a galaxy that had its outer parts stripped off by gravitational interactions with our own Milky Way.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during February 2009.
Northern Hemisphere
High in the south is the constellation of Orion the Hunter with a line of three stars making up his belt. The upper left hand star of Orion is Betelgeuse - a red supergiant - and at the lower right is Rigel a blue supergiant. Towards the east of Orion is a fairly blank patch of sky. The first constellation is Monoceros which doesn't really have much visible by the unaided eye. However it does contain the Rosette nebula and is probably the location of the nearest stellar mass black hole. Further east and north you will see Procyon in Canis Minor and beyond that is Cancer. Although Cancer doesn't contain much to see by eye, binoculars show the very nice Beehive Cluster (M44). Continuing on we come to Leo.
Venus cannot be missed at magnitude -4.5 after sunset. Saturn is lying below the main stars of Leo. All of the other classical planets have been sneaking around behind the Sun and are just about becoming visible before dawn.
Highlights
- Mars, Jupiter and Mercury are coming into the pre-dawn sky. On February 22nd it might be worth trying to have a look for them as they will be joined by the Moon. Although they will be an appreciable angle from the Sun, they will be very low in the east as seen from the UK so you will need a very clear horizon to see them. Make sure that you are very careful not to look at the Sun once it starts to rise.
- Around February 22rd-24th Comet Lulin will be two degrees below Saturn. It is about magnitude 7 so this should be possible to see with binoculars from a dark site.
- Near the end of the month dwarf planet Ceres is moving upwards behind the hind quarters of Leo. It will be around magnitude 6.9 to 7.2 so you will therefore need binoculars. Observe it over a few nights and see it move.
Southern Hemisphere
Over Christmas Ian was in New Zealand and got to see a wonderful part of the southern sky containing Vela and Carina down to Crux - the southern Cross - and Centaurus. One of the brightest stars in that region is Alpha Centauri. Alpha Centauri is actually a triple system, one of which is Proxima Centauri - the nearest star to the Sun. Up to the left of Alpha Centauri you'll see Beta Centauri. Alpha Centauri is just over 4 light years away but Beta Centauri is over 100 times further away so it must be inherently very bright. Alpha and Beta Cenaturi are the pointers that can be used to find Crux - the Southern Cross. Just to its lower left is a prominent dark region named The Coalsack. It's a dense region of dust and gas about 2000 light years from us. As you move up along the Milky Way - towards Carina - is the False Cross. Up to the right of the right-hand star of the False Cross is a fuzzy region called C96 (NGC 2516). Below the False Cross towards Crux is the Carina Nebula. It's a fantastic region to observe in detail and contains a star - Eta Carina - which is probably the next star that will explode as a supernova near the Earth.
Ian recommends a couple of books for observing in the southern hemisphere:
- How to Gaze at the Southern Stars by Richard Hall (review at New Scientist)
- 2009 New Zealand Astronomical Yearbook
For more information about the night sky check out Ian's Night Sky pages for February 2009.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during February 2009.
Northern Hemisphere
High in the south is the constellation of Orion the Hunter with a line of three stars making up his belt. The upper left hand star of Orion is Betelgeuse - a red supergiant - and at the lower right is Rigel a blue supergiant. Towards the east of Orion is a fairly blank patch of sky. The first constellation is Monoceros which doesn't really have much visible by the unaided eye. However it does contain the Rosette nebula and is probably the location of the nearest stellar mass black hole. Further east and north you will see Procyon in Canis Minor and beyond that is Cancer. Although Cancer doesn't contain much to see by eye, binoculars show the very nice Beehive Cluster (M44). Continuing on we come to Leo.
Venus cannot be missed at magnitude -4.5 after sunset. Saturn is lying below the main stars of Leo. All of the other classical planets have been sneaking around behind the Sun and are just about becoming visible before dawn.
Highlights
- Mars, Jupiter and Mercury are coming into the pre-dawn sky. On February 22nd it might be worth trying to have a look for them as they will be joined by the Moon. Although they will be an appreciable angle from the Sun, they will be very low in the east as seen from the UK so you will need a very clear horizon to see them. Make sure that you are very careful not to look at the Sun once it starts to rise.
- Around February 22rd-24th Comet Lulin will be two degrees below Saturn. It is about magnitude 7 so this should be possible to see with binoculars from a dark site.
- Near the end of the month dwarf planet Ceres is moving upwards behind the hind quarters of Leo. It will be around magnitude 6.9 to 7.2 so you will therefore need binoculars. Observe it over a few nights and see it move.
Southern Hemisphere
Over Christmas Ian was in New Zealand and got to see a wonderful part of the southern sky containing Vela and Carina down to Crux - the southern Cross - and Centaurus. One of the brightest stars in that region is Alpha Centauri. Alpha Centauri is actually a triple system, one of which is Proxima Centauri - the nearest star to the Sun. Up to the left of Alpha Centauri you'll see Beta Centauri. Alpha Centauri is just over 4 light years away but Beta Centauri is over 100 times further away so it must be inherently very bright. Alpha and Beta Cenaturi are the pointers that can be used to find Crux - the Southern Cross. Just to its lower left is a prominent dark region named The Coalsack. It's a dense region of dust and gas about 2000 light years from us. As you move up along the Milky Way - towards Carina - is the False Cross. Up to the right of the right-hand star of the False Cross is a fuzzy region called C96 (NGC 2516). Below the False Cross towards Crux is the Carina Nebula. It's a fantastic region to observe in detail and contains a star - Eta Carina - which is probably the next star that will explode as a supernova near the Earth.
Ian recommends a couple of books for observing in the southern hemisphere:
- How to Gaze at the Southern Stars by Richard Hall (review at New Scientist)
- 2009 New Zealand Astronomical Yearbook
For more information about the night sky check out Ian's Night Sky pages for February 2009.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during January 2009.
Northern Hemisphere
High in the south is the constellation of Orion the Hunter with a line of three stars making up his belt. Below the central one is the Sword of Orion. By eye you might see a hazy glow but with binoculars you should definitely see a smudge. A small telescope shows a lovely region of dust and gas illuminated by four stars called the Trapezium. The three stars of Orion's belt point down towards the star Sirius. Just below Sirius you should pick up a little cluster - M41 - which contains a nice red giant star at its heart. Up to the right of Orion's Belt is Taurus the Bull containing the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters. Above Orion is the constellation Auriga with the bright star Capella at its head. Auriga contains quite a few open clusters. Up to the left is Gemini the Twins with the bright stars Castor and Pollux. There is a rather nice cluster - M35 - at the foot of the uppermost of the twins.
Jupiter has been relatively low in the evening sky for some months now. Saturn is the best placed planet in the sky and rises at about 10:30pm at the start of January and around 9pm by the end of the month. It can be seen high in the southern sky in the ours before dawn. Saturn is about magnitude +0.8. Mercury rose out of the sunset glare at the end of December. Mars is too close to the Sun to observe. Venus is low in the west after sunset and is gradually moving further in angle from the Sun. Its brightness is around magnitude -4.5.
- On January 4th, Mercury (at magnitude -0.5) is at its furthest in angle from the Sun so sets the longest time after sunset and so is easiest to see in the twilight. Jupiter (at magnitude -1.9 ) is 4 degrees to its lower right so both should be seen in a binocular field of view. Venus (at magnitude -4.4) lies some way to its upper left with a first quarter Moon high to its upper left. A very nice skyscape - let's hope that it is clear! The early morning of Jan 4th will give us the chance, if clear, of observing the Quadrantid meteor shower. The shower is expected to peak on the morning of the 4th of January at about 5 am.
- The Moon passes in front of the Pleiades Cluster at Sunset on the 7th January. The first stars are occulted before it gets dark, and as night falls binoculars will show the cluster surrounding the Moon. If you observe the top left of the Moon's disk which is in shadow, you should be able to see the stars dissapear. It will be harder to see them emerge against the bright limb of the Moon at its lower right. The occultation will be over by ~18:37.
- Venus ill lie within one and a half degrees above Uranus over the nights of January 21-23 so, if clear, will easily be seen at magnitude 5.9 with a pair of binoculars. A small telescope will show a tiny turquoise disc. Do have a try - it will be one of the easiest times ever to spot Uranus!
Southern Hemisphere
Just to the east of south at around 10pm you will see Alpha Centauri. Alpha Centauri is actually a triple system, one of which is Proxima Centauri - the nearest star to the Sun. Up to the left of Alpha Centauri you'll see Beta Centauri. Alpha Centauri is just over 4 light years away but Beta Centauri is over 500 light years away so it must be inherently very bright. Alpha and Beta Cenaturi can be used to find Crux - the Southern Cross. Just to its lower left is a prominent dark region named The Coalsack. It's a dense region of dust and gas about 2000 light years from us. To the left of Alpha Crucis and Beta Crucis is the Jewel Box. It contains about 100 visible stars and is about 10 million years old.
For more information check out Ian's Night Sky pages for January 2009.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during December 2008. December gives us a chance to see two beautiful areas of the sky. The first is the region around Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila which make up the Summer Triangle. As the night moves on we see the area of the sky centred on the constellation of Orion the Hunter. To the lower left of Orion is the constellation of Canis Major with its bright star Sirius. Up to the right of Orion you come to the constellation Taurus which contains two lovely clusters. First of all is the Hyades cluster with the star Aldebaran apparently at its heart. Aldebaran is actually only about halfway between us and the cluster. Higher in the sky still is the Pleiades cluster or the Seven Sisters. Up to the left of Orion is Gemini, below that is Canis Minor, and above Orion is Auriga with its bright yellow star Capella.
It isn't a brilliant month for planets. Jupiter is fairly low in the south-west as seen from the north of England. It is about 34 arcseconds across and is still pretty bright. During December it will be lost in the Sun's glare. Saturn is now a morning object but rising in the east before midnight. Mercury will become visible again during the last week of December. Mars has gone around the back of the Sun so we will have to wait a few more months to see it. Venus is shining at magnitude -4.2 low in the west after sunset.
On December 29th there is a nice line-up of Venus, Jupiter and Mercury with the Moon. Neptune is only around 2.5 degrees away from Venus on the same night so it will give you a good chance to spot it with binoculars. There is a finder chart for Neptune on the night sky pages for December. In the mid early evenings you can see the Andromeda galaxy. To the left of the tiny constellation Triangulum is the Star Algol in Perseus. It is an eclipsing binary and every 2.87 days its brightness drops by more than a magnitude and then rises again. In December you can watch this happen over a period of hours around 20:17 UT on the 7th and 17:06: UT on the 10th and 18:50 on the 30th. The early morning of December 14th may give us the chance, if clear, of observing the brighter meteors of the Geminid meteor shower. Sadly, this year, the Moon is just one day past full moon and is in Gemini so its glare will obscure most of them.
In the evening, in the southern hemisphere, looking fairly high up in the south at around 9 or 10 pm you can see the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. The Large Magallenic Cloud (LMC) is nearer the star Canopus and towards the horizon is the Small Magallenic Cloud (SMC). These are two irregular galaxies that are currently thought to be by-passing the Milky Way. The LMC contains the open star cluster 30 Doradus. Looking at the SMC with binoculars, you should be able to see 47 Tucanae which is one of the brightest globular clusters.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during November 2008.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during October 2008. A sunspot has been seen on the Sun which could herald the start of the next solar cycle. Setting towards the west as night-fall begins are Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila. Towards the south in the mid evening is the square of Pegasus. Up to its left is the constellation Andromeda and up to the left of that is Perseus. With binoculars, between Cassiopeia and Perseus, you should find a fuzzy bright area of the sky called the double cluster - two, close, open clusters. Below the Square of Pegasus is Pisces and we also have Cetus over to the lower left. Orion and Taurus are becoming visible in the early morning. Jupiter is still seen low in the south west as night begins. Saturn is now visible in the pre-dawn sky and will get higher in elevation as the month progresses. Mercury passes between us and the Sun on the 6th October and reaches western elongation on the 22nd October. Mars is too close to the Sun to observe. Venus is very low in the west after sunset and is gradually moving, in angle, away from the Sun. Around 26th October Saturn, Mercury and the Moon will make a very nice skyscape in the hours before dawn. Vesta is the second most massive object in the asteroid belt after Ceres( now termed a dwarf planet) but it is the brightest. In the early morning hours of October, when Taurus the Bull in high in the eastern sky, it may be found crossing the head of Cetus the whale. In the late evening, the galaxy M31 in Andromeda is visible in the south-east.Though the Orionids are not one of the most spectaculer showers with peak rates around 20 per hour, they are interesting as it is believed that the meteors originate from Comet Halley. It is worth looking out for them for a week around the 21st as the shower is long lived. They will best be seen in the hours before dawn when Orion is high in the southern sky. October is another good month to observe the planet Uranus - perhaps for the first time - with binoculars, a small telescope or even your unaided eye! For those in the southern hemisphere, Jupiter is low in the west just above the heart of the Milky Way (Sagittarius). High in the south - almost overhead - are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds which appear as clouds in the sky. Just to the right of the Small Magellanic Cloud is a misty blob - 47 Tucanae - which is one of the two most spectacular globular clusters visible in the southern hemisphere. Andromeda is low in the north. Finally, Vesta is also visible up and to the left of Pegasus.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during September 2008. The sun is setting earlier and not long after night fall you can see Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila high in the south-west forming the Summer Triangle. In the south-east is the winged horse Pegasus, Cassiopeia and Andromeda. Here we find the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, which appears as a faint fuzzy oval. M31 is the nearest large galaxy to us and the photons from it having been travelling for over two and a half million years. Jupiter is the planetary highlight of the month. On September 7th Jupiter begins to move eastwards and is a bit to the east of the handle of the teapot in Sagittarius. In northern England Jupiter and Sagittarius are rather low in the sky so we don't see this particularly well. Saturn is in conjunction with the Sun - on the far side - on September 4th. Mercury is gradually moving towards eastern elongation on 11th September. Mars is also very low above the horizon from the UK. Between the 3rd and 19th September Venus, Mars and Mercury are all within 5 degrees. On 11th and 12th September, we get two conjunctions and if you look south at about 14:30 BST and look about 30 degrees above the horizon, there is a good chance you will spot Venus. If you do you should be able to find Mars and Mercury too with binoculars. Obviously, this is during the day so be very careful NOT to look at the Sun, especially with binoculars. On 13th, at around 3:24 BST in the UK, there is a lunar occultation of the planet Neptune. On 27th September, half an hour before dawn, you'll have a chance to see Saturn just a few degrees away from a very thin crescent Moon.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during August 2008. There is a lovely region of sky including Cygnus, Aquila and Lyra. The three bright stars Deneb, Altair and Vega make up the summer triangle. Vega is virtually overhead at around 10pm. Looking up to the east of Vega you should see Epsilon Lyrae - a double star. With a telescope, under good conditions, you can see that each of the stars is actually a double system itself. Lower down in Lyra is the Ring Nebula, M57. Following the line from Altair up towards Vega with binoculars you'll see a rather nice asterism called Brocchis' cluster or The Coathanger. Over to the west is the constellation of Ursa Major and that has lots of lovely objects within it. Mars is now so close to the Sun that it is lost in the glare after sunset. Towards the south-east after sunset is Jupiter. It is at its best this year but is at the very lowest part of the ecliptic, its elevation is never more than about 16 degrees from Manchester. This affects the seeing but a green filter can help improve the image. Venus is starting the month rather close to the Sun. On 15th August it will be well worth looking at the horizon towards the west after sunset as Venus will have just passed Saturn and Mercury in the sky. This may be the last chance you have of seeing Saturn until it comes around in a few months time. On 1st August there was a total eclipse of the Sun. Two weeks later, on Saturday 16th August, there will be a partial lunar eclipse just after sunset. By 22:40 BST 80% of the Moon will be within the Earth's shadow. Between 11th and 13th August we can see the Perseid meteor shower. It is best to observe the Perseids as late as possible in the early morning to avoid the full Moon. The radiant is in Perseus but it is best to look about 45 degrees away from the radiant towards the zenith. The International Space Station has also been visible from the UK recently. It is looking very bright and is by far the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during July 2008. At the beginning of July, Leo is setting in the west. Next to Leo is a rather blank area of sky named Virgo which actually contains a giant cluster of galaxies named the Virgo Cluster. Low in the sky are the constellations of Scorpius and Sagittarius and the further south you are the better view you'll have. Above those is the constellation of Ophiuchus; one of the constellations of the ecliptic. Above Ophiuchus is the constellation of Hercules and the four stars making up the Keystone. Using the bottom and top right-hand stars of the Keystone you can find the globular cluster M13. To the east of Hercules you come to the Summer Triangle made up of Cygnus, Deneb and Altair. With binoculars you can see Brocchi's Cluster or the Coathanger. In Cygnus, you can see the lovely double star Albireo with binoculars. Mercury gets to greatest elongation on July 1st and you can see it in the east-north-east about 45 minutes before dawn for the first two weeks of July. Venus can be seen just above the western horizon after sunset in the last week of July. Mars and Saturn appear very close to the star Regulus. On July 5th there is a nice skyscape with the Moon, Regulus, Mars and Saturn. On July 10th Mars and Saturn are in conjunction up to the left of Regulus. This is the best month to see Jupiter. Jupiter is at opposition on July 9th; Jupiter the Sun and Earth will be in a straight line. However, Jupiter is at its lowest level in the ecliptic so will be fairly low in the sky.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during June 2008. As we get into the northern hemisphere summer, we don't get many hours to look at the night sky. The summer solstice is on June 20th just before midnight Universal Time (UT) or just before 1am BST on the 21st June. Towards the west after sunset is Leo. Around from Leo in the south is Virgo and lower down in the south, after midnight, are Scorpius and Sagittarius. High overhead is the constellation Ursa Major. As the night goes on, the constellations of Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila the Eagle become visible. The brightest stars of these constellations make up the Summer Triangle. The Ring Nebula M57 is visible with a telescope in Lyra. Saturn is close to the star Regulus in Leo. Mars is moving up into Leo and by the end of the month will be only three quarters of a degree from Regulus. Venus passes behind the Sun on June 9th so we will have to wait until the end of July before we can see it again. Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun on June 7th and will be visible just before dawn by the end of the month. On June 7th, in the west between Leo and the horizon is the Moon. Up to the left of the Moon will be Mars, up to the left of Mars is Regulus and just a few degrees further up to the left will be Saturn.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during May 2008. As the Sun sets, the constellations of Taurus and Gemini are setting towards the west. Leo is high in the south west and to the lower left of Leo is Virgo. Telescopes show a wonderful number of galaxies forming the Virgo cluster stretching from Denebola to Spica. Above Leo is Ursa Major - the Great Bear - with lots of interesting things to look at. It is not a bad month for planets. Mercury reaches greatest elongation - greatest angle from the Sun - around the middle of the month. On 6th May we could have a wonderful skyscape; very low to the north west after sunset will be the Pleiades star cluster, a very thin crescent Moon and above that to the left will be Mercury. Remember that looking directly at the Sun can be dangerous so make sure that you wait until after the Sun has set. Saturn is visible fairly high in south west after sunset in the constellation of Leo. It starts the month two degrees to the east of Leo's brightest star Regulus. With a small telescope you should be able to see Saturn's largest moon Titan. By the end of May Jupiter rises just before midnight. Mars is in the constellation of Gemini. On May 5th it moves into the constellation of Cancer and will form a line with the stars Castor and Pollux. Venus is very low above the horizon so is almost impossible to observe due to the glare of the Sun. Ian also answers a listener question about good beginner telescopes that can be used to take astronomical photographs.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during April 2008.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during March 2008. Soon after sunset we still see the lovely part of the sky centred on the constellation of Orion, The Hunter. The belt points down (south-east) to Sirius in Canis Major, up to the left is Gemini and up to the right is Taurus. On March 5th Mars will be moving from Taurus into Gemini. Carrying on to the right of Aldebaran - the eye of the bull - is the Pleiades star cluster. High overhead is the star Capella in Auriga. This is a very rich part of the Milky Way and in binoculars, on a dark night, you will pick up a number of open clusters. Later in the evening we see Leo rising. To the lower left (east) of Leo is the constellation Virgo. The Virgo Super Cluster of galaxies lies beyond the constellation of Virgo. To the left of the star Denebola, towards Spica is a region we call "The Realm of the Galaxies". High above Leo is the constellation Ursa Major which contains the asterism known as The Plough (UK) or The Big Dipper (US). Venus and Mercury are together in the pre-dawn sky close to the eastern horizon. Jupiter is in the pre-dawn sky rising about two hours before the Sun at the start of the month and about 3 hours earlier that the Sun by the end of the month. It is in the constellation of Sagittarius so appears very low over the horizon at higher northern latitudes. Close to the star Regulus is the planet Saturn. Saturn reached opposition on February 24th. In March it will be high in the south in the mid-evening hours. With a pair of binoculars you can see the open cluster M41 a little below the star Sirius. It is about 200 million years old and some of its more massive stars have become red giants.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during February 2008.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during January 2008. The Orion Nebula can be found below the belt of Orion. Moving up to the right of the belt takes us to Taurus the Bull. The eye of the Bull - Aldebaran - is a red giant star half way between us and the Hyades open cluster. Further up to the right is the lovely Pleiades cluster. Up to the left of Taurus the Bull is Auriga with Capella at the head. This is part of the Milky Way and there are several very nice open clusters to see in Auriga. Up to the left of Orion is Gemini the Twins. Working your way down to the left of Orion's belt takes us to Sirius - the brightest star in the sky. It is not a bad month for the planets. In the morning, at about 6am, you can see Mars in Taurus and Venus is dominating the eastern sky. In February Mars will start to move back into Gemini. As the month progresses Jupiter will rise earlier and can be seen in the pre-dawn sky. Saturn rises at about 9.30pm and is about eight degrees down to the lower left of Regulus in Leo. On the 22nd January Mercury reaches western elongation and can be seen after sunset. Comet Holmes is now getting close to Algol in Perseus but is becoming less bright. Comet 8P/Tuttle is between Aries and Pisces and on 3rd of January will be close to M74. January 4th is the best time to see the Quadrantid meteor shower. Venus and Jupiter come into conjunction on 1st February. On the 31st January they make a nice little triangle with globular cluster M22.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during January 2008.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during December 2007. The constellations of Taurus, Orion, Canis Major and Gemini are visible this month. In Taurus you can see Aldebaran as well as the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters. Down to the lower left of Taurus is Orion the Hunter. Below the three stars of Orion's belt is the Orion Nebula. Following the three stars on the belt down to the left takes us to the brightest star in the sky - Sirius. To the top left of Orion is the constellation of Gemini where we find Mars this month. In the pre-dawn sky we can see Saturn which is about eight degrees down to the lower left of the star Regulus in Leo. Venus is dominating the morning sky in the constellation of Virgo. As Comet 17P/Holmes becomes a bit more diffuse - about the same angular size as the Moon - you probably need binoculars to see it. Mars is about at its best in eight and a half years for northern latitude observers as it is almost at the highest point in the ecliptic so will be higher in the sky. It is closest on the nights of 18/19th December and will be around due south at midnight. The Geminids meteor show should be visible around December 14th. Finally, one can still observe Uranus and Neptune in the hours after sunset.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during November 2007. To the south in early evening moving over to the west as the night progresses is the beautiful region of the Milky Way containing both Cygnus and Lyra. Below is Aquila. The three bright stars Deneb (in Cygnus), Vega (in Lyra) and Altair (in Aquila) make up the "Summer Triangle". East of Cygnus is the great square of Pegasus - adjacent to Andromeda in which lies M31, the Andromeda Nebula. To the north lies "w" shaped Cassiopeia and Perseus. The constellation Taurus, with its two lovely clusters, the Hyades and Pleiades is rising in the east during the late evening. During the nights around the 8th of November, it is possible to see ALL the 8 planets in the solar system in one night - Venus, Saturn and Mercury before dawn, Jupiter low in the south-west at 5:30 pm, Uranus in the south-east and Neptune in the south just after 6 pm with Mars rising in the east after 10 pm. We have an comet in the sky - visible to the unaided eye! A comet, 17P Holmes, which is around 240 million km from the Earth has undergone a major outburst and at the time of recording was at magnitude 3 appearing as a new star in the constellation Perseus. During November it will move westwards towards the 1.8 magnitude star Mirphak, Alpha Persei. Every year, on November 17th and 18th, the Earth passes close to the trails of cometary debris from Comet Temple-Tuttle which produce the annual Leonid Meteor shower. This year there will be a waning crescent Moon so it will mean that the sky will be dark so allowing faint trails to be seen. It is expected that, in general, only 12 to 15 meteors are likely to be seen per hour, but they do tend to be bright so it is worth getting up to view them.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during October 2007. To the south in early evening is the beautiful region of the Milky Way containing both Cygnus and Lyra. Below is Aquila. The three bright stars Deneb (in Cygnus), Vega (in Lyra) and Altair (in Aquila) make up the "Summer Triangle". East of Cygnus is the great square of Pegasus - adjacent to Andromeda in which lies M31, the Andromeda Nebula. To the north lies "w" shaped Cassiopeia with Perseus below. Jupiter may just be seen in the south-west as the Sun sets as the month begins. At the beginning of the month it is just 20 degrees above the horizon an hour after sunset so is seen in the twilight - by month's end this will have dropped to 12 degrees. At the very beginning of October, Mercury might just be visible in evening sky about 20 to 30 minutes after sunset. Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun on October 23rd at what is called "inferior conjunction" before it becomes visible in the pre-dawn sky. Mars, is in Gemini during October and is now rising around 10 pm. Its disk is just 9.7 arc seconds across and it shines at magnitude -0.1 at the beginning of October. During the month its brightness increases to magnitude -0.6 and it angular size increases to 12 arc seconds. Venus is now shining brightly dominating the eastern pre-dawn sky! It was at its very brightest in late September but still shines at magnitude -4.7 - the brightest object in the sky apart from the Moon! Viewing it with a telescope will reveal a 38% illuminated crescent. As October begins, Saturn, 3.6 degrees down to the lower left of the star Regulus in Leo, is seen in the pre-dawn sky. They gradually move apart and by the end of the month Saturn is around 6 degrees to the lower left of Regulus. Around October 21st is the Orionid Meteor Shower. While the Orionids are not one of the most spectacular showers, with peak rates around 20 per hour, they are interesting as it is believed that the meteors originate from Comet Halley. It is worth looking out for them for a week around the 21st as the shower is long lived. They will best be seen in the hours before dawn when Orion is high in the southern sky. On October 7th before dawn you can see Venus, Saturn and the waning crescent Moon; perhaps the best sky-scape this month. Depending on your location, you may see an occultation of Regulus from ~ 05:19 until ~ 06:00. In the early hours of October 3rd, the Moon, just after third quarter, will lie close to the planet Mars and the cluster M35 - all in the constellation Gemini. October is another good month to observe the planet Uranus with binoculars, a small telescope or even your unaided eye! On October 11th, the night of new moon, Uranus, with a magnitude of 5.8, lies just over 3 degrees up and to the left of the 4th magnitude star Lambda Aquarii. To the left of the tiny constellation Triangulum is the star Algol in Perseus. It is an eclipsing binary and every 2.87 days its brightness drops by more than a magnitude and then rises again. In October you can watch this happen over a period of hours around 22:50 UT on the 21st and 19:38 UT on the 24th.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during September 2007. In the south, as the Sun sets, is a very nice region of the sky containing the stars Deneb, Vega and Altair: the Summer Triangle. About a third of the way from Altair to Vega is an "upside down coathanger" - Brocchi's Cluster - a nice asterism of stars. Albireo - the head of Cygnus the Swan - is a lovely double star which can be seen in a small telescope. Between Deneb and Altair is the constellation of Delphinus the Dolphin. In the later evening, in the south, is Pegasus the Winged Horse. The top left star of the square of Pegasus is Alpha Andromeda and is used to star hop to the Andromeda Galaxy, M31. Above the Andromeda Galaxy is the 'w' shaped constellation of Cassiopeia with Perseus to the left. Jupiter is in the south-west as the Sun sets and is above and to the left of Antares in Scorpius. Saturn is visible in the pre-dawn sky near Regulus in Leo. Mercury passed behind the Sun on August 14th and is just about visible in the sky after sunset. Mars is in Taurus and rises at around 10pm and will be nearest to us in December. Venus can be seen in the north-east just before dawn at the start of the month. During the month Venus will rise earlier and reaches maximum brightness on 21st September. First quarter of the Moon will be on September 19th and is a good time to look at the Moon. In the early morning of 4th September there will be a pretty view of the Moon above Mars and to the left of the Pleiades and Hyades. Before dawn on September 9th is a thin crescent Moon up to the left of Venus and above Saturn and Regulus which are about 0.8 degrees apart.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during August 2007. In the south, as the sun is setting, we have the constellations of Scorpius and Sagittarius. Jupiter is between the two in the large constellation of Ophiuchus. Moving upwards you reach Hercules with the four brightest stars making up the Key Stone. Moving up to the right, you can see globular cluster M13 with binoculars or a small telescope. To the right is Corona Borealis and Arcturus to the right of that. As last month, we also see the three stars of the summer triangle. Many of the planets are either in front of, or behind the Sun so are not really visible. Jupiter is probably only at around 10-16 degrees elevation for much of the UK. Mars is still only rising at around midnight but is reasonably bright and gets its closest to the Sun on August 19th. Highlights include the Perseid meteor shower and asteroid Vesta. The peak of the Perseids is 11-13th August which coincides with the new Moon on August 12th so viewing should be good. Vesta will be close to Jupiter, so should be easier to find towards the end of the month.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during August 2007. In the south, as the sun is setting, we have the constellations of Scorpius and Sagittarius. Jupiter is between the two in the large constellation of Ophiuchus. Moving upwards you reach Hercules with the four brightest stars making up the Key Stone. Moving up to the right, you can see globular cluster M13 with binoculars or a small telescope. To the right is Corona Borealis and Arcturus to the right of that. As last month, we also see the three stars of the summer triangle. Many of the planets are either in front of, or behind the Sun so are not really visible. Jupiter is probably only at around 10-16 degrees elevation for much of the UK. Mars is still only rising at around midnight but is reasonably bright and gets its closest to the Sun on August 19th. Highlights include the Perseid meteor shower and asteroid Vesta. The peak of the Perseids is 11-13th August which coincides with the new Moon on August 12th so viewing should be good. Vesta will be close to Jupiter, so should be easier to find towards the end of the month.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during July 2007. During July the nights are getting slightly longer. Looking above at around 10pm we see Ursa Major - the Great Bear. Moving south we first come to the constellation Hercules containing the wonderful globular cluster M13. Further south is Ophiuchus and Sagittarius and Scorpius below. Rising in the east in the late evening is the beautiful region of the Milky Way containing Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila the Eagle which make up the Summer Triangle. As July begins you should be able to see Saturn a few degrees west of Leo's bright star Regulus but as the month progresses it gets closer to the Sun in the sky. Mercury passed between the Earth and the Sun on 28th June. During July Mercury is 5 degrees from the Sun at the start of the month and increasing to about 15 degrees. Mars is getting better and is now rising around midnight. The disc is around 6.3 arcseconds across and you might just see the poles with a telescope. Venus shines brightly in the western sky after sunset although you will start to need a good clear western horizon to see it now. The Moon can be fun to observe and is probably best to observe at first quarter around July 22nd. Jupiter is seen in the south at about 10pm and is up and to the left of Antares in Scorpius. Sadly, Jupiter is not very high in the sky for observers at northern latitudes. On 1st July, Saturn and Venus are only separated by only around one degree. You could also try to spot dwarf planet Ceres with binoculars just below Mars during this month.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during June 2007. High in the sky around midnight is the constellation of Virgo. Between Virgo and the tail of Leo is the centre of our local supercluster of galaxies and this region of sky is named the "realm of the galaxies". We are now coming up to the constellations Libra, Ophiuchus, Scorpius and Sagittarius. The red star Antares, in Scorpius, is difficult to see from the UK as it is a bit too far south. The star fields around Scorpius and Sagittarius - towards the centre of our galaxy - are some of the richest in the sky and can be very rewarding to see with binoculars. High above, in the constellation of Hercules, is the globular cluster M13 which contains a million or so stars and looks very nice through a small telescope. Rising in the south-east is Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila. The three bright stars Deneb, Vega, Altair make up the summer triangle. In this region you can also see the Coathanger (Brocchi's Cluster). High overhead is Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Venus is still very high in the sky after sunset and there will be a conjunction with the Moon around 18th June. On 9th June, Venus reaches its greatest elongation. Saturn can be seen just after sunset for the first few weeks of June. On 5th and 6th June, Jupiter is at opposition (on the other side of the Earth to the Sun) but is not rising very high in the sky so is difficult to see from northern latitudes. Mercury is visible in the western sky after sunset between the Sun and Venus. It will be furthest in angle from the Sun on June 2nd. Mars is visible just before sunrise but is very low in the south-east. The Moon will be new on June 15th.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during May 2007. From around the middle of May, in northern England, it doesn't get truely dark for about six weeks. As the Sun sets, in the south west we see the constellation of Gemini and high in the south is Leo. Between them is the constellation Cancer and with binoculars you may see a very nice star cluster called the Beehive Cluster. On the boundary between Leo and Cancer is Saturn. Between the bright star Spica - in the constellation Virgo - and the tail of Leo, is the Realm of the Galaxies. These galaxies form part of the Virgo Cluster, part of the Virgo Supercluster of galaxies but sadly you'll need a telescope to see them. Overhead is Ursa Major containing the asterism called the Plough (Big Dipper). If you look at the central star of the tail of the bear, you'll see it has a companion. These stars - Mizar and Alcor - make the Horse and Rider. Mizar is itself a double star and these can be seen with a telescope. Saturn is about 11 degrees to the right of the brightest star of Leo; Regulus. In a small telescope you will easily see Saturn's largest Moon Titan. Around the last week of the month it will be possible to see Mercury around 30 minutes after sunset between where the Sun has set and the planet Venus. Mars is barely visible, just before dawn, close to the south-eastern horizon. The disc is just 5 arcseconds across so there are no details to be seen. Venus is currently dominating the western sky after sunset. On the 19th May, a thin crescent Moon is just three degrees from the planet Venus and will make a very nice pairing with your eyes or a pair of binoculars.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during April 2007. The constellation of Orion is now low in the south west after sunset. Above and to the left of Orion is the constellation Gemini and to the left and south of that is Leo the lion. Between Gemini and Leo, on the boundary of Leo and Cancer is the planet Saturn. Looking to the right of Saturn you can see the Beehive cluster with binoculars. Low to the left of Leo is Virgo and its brightest star Spica. Between Leo and Spica we see, with a small telescope, some of the galaxies that form the Virgo supercluster. Saturn is the star of the evening sky in the south and Venus dominates the western sky after sunset. Jupiter is becoming visible by around 11pm (at the end of April) but is at the lowest part of the ecliptic so from the UK will appear quite low. On April 11th Venus will be two degrees from the Pleiades and on the 18th will be near the Hyades cluster. On the 22nd of April is the Lyrid meteor shower. There are two opportunities to see the minima in brightness of the star Algol on 9th and 12th April.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during March 2007. In the early evening in the southern sky we can see Orion, Taurus and the Pleiades cluster. To the lower left of Orion is Sirius - the brightest star in the sky. To the upper left of Orion is Gemini. In the late evening we can see the constellation of Leo. Between Leo and Gemini, in a darker area, is the constellation Cancer. With binoculars you can see the Beehive cluster there. High above Leo is the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Part of Ursa Major is the Plough (Big Dipper) and you can use the two rightmost stars of this asterism to find the pole star. Venus is totally dominating the western sky in the evening at the moment. Saturn currently sits between Cancer and Leo and looks slightly yellow in colour. Saturn's rings are getting tighter. On the evening of March 2nd, from the Eastern side of Britain, you may be able to see Saturn occulted by the Moon. On the 3rd of March there will be a total eclipse of the Moon which should be a wonderful sight to see.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during February 2007.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during January 2007. In the south, in the late evening, is the constellation of Orion the hunter. Orion is holding a sheild against the onslaught of Taurus. The Hyades cluster makes up the face of Taurus. To the right of the Hyades is the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. Above Taurus is Auriga containing the bright yellow star Capella and the open clusters M36, M37 and M38. Up to the left of Orion are Castor and Pollux - the heads of the twins. Rising in the east, at around 9-10pm, you should be able to see Leo and the planet Saturn. The rings of Saturn are closing, so it doesn't look as bright as it sometimes is. In a small telescope you should be able to see its largest moon, Titan. Jupiter is in the constellation of Libra and will be rising at about 6am low in the south east. Mercury passes behind the Sun on January 7th, so we won't see it until nearer the end of January. Venus passed behind the Sun on October 27th so is now much more visible. With a small telescope you should be able to see the phases of Venus. Highlights include the Quadrantid meteor shower (around January 4th) and the thin cresent Moon with Venus and Neptune nearby on January 20th.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during December 2006. Around the middle of December we have the shortest day, so the evenings are better for observing and you can still see Vega and the rest of the summer triangle. In the south after sunset in Pegasus - the winged horse - and Andromeda where you can see the Andromeda Galaxy. Soon after sunset, rising in the north-east, are the Pleiades and then the Hyades. Rising later is the brightest star in the northern hemisphere, Sirius. Looking below Sirius with binoculars you will see an open cluster of stars named M41. To the left of Orion are Gemini which is the radiant of a meteor shower this month. The planet Saturn is a few degrees up and to the right of Regulus in the constellation Leo but will move westwards near the start of December. If you find a clear western horizon, you should be able to spot Venus shortly after sunset. Jupiter, Mercury and Mars are just coming into the morning sky. Highlights for this month: on December 4th the Moon passed infront of the Hyades cluster; around 9th to 12th December Jupiter, Mars and Mercury will be within a degree or so from each other and will look nice in a pair of binoculars before dawn; the Geminid meteor shower occurs around 13/14th December with a Moon near to new. A good month for observing the sky.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during November 2006. It isn't a month for planets but with the evenings drawing in you should be able to go out and observe without staying up too late. The summer triangle, composed of the stars Deneb, Vega and Altair, is now in the western sky in the evening. Below Cygnus is the rather lovely constellation of Delphinus (the Dolphin). Towards the south are four stars which make up the winged horse Pegasus which can be used to find the Andromeda Galaxy. In the north-east during the evening you will see Taurus rising with the Pleiades cluster also known as the seven sisters. Later on in the night the Hyades cluster will appear. Nearly all the planets, except Saturn, are passing by the Sun this month so will not be easily visible. Saturn's rings are currently at an angle of about 15 degrees to our line-of-sight and over the next few years they will be closing so have a look at them now. On November 8/9th is the last transit of Mercury that will be seen until around 2016. It can be seen (taking proper precautions not to look directly at the Sun) from New Zealand, Australia, Japan and parts of the United States. In November we pass through the Leonid meteor shower and it is predicted that at 4:45 am UT on the morning of the 19th November we may see as many as 50 meteors per hour.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during October 2006. It is getting darker earlier and the Milky Way can look beautiful from a dark sky location. In the west, high up in the early evening are the constellations of Cygnus and Lyra with Aquila below forming the summer triangle. Using binoculars you can see Brocchi's Cluster in the summer triangle. In the south is Pegasus from which you can star-hop to the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). Ian discusses Algol - the demon star - an eclipsing binary star system and when you can look for the dips in its brightness during October. This month isn't good for planet hunting but you can try to spot Uranus, Jupiter and even Mercury. Later in the month Saturn will be rising earlier in the night.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during September 2006. In the late evening sky we can see Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila and the stars of the summer triangle. Ian explains a good way to find M31 - the Andromeda Galaxy - using the constellations of Andromeda or Cassiopeia. The most visible planet in the evening sky this month is Jupiter which can be found low in the south-west after sunset. The highlights of the month include Uranus (which you can see with binoculars or a small telescope) and Venus, Saturn and the star Regulus will all appear close on the sky on 6th September.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during August 2006. This month we see the constellations of Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila which give us the summer triangle. Jupiter can be seen in the evening and Venus before dawn in the north-east. Other highlights this month include a conjunction of Venus and Mercury (9-12th August), the Perseid meteor shower (although it will be affected by the Moon) and on August 21st/22nd we get Mercury, Venus and Saturn all lined up.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during July 2006.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during June 2006.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during May 2006.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during April 2006.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during March 2006.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during February 2006.
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Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky during January 2006.
