NIGHT SKY THIS WEEK 28 JAN-3 FEB 2019.

NIGHT SKY THIS WEEK JAN 28 - FEB 3  2019.

The weeks seem to have flown by and here we are with only a few days left for January 2019.
The weather in Durban has not cooperated and this astronomer has not seen any stars through a scope, I did manage two short binocular session though, just enough to keep the withdrawal shakes at bay.😟

So let's take a brief look at what the remainder of January and early February have to offer.

MOON AND PLANETS.

On the evening of the 27th Jan the Moon will be at last quarter and will rise shortly before midnight.
Jupiter starts to rise earlier now and is visible from 01H30 in the mornings.
Venus rises at 02H00 and together with Jupiter put on an impressive early morning display.
Saturn starts to make a early morning return and is up from 03H34.
Mars is still visible to the naked eye in the early evenings in the western skies, it dips below the horizon at 22H20.
Venus will reach it's highest point in it's 2018-2019 morning apparition on the 2nd Feb. From Durban it will reach a maximum elevation above horizon of 41° at sunrise.

We see several conjunctions this week. When two objects share the same right ascension we refer to this as a conjunction.
On the 31st Jan, the Moon and Jupiter are at conjunction, the two will be passing within 2°43' of each other.
The Moon and Venus are at conjunction on the 31st, the pair will pass within 0°05' of each other.
The Moon and Saturn pass within  0°37' of each other on the morning of the 2nd Feb.
All these will be visible from 02H00 onward.

Jupiter, image courtesy NASA.

DEEP SKY OBSERVING (DSO).

Lets take a look at two of the biggest globular clusters visible in the night skies.
Omega Centauri and Tuc 47. These will both be easily visible before the Moon rises and starts to interfere with any DSO observing, although both do stand up well to even a full Moon.

Omega Centauri, NGC 5139, globular cluster in Centaurus, Magnitude +3.68.

This is the largest and brightest globular cluster in our night skies. From darker skies it is a naked eye object.
From our light polluted backyards it is a easy binocular target and even more spectacular through the scope. Many thousands of stars greet your eye through the eyepiece, with a bright dense core surrounded by a profusion of stars extending out in a large ball.

Omega Centaurus, NGC 5139.

NGC 104, TUC 47, Globular cluster in Tucana, Magnitude +3.95.

The second brightest and largest behind NGC 5139. A easy binocular target and a great scope target.
This cluster also presents thousands of stars in the scope with a smaller overall size and brightness than NGC 5139 but it still packs a punch, especially under dark skies.

NGC 104, TUC47

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS).

The space station makes several passes over Durban this week and will be visible from all over South Africa.
These all occur in the very early morning hours just before sunrise, so you early risers will be best placed to catch the station as it sails overhead.

ISS, image courtesy NASA.

Date	Visible	Max Height	Appears	Disappears	Share Event
Sat Jan 26, 3:54 AM	3 min	27°	19° above N	18° above E
Sun Jan 27, 3:06 AM	< 1 min	12°	12° above ENE	10° above E
Sun Jan 27, 4:38 AM	5 min	36°	12° above WNW	13° above SSE
Mon Jan 28, 3:49 AM	2 min	84°	62° above NW	29° above SE
Tue Jan 29, 3:00 AM	< 1 min	22°	22° above ESE	16° above ESE
Tue Jan 29, 4:33 AM	4 min	15°	10° above WSW	10° above S
Wed Jan 30, 3:43 AM	3 min	27°	27° above SW	11° above SSE
Thu Jan 31, 2:54 AM	< 1 min	19°	19° above SSE	16° above SSE
Fri Feb 1, 3:38 AM	1 min	11°	11° above SSW	10° above SSW
Sat Feb 2, 2:48 AM	< 1 min	12°	12° above S	10° above SSE

The above table is taken from spot the station. All the dates and times above are for Durban South Africa, they also apply to the rest of South Africa.
To find the exact times for your location check out the "spot the station" link in the "quick links" tab on the right column of this blog.

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So that wraps up some of the highlights to take in this week. While there are many more I have only highlighted those that are easy to locate and view. Feel free to share this post on social media using the buttons below this post.
Thanks for reading and get out there and look up!

Meteor showers 2019.

METEOR SHOWERS FOR 2019

A brief look at some of the more popular meteor showers for 2019.

JANUARY 4 THE QUADRANTIDS

This meteor shower can produce up to 25 an hour.
Most meteor showers are named from the constellation where it's radiant lies.
The Geminids appear to radiate from where Gemini lies and the Perseid shower has it's radiant in Perseus.The one exception to this is the Quadrantids shower that is named after the defunct constellation of Quadrans Muralis, it's radiant now lies in Bootes.
There will be a new Moon.
Please note all images are courtesy of SkySafari 6 Pro.

Quadrantids

MAY 6 ETA AQUARIDS

This shower originates from Halley's comet and can produce as many as 1 per minute at it's peak.
Of course dark skies and no light pollution will help.
This also occurs with a new Moon.
To see these you will need to be up early to catch them just before dawn, look toward the NE where you should see a bright Venus just above the horizon, the meteors will appear to emanate from that direction.

Eta Aquarids

JULY 29 DELTA AQUARIDS.

Best viewed from the southern hemisphere this shower can produce as many as 20 per hour. The shower also lasts over several days. Once again dark skies and little to no light pollution will help.
And again we have a new Moon.
These should be at their best round about 2AM when they will appear to emanate from almost zenith(directly above you), in the early morning before dawn look for them in the Western skies.

Delta Aquarids

AUGUST 12/13 THE PERSEIDS

This showers produces up to a meteor per minute but the peak for this is brief.
The Moon will be full so will impact your views but you should still catch the brightest as the burn through the atmosphere.
These will peak low on the Northern horizon for us down south, best seen just before dawn.

Perseids

DECEMBER 14 THE GEMINIDS.

This shower is prodigious and produces a whopping 100 meteors per hour!  Sadly a full Moon will be glaring in the same quadrant.
These should be visible most of the night, the quadrant they emanate from will appear to follow the ecliptic and there will be that full Moon withing a few degrees.😟

Geminids

So diaries these dates and get out under the stars and enjoy natures shows and remember to make a wish upon a shooting star!

NIGHT SKY THIS WEEK 21-27 JANUARY 2019.

Let's once again take a brief look at what to expect from our night sky this week.
Keep in mind this is from a Southern Hemisphere perspective and my home town of Durban.

So let's begin shall we.

THE MOON AND PLANETS.

The Moon will be full most of this week and we miss seeing the full eclipse from Durban as it will be best viewed by our American counterparts.
For more details on this see my previous post here: Lunar eclipse 2019

MARS continues to be a early evening planet as it gets ever further away from us and will soon be gone from our views, the next time we see it at opposition will be on the 14th October 2020.
JUPITER and VENUS still dominate the early morning skies.
URANUS is still visible in the scope from Durban in the very early evenings.

DEEP SKY OBSERVING(DSO).

With a near full Moon interfering with most DSO this week we turn our attention to some open clusters.

NGC 2451, OC in Puppis.

A lovely cluster to take in that offers as many as 40 stars in the 6-11th magnitude range.
These are centered around the bright variable star c Puppis which shines at magnitude 3.
What makes this cluster interesting is that it is actually two clusters, one in front of the other.
We have NGC 2451A and NGC 2451B, with the A cluster at 600light years and the B at 1200.

NGC 3766 OC in Centaurus, C97.

This cluster rivals the Jewel box(NGC  4755) in it's beauty in my opinion.
With a visual magnitude of +5.30 it is ideal for those full moon sessions.

Images courtesy of SkySafari 6 Pro.

ISS

The international space station makes a welcome return over our skies this week.
Be sure to get out and give the occupants a friendly wave as they pass high over our heads.
Use your binoculars and see if you can discern any shape to it as it passes over.

Here are a list of the dates and times for Durban.
Listed are the date, time visible, max height, appears and disappears.

Wed Jan 23, 4:51 AM	3 min	19°	10° above N	18° above ENE
Fri Jan 25, 4:44 AM	4 min	64°	11° above NNW	39° above ESE
Sat Jan 26, 3:54 AM	3 min	27°	18° above N	19° above E
Sun Jan 27, 3:06 AM	< 1 min	12°	12° above ENE	10° above E
Sun Jan 27, 4:38 AM	5 min	36°	12° above WNW	13° above SSE

Also be sure to check on Spot the station for sightings over your city: Spot the station

So get out there and enjoy the night skies this week!

NIGHT SKY THIS WEEK - 14 TO 20 JANUARY 2019

Let's take a brief look at some the night sky events for this week 14 to 20 January 2018 from South Africa and the Southern Hemisphere.
All images credit Skysari Pro 6.

PLANETS and MOON.

Once again Mars continues as the only bright planet in the evening skies, it also sits very close to the Moon at this point after the conjuction on the 12th.
Venus is now starting to dominate our early morning skies.
Jupiter also starts to make it's presence felt in the mornings and is a welcome return, the giant planet is one of my favourite.


EROS

Near Earth asteroid Eros makes it's closest approach to Earth this week since 2012. It will get to within 31.2 million kilometers(19.4 million miles).
At magnitude 9 it should be visible even in smaller scopes. On the 15th it will make it's close flyby and will sit roughly ten degrees from Capella in the North. From Southern Africa it will culminate at roughly 20 degrees above the horizon so you will need a good clear northern horizon.
Be sure to get a look at this if you can.

DEEP SKY OBSERVING(DSO).

Once again a few of my highlights, there are many to see and I only mention a few here.
Last week I took a look at our two most visible neighbours, the LMC and SMC.
We now move closer and examine a few targets within our own galaxy.

Omicrom Velorum Cluster, IC 2391 or C85.

This is one of those clusters that benefits from a binocular view or a very wide field of view in the scope. Under my light polluted skies I can  pick out the brightest star, the variable Omicron Velorum, naked eye. The cluster itself is magintude + 2.59
This cluster was first noted by the Persian astronomer Al Sufi around 964 AD.
A bright collection of stars that is a delight to observe.

Eta Carina Nebula and clusters.

The Eta Carina nebula can be a beautiful thing in the scope but we must not forget to take a closer look at the many clusters that lie within and in the surrounding field.
There are many Collinder, Trumpler and a host of NGC clusters to view here. If like me you enjoy a open cluster then you are in luck. From the bright and obvious to those just at the limit of your eye and equipment.
There are also many planetary Nebula surrounding the nebula, look out for them too.

 THE ISS

The ISS will have no visible passes over Durban for this week. They will resume in the week following.

So get out there and get observing, no matter how you do so, enjoy yourself and keep looking up!

Total Lunar Eclipse January 2019.

A quick reminder about the much anticipated total lunar eclipse later this month.

Sadly here in Durban we will only get see the start of the penumbral phase before the Moon dips below the horizon.
Our friends in North and South America will have front row seats! Lucky you!

Some times to keep in mind.

                                                UTC TIME              New York time     Durban time UTC+2

Penumbral Eclipse begins	21 Jan, 02H36:29	21H36                21 Jan, 04H29
Partial Eclipse begins	21 Jan, 03H33:54	22H33                21 Jan, 05H33
Full Eclipse begins	21 Jan, 04H41:17	23H41                21 Jan, 06H41
Maximum Eclipse	21 Jan, 05H12:14	00H12                21 Jan, 07H12
Full Eclipse ends	21 Jan, 05H43:15	00H43                21 Jan, 07H43
Partial Eclipse ends	21 Jan, 06H50:39	01H50                21 Jan, 08H50
Penumbral Eclipse ends	21 Jan, 07H48:02	02H48                21 Jan, 09H48

Last year we witnessed a full lunar eclipse in South Africa and it was magnificent! Enjoy the upcoming eclipse and the beautiful display.
Remember to charge up all your batteries so the scopes and cameras can work through the entire session. I learned this the hard way last time round!

Wishing you clear skies!

The night sky this week 7 January to 13 January 2019.

Let's take a look at some of the things we can expect from our night skies this week. Also please note this is from a Southern Hemisphere perspective.
All the images are from Skysafari 6 Pro.

THE MOON

Tonight, Jan 6, sees the new Moon, so most of this week will be Moon free and excellent for some deep sky viewing.
The Moon will resurface on Wednesday evening low on our western horizon and start to have an effect on the quality of the sky in the coming nights and by Saturday night it will be 33% illuminated.

PLANETS

Mars is still sitting in our western skies in Pisces, it will be the sole naked eye planet left in the evenings of January, Venus and Jupiter are still visible in the early mornings as Mercury begins to fade from view as a morning planet.
In the scope you might still be able to pick up both Uranus and Neptune.

DEEP SKY OBSERVING(URBAN).

 These are a few of the deep sky objects that I feel are worth a look in the early evenings. Even for the seasoned observers these are always worth a revisit.
There are two targets worthy of a mention for this week as both are well placed in the early evening skies.

NGC 2070, Tarantula Nebula, C103.

Always worth taking a look at this massive Nebula in the Large Magellanic cloud. Also remember that this is in a dwarf galaxy outside of our own. In darker skies it is readily visible naked eye.
In and around the nebula there are also many clusters and smaller bright nebula to investigate.
With larger aperture some globular cluster are also visible! It's easy to spend a full night observing the LMC and it's many treasures.
Your log book fills up real quick as this is one of those regions where star hopping is easily replaced with cluster hopping.

Small Magellanic cloud(SMC) , Dwarf galaxy.

There are a few items of interest in the SMC,
NGC 362 is a nice globular cluster to take in along with NGC 346 a bright nebula.
Then there is also the more famous globular cluster nearby, that is not part of the SMC, in the form of NGC 104 also known as 47 Tucanae or simply TUC47.
The SMC fares better under darker skies or with bigger aperture under urban skies like mine.
 

ISS

The ISS will make several visible passes over Durban this week and should be witnessed from most of South Africa too.
On Sunday 6th Jan we will have 2 passes with one pass each day for Monday through Thursday.

To see when it will be overhead for you check the NASA webpage here:  Spot the station.
Image courtesy of NASA.

For the later evenings and early mornings Vela, Crux, Carina and Centaurus begin to rise and each of these constellations holds a absolute treasure trove of goodies.
As the weeks progress we shall delve further into some of those.

However you choose to observe the skies this week, naked eye, with binoculars or your favourite scope, enjoy the views and clear skies to you all.