Observing | Universe Today

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for a Moon-filled weekend? Then let's have a look a some great lunar features as we race Mad Max to the "Megadome"! For some lucky viewers in Japan and Hawaii, there will be an occultation of Antares to enjoy. How about some great double stars… Or a chance to see if you can spot a penumbral lunar eclipse? Then follow me out to the backyard. The stars are waiting… Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | No Comments »

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It's another lunatic weekend as we start off with Regulus and Selene making a close pairing in the Friday evening sky. Why not take a break from difficult galaxy studies and try your hand at some very cool variable stars and multiple systems? It's time to get out your telescopes and binoculars, pick off a few lunar challenge craters and just kick back and enjoy because… Here's what's up! Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | No Comments »

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! You asked for some excitement? You got it. As it the current planetary line up wasn't treat enough for the weekend, there's still lots more to go. With dark skies around, we'll be taking on some challenging studies like faint objects near bright stars… But we won't be forgetting to chase "Butterflies"! The Celestial Scenery just keeps getting better as the weekend rolls on with a Saturday morning meteor shower. Why not grab coffee and donuts and make a date to watch? The planetary conjunction continues with a close pass on the Pleiades, too. Join the merry-go-round of stars and grab for the "Ring"! Summer Solstice is upon us and there's no place I'd rather be than out back with you viewing the stars… Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | Comments Off

Oh wow! I love satellite watching, and especially the International Space Station, but now I don't have to wait for nightfall anymore. We reported that the ISS had become the second brightest object in the night sky back in March 2009 with the addition of the final set of solar arrays. And now its been confirmed that the space station, under the right conditions, can be visible during the day, too. "On June 13th, I was watching a red-headed woodpecker's nest when the ISS passed overhead," said Brooke O'Klatner of Charlotte, North Carolina, who took this image, which was posted on Spaceweather.com.
Read more…

Filed under: Observing, Space Station | 5 Comments »

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for a great weekend? Then it's time to do some challenging studies as we take on one of the most difficult globular clusters in the sky – Palomar 5. Need something you can spot with your eyes or binoculars? Then try the planet Mercury… But get up early! Maybe a weekend meteor shower that's known for spitting out bright bolides is more to your liking… Still feeling challenged? Then let's try our hand at some Herschel studies and blow some dust off the galaxies! Time to get out the scopes and the star charts and I'll see you in the back yard. Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | Comments Off

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for another great weekend of observing? If you're thinking that it's going to be boring because there's Moon, then think again. If you were paying attention, you'd have noticed that Venus and Mars rose together this morning only about five degrees apart. Need more reasons to get out? Try 13 of them as you challenge yourself to see how many craterlets you can resolve in the mighty Clavius. Stars more to your liking? Then have a look at the Theta Virginis system or beautiful red Omega. Celebrate the Strawberry Moon, locate R Hydrae or just be on hand for an occultation event… It's all part of the weekend scene! Grab your telescopes or binoculars and I'll see you in the backyard. Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | Comments Off

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Have you been watching the lovely crescent Moon as it climbs higher each night? What a beauty! With warmer nights in the northern hemisphere and cooler evenings bringing clear, deep views to the south – why not spend some time stargazing? We've got some great lunar features lined up for you to help you along with your lunar club challenges – as well as a bright galaxy and an interesting variable star. Time to dust off your optics and head out into the night… Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | Comments Off

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for a dark sky observing weekend? Then let's take a ride with Wild's Triplets, join Markarian's Chain gang and hang out with the night Owls. Are you ready? Then grab your telescopes and binoculars and I'll see you in the backyard…. Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | Comments Off

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! With the Moon just a bit more out of the early evening picture, let's enjoy the galaxy season as we begin our studies with one of the most massive and luminous spiral galaxies known. If it doesn't hit you in the eye, then surely our globular cluster studies will! Be sure to set your clock early for Sunday morning to catch the pretty pairing of Jupiter and the Moon and end the weekend with one of the largest and brightest of the spiral galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. Are you ready? Then get your binoculars and telescopes out and I'll see you in the back yard… Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | 1 Comment »

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for the weekend? Then step outside and see if you're able to spot Mercury as it begins retrograde. Celebrate the "Full Flower Moon" and Mother's Day with some very special insights into a very special mother. Maybe you can give your mother the "String of Pearls" or perhaps just some glittering jewels of some very fine double stars? No matter what you choose to do, there's always something new to find and explore. Follow me… Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | Comments Off

Greetings, fellow StarGazers! Let's start the weekend off right by taking on a lunar club challenge and then kicking back to enjoy yet another spring meteor shower! (After all, if April showers bring May flowers, you do know what May flowers bring, don't you? That's right… Pilgrims!) Now that I've got you at least smiling, take out your binoculars, too… Because there's two asteroids that are ripe for plucking – Hebe and Ceres. If you feel like being a little more serious about your lunar studies, why not do a little photographic map work? Just match the picture to what you see in the eyepiece and log your studies! Are you ready? Then I'll see you in the back yard… Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | 1 Comment »

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for one grrrrrrreat weekend? Then let's do a little lion taming while the Moon is out of the picture and hunt down the "Leo Trio". For you pirates in the crowd, hoist the Jolly Roger, because it's time we took a look at the "Skull and Crossbones", too! Prefer to relax? No problem. The Mu Virginid meteor shower will be in town on Saturday night for your kicked back pleasure and Sunday is time for a Herschel challenge. Time to dust off the binoculars and telescopes and I'll see you in the back yard… Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | 2 Comments »

In 2007, something strange happened to a distant star near the centre of our galaxy; it underwent what is known as a 'microlensing' event. This transient brightening didn't have anything to do with the star itself, it had something to do with what passed in front of it. 1,700 light years away between us and the distant star, a brown dwarf crossed our line of sight with the starlight. Although one would think that the star would have been blocked by the brown dwarf, its light was actually amplified, generating a flash. This flash was created via a space-time phenomenon known as gravitational lensing.

Although lensing isn't rare in itself (although this particular event is considered the "most extreme" ever observed), the fact that astronomers had the opportunity to witness a brown dwarf causing it means that either they were very lucky, or we have to think about re-writing the stellar physics textbooks…
Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | 20 Comments »

Did you happen to catch the view of the crescent Moon and crescent Venus this morning? Ted Judah from Petaluma, California did, and what an incredible shot this is! Ted used a Canon 30d attached to an Orion 100mm aperture refractor, making it essentially a 900mm f/9 lens. Ted said this is about a 1 second exposure at 200 ISO speed. Click on the image (and then again) to see a larger version of this great image.

The duo should also be visible during the day today — just look around for the crescent Moon, and scan the sky around it for Venus. Venus is usually visible in broad daylight, but the trick is knowing where to look for it. Today, just look for the moon!

Thanks Ted, for sharing your photo. If anyone else was able to nab a photo of the Moon and Venus and would like to share it, either post a link in the comments below, or insert it the comments, or send it to me.
Read more…

Filed under: Astrophotos, Observing | 10 Comments »

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for a much darker weekend? I'm off to NEAF, but while I'm gone, I hope you'll take advantage of the weekend to enjoy a little galaxy hunting and a minor meteor shower? If not, how about a great variable star – or the "Eight Burst Planetary"! Finding Comet Yi-SWAN will be easy Sunday night, but be sure to set your alarm early for Sunday morning, because there's something very worth getting up to see… Read more…

Filed under: Astronomy, Observing | Comments Off