[Cyclicymn]

Looking directly west at around 2000hrs 30 degrees above the horizon a beautiful astronomical triangular grouping
Spica, Mars and Saturn, with Arcturus shing at Mag -0.05 just south and to the left of the grouping.

In the morning get up at 0500hrs and see a dazzling display looking East and Nor/East to the stars of Orion, Canis Major and Sirius, Canis Minor and Procyon, along with Jupiter at Mag -2.2 and Venus at Mag -4.3


Sky Diary September:

10th:
Mercury at Superior conjunction...

16th:
New Moon....



29th:
Mars and Moon in close proximity....

23rd:
Equinox....


30th:
Full Moon.....





A pretty quite month, but I promise more exciting times in October's Sky Diary...
Stay Tuned!!!

[first_pr]

> What's up Tonight

Cloud and rain. There was an "open day" over four nights at an observatory near Melbourne this week. It rained every night.

[Anteneprorid]

> What's up Tonight

Cloud and rain. There was an "open day" over four nights at an observatory near Melbourne this week. It rained every night.

What I have described will be visible for the next few nights around the same quoted times or thereabouts.
9the triangular setup with Spica Mars and Saturn is spectacular especially.

[dodadaxia]

> What's up Tonight

Cloud and rain. There was an "open day" over four nights at an observatory near Melbourne this week. It rained every night.

The Ballarat observatory is open every Friday night. Its just down the road from Sovereign Hill tourist trap. Easy to find, just go to the top of Sovereign Hill at the tourist trap, turn right into Magpie St and head back towards the city about a Km. (long way but easiest directions)
Well worth a look, even if the weather is bad. Some very nice historical telescopes and lovely buildings. If it clears up they let you look through some of their telescopes, both old and modern.

[berdyanskdotsu]

Last night — if you were in a good location — the Moon, Spica, Mars, Saturn all came together in a lunar/planetary/stellar conjunction. My attempts to see it and capture it failed because of trees (the conjunction took place low on the horizon), but thank goodness for our astrophotographer friends! John Chumack caught the event from his observatory in Ohio (his specs: Canon Rebel Xsi 85mm Lens at F5.6, ISO 400, 1 second exposure) and Ian Musgrave captured the view in Australia, below.





http://www.universetoday.com/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Great minds and all that.....[although I left out the Moon, being only in crescent phase.}

[DYjLN8rF]

I saw the Venus/Mars/Jupiter conjunction a while back and it left a considerable impression on me. I could see the plane our solar system lies in. Gave me a great 3d perspective on the sky.

[Ambassador]

Check this one out!

Dawn of the Dish
Image Credit & Copyright: Alex Cherney (Terrastro, TWAN)
Explanation: Wandering planets Venus and Jupiter were joined by an old crescent Moon near the eastern horizon on July 15. This serene southern skyview of the much anticipated predawn conjunction includes the lovely Pleiades star cluster and bright stars Aldebaran and Betelgeuse in the celestial lineup. For help identifying the stars and constellations, just slide your cursor over the image. Of course, the radio telescope in the foreground is the Parkes 64 meter dish of New South Wales, Australia. Known for its exploration of the distant Universe at radio wavelengths, the large, steerable antenna is also famous for its superior lunar television reception. On July 21, 1969 the dish received broadcasts from the Moon that allowed denizens of planet Earth to watch the Apollo 11 moonwalk.



http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120719.html

[BruceQW]

Check this one out!


http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120719.html

Wow!! 3d effect even works in pictures. sweet