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

[Owlunar]

I just used my smart-phone @Shaz51 

I did have a camera for a long time and I could take pics and it was great - I still have a lot of those pics in my very old laptop.

But I did take pics of those planets over several days and it was interesting watching Jupiter catch up and actually pass Mars - and soon Saturn will pass Mars too

I am really passionate about the solar system - I have been for decades now

Dec

Here Jupiter and Mars are really close together with Saturn following and the crescent moon is just rising

[Owlunar]

Thanks @Jo-anneJoy 

There are more similiar photos of those planets on this thread - and it's time I posted another -

March was a great month for watching those three plants - the night skies were clear for excellent photos

This one was taken in March - 2020 - it's Mercury rising - it's usually hard to even find this littel planet and really lucky to catch it in a photo and when the picture is expanded it shows it in a crescent - the actual phase it was in at that time.

The solar system is endlessly interesting to me and I just finished a huge jigsaw of the solar system - it took 9 days and really kept me busy

Dec

@Shaz51 @Gazza75 @Ali11 @utopia @outlander 

Mercury rising

[Jo-anneJoy]

I do family history research and one of my ancestors in the 17th century,

was a Quaker and amateur astronomer.  His built his son an observatory -

so jealous -  I only got a cubby house.

[Owlunar]

Hi @Jo-anneJoy 

My father built us a play house out of packing crates - I would have loved an observatory too - how great that would have been.

And an ancestor who was a Quaker and an amateur astronomer - that's a gret historical family fact 

And cubby house v observatory - no argument - observatory every time - yes please

My Dad was interested in astronomy and taught me a lot - I guess my hobby was fired early in life - 

Dec

[Owlunar]

Hi @Jo-anneJoy @Shaz51 @Gazza75 @Ali11 @utopia 

I went outside on Saturday morning I think - and it was fairly bright but just before sunrise and I saw Jupiter, Saturn and Mars overhead and very clear in a perfect sky - and it was a lucky moment because right then a satellite passed over and moved quickly - and I was grateful for that moment and hopeful too that it is a good sign

Jupiter and Saturn are moving across the sky together - Mars is tagging behind - on a clear evening it's easy to see Jupiter and Saturn rising - Mars rises later - but this happens earlier every evening and then they are visible every clear evening

This little cluster of planets is a unusual and won't happen again in my  lifetime - though Jupiter and Saturn will get closer together during the next few months

Dec

[Shaz51]

soo interesting @Owlunar 

Hello @Jo-anneJoy , @Ali11 , @utopia 

the moon was very bright the other night  shinning through  the window lightening up the whole room 

[Jo-anneJoy]

Indeed it was @Shaz51  and as an astrologer, I can tell you it was a Full Moon in Scorpio.

[Owlunar]

Hi to all my astronomy peeps

This is a rare photo - a moonbow - which does sometimes signify rain to come but tonight I think it's probably clear because of the frost in the astmosphere

The halo around the moon was complete but didn't come out as well in the photo and no - I am not going outside in my jimjams again - 

I don't know how the pic with come out in the post but the filters I added actually faintly showed the colours of a rainbow

Dec

moonbow

[utopia]

Hi @Owlunar 

Can you tell me what planet I'm seeing in the night sky? 

North East.  Around 6.30 7 00 am. Very bright.  No other stars near it. 

[Owlunar]

Hi @utopia 

It's great to see you 

That planet you can see early in the mornings is Venus - it's rising at 4.45am atm and earler each day 

It's really  brilliant right now and great to see

Dec