Hi all, two days ago (wed 18th may) in the late afternoon i saw a big well lit planet in the western sky about 45 min before dark, It was about a third the size of the moon, I had to look around the sky to make sure it wasn't the moon but sure enough the moon was full over in the east at the same time, was it mars i was looking at? Naked eye in the afternoon? I thought astronomy was a telescope on a dark nights affair!
i'm not at all acquainted with astronomy so please forgive my noob question
Oh ok, yes it probably was. I only thought it might be mars due to a news story about mars being close this week, it was just like a second smaller moon sitting up there being lit by the setting sun, far too big/close to be another planet i guess. Ah well thanks for the reply
Mars is currently in the eastern sky until early morning. Even at it's closest approach it will only look much like a bright star to the naked eye. Of course in a couple of years during the 2018 apparition it will be even closer, only about 3 million kms further than the apposition in 2003 that spawned the "Mars as big as the moon" emails that we get circulating each year.
Had the dob and the Tak set up tonight doing a planet marathon. Deimos was well separated from Mars, I guess about 40 arcsec. I could see it in the 12", but not the 5". The nearby, fairly full moon didn't help. I'll try again with the Tak when the moon disappears.
No sign of Phobos, as it is too close to Mars and in the scatter. I'll need an occulting bar to help me get that one.
Saturn is looking equally spectacular, only a week away from opposition. For those who are not aware, Saturn's rings brighten and fade significantly a few days either side of opposition as all the particles that make up the ring structure receive direct sunlight as seen from the earth.
In Melbourne, the seeing wasn't too bad, and it's going pear shaped later this week, so I pulled out the 5" Apo for a look. Both looked lovely and crisp at 150x.
Tropical Stargazers Mackay area AAs set up 8 'scopes last night at the beaut dark sky school oval and were rushed by about 100 enthusiastic students plus parents teachers and friends.
Most viewers were able to see detail on Mars in both the 8" @ 267x and the 16" @ 200x.
I was particularly impressed by some year 5s knowledge of the Mars system
L
A short lull in the Jetstream finally provided some half reasonable seeing amongst our crappy weather last night to view Mars and Saturn at 130x. Nice to at least see the major surface features before the fog descended at midnight. Showers again today but some clear weather over the next week - well worth taking every opportunity over the next few weeks.
Very fortunate to have great seeing last night, managed to push mag to 350x. Could clearly make out a range of surface features e.g. Meridiani and Syrtis Major Planums. Even managed to tease out Deimos with averted vision (just). Amazing how much better Mars is at opposition/closest approach!
We've had nothing but nonstop clouds and some serious rain for the last two to three weeks or so
The Ob's been wrapped up in a big silver tarp and strapped down against the winds.
BUT ...!!
We've been promised a clear weekend for June 3-4-5 hopefully. Fingers crossed, I'm getting a bit cloud sky crazy ...
How unfortunate Brent. Wishing you and everyone clear skies over the next few days. Bunbury's forecast is looking good at this stage. Might make for a few sleep-deprived slow work days this week!
Alligator Creek State School, Qld. Space night
