The Sky This Week - Thursday April 27 to Thursday May 4

The First Quarter Moon is Wednesday May 3. The Moon occults the bright star Regulus on the 4th. Mars is low in the twilight and is visited by the crescent Moon on the 28th. Jupiter and the bright star Spica are close in the late evening skies. Saturn is low in the evening sky. Venus climbs higher in the morning sky.

The First Quarter Moon is Wednesday May 3. The Moon occults the bright star Regulus on the 4th.

Evening sky on Friday April 28 looking west as seen from Adelaide at 18:17 ACST (45 minutes after sunset). Mars is low above the horizon, forming a tirangle with Aldebaran and the crescent Moon.

 Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 45 minutes after local sunset, click to embiggen).

Mercury is lost in twilight.

Mars is in the western evening skies in Taurus It is is low in the dusk sky, but is the brightest object above the western horizon low in the late twilight below Aldebaran. Over the week Mars passes between the Pleiades cluster and the Hyades cluster, you will need a clear, unobscured level horizon to see this though. On the 28th the tin crescent Moon form a triangle with Aldebaran and Mars.

Evening sky on Saturday April 29 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 19:09 ACST (90 minutes after sunset).  Jupiter is above the horizon between the bright star Spica and the relatively bright star Porrima. The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 19:09 ACST Europa is occulted later in the evening.

Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. that is 90 minutes after local sunset, click to embiggen).

Jupiter is rising at dusk and is now reasonably high above the horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star Porrima.

Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was on the 8th. Jupiter is rising as the sun sets and is visible all night long. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from around 8 pm on, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEST.

Thu 27 Apr 18:22 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Fri 28 Apr 3:30 Eur: Transit Begins T
Fri 28 Apr 4:18 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Fri 28 Apr 4:25 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins ST
Sat 29 Apr 0:09 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Sat 29 Apr 4:52 Io : Disappears into Occultation
Sat 29 Apr 18:48 Gan: Shadow Transit Ends
Sat 29 Apr 20:00 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Sat 29 Apr 22:21 Eur: Disappears into Occultation
Sun 30 Apr 1:46 Eur: Reappears from Eclipse
Sun 30 Apr 2:09 Io : Transit Begins T
Sun 30 Apr 2:39 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST
Sun 30 Apr 4:20 Io : Transit Ends S
Sun 30 Apr 4:51 Io : Shadow Transit Ends
Sun 30 Apr 23:19 Io : Disappears into Occultation
Mon 1 May 1:47 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Mon 1 May 2:02 Io : Reappears from Eclipse
Mon 1 May 17:43 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins ST
Mon 1 May 19:02 Eur: Transit Ends S
Mon 1 May 20:10 Eur: Shadow Transit Ends
Mon 1 May 20:36 Io : Transit Begins T
Mon 1 May 21:08 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST
Mon 1 May 21:38 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Mon 1 May 22:46 Io : Transit Ends S
Mon 1 May 23:19 Io : Shadow Transit Ends
Tue 2 May 17:45 Io : Disappears into Occultation
Tue 2 May 20:31 Io : Reappears from Eclipse
Wed 3 May 3:25 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Wed 3 May 4:20 Gan: Disappears into Occultation
Wed 3 May 17:48 Io : Shadow Transit Ends
Wed 3 May 23:16 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Thu 4 May 19:08 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Sat 6 May 0:55 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Sat 6 May 17:52 Gan: Transit Begins T
Sat 6 May 20:06 Gan: Transit Ends
Sat 6 May 20:26 Gan: Shadow Transit Begins S
Sat 6 May 20:46 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Sat 6 May 22:46 Gan: Shadow Transit Ends
Sun 7 May 0:37 Eur: Disappears into Occultation
Sun 7 May 3:55 Io : Transit Begins T
Sun 7 May 4:19 Eur: Reappears from Eclipse T
Sun 7 May 4:34 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST
Mon 8 May 1:04 Io : Disappears into Occultation
Mon 8 May 2:33 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Mon 8 May 3:57 Io : Reappears from Eclipse
Mon 8 May 18:56 Eur: Transit Begins T
Mon 8 May 20:20 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins ST
Mon 8 May 21:22 Eur: Transit Ends S
Mon 8 May 22:21 Io : Transit Begins ST
Mon 8 May 22:24 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Mon 8 May 22:47 Eur: Shadow Transit Ends T
Mon 8 May 23:02 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST
Tue 9 May 0:32 Io : Transit Ends S
Tue 9 May 1:13 Io : Shadow Transit Ends
Tue 9 May 18:15 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Tue 9 May 19:31 Io : Disappears into Occultation
Tue 9 May 22:26 Io : Reappears from Eclipse
Wed 10 May 4:11 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Wed 10 May 17:31 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST
Wed 10 May 17:36 Eur: Reappears from Eclipse ST
Wed 10 May 18:58 Io : Transit Ends S
Wed 10 May 19:42 Io : Shadow Transit Ends
Thu 11 May 0:02 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Thu 11 May 19:54 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Sat 13 May 1:41 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Sat 13 May 21:15 Gan: Transit Begins T
Sat 13 May 21:32 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Sat 13 May 23:33 Gan: Transit Ends
Sun 14 May 0:25 Gan: Shadow Transit Begins S
Sun 14 May 2:44 Gan: Shadow Transit Ends
Sun 14 May 2:55 Eur: Disappears into Occultation
Sun 14 May 17:23 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Mon 15 May 2:51 Io : Disappears into Occultation
Mon 15 May 3:19 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Mon 15 May 21:17 Eur: Transit Begins T
Mon 15 May 22:58 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins ST
Mon 15 May 23:10 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Mon 15 May 23:43 Eur: Transit Ends S
Tue 16 May 0:07 Io : Transit Begins ST
Tue 16 May 0:56 Io : Shadow Transit Begins SST
Tue 16 May 1:24 Eur: Shadow Transit Ends ST
Tue 16 May 2:18 Io : Transit Ends S
Tue 16 May 3:07 Io : Shadow Transit Ends
Tue 16 May 19:01 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Tue 16 May 21:18 Io : Disappears into Occultation
Wed 17 May 0:21 Io : Reappears from Eclipse
Wed 17 May 18:34 Io : Transit Begins T
Wed 17 May 19:25 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST
Wed 17 May 20:10 Eur: Reappears from Eclipse ST
Wed 17 May 20:45 Io : Transit Ends S
Wed 17 May 21:36 Io : Shadow Transit Ends
Thu 18 May 0:48 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Thu 18 May 18:49 Io : Reappears from Eclipse
Thu 18 May 20:40 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Sat 20 May 2:27 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Sat 20 May 22:18 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Sun 21 May 0:43 Gan: Transit Begins T
Sun 21 May 3:04 Gan: Transit Ends
Sun 21 May 18:10 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Mon 22 May 23:39 Eur: Transit Begins T
Mon 22 May 23:57 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Tue 23 May 1:35 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins ST
Tue 23 May 1:55 Io : Transit Begins STT
Tue 23 May 2:07 Eur: Transit Ends ST
Tue 23 May 2:51 Io : Shadow Transit Begins SST
Tue 23 May 19:48 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Tue 23 May 23:06 Io : Disappears into Occultation
Wed 24 May 2:16 Io : Reappears from Eclipse
Wed 24 May 18:25 Eur: Disappears into Occultation
Wed 24 May 18:33 Gan: Disappears into Eclipse
Wed 24 May 20:22 Io : Transit Begins T
Wed 24 May 20:51 Gan: Reappears from Eclipse T
Wed 24 May 21:19 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST
Wed 24 May 22:33 Io : Transit Ends S
Wed 24 May 22:44 Eur: Reappears from Eclipse S
Wed 24 May 23:30 Io : Shadow Transit Ends
Thu 25 May 1:35 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Thu 25 May 17:33 Io : Disappears into Occultation
Thu 25 May 20:44 Io : Reappears from Eclipse
Thu 25 May 21:26 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Fri 26 May 17:18 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Fri 26 May 17:20 Eur: Shadow Transit Ends S
Fri 26 May 17:59 Io : Shadow Transit Ends
Sat 27 May 23:05 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Sun 28 May 18:56 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Tue 30 May 0:43 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Tue 30 May 2:04 Eur: Transit Begins T
Tue 30 May 20:35 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Wed 31 May 18:11 Gan: Disappears into Occultation
Wed 31 May 20:37 Gan: Reappears from Occultation
Wed 31 May 20:48 Eur: Disappears into Occultation
Wed 31 May 22:11 Io : Transit Begins T
Wed 31 May 22:33 Gan: Disappears into Eclipse T
Wed 31 May 23:14 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST

Evening  sky on Saturday April 29 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 22:00 ACST.  Saturn is reasonably high above the horizon.

The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).

 Saturn is now visible in the evening skies this week. Saturn is a good telescopic target from 11 pm on. It continues to climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. It is within binocular distance of the Triffid and Lagoon nebula and makes a very nice sight in binoculars.

The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.

Morning sky on Saturday April 29 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:25  ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time.

 Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).

Venus  climbs higher in the morning sky and is visible in telescopes as a crescent.

The northern horizon as seen from Adelaide at 18:17 ACDST, the bright star Regulus is close to the Moon an hour before it is occulted. The inset shows the Moon and Regulus at 19:24 ACST, just as regulus is occulted. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.

On the early evening of Thursday 4 April the bright star Regulus is occulted by the Moon as seen from the most of Australia. This is the second of two occultations of Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation of Leo the lion, this year. The Moon is a very obvious signpost for where to look and Regulus will be the brightest object near the Moon.

There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don’t have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what’s up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/