The Sky This Week - Thursday April 25 to Thursday May 2

The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday April 27. Saturn enters the evening sky and  is occulted by the Moon as seen from eastern and parts of central Australia on the 25th. Mars is visible low in the evening skies.  Jupiter is low in the late evening skies. The morning skies feature four bright planets Jupiter, Saturn, bright Venus and Mercury.Venus and Mercury are visited by the thin crescent Moon on May the 2nd.

The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday April 27. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 29th.

Morning  sky on Saturday, April 27 showing the whole sky as  seen from Adelaide at 5:52 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise). Four bright planets can be seen. Jupiter and Saturn are high above the northern horizon. Venus and Mercury are above the eastern horizon. The Last Quarter Moon is above the northern horizon between Saturn and Venus.

 Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).

Sky at 23:00 ACST on Saturday, April 27  looking east as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is low above the eastern horizon. The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time. 

Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time.

The view of the Moon facing east at 22:48 am ACST in Adelaide on Thursday 25 April just as Saturn appears from behind the Moon. The Moon is close to the horizon.

Similar views will be seen elsewhere in eastern Australia at roughly the equivalent local time, detailed times and observation hints are at my Saturn occultation page.

Evening sky on Saturday, April 27  as seen looking north-west from Adelaide at 18:50 ACST (60 minutes after sunset). Mars is the brightest object above the western horizon

The Hyades also grace the north-western sky. Mars is between the bright red star Aldebaran and the star Alnath which marks the tip of the Bull’s horns.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Morning  sky on Thursday, May 2 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:56 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). Venus and Mercury are close with the thin Crescent Moon above Venus, making an attractive line-up.

Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).

Venus is still bright in the morning skies below Jupiter and Saturn and above Mercury. Mercury away from Venus over the week. The thin crescent Moon is above Venus on May the 2nd.

Mercury  is now sinking in the morning sky but is still visible below Venus  as it leaves Venus behind.

Jupiter  Jupiter is now rising just before midnight in the evening sky, but is low to the horizon and not an ideal telescope target being still at its best in the morning.

Mars moves through Taurus and is now the second brightest object in low in the western evening sky after the bright red star Adebaran. Mars sets around 8:00pm. Mars is between the bright red star Aldebaran and the star Alnath which marks the tip of the Bull’s horns.

Saturn  has entered the evening sky but it still best for telescopic viewing in the early morning. On the evening of the 25th the Moon occults Saturn as seen from eastern and parts of central Australia.

 Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEDST, Western sky at 10 pm AEDST. 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/