Uncle Jim the Astronomer My Skyplace

Uncle Jim the Astronomer My Skyplace An Amateur Astronomers View of Astronomy. The Hobby and the BIG Science. As an Amateur Astronomer of 25 years,

As an Amateur Astronomer of 25 years,

Me and Astronomy

Long ago at my old long gone Technical College in the Southern Suburbs of Melbourne, I became one of those many children that the teachers of Science put off Science. Even though the Moon Landings had happened and many great things where accruing, it just was not getting through to my fellows or me. As most of the boys in my class thought o

r knew they would end up as Tradesmen, Labourers or in prison. Both the class and I, Numbed and bored with facts that appeared to have no relevance at that time or in the future lost any way of wanting to learn more. I maintained only a vague interest in any type of Science. It was going to be ten years before meeting the right people gave me the incentive to get interested again. I found Space, Stars and the Planets were easy to access by just going outside away from lighting and looking up. Working out what the Star names were and the Constellations. Finding that the Planets are only going to be found in one area of the Sky. I then took the wrong step and went strait for a 75 mm Reflecting Telescope with a little success, then learning quickly by using binoculars I could find were I was looking first. I Joined an Astronomy Club and began to do courses with the club. I have attended may Courses and seminars With my Astronomy Club, done my time on the club committee and run the public demonstration group. I keep reading about Astronomy and still go over the net to keep up with things. The first lessons l learnt myself about Home Astronomy are.

Best view of ISS in the next few days.
29/04/2025

Best view of ISS in the next few days.

23/04/2025

Don’t Miss These 3 Must-See Sky Events in Late April 2025!
1.April 21–22: Lyrids Meteor Shower

The Lyrids meteor shower will light up the night skies with fast and bright meteors. Peaking on the night of April 21 and early morning of April 22, this annual event offers a great opportunity to witness nature's fireworks, especially in areas with dark, clear skies.

2. April 25: A Smiley Face in the Sky
On this night, a rare celestial alignment will form a “smiley face” in the sky. The crescent moon will appear alongside two bright planets (likely Venus and Jupiter), creating a formation that resembles a smiling face. It’s a delightful and photogenic moment not to be missed.

3. April 27: Moon Closest to Earth
Also known as the perigee, the Moon will reach its closest point to Earth on this date. This makes it appear slightly larger and brighter than usual — often referred to as a “Supermoon.” A perfect time for sky gazers and photographers to enjoy the lunar .

29/03/2024

93.3K likes, 4541 comments. “Who els is excited for this?”

21/08/2023

Meet a new comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura)! ☄️

Just a few days back, the talented Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura discovered a new comet nestled close to the Sun. Now it’s officially called C/2023 P1 (Nishimura). 🌠

And here's more thrilling news – brace yourselves – by mid-September, this celestial traveler will be visible even to the naked eye! 🌟👁️‍🗨️ Let's cross our fingers and hope it doesn't break apart as it reaches its closest point to the Sun.

🌅 Try to spot the comet around September 11th. It will shine in the direction of the sunrise just before dawn, with a magnitude of 4.9. For more details, visit our article:
✨https://starwalk.space/news/new-comet-c2023-p1

31/01/2023

Hello all,
There are a lot of misconceptions circulating about the comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF). Besides the usual rhetoric being created by the press, it also originates from the Northern Hemisphere. It is indeed currently bright, being at least visible in binoculars, if not naked eye. However, mid-latitude Australia will not see it until early February, rising out of the north around the end of evening twilight. If it wasn’t for the Full Moon on the 6th this would be an ideal time to observe “E3”. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for an hour or so of dark skies to open up with the Moon rising later each day.

Having passed perihelion earlier in January it will fade as it moves away from the Sun and Earth. However, the behaviour and brightness of comets, especially post perihelion (after its closest passage to the Sun), can be unpredictable at times and well worth watching. Watch its close visit to Mars on 11th.

For those who don’t already look upon the night sky as an old friend, take the time now to become familiar with the evening northern sky. As our below diagram illustrates, this time of year presents a feast of some of the brightest stars in the heavens, including Orion with its 3 belt stars. Also, if you want to test whether your horizon is low enough to spot the comet as it makes its southerly entrance, become familiar with finding the bright star, Capella.

Further details for this comet and others, plus other highlights of the night sky can be found in the Quasar Publishing yearbook, ASTRONOMY 2023 - Australia. Check out our website for sample pages.

Glenn

23/09/2020

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by actor and writer Mark Gatiss, theoretical physicists Carlo Rovelli and Fay Dowker to ask timely questions about t...

30/04/2020

Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD): 2020 April 29 - The Ion Tail of New Comet SWAN

Image Credit & Copyright: Gerald Rhemann

Newly discovered Comet SWAN has already developed an impressive tail. The comet came in from the outer Solar System and has just passed inside the orbit of the Earth. Officially designated C/2020 F8 (SWAN), this outgassing interplanetary iceberg will pass its closest to the Earth on May 13, and closest to the Sun on May 27. The comet was first noticed in late March by an astronomy enthusiast looking through images taken by NASA's Sun-orbiting SOHO spacecraft, and is named for this spacecraft's Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) camera. The featured image, taken from the dark skies in Namibia in mid-April, captured Comet SWAN's green-glowing coma and unexpectedly long, detailed, and blue ion-tail. Although the brightness of comets are notoriously hard to predict, some models have Comet SWAN becoming bright enough to see with the unaided eye during June.

Larger image: https://buff.ly/3aLmZr8

30/04/2020

NASA said that something massive will show itself above our planet on April 29th. Today, we take a look at something massive that NASA have been watching. Th...

24/04/2020

A galactic visitor entered our solar system last year—interstellar comet 2I/Borisov. When astronomers pointed the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) toward the comet on 15 and 16 December 2019, for the first time they directly observed the chemicals stored inside an object from a ...

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