September Night Skies

Prominent in the early evening in the southern sky or at the zenith if you are in the deep south, is the Constellation Sagittarius (The Archer), better know as "The Teapot" & once you have picked it out in the night sky you will see the familiar teapot shape easily.

This constellation & the adjacent constellations of of Ophiuchus (the serpent bearer) and Scorpius (the scorpion) are rich in deep sky delights, especially globular clusters.

The most prominent of these being the Messier Cataloged M4, M28, M22 and M55 just to name a few of the brighter ones.

Of course the delights of deep space to be seen here are not limited to Globular Clusters, the Lagoon Nebula (M8) the Trifid Nebula (M20) & the Eagle Nebula (M16) and the Sagittarius star cloud (M24) are surely in the top 20 of all deep sky objects.

I welcome your comments on your experiences finding and observing these objects.

If you are just starting out in the richly rewarding pursuit of Astronomy & Space Science, why not visit my homepage http://www.nightskysecrets.com/ and download your free copy of my Audio "Master the hidden secrets of the night sky"

Lunar Eclipse - Gove

Gove Astronomers had a great response to our lunar Eclipse viewing night held on Tuesday the 28th August at the Gove Peninsula Surf Club.
A estimated 200 people turned out to see the moon slowly disappearing into the Earths Shadow, bite by bite.
As the moon slipped entirely into the earths Shadow, it went from dark orb to a beautiful coppery red full moon, that had to be seen to be fully appreciated.
Those attending were able to view the eclipsed moon through one of 4 club telescopes, adding another dimension to the glorious sight above.
As the moon first emerged from the shadow a wonderful diamond ring effect could be seen as the first brightly lit edge of the moon contrasted with the copper red moon.
This is a sight that many will not forget for some time to come & has seen a number of new members, joining the ranks of GAA.
Photo credits: Stephen Lane & Stuart Kirk