Category Archives: Into the Night

Venus Saturn Moon Smiley

Posted on by April 26, 2025

A fun conjunction of Venus, Saturn and the Moon was predicted to happen on April 25, 2025. I love early mornings and even more so when a heavenly smiley greeted me as I opened my window. What a way to start the special day of my granddaughter’s eighteenth birthday. Where had time gone? What all happened between tiny baby girl and young women? For a moment I experienced a touch of sadness.

It was so quiet outside with no wind to rattle my thoughts. As I stared at the awesome sight, I vividly remembered my father singing ‘When You’re Smiling’ at someone’s wedding celebration .

 

 

 

When you’re smiling keep on smiling
The whole world smiles with you
And when you’re laughing oh when you’re laughing
The sun comes shining through
But when you’re crying you bring on the rain
So stop your sighing be happy again
keep on smiling ’cause when you’re smiling
The whole world smiles with you

Composed by Larry Shay, Mark Fisher and Joe Goodwin, it’s the Louis Armstrong version crackling on the record player that I remember.
Even if you missed the heavenly Smiley this time, maybe the lyrics will stick. We sure need more smiles in this world.

Searching for Comet C/2024 G3 (Atlas)

Posted on by March 30, 2025
2025.01.19 

Comet C/2024 G3 (Atlas)Just when I thought another evening with no success, the comet suddenly appeared at 8:50pm (sast). By then I was almost a lonely soul sitting on a bench on the promenade, under floodlights.

A couple passed by and asked, like so many others earlier: “Is it safe to be sitting here with all this gear?” Well I suppose no, but how else will I manage to take photos of a comet that will only maybe come around again in hundreds of thousands of years?

I did a short star hopping gig just to keep them hanging with me.

They went there way… I watched and checked over my shoulder to see whether my car was still there.

A young girl came along with her parents. Relieved I shouted: “Look – a comet! and Venus and Saturn and Jupiter and Mars” In return for the free session on planets, they kept me company.

The girl said – “hey, I think I’ve seen you before at the Afrikaans Language Monument!” What a small world. They did not realise that the very next Friday, the 24 Jan 2025, the Orion Observasie Group would be back at the monument for another stargazing picnic.

It’s a small world but what a vast universe.

Indoors Astronomy Stargazing Outreach

Posted on by March 30, 2025
Comet C/2024 G3 (Atlas) Strand, South Africa. 2025.01.21
This was my very first indoors astronomy stargazing outreach!
Despite howling winds, obscured western horizon, severe light pollution, window panes in need of cleaning, I managed to show the comet with binoculars. Of course camera live view made things a bit easier.
I cannot emphasise enough how faint this comet is. Luckily I told my audience in advance that what they are seeing on the internet and even on this image is not what we will be seeing in real live conditions. Don’t go rushing to the optometrist
I could spot the comet naked eye but if you do not know where to look you will miss it!
I’ll have to do a bit of window cleaning before tonight.
(The bright star above the comet is the bright star Achernar)

Watching the Terminator on a waning Gibbous Moon

Posted on by March 30, 2025
Inspired by lovely sketches by astronomer Mary McIntyre, I decided to see whether I could also see the movement of the Moon’s terminator over just a few hours.
I set up two waning gibbous moon missions, just over four hours apart on Slooh Australia One.
I had read that “careful observers” would maybe be able to see the 15.4 km per hour (9.6 mph) movement of the terminator (as at the Moon’s equator)
Apparently top class human athletes would be able to keep up with the terminator!
If you look carefully towards the terminator where I have labelled craters, you may also spot the differences as the Moon waned from 14:00 – 18:30utc.