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Sun & Moon Today

JD 2460693  DoY 17  WoY 03
🔼06:49
🔽16:58

TWILIGHT
05:20~18:27
Ecl Long 298.1°
in Sagittarius

Waning gibbous
Age 18.68 d
Phase 132.3°
Ecl Long 165.8°
in Leo

SSE

Observable comet count is 1169

Current exoplanet count is 5819

Current longitude II of the GRS is  66°

 

Today Monitor

Planet Oppositions

Mars: January 16, 2025
Jupiter: January 10, 2026
Saturn: September 21, 2025
Uranus: November 21, 2025
Neptune: September 23, 2025

 

Greatest Elongation of Venus

Evening: January 10, 2025 at 47.2°E
Morning: June 1, 2025 at 45.9°W

 

Greatest Elongation of Mercury

Morning: December 25, 2024 at 22.0°W
Evening: March 8, 2025 at 18.2°E
Morning: April 21, 2025 at 27.4°W
Evening: July 4, 2025 at 25.9°E
Morning: August 19, 2025 at 18.6°W
Evening: October 29, 2025 at 23.9°E
Morning: December 7, 2025 at 20.7°W
Evening: Febrary 19, 2026 at 18.1°E



Comets to look out for:



Super Moons (full) 2025

Wednesday, 5 November
Friday, 5 December

 

given for 00:00 UT

In Longitude (negative is western)

DateSizeAgeAnglePhase
23 Feb 202530.61'24.48-6.502°
24 Feb 202531.06'25.48-6.683°
25 Feb 202531.54'26.48-6.463°
22 Mar 202530.16'21.97-6.602°
23 Mar 202530.54'22.97-7.220°
24 Mar 202531.00'23.97-7.497°
25 Mar 202531.50'24.97-7.380°
26 Mar 202532.03'25.97-6.841°
04 Apr 202531.86'5.546.674°
05 Apr 202531.40'6.547.159°
06 Apr 202530.97'7.547.233°
07 Apr 202530.58'8.546.935°
19 Apr 202530.14'20.54-6.609°
20 Apr 202530.49'21.54-7.247°
21 Apr 202530.91'22.54-7.602°
22 Apr 202531.38'23.54-7.618°
23 Apr 202531.89'24.54-7.248°
24 Apr 202532.39'25.54-6.459°
02 May 202532.05'4.196.908°
03 May 202531.53'5.197.524°
04 May 202531.04'6.197.652°
05 May 202530.59'7.197.335°
06 May 202530.21'8.196.642°
18 May 202530.56'20.19-6.624°
19 May 202530.92'21.19-6.950°
20 May 202531.32'22.19-7.010°
21 May 202531.75'23.19-6.758°
30 May 202532.13'2.876.436°
31 May 202531.63'3.877.137°
01 Jun 202531.12'4.877.336°
02 Jun 202530.65'5.877.064°
29 Jun 202531.11'3.566.528°
02 Oct 202530.80'10.17-6.602°
03 Oct 202531.28'11.17-6.712°
04 Oct 202531.79'12.17-6.413°
13 Oct 202532.01'21.176.426°
14 Oct 202531.60'22.177.017°
15 Oct 202531.20'23.177.219°
16 Oct 202530.83'24.177.068°
17 Oct 202530.51'25.176.617°
29 Oct 202530.28'7.48-6.622°
30 Oct 202530.70'8.48-7.213°
31 Oct 202531.18'9.48-7.461°
01 Nov 202531.71'10.48-7.298°
02 Nov 202532.24'11.48-6.672°
10 Nov 202532.23'19.487.097°
11 Nov 202531.72'20.487.804°
12 Nov 202531.23'21.488.024°
13 Nov 202530.78'22.487.808°
14 Nov 202530.39'23.487.230°
26 Nov 202530.27'5.72-6.459°
27 Nov 202530.63'6.72-7.095°
28 Nov 202531.05'7.72-7.447°
29 Nov 202531.52'8.72-7.439°
30 Nov 202532.02'9.72-7.008°
08 Dec 202532.44'17.726.680°
09 Dec 202531.91'18.727.561°
10 Dec 202531.38'19.727.916°
11 Dec 202530.87'20.727.788°
12 Dec 202530.43'21.727.247°
26 Dec 202531.06'5.93-6.615°
27 Dec 202531.43'6.93-6.624°

 

In Latitude (negative is southern)

DateSizeAgeAnglePhase
12 Jan 202531.85'12.07-6.565°
13 Jan 202531.60'13.07-6.448°
26 Jan 202530.57'26.076.621°
27 Jan 202530.96'27.076.622°
08 Feb 202531.60'9.48-6.682°
09 Feb 202531.36'10.48-6.624°
22 Feb 202530.21'23.486.703°
23 Feb 202530.61'24.486.800°
24 Feb 202531.06'25.486.559°
07 Mar 202531.74'6.97-6.762°
08 Mar 202531.39'7.97-6.766°
09 Mar 202531.05'8.97-6.404°
21 Mar 202529.85'20.976.665°
22 Mar 202530.16'21.976.852°
23 Mar 202530.54'22.976.721°
03 Apr 202532.33'4.54-6.682°
04 Apr 202531.86'5.54-6.784°
05 Apr 202531.40'6.54-6.493°
17 Apr 202529.65'18.546.506°
18 Apr 202529.86'19.546.754°
19 Apr 202530.14'20.546.698°
30 Apr 202532.98'2.19-6.438°
01 May 202532.55'3.19-6.675°
02 May 202532.05'4.19-6.485°
15 May 202529.78'17.196.605°
16 May 202529.99'18.196.587°
28 May 202532.97'0.87-6.528°
29 May 202532.60'1.87-6.460°
11 Jun 202529.82'14.876.526°
12 Jun 202530.02'15.876.530°
24 Jun 202532.85'27.87-6.457°
25 Jun 202532.68'28.87-6.502°
08 Jul 202529.84'12.566.561°
09 Jul 202530.07'13.566.600°
21 Jul 202532.45'25.56-6.493°
22 Jul 202532.38'26.56-6.624°
04 Aug 202529.76'10.206.646°
05 Aug 202529.99'11.206.748°
06 Aug 202530.28'12.206.541°
17 Aug 202532.23'23.20-6.553°
18 Aug 202532.11'24.20-6.755°
19 Aug 202531.94'25.20-6.550°
31 Aug 202529.61'7.756.661°
01 Sep 202529.78'8.756.848°
02 Sep 202530.05'9.756.733°
13 Sep 202532.46'20.75-6.508°
14 Sep 202532.22'21.75-6.794°
15 Sep 202531.95'22.75-6.665°
27 Sep 202529.47'5.176.540°
28 Sep 202529.56'6.176.805°
29 Sep 202529.74'7.176.779°
30 Sep 202530.01'8.176.453°
11 Oct 202532.77'19.17-6.687°
12 Oct 202532.41'20.17-6.652°
25 Oct 202529.42'3.486.651°
26 Oct 202529.52'4.486.681°
27 Oct 202529.69'5.486.423°
07 Nov 202533.37'16.48-6.472°
08 Nov 202533.10'17.48-6.565°
21 Nov 202529.39'0.726.513°
22 Nov 202529.46'1.726.567°
05 Dec 202533.44'14.72-6.511°
18 Dec 202529.42'27.726.502°
19 Dec 202529.48'28.726.570°

Source: NASA/GSFC

Lunar Calendar 2024

Lunar Libration Calendar 2024 (PDF 11.2 MB)

View table online

Lunar Libration Calendar 2023 (PDF 3.3 MB)

 

Latest Deepsky Image

2024-12-25, Samyang 135mm, Uranus-C (IMX585), dual-band filter

 

Latest Planetary Image

2025-01-14, Celestron 8, Uranus-C, UV/IR-Cut filter

 

Latest Movie

2023-11-23, Celestron 8, Uranus-C, UV/IR-Cut filter, exposure 1h42m

 

Latest Wide Field Image

2024-08-26, Nikon D5500, Samyang 135mm with LPR, at f/2, 100 x 60s, ISO800

 

Latest Constellation Image

D5500, 50mm lens at f2.8, LPF, 34 x 60s, ISO1600.

 

Latest Lunar Image

C8, ASI290MM, IR642 filter (Jan 08, 2024).

 

Latest Astro Poster

Celestron 8 x 0.63, D5500, no filters.

 

Lunar Impressions March 2024

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Click to enlarge or show full screen

 


 

Source: apod.nasa.gov

Latest STScI News Release

NASA's Hubble Traces Hidden History of Andromeda Galaxy

A portion of the Andromeda galaxy, a spiral galaxy, spreads across the width. It is tilted nearly edge-on to our line of sight. Dark, dusty filamentary clouds wrap around the outer half of the galaxy’s disk. At 2 o'clock, a smaller dwarf elliptical galaxy forms a fuzzy, yellow blob. Hubble's sharp vision distinguishes about 200 million stars within the full image.

January 16, 2025

A portion of the Andromeda galaxy, a spiral galaxy, spreads across the width. It is tilted nearly edge-on to our line of sight. Dark, dusty filamentary clouds wrap around the outer half of the galaxy’s disk. At 2 o'clock, a smaller dwarf elliptical galaxy forms a fuzzy, yellow blob. Hubble's sharp vision distinguishes about 200 million stars within the full image.

Source: stsci.edu/news

Tonight's Sky

Has been moved to YouTube

Latest JWST News

Webb watches carbon-rich dust shells form, expand in star system

Observations of Wolf-Rayet 140 (MIRI Images, annotated)

13 January 2025

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have identified two stars responsible for generating carbon-rich dust a mere 5000 light-years away in our own Milky Way galaxy. As the massive stars in Wolf-Rayet 140 swing past one another on their elongated orbits, their winds collide and produce the carbon-rich dust. For a few months every eight years, the stars form a new shell of dust that expands outward — and may eventually go on to become part of stars that form elsewhere in our galaxy.


Source: esawebb.org

JWST Picture of the Month


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Source: esawebb.org

NASA Image of the Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is seen in the foreground with the Washington Monument in the background, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Washington. The memorial covers four acres and includes the Stone of Hope, a granite statue of civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr. carved by sculptor Lei Yixin.

Click to enlarge or show full screen

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:48 GMT


Source: www.nasa.gov

 

 

No, we are not on Facebook but proudly on AstroBin with Mille Gracie to the author Salvatore Iovene:


GoTo Astropical on AstroBin

 

If anybody is interested in the night life of bats, here is a funny 1-minute MP4 video (24MB).

 

Lunar Imaging e-brochure (PDF 100.5 MB)

 

EAA e-brochure (PDF 84.9 MB) In work. Pre-release for feedbacks.

 

Planetary Imaging e-brochure (PDF 17.4 MB) In work. Pre-release for feedbacks.

 

 


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Deepsky Overview
My Humble Gallery
Lunar Imaging
FOV Simulator
Astro Cameras
Let's Astrophoto
Telescopes for AP

 

Total Exoplanet Count: 5819

Kepler/K2: 3325 planets
TESS: 595 planets
Latest exoplanet around:  
as of 2024-12-16

ConstellationLeo Minor
Distance14.92 parsec
Magnitude5.38 vis.
Mass0.97 xSun
Radius1.24 xSun
Temperature5610°K
Known planet(s)1
View in Database | Star Chart | DSS IR Image 🔗

 


Acton Sky Portal Observatory 2
Anglo-Australian Telescope 35
Apache Point Observatory 1
Arecibo Observatory 3
Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) 1
Bohyunsan Optical Astronomical Observatory 26
Calar Alto Observatory 20
Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory 5
CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS) 3
CoRoT 35
European Southern Observatory 3
European Space Agency (ESA) Gaia Satellite 11
Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory 6
Gemini Observatory 10
Haleakala Observatory 2
HATNet 67
HATSouth 73
Haute-Provence Observatory 66
Hubble Space Telescope 6
Infrared Survey Facility 1
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) 1
K2 547
KELT 10
KELT-North 7
KELT-South 4
Kepler 2778
Kitt Peak National Observatory 1
KMTNet 101
KOINet 1
La Silla Observatory 286
Large Binocular Telescope Observatory 3
Las Campanas Observatory 29
Leoncito Astronomical Complex 1
Lick Observatory 36
Lowell Observatory 3
Mauna Kea Observatory 2
McDonald Observatory 31
MEarth Project 2
MOA 31
Multiple Facilities 18
Multiple Observatories 314
NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) 1
Next-Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) 21
OGLE 106
Okayama Astrophysical Observatory 36
Palomar Observatory 2
Paranal Observatory 30
Parkes Observatory 2
Qatar 10
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory 35
South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SAR 1
SPECULOOS Southern Observatory 2
Spitzer Space Telescope 4
Subaru Telescope 11
SuperWASP 113
SuperWASP-North 5
SuperWASP-South 32
Teide Observatory 1
Thueringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg 8
Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) 595
TrES 5
United Kingdom Infrared Telescope 2
University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory 1
Very Long Baseline Array 1
W. M. Keck Observatory 189
WASP-South 11
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) Sat 1
Winer Observatory 1
Xinglong Station 2
XO 6
Yunnan Astronomical Observatory 3


 

⎘

Next NEO Approach

2024 YF2 on 2025-Jan-17 01:50 UTC at 4.4109 LD

 

⎘

Next Meteor Shower

Gamma Ursae Minorids
15 Jan - 25 Jan, Peak: 1/20
Radiant: Star Chart, Rating: medium

 

⎘

Next ISS Passes

NOTE: You need to log in for correct data.

 

Random Objects

 

Alnair (Alp Gru) in Gru [HIP 109268]

Distance: 101 light-years, Magnitude: 1.73

Alnair is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Grus and rotates at a rate of 236 km/s, probably an ellipsoid.

Star Chart | DSS IR Image 🔗

 

GJ 229 A (GJ 229 A ) in Lepus

Distance: 19 light-years, Magnitude: 8.1

Gliese 229 (Gl 229 or GJ 229) is a red dwarf about 19 light years away in the constellation Lepus. It has 58% the mass of the sun, measures 69% solar radii and exhibits a very low projected rotation velocity of 1 km/s at its equator. Gliese 229 A has a companion, B, in a mean distance of over 35AU with an orbital period of over 10,000 days, plus a Neptune mass planet, b, in 0.97AU orbiting A once in 471 days.

Star Chart | DSS IR Image 🔗

 

M28 (Globular Cluster) in Sagittarius

Magnitude: 6.8

Compressed into a sphere measuring about 60 light-years in diameter, M28 orbits our galactic center about 19,000 light years away. In all of its thousands upon thousands of stars, M28 contains 18 known RR Lyrae variables and a W Virginis variable star.

Star Chart | DSS IR Image 🔗

 

Antlia (southern), area rank: 62

Located opposite of Crater with Hydra in between, this constellation is merely made of 4th and 5th-magnitude stars which are difficult to glimpse in cities because of its low elevation in the south. Antlia is derived from vacuum pumps used in the 18th century for scientific experiments.

Star Chart

 

153P/Ikeya-Zhang

Discovered in 2002, 153P/Ikeya-Zhang is a long-periodic comet with the longest known period (366.5 years) for returning comets. On March 18, 2002, the comet last passed perihelion and became the brightest comet since 1997 shining at 3.5 magnitudes. The comets aphelion distance is at over 100 AU away through the Kuiper Belt reaching into the innermost section of the Oort Cloud.

 

 

Ursula (Asteroid)

Semi-major: 3.12438 AU, Size: 216 km

Discovered by Auguste Charlois on September 18, 1893, in Nice. Rotating once around its axis in 16.83 hours, the asteroid has a mean mass of 8.45x1018kg and a density of 2.3g/cm³.

 

 

Himalia (moon of Jupiter)

Discovered in 1904, Himalia is the largest irregular moon of Jupiter's measuring 150 x 120 km wide. Himalia appears neutral in its gray color, like the other members of its group,

 

 

HD 23472 b (in Reticulum)

Mass: 0.02618 xJup
Radius: 0.178 xJup
SMA: 0.1162 AU
Period: 17.6671 days
Distance: 39.0341 parsec
Category: Hot Superterran
ESI: 0.326314

Star Chart | DSS IR Image 🔗

 

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Dark Site in Morocco

Some say that the seeing is better only in space.

Click on the banner to visit the new website of SaharaSky, the first and currently only private observatory with Casbah-style *** hotel in North Africa.

 

The owner, Fritz, is a German with a life-long passion for astronomy. Then, as he felt in deep love with Morocco and its wonderful people, he built a self-contained hotel at the feet of the Sahara about 30 kilometers to the southeast of the town of Zagora entirely in the traditional southern Moroccan Casbah-style and equipped it, besides comfortable rooms, a restaurant, spa and sauna, with a rich portfolio of optical instruments and accessories for amateur astronomers.

Fritz chose the location extremely well, a truly dark site in absence of city and street lights, blessed with an average of 300 clear dry nights annually. The observatory atop the hotel building offers a 360 degrees panoramic view on 500 square meters.

Most guests are professional and amateur astronomers, but also people of all ages with affection for the fascination of the stars and the desert. From the hotel's wide roof terrace, everybody can enjoy the starry sky dominated by the arch of the Milky Way with bare eyes or with rental telescopes and cameras.

The heart and soul of SaharaSky's observatory is Patrick from Belgium, not only a senior professional astronomer, but also a talented animator and entertainer under the Saharan stars.

A stay at SaharaSky is not limited to the night sky. SaharaSky provides equipment for solar observation, but Fritz also organises desert excursions for several days, overnight or day-return treks in a 4x4 or on dromedar backs, plus guided tours to historically invaluable local sites, such as the Petroglyphs of Ait Ouazzik.

Owner and staff as a team speak Arabic, local Berber, English, French, German, Spanish and Dutch.

Scotty, lock on to the coordinates of SaharaSky and beam us over!


SaharaSky owns telescopes with apertures from 40 to 400mm, such as Takahashi APOs, each of which can be saddled on high precision GM2000 mounts featuring GPS, GoTo and accurate guiding for both, visual observation and photography.

 

 

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