Category Archives: tonight’s sky

tonight's sky

Total Lunar Eclipse On 8th Nov 2022

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Astronomers gear up. A Total Lunar eclipse is coming up on Nov 8. The eclipse will be visible late afternoon in India around 4:30 pm IST. But observers in India will see that the moon after the peak eclipse.

The moon is expected to rise in New Delhi around 17:28 IST, past the peak eclipse point

Penumbral eclipse begins at 08:02 UTC on November 8 (13:32 IST).
Partial eclipse begins at 09:09 UTC on November 8 (14:39 IST).
Totality begins (moon engulfed in Earth’s shadow) begins at 10:16 UTC on November 8 (15:46 IST).
Totality ends at 11:41 UTC on November 8 (17:11 IST).
Partial eclipse ends at 12:49 UTC on November 8 (18:19 IST).
Penumbral eclipse ends at 13:56 UTC on November 8 (8:56 IST).
Maximum eclipse is at 10:59 UTC on November 8 (16:29 IST).
Duration of totality is about 85 minutes.

tonight's sky

Draconids Peak 9th 0ct 2022

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The Draconid meteor shower will peak on Sunday (Oct. 9), offering a chance to see fireballs appearing to originate from the dragon of the Draco constellation

However, the meteor shower peak coincides with a full moon that can make it difficult to observe

The comet responsible for the Draconid meteor shower is called Giacobini-Zinner which orbits the sun every 6.6 years.

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Tonight’s Sky: June 2016 – Saturn in Opposition

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Saturn in Scorpius
Looking South 2131 IST
Summer is here and one cannot miss Saturn and Mars in the night sky. Looking south-east, Saturn is a stunning magnitude 0 star right now, appearing towards the west limb of Scorpius ( more in Ophiuchus ). Saturn hits opposition tonight so its really bright. Also its rings are tilted 26 degrees to us earthlings, which means that small telescopes can get a really good viewing including the famous gap in the rings called the Cassini division. Mars also hit opposition a few days back so both planets should make backyard astronomers and enthusiasts extremely happy

Now don’t just sit there and read this. Grab your gear and get out and have fun under the sky.

fun, tonight's sky

Jupiter Venus Conjunction Tonight

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Greetings Fellow Earthlings
Tonight step outside the house for a change and look West at sundown. You’ll be greeted with a spectacular planetary pair of Jupiter and Venus almost hugging each other in a nice visual conjunction. Kind of ironical considering Jupiter is God of War, and Venus is the God of Loveeee. This treat will continue for a few days so do not worry if you’re sitting under the clouds right now.

conjuction of jupiter and venus
Looking West, in New Delhi ( Click to enlarge )

Sky and Telescope astronomy magazine suggested that the event closely resembles the Star of Bethlehem which, according to Christian tradition, revealed the birth of Jesus to the Biblical Magi, and later led them to Bethlehem.

tonight's sky

Polaris “Engagement Ring” Asterism

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One of the very few known asterisms in the night sky is the Polaris engagement ring asterism. When seen from a dark sky site you may be able to observe a ring like pattern with 2nd magnitude Polaris itself forming the ornament on the ring. The stars that are a part of this are either in Ursa Minor or Cepheus. Approximately 10 bright stars and a few fainter ones (of magnitude 7 and 8), form an obvious circle, the ring, with Polaris as a diamond. This really is a beautiful asterism to observe with small telescopes with a low magnification! Because Polaris is part of this asterism, The Engagement isn’t hard to find. Recently this asterism got the attention of Canadian music producer Deadmau5 who named a track called HR8938 Cephei after one of the stars in this asterism.

polaris
Image Courtesy: The Polar Project

Did you take a picture of this object, Email it to vidur_itm at yahoo dot com and we’ll publish it here

fun, tonight's sky

Sky Observation Etiquette

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1.Carry your dinner and snacks (bring some extra so you can share with others)(There is no food available around so u must bring your food)

2. One must carry warm clothing as it will get cold near the lake. Temperatures can go to 10°C

3. Carry chocolates: they are very helpful as they keep you awake and give you energy

4. VERY IMPORTANT!! always carry a torch covered with red cellophane sheet, any light source(torches etc) without a cellophane sheet is strictly prohibited .

5. Carry your equipment with you(even if you don’t have telescope you please join us anyways, there will be a couple of telescopes around you)

6. cover you camera flash with black tape so no light comes out and always keep the flash on off mode

7. We are not providing any transport so you will have to come on your own

8. If you bring a camera bring a tripod with it to shoot