Author Archives: Derek

Both Antares in the constellation Scorpius and Mars can appear quite similar in colour and intensity, especially when Mars is near opposition and appears very bright in the sky – people have often mistaken Antares for Mars due to their … Continue reading →

When observing Jupiter with a good pair of binoculars or a small telescope, you’ll notice this Callisto below the Jupiter’s southern limb.

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (GRS) and Ganymede’s Shadow were visible together! ~ this is a fascinating event where Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons, casts its shadow on the planet’s surface, crossing the immense storm known as the Great Red Spot.

Firstly I spotted the Venus through the transparency clouds. Then glimpsed the gas planet, Saturn in the twilight skies. Venus passes north of Saturn in south-western evening sky after sunset.

A Jupiter eclipse occurs when one of Jupiter’s moon passes between Jupiter and the Sun ~ this will be an observer would experience a Jupiter’s eclipse in the oval shadow, and can be a rare event. (See my photo)

(Click the infographic below for enlarge) Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus will appear together in a row, although Neptune and Uranus will only be visible with binoculars or a telescope. oooo

During this event, Venus and Saturn will appear close together in the night sky, creating a stunning sight ~ they will be too widely separated to fit within the field of view of a telescope, but will be visible to … Continue reading →

Europa’s shadow will transit across Jupiter ~ this event is a great sight to observe through a telescope to see the shadow will appear as a small dark spot moving across Jupiter’s surface.

Mars will reach opposition, when it lies opposite to the Sun in the sky ~ lying in the constellation Gemini, it will be visible for much of the night, reaching its highest point in the sky around midnight. Mars also makes its closest approach to … Continue reading →

During this event, the Moon and Mars will appear close together in the night sky, creating a beautiful sight to observe.