Gardens of the Sky

The Night 17^th to 23^rd December 2022

Just after sunset, Venus should hug the WSW horizon, its brilliance making this possible; the Japanese spacecraft Akatsuki is currently orbiting the planet. Mercury is not far away, 10 deg. up and has the Joint Japan/ESA BepiColombo mission to arrive next Christmas when it will release two spacecraft to study the planet; Mercury reaches greatest elongation East on Thursday. By 9pm, Saturn will sit 20 deg. above the West to WSW horizon. We cannot see Saturn’s moons like Jupiter’s, but with 10×50 binoculars one can possibly see that the planet is not round, hence you are seeing its rings. Next is Jupiter, which one currently cannot miss, by 10pm it sits 30 deg. above the WNW. That leaves what some believe is humanities hope for colonisation, Mars. My 11pm its sits just over 30 de. Above due North. The Moon is new on Friday. Continuing on the hopes for humanity, the Australian start-up company ‘Lunaria One’ plans to show growth from germination and or plants, in a short science project using a terrarium on the Moon in 2025. Continuing the Christmas astronomical present theme for young and old? A 2023 Australian Astronomy Almanac, like the 2023 Australasian Sky Guide or Astronomy 2023 from online or good bookshops is useful or a subscription to Australian Sky and Telescope. Monday will see the 68th anniversary of the first radio broadcast from space where President Dwight D. Eisenhower wished “to all mankind …” PEACE.

Week Commencing 30th January 2023