Step outside now to see the beautiful sight of a slim crescent Moon low above the Western horizon. The photo below was only taken a few minutes ago so it gives you an idea of what you will see. If you wait till the sky is a bit darker, you will start to see what is known as ‘Earth shine‘ illuminating the non-sunlit side of the Moon.
I managed to get the below image showing ‘Earth shine’ in action about a half hour later.
Wait a little longer and then look above the Moon for a bright triangle of stars (see below).
If you even have only a small telescope, dust it off and point it at the right hand star in the triangle. You will be rewarded with a view of Saturn and it’s rings.
Was it possible to see the moon on Saturday the 18th of August at all from Melbourne? I know a couple of people who said they saw it. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Sidrah,
Looking at my astronomy program, the answer would be no. I suspect though if you know exactly where to look with a pair of binoculars, you may have been able to see it.
Does the inquiry have anything to do with Ramadam?
Regards,
Paul Floyd.
Hi Paul,thanks for the interesting info. The earth shine is great from sydney, everyone is looking up for a change. What is the other star in the triangle please, mars, saturn and ?
The star is Spica. I have just uploaded a finder chart and blog post here: http://nightskyonline.info/?p=4072
Regards,
Paul Floyd.