Saturday 4^th October 2025

🌌 Saturday SkyWatch! 🌌

🌅 Sunset & Observatory Hours

• Sunset: 6:15 PM
• Nautical Sunset: 7:10 PM
• Astronomical Sunset: 7:41 PM
  This Saturday we will be open from sunset till 9:45pm.

☁️ Weather & Viewing Conditions

B.O.M. Forecast for The Rock: http://www.bom.gov.au/places/nsw/the-rock/

To learn how to read the Clear Outside forecast page, follow this link: https://clearoutside.com/page/how_to_use/

🌙 Moon Phase

Tonight’s Moon is a Waxing Gibbous (89%) and will rise at 2:59 PM. This means the Moon will be in the high Eastern towards transiting during viewing hours.

🌟 Feature Object: Silver Nugget Cluster (NGC 6441)

One of the most massive and luminous Globular Clusters in the Milky Way it has an unusually high metallicity vs amount of type II Cepheid variable stars. It also contains one of only four planetary nebula known to inhabit globular clusters in the Milky Way. It’s nebula (Jafu 2) was only discovered recently in 1997!

ℹ️ Other Information

Bring warm clothes, a beanie, and some gloves if you don’t like the cold. The view will be well worth venturing out!
Feel free to bring a picnic blanket and some snacks and non-alcoholic refreshments.

🔭 In the Sky Tonight

Note that just because these objects are in the sky at the moment, you may not always see them. Visibility is dependent on weather, moon brightness, atmospheric conditions, and equipment parameters. Check the weather and viewing conditions above, and if in doubt ask a friendly volunteer if you’re able to see an object in the night sky!

Prominent Constellations

Centaurus, Eridanus, Aquila, Scorpio, Piscis Austrinus, Grus, Pavo, Cetus, Ophiuchus, Horologium, Tucana, Serpens, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, Sculptor, Pegasus, Pisces

Note: Crux is under 15° altitude during the spring / summer months

Bright Stars

Rigil Kentaurus, Archernar, Hadar, Altair, Antares, Fomalhaut, Toliman, Alnair, Kaus Australis, Peacock, Diphda, Rasalhague

Open Clusters

NGC 6231 (Baby Scorpion / Northern Jewel Box), M 7 (Ptolemy’s Cluster), M 6 (Butterfly Cluster), IC 4665 (Summer Beehive Cluster), NGC 4755 (Jewel Box Cluster), M 25, NGC 6530 (Herschel 36), M 24 (Sagittarius Star Cloud), NGC 6633 (Tweedledum Cluster), NGC 3766 (Pearl Cluster), NGC 6281 (Moth Wing Cluster), M11 (Wild Duck Cluster), NGC 5281 (Little Scorpion Cluster), NGC 4609 (Coalsack Cluster), M 21 (Webb’s Cross)

Globular Clusters

NGC 104 (47 Tucanae), NGC 6397 (Ara Globular), M 22 (Great Sagittarius Cluster), M 4 (Crab Globular),  M 12 (Gumball Globular), NGC 6752 (Pavo Globular), M 15 (Pegasus Cluster), M 55 (Summer Rose Star), M 62 (Flickering Globular), NGC 362 (75 Tuc), M 30 (Jellyfish Cluster), NGC 6541 (Cacciatore Cluster), NGC 4833 (The Southern Butterfly), M 107 (The Crucifix Cluster), NGC 6723 (Chandelier Cluster), NGC 6441 (Silver Nugget Cluster)

Galaxies

PGC 17223 (Large Magellanic Cloud), NGC 292 (Small Magellanic Cloud), NGC 55 (String of Pearls Galaxy), NGC 6822 (Barnard’s Galaxy), NGC 300 (Sculptor Pinwheel Galaxy), NGC 6744 (face-on-spiral), NGC 1269 (Snow Collar Galaxy), NGC 1313 (Topsy-Turvey Galaxy), NGC 253 (Sculptor Galaxy), NGC 247 (Needle’s Eye Galaxy), NGC 1097 (Face on Barred Spiral in Fornax)

Nebula

IC 4592 (Blue Horsehead Nebula), IC 4604 (rho Ophiuchus Nebula), M 8 (Lagoon Nebula), M 16 (Eagle Nebula), M 17 (Omega Nebula), NGC 6960 (Filamentary Nebula), NGC 6992 (East Veil Nebula), NGC 6823 (Cloud Sculpting Star Cluster), IC 4628 (Prawn Nebula), NGC 2070 (Tarantula Nebula), M 20 (Trifid Nebula)

Planets

Saturn

🪐 Upcoming Astronomical Events for this week

📅 7^th October: Full Moon

📅 8^th October: Moon at Perigee (nearest to Earth)

Note: All other astronomical events occurring this week are not visible from the Southern Hemisphere.

As always, don’t forget to look up wherever you are!
– The TRRO Team