When does X transit the highest?

[Shimonu]

Is it possible to find out what time of year a target will transit the highest? I know Orion is the best for me during some of the winter months but is it possible to find out after which date it starts to get lower again? I know telescopius will show transit but only for a specific date.

 

Thanks

[Skipper Billy]

If you use Stellarium you can locate an object then 'wind the clock' forwards or backwards by hours, weeks or months to see when its in the best place for you.

https://stellarium.org/

[Gfamily]

The height of a transit is always the same (except for solar system objects), so what's probably of interest is to know when they're due south at a good time for observing.

I'd suggest a classic planisphere as the best way to see this.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Gfamily

[Shimonu]

25 minutes ago, Skipper Billy said:

If you use Stellarium you can locate an object then 'wind the clock' forwards or backwards by hours, weeks or months to see when its in the best place for you.

https://stellarium.org/

Yeah, I guess the best way is to check with Stellarium. I was just hoping that if I had a list of targets I'm interested in that there would be a quick way to check without really knowing what time of year they're relevant.

11 minutes ago, Gfamily said:

The height of a transit is always the same (except for solar system objects), so what's probably of interest is to know when they're due south at a good time for observing.

I'd suggest a classic planisphere as the best way to see this.

Alright, I guess I'm phrasing it a bit too general or misusing terms. From my location I would like to know what time of year an object is the highest over the horizon. For example, Orion doesn't make it over the Horizon this time of year but it gets a decent elevation around December/January.

[Stu]

21 minutes ago, Shimonu said:

Yeah, I guess the best way is to check with Stellarium. I was just hoping that if I had a list of targets I'm interested in that there would be a quick way to check without really knowing what time of year they're relevant.

Alright, I guess I'm phrasing it a bit too general or misusing terms. From my location I would like to know what time of year an object is the highest over the horizon. For example, Orion doesn't make it over the Horizon this time of year but it gets a decent elevation around December/January.

If you have an iPhone, there is an excellent app called Observer Pro which does exactly what you are asking.

Technically of course all objects reach their highest elevation every day of the year, there is just that inconvenient thing called daylight which gets in the way sometimes 😉. Observer Pro also shows best visibility times in terms of the lunar cycle and rise/set times too which is handy.

[Shimonu]

34 minutes ago, Stu said:

If you have an iPhone, there is an excellent app called Observer Pro which does exactly what you are asking.

Technically of course all objects reach their highest elevation every day of the year, there is just that inconvenient thing called daylight which gets in the way sometimes 😉. Observer Pro also shows best visibility times in terms of the lunar cycle and rise/set times too which is handy.

Right, very true! I wasn't considering the position during daylight. Unfortunately no, don't have any iPhone. Seems like an awesome app though!

[Skipper Billy]

This is probably nearer to what you are after

https://telescopius.com/deep-sky/object/1107/andromeda-galaxy/m-31/galaxy

Click on the Altitude - Yearly tab and it shows the best time of year to image any given target.

 

 

[Shimonu]

21 hours ago, Skipper Billy said:

This is probably nearer to what you are after

https://telescopius.com/deep-sky/object/1107/andromeda-galaxy/m-31/galaxy

Click on the Altitude - Yearly tab and it shows the best time of year to image any given target.

 

 

That's perfect! I didn't know you could see it for a time of day for the whole year.

Now starts my wishlist of targets for the year. Creating a spreadsheet for planning/categorizing them and sorting for when the best time is to shoot them.