#Phi Aquarii

[1218-814]

Twisted Wonderland Characters' Birthday Stones, Stars, And Flower Meanings

It's back by the demand

Heartslabyul

Riddle Rosehearts: 8/24

Stone: Lava- "Lovers" Flowers: Diatom- "Elegance/Fashion", Cypress vine- "Delicate love", Montbretia- "Lovely memories" Star: Lambda Hydrae- "Logics based on tradition"

Trey Clover: 10/25 Stone: Red spinel- "curiosity" Flowers: Maple- "refraining and precious memories", Sieboldii- "special someone", Celestial Chrysanthemums- "cooperation" Star: Phi Centauri- "Mostest yet honest"

Cater Diamond: 2/4 Stone: Bi-color amethyst: "Awakening" Flowers: Camellia- "perfect, whole love", Red primrose- "unflawed/natural beauty", Quince- "precocious" Star: Nu Aquarii- "Ideas and self-reliance"

Ace Trappola: 9/23 Stone: Ametrine- "light and dark" Flowers: Spider lilies- "Lonely/passion/giving up", Dahlia- "beauty/betrayal", Purslane- "a hidden love" Star: Pi Virginis - “A conscious mysterious charm”

Deuce Spade: 6/3 Stone: Pink diamond- "A soft beauty and elegance" Flowers: Hydrangea- "High pride/high endurance", Honeysuckle- "Flexible love", Garden phlox- "Agreement" Star: Mu Eridani- “a talented independence”

Savannaclaw

Leona Kingscholar: 7/27 Stone: Melee diamond- "A start from a supporting character" Flowers: Pelargonium- "Well raised", Thunberg lily- "Falseness", Geranium- "Unchanging trust" Star: Beta Volantis- "Brave and independence oriented"

Ruggie Bucchi: 4/18 Stone: Dolomite- "Courage to the whole body" Flowers: Lily daffodil- "Exotic", Statice-"Unchanging heart", Love-in-a-Mist -"Love in a dream" Star: Tau Ceti- "Coexistence of strength and kindness"

Jack Howel: 10/11 Stone: Rhodolite Garnet- "Active love" Flowers: Coleus- "Unfulfilled love", Lythrum Ancesps- "Good family custom", Peacock Plant- "Love at first sight" Star: Xi 2 Centauri- "Bright with a charming way of talking"

Octavinelle

Azul Ashengrotto: 2/24 Stone: White Pearl - "Modesty, sincerity" Flowers: Amaryllis- "Vanity", Crocus- "Believe me", Coptis- "Transformation" Star: Pi Aquarii- "Intuition and sensibility"

Jade/Floyd Leech: 11/5 Stone: Nephrite Cat's Eye - "The charm of the eyes"/ "The charm of maturity" Flowers: Pentas- "Your hope will come true", Dancing Lady Orchid- "Dance with me", Moss Rose/Sun Rose/Mexican Rose (however you may call it)- "Innocence" Star: Alpha Lupi- "Richness without profit and loss"

Scarabia

Kalim Al-Asim:2/25 Stone: Malachite- "Dangerous love Flowers: Bindweed- "Bonds, Friendship's sake", Montbretia- "Cheerful", Drumstick Flower- "Knocking on the door to the heart Star: Kappa Cassiopeiae- "Kindness that dislikes loneliness"

Jamil Viper: 9/12 Stone: Peridot- "The bond of fate" Flowers: Diascia- "Forgive me", Indigo- "It all depends on you", Clematis- "Stratigest/Creativity"/"Bondage Star: Delta Crateris- "Strong companionship"

Pomefiore

Vil Schoenheit: 4/9 Stone: Cerasite (Cherry Blossom Stone)- "Mental beauty/Purity" Flowers: Cherry blossom- "Mental beauty", Acacia- "Grace/secret love", Wallflower- "Long-lasting love" Star: Theta Cassiopeiae- "Effort to get through on their own"

Rook Hunt: 12/2 Stone: Black Coral- "A calm wit" Flowers: Cineraria- "Always comfortable", Heliconia- "A weird person", Carnation- "Increasing feelings Star: Tau Scorpii- "Not restrained by common sense"

Epel Felmier: 5/6 Stone: Lemon Quartz: "Bear fruit/harvest" Flowers: Chinese redbud: "Modest/simplicity", Butterfly flower: "Rebellious", Gardenia: "Carrying happiness" Star: Tau Persei- "A sense of responsibility that does not despair"

Ignihyde

Idia Shroud: 12/18 Stone: Fire-Opal -"One who is falling in love" Flowers: Pomegranate- "Beauty of maturity", Leopard plant- "Humility, Restraint", Kumaszasa: "Lonely" Star: Beta Ophiuchi (Cebalrai)- "authoritarianism with strong courtesy”

Ortho Shroud: 8/14 Stone: Inca Rose Stone: "Welcoming new love and romance" Flowers: Globe Amaranth- "Immortal", Cheeses flower: "Gentle heart", Oleander: "Danger" Star: Ursae Majoris (Chalawan)- "Lonley and honest"

Diasomnia

Malleus Draconia: 1/18 Stone: Roselite- "The bliss of reaching goals" Flowers: Hepatica- "Trust", Primula- "I can't live without you" Star: Gamma Sagittae- "A self-reflective maturing person"

Lilia Vanrouge: 1/1 Stone: Jade- "Long life and prosperity" Flowers: Pine- "Immortality, and longevity", Snowdrops- "Hope", Adonis Ramosa- "Permanent happiness" Star: Vega- "an optimistic person with a peaceful heart"

Silver: 5/15 Stone: Red Jadeite- "Judgement" Flowers: Houttuynia Cordata- "Wild", Campanula- "Moderation/Sincerity", Western Azalea- "Dignity" Star: Xi Tauri-"The charm of being lonely and unreliable"

Sebek Zigvolt: 3/17 Stone: Emerald- "Mental stability" Flowers: Lupine- "You are my peace", Ixia (African corn lilies)- "Unity" Star: Tau Cassiopeiae- "A focus that doesn't fail twice"

I know ppl are going to say, this looks familiar...

Yeah, you are right, idk if anyone's reposted this tbh but ppl liked this when I posted this

It helped me see characters better ngl

[reflexletterpress]

Finally a clear night, although there’s too much gloppy snow around to drag the telescope out. 20x binox to the rescue! I think Venus is still at gibbous phase but at 20x you’re not gonna see that. Have an angelic choir style image of Hesperus the Evening Star instead. Thin crescent Moon with Crisium nicely outlined and some polar mountains catching the light. Bonus Earthshine for you, and Phi-3 Aquarii as the bright star to the left. And Ganymede-Jupiter-Io-Europa this evening, Callisto is in eclipse. So all of these were done using the Halide app and the 3x iPhone telephoto, amazingly it was pretty smooth sailing, nothing to gripe about. #iphoneastrophotography #lunarphotography #themoon #20xbinoculars #shallowskyastronomy #galileanmoons #jupiter #io #europa #ganymede #callisto #venus #eveningstar #hesperus #marecrisium #waxingcrescent #earthshine https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn0jTFYrQbl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[astrogeoguy]

The Crown’s Jewels, the First Quarter Moon Meanders through Bright Planets, Jupiter bears Black and Red Spots, and Neptune Kisses a Star!

Above: On Wednesday, September 4 from 9:21 to 11:33 pm EDT, observers in the Americas can watch Io’s shadow transit Jupiter, accompanied by the Great Red Spot, as shown here for 10 pm EDT)

Hello, Late Summer Stargazers!

Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of September 1st, 2019 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. I repost these emails with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where all the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails.

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event. Contact me, and we’ll tour the Universe together!

The Moon and Planets

If last week was the best week for skywatchers worldwide, this is the week for lunatics – the lovers of our natural satellite, Luna! Between now and next Sunday, the moon will March across the evening sky worldwide, waxing in phase and visiting two bright planets. Meanwhile, we have a minor meteor shower underway, and we can enjoy summer constellation sights in evening, autumn ones at midnight, and our winter treats during the pre-dawn hours. Here are your Skylights! 

The moon will begin the week as a delicate waxing crescent visible over the western horizon after sunset. Watch for Earthshine - sunlight that has reflected off the seas and white clouds of Earth and is illuminating the unlit portion of the moon’s near side. The bright, white star that you see below the moon (or above it, if you live south of the Equator) on Sunday and Monday evening is Spica, the brightest star in Virgo (the Maiden). Note how the moon moves with respect to that star from one night to the next. 

On Wednesday and Thursday, the now healthy crescent moon will pass through the modest stars of Libra (the Scales). The moon never wanders far from the Ecliptic, the imaginary line that traces the sun’s path through the zodiac constellations. So the moon is usually within those familiar constellations, allowing you to see where they are – even after the moon has moved away from them. 

Thursday will bring the First Quarter Moon phase - when the angle formed by the sun, Earth, and moon forms a right-angle, causing the moon to appear half-illuminated, on its eastern side. (East and west on the moon are opposite to sky directions on Earth.) First quarter moons always rise around noon time, allowing you to see them in the afternoon. Evenings around first quarter are the best ones for viewing the moon in binoculars and backyard telescopes. The topography along the terminator – the pole-to-pole line that divides the lit and dark halves – is being lit by low-angled sunlight which produces breathtaking vistas of bright mountain peaks and crater rims, and the deep black shadows they cast. Moon phases are shared by everyone around the world.

(Above: On Thursday, observers worldwide will see the First Quarter moon near very bright Jupiter, as shown here at 9:30 pm EDT. The following nights, the moon will hop east of Jupiter and then do the same for Saturn.) 

Thursday night will also begin the moon’s dance with the gas giant planets. Look for the moon in the southwestern sky, and positioned less than four finger widths to the right (or 4 degrees to the celestial northwest) of the bright planet Jupiter. The moon and Jupiter will both fit within the field of view of binoculars. If you watch the pair over several hours, starting at dusk, you will see the moon’s orbit carry it closer to the planet. Look for the bright reddish star Antares “the Rival of Mars” twinkling below the moon. That is the heart of Scorpius (the Scorpion). To the west of Antares, three little white stars in a vertical line and each separated by three finger widths from the next one, represent the critter’s claws. Remember that Jupiter will stay with the scorpion after the moon moves away – all autumn, in fact. 

On Friday night, the waxing gibbous (i.e., more than half-full) moon will hop to sit on the east side of Jupiter. Then, on Saturday night, the moon will land immediately above the Teapot-shaped stars of Sagittarius (the Archer), and a palm’s width the right (or celestial west) of Saturn. As with Jupiter, the moon will hop to the other side of Saturn on Sunday night – and the ringed planet will stay near the Teapot for the rest of this year.   

Mercury, Venus, and Mars are out of sight - hidden in the sun’s glare, for now. But the two fast inner planets will bring them into view in the evening sky next week. 

As the sky begins to darken this week, look for the giant planet Jupiter sitting less than a third of the way up the southwestern sky. Hour by hour, Jupiter will sink lower – then set in the west before midnight local time. Jupiter is spending the rest of this year between Ophiuchus (the Serpent-Bearer) and Scorpius (the Scorpion). Normally a planet becomes harder to see when it reaches the southwestern evening sky. But the earlier sunsets and the planet’s brilliance will keep it in view for some time to come. 

On a typical night, even a backyard telescope will show you Jupiter’s two main equatorial stripes and its four Galilean moons - Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede looking like small white dots arranged in a rough line flanking the planet. If you see fewer than four dots, then some of them are in front of Jupiter, or hidden behind it. Good binoculars will show the moons, too! 

From time to time, the small, round, black shadows cast onto Jupiter’s surface by those four Galilean moons become visible in amateur telescopes as they cross (or transit) Jupiter’s disk. On Wednesday, September 4 from 9:21 to 11:33 pm EDT, observers in the Americas can watch Io’s shadow transit Jupiter, accompanied by the Great Red Spot! 

Due to Jupiter’s rapid 10-hour rotation period, the Great Red Spot (or GRS) is only observable from Earth every 2nd or 3rd night, and only during a predictable three-hour window. The GRS will be easiest to see using a medium-sized, or larger, aperture telescope on an evening of good seeing (steady air). If you’d like to see the Great Red Spot in your telescope, it will be crossing the planet on Monday evening from dusk to 11 pm EDT, on Wednesday from 9:20 to 11:30 pm EDT (accompanied by the Great Red Spot), and on Saturday from dusk until 10 pm EDT. 

Yellow-tinted Saturn is prominent in the southern evening sky, too - but it is less bright than Jupiter. The ringed planet will be visible from dusk until about 2 am local time. Saturn’s position in the sky is just to the upper left (or celestial east) of the stars that form the teapot-shaped constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer). To find Saturn, look about 3 fist diameters to the left (east) of Jupiter. The Milky Way is between them. 

Dust off your telescope! Once the sky is dark, even a small telescope will show Saturn's rings and several of its brighter moons, especially Titan! Because Saturn’s axis of rotation is tipped about 27° from vertical (a bit more than Earth’s axis), we can see the top surface of its rings, and its moons can arrange themselves above, below, or to either side of the planet. During this week, Titan will migrate counter-clockwise around Saturn, moving from the upper left of Saturn tonight (Sunday) to below the planet next Sunday. (Remember that your telescope will flip the view around.) 

Tiny, blue Neptune will rise at dusk this week, and then it will climb the eastern sky until it reaches its highest point, due south, at about 1:30 am local time. The planet is among the stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer). Recently, Neptune has been sitting just to the left (celestial east) of a medium-bright star named Phi (φ) Aquarii. Neptune is actually moving slowly toward that star and will “kiss” it on Thursday and Friday nights this week, an event that will help you locate dim Neptune.

Astronomers call such an event a conjunction. Being so close together, both the star and Neptune will appear together in the field of view of a telescope. But blue Neptune’s light has been travelling for 4 hours to reach your eye, while the warmly-tinted light of Phi Aquarii has been journeying for 202 years! After this weekend, the distance between the two objects will increase due to Neptune’s eastward orbital motion.

(Above: The path of blue Neptune past the medium-bright stat Phi Aquarii will produce a close conjunction on September 5 and 6. Each yellow dot represents 6 hours of Neptune’s orbital motion this week. They will make an interesting sight in backyard telescopes.)  

Blue-green Uranus will be rising in the east just before 10 pm local time this week; and it will remain visible all night long. Uranus is sitting below (celestial south of) the stars of Aries (the Ram) and is just a palm’s width above the head of Cetus (the Whale). At magnitude 5.8, Uranus is actually bright enough to see in binoculars and small telescopes, under dark skies – and it really does look blue! You can use the three modest stars that form the top of the head of the whale (or sea-monster in some tales) to locate Uranus for months to come – that’s because that distant planet moves so slowly in its orbit. To help you find it, I posted a detailed star chart here.

(Above: The Ice Giant planets are visible in late evening, as shown here at 10:30 pm local time.)  

Aurigids Meteor Shower

A minor meteor shower named the Aurigids is underway. It peaks today (Sunday) and ends next weekend. Look for several of these meteors per hour. They’ll be moving away from the northeastern horizon, where the constellation that gives them their name, Auriga (the Charioteer), rises in late evening. 

The Northern Crown Rests in the West

Corona Borealis (the Northern Crown) can be spotted halfway up the western evening sky in early September. The constellation actually sits about midway along the imaginary line that joins the two bright stars Vega and Arcturus. The earlier autumn sunsets extend our opportunity to explore Corona Borealis. This incomplete circlet of medium-bright stars is roughly 7 degrees across (a generous palm’s width). It is both a constellation and an asterism (an informal star pattern). Corona Borealis’ brightest star Alphecca is a white, A-class star located 75 light-years from the sun. Alphecca’s placement in the constellation is reminiscent of a diamond in a ring. The star’s name derives from the Arabic expression for “broken”, referring to the incomplete ring.

(Above: The distinctive constellation of Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, sits in the western evening sky - midway between the two bright stars Vega (at top centre) and Arcturus. The sky is shown for 10 pmlocal time this week.)

While the Northern Crown is poor in deep sky objects, it contains several interesting jewels -  double and variable stars. Alphecca itself is an eclipsing binary system that varies in brightness by a tiny amount every 17.36 days, similar to the behavior of the star Algol in Perseus (the Hero). Eruptive variable stars are named for R Coronae Borealis, which is located about three finger widths above (or 3.5 degrees to the celestial northeast of) Alphecca. R Corona Borealis is a hydrogen-deficient and carbon-rich supergiant star. From time to time, it’s usual visual magnitude of 5.8 drops to as little as magnitude 14, possibly due to the formation of opaque carbon dust that blocks visible light, but passes infrared wavelengths. Another star named S Coronae Borealis exhibits the same range of variability, but with a 360-day period. The Blaze Star (T Coronae Borealis) is a cataclysmic variable star, also called a recurrent nova-type. Normally shining between visual magnitude 10.2 and 9.9, on rare occasions it has brightened to magnitude 2 in a period of hours, caused by a nuclear chain reaction and the subsequent explosion.

(Above: The crown’s jewels include the variable stars R, S, and T Coronae Borealis)   

August-September Stargazing Suggestions - Lyra

If you missed last week’s tour of the constellation of Lyra (the Harp), I posted it here. Over the next weeks, we’ll look at some other constellations, too. 

Public Astro-Themed Events

Taking advantage of the moon and other bright objects in the sky this week, the RASC Toronto Centre astronomers will hold their free monthly public City Sky Star Party in Bayview Village Park (steps from the Bayview subway station), starting around 8 pm on the first clear weeknight this week (Tues to Thu only). You don’t need to be an RASC member, or own any equipment, to join them – looks are free! Check here for details, and check the banner on their website home page or Facebook page for the GO or NO-GO decision around 5 pm each day. 

Every Monday evening, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday nights they offer free public viewing through their rooftop telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

If the skies are clear on Thursday evening, September 5, local astronomers will set up their telescopes in Old Thornhill Village. This free event starts at 8 pm and everyone is welcome to come out for a look at the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn, and a variety of deep-sky treasures. The viewing location is Thornhill's very own “dark-sky oasis,” the Pomona Meadow - situated north of the cemetery on Charles Lane, and east of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of St. Volodymyr. Park for free at the church and just follow the paved path. The rain or cloud date is Thursday, October 3 at 7:00 pm. Dress warmly, and we’ll see you there! 

Eastern GTA sky watchers are invited to join the RASC Toronto Centre and Durham Skies for solar observing and stargazing at the edge of Lake Ontario in Millennium Square in Pickering on Friday evening, September 6, from 6 pm to 11 pm. Details are here. Before heading out, check the RASCTC home page for a Go/No-Go call in case it's too cloudy to observe. The rain date is Saturday. That same evening, RASC and Durham Skies will be donating a telescope to the Pickering Public Library in a public ceremony. In case of rain or bad weather, the ceremony will be moved to the Pickering Library Auditorium (2nd floor) at 1 The Esplanade. 

If it’s sunny on Saturday morning, September 7 from 10 am to noon, astronomers from the RASC Toronto Centre will be setting up outside the main doors of the Ontario Science Centre for Solar Observing. Come and see the Sun in detail through special equipment designed to view it safely. This is a free event (details here), but parking and admission fees inside the Science Centre will still apply. Check the RASC Toronto Centre website or their Facebook page for the Go or No-Go notification. 

Please note: Due to some filming permits at DDO, some of our events in September have been cancelled. Here’s the updated information… 

The next RASC-hosted Night at the David Dunlap Observatory will be on Saturday, September 21. There will be sky tours in the Skylab planetarium room, space crafts, a tour of the giant 74” telescope, and viewing through the 74” and lawn telescopes (weather permitting). The doors will open at 8:30 pm for a 9 pm start. Attendance is by tickets only, available here. If you are a RASC Toronto Centre member and wish to help us at DDO in the future, please fill out the volunteer form here. And to join RASC Toronto Centre, visit this page. 

This Fall and Winter, spend a Sunday afternoon in the other dome at the David Dunlap Observatory! On Sunday afternoon, October 20, from noon to 4 pm, join me in my Starlab Digital Planetarium for an interactive journey through the Universe. We’ll tour the night sky and see close-up views of galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters, view our Solar System's planets and alien exo-planets, land on the moon, Mars - and the Sun, travel home to Earth from the edge of the Universe, hear indigenous starlore, and watch immersive fulldome movies! Ask me your burning questions, and see the answers in a planetarium setting - or sit back and soak it all in. Sessions run continuously between noon and 4 pm. Ticket-holders may arrive any time during the program. The program is suitable for ages 3 and older, and the Starlab planetarium is wheelchair accessible. For tickets, please use this link.

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do. I love questions and requests - so, send me some! 

[askbarasanss]

"Yeah, that sounds nice!" Rainbow would have beamed as she grin his way, while excited to see what Nebula will do the evening she'll be with him.

Nebula beamed in excitement, sockets wide as his smile grew wider. “* fantastic! I was thinking of maybe a spooky movie, oh! and-and how about when it gets late we look for Phi Aquarii! “ It was as if he were a child, giddy to be in someone’s company that actually enjoyed him.

[subdorseyrose]

update for sept 11 {astronomy club}

The planet Neptune reaches opposition today at 4 P.M. EDT. At that time, Earth will sit between Neptune and the Sun, offering excellent views all night long of the farthest planet from our star. You can find the blue-tinged world in Aquarius the Water-bearer, rising around sunset and gaining altitude as darkness falls. Its disk spans 2.3" and shines at magnitude 7.9, visible in either binoculars or a telescope. The planet will be visible all night and into tomorrow morning, setting around sunrise.

Neptune is currently about 2° east of magnitude 4.2 Phi (φ) Aquarii, which provides us with a chance to press fast-forward on the life cycle of the Sun. Phi is roughly 265 times brighter than the Sun and its radius stretches out to nearly 39 times our own star’s, or half the size of Mercury’s orbit. It’s a red giant star that matches nearly exactly the predictions of astronomers for the condition of our own Sun once it reaches an age of 12 billion years, when it will no longer fuse hydrogen into helium in its core. Eventually, both will evolve into a beautiful planetary nebula, before fading out and leaving behind a tiny white dwarf behind.  

Sunrise*: 6:38 A.M.

Sunset: 7:15 P.M.

Moonrise: 12:04 A.M.

Moonset: 3:31 P.M.

Moon Phase: Waning crescent (37%)

*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.

On September 11, 2020, Neptune reaches opposition, when it is 180 degrees from the sun in our sky. In other words, Earth passes more or less between Neptune and the sun, as we do every year in our yearly orbit. Also, on September 11, Earth and Neptune are closest together for the year.

By closest, I don’t mean close. Neptune, the eighth planet outward from the sun, lodges in the outskirts of our solar system. Its current distance is about approximately 2.7 billion miles (4.3 billion km).

For any superior planet – that is, for any solar system planet beyond Earth’s orbit – opposition is a special event. When any planet outside of Earth’s orbit is at or near opposition, Earth comes closest to that planet for the year, and that planet, in turn, shines most brightly in our sky. Even at opposition, however, Neptune, the eighth planet, is not bright. In fact, Neptune is the only major solar system planet that’s absolutely not visible to the unaided eye. This world is about five times fainter than the dimmest star that you can see on an inky black night. You’ll need binoculars (at least) and a detailed sky chart to see Neptune in front of the constellation Aquarius.

Here is a detailed chart showing Neptune

Because we’re more or less between Neptune and the sun around now, Neptune is rising in the east around the time of sunset, climbing highest up for the night around midnight and setting in the west around sunrise. As viewed from Earth now, this world is in front of the constellation Aquarius the Water Carrier, right next to the 4th-magnitude star Phi Aquarii.

Phi Aquarii, though faint, is easily visible to the eye alone on a dark night. Because the moon is now a waning crescent, the moon-free evening hours offer a dark sky for viewing Neptune.

Neptune and Phi Aquarii are so close together on the sky’s dome at present that the two readily fit within a single binocular field. In fact, you might see them together in a low-powered telescope, with blue-green Neptune offering a color contrast to the ruddy tint of Phi Aquarii. Neptune is nearly 30 times fainter than the star Phi Aquarii. You may well be able to view Neptune with this star tonight.

Even with an optical aid, Neptune may look like a faint star. You need to magnify Neptune by about 200 times and have a steady night of seeing to view this distant world as a small disk.

By the way, if Earth and Neptune both orbited the sun in perfect circles and on the same plane, then Neptune would be closest to Earth right at opposition. Yet, the Earth actually comes closest to Neptune some 19 hours before Neptune’s opposition. That’s because, at opposition, the Earth is a bit closer to the sun (and, therefore, farther from Neptune) than the Earth was 19 hours before opposition. Neptune is also closer to the sun at opposition than 19 hours before. But Earth’s change in distance is much more significant than that of Neptune.

Bottom line: Neptune’s opposition – when it’s 180 degrees from the sun on the sky’s dome – comes on September 11, 2020. You need optical aid to spot it. 

[starwalkapp]

The ice giant is coming! ✨ Neptune at Opposition⠀ ⠀ Never seen Neptune? Now is a good time to try, as the icy blue giant reaches opposition and appears at its biggest and brightest of the year.⠀ ⠀ On the night of September 10, Neptune will be directly opposite the sun in the sky. At opposition, the ice giant will be closest to Earth for the year and visible all night long. ⠀ ⠀ For skywatchers the opposition of Neptune means that they will have a chance to see the eighth planet of the Solar system at its bluest, largest and brightest. Tiny, blue planet will shine at magnitude 7.8, so even at its closest approach, it won't be possible to see Neptune with the naked eye. You will need a telescope to hunt the planet in the southern sky. ⠀ ⠀ Neptune will rise at dusk and sink below the horizon at dawn. You can find it among the stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer), just to the left (celestial east) of a medium-bright naked-eye star named Phi (φ) Aquarii. Being so close together, both the star and Neptune will appear together in the field of view of a backyard telescope at medium power. Blue Neptune’s light has been travelling for 4 hours to reach your eye, while the warmly-tinted light of Phi Aquarii has been journeying for 202 years. A bit later the distance between the two objects will increase due to Neptune’s eastward orbital motion.⠀ ⠀ You will never miss must-see sky events with our Star Walk 2 app.⠀ ⠀ Happy hunting!⠀ ⠀ (Text Credit:Chris Vaughan) via Instagram https://ift.tt/2ZQlF5F

[andromeda1023]

(Pic 1) The Full Moon passes through Earth’s lighter outer shadow on January 10, bringing a penumbral lunar eclipse to residents across much of the Eastern Hemisphere. The subtle darkening of the Moon will be obvious to all who look. The penumbral eclipse recorded here occurred October 18, 2013.

(Pic 2) January meteor viewing reaches its peak with the perfectly timed Quadrantids, which could deliver up to two meteors per minute.

(Pic 3) Catch asteroid 4 Vesta this week as it passes near a bright star in Cetus the Whale. This image shows Vesta as revealed by the Dawn spacecraft, which orbited the asteroid from July 2011 until September 2012.

Saturday, January 4:  The Quadrantid meteor shower reaches its peak this morning. The slightly gibbous Moon sets around 1 a.m. local time, leaving nearly five hours of darkness for watching. The Quadrantid shower typically produces up to 120 meteors per hour, an average of two per minute, so observers should be in for a great show if the weather cooperates. The meteors appear to radiate from a spot in the northern part of the constellation Boötes — an area once occupied by the now-defunct constellation Quadrans Muralis — a region that climbs highest just before dawn.

Sunday, January 5:  Earth reaches perihelion, the closest point to the Sun during its year-long orbit, at 3 a.m. EST. The two then lie 91.4 million miles (147.1 million kilometers) apart. It surprises many people to learn that Earth comes closest to the Sun in the dead of winter, but the cold weather in the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year arises because the Sun lies low in the sky.  The Sun is in the news more than once today. Although people in the Northern Hemisphere experienced the shortest day of the year two weeks ago (at the winter solstice December 21), the Sun has continued to rise slightly later with each passing day. That trend stops this morning for those at 40° north latitude. Tomorrow’s sunrise will arrive a second earlier than today’s. This turnover point depends on latitude. If you live farther north, the switch occurred a few days ago; closer to the equator, the change won’t happen until later this month.

Monday, January 6:  Venus gleams in the southwestern sky after sunset. The brilliant planet stands out just a half hour after sunset, when it appears 20° above the horizon, and remains on display until 7:30 p.m. local time. Shining at magnitude –4.0, it is by far the brightest point of light in the night sky. A telescope shows Venus’ disk, which spans 13" and appears about 80 percent lit.

Tuesday, January 7: The brightest star in the sky (after the Sun, of course) puts on quite a show on January evenings. Gleaming at magnitude –1.5, Sirius shines nearly four times brighter than the next brightest star visible from mid-northern latitudes: Arcturus in the constellation Boötes. Sirius currently rises before 7 p.m. local time and ascends in the southeast throughout the evening hours.

Wednesday, January 8:  If you’re game for a quick eveninφg challenge, try to spot Neptune through binoculars. The distant planet lies 30° high in the southwest near the end of evening twilight and doesn’t set until nearly 10 p.m. local time. The magnitude 7.9 world appears against the backdrop of Aquarius, 1.0° west-southwest of the 4th-magnitude star Phi (f) Aquarii. You’ll need binoculars to spy Neptune and a telescope to see its blue-gray disk, which spans 2.2".

Thursday, January 9:  The solar system’s brightest asteroid is 4 Vesta, and it is conveniently located high in the early evening sky among the background stars of Cetus the Whale. Vesta glows at magnitude 7.5, which makes it a reasonably easy target through binoculars from the country and a snap to see with a small telescope from the suburbs. This week offers prime viewing because the asteroid lies near the 4th-magnitude star Mu (μ) Ceti. Tonight, you can spot Vesta just 0.5° southeast of this star. No other object brighter than the asteroid resides in its immediate vicinity

Friday, January 10: Full Moon arrives officially at 2:21 p.m. EST, but it will look completely illuminated all night. You can find it rising in the east at sunset and peaking high in the south shortly after midnight local time. It dips low in the west by the time morning twilight begins. The Moon spends the night near the border between the constellations Gemini the Twins and Cancer the Crab. If you live in the Eastern Hemisphere, look carefully and you should notice the dusky shading of a penumbral lunar eclipse over Luna’s southern half. The eclipse peaks at 19h10m UT, when 92 percent of the Moon lies within our planet’s light outer shadow. Mercury reaches superior conjunction at 10 a.m. EST. This means the innermost planet lies on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth and remains hidden in our star’s glare. It will return to view in the evening sky late this month.

Saturday, January 11: Uranus reached opposition and peak visibility in late October, but it remains a tempting target in January. The outer planet appears highest in the south once darkness falls, when it stands two-thirds of the way to the zenith. The magnitude 5.8 world lies in southwestern Aries the Ram, near that constellation’s border with Pisces the Fish and Cetus the Whale. Although Uranus shines brightly enough to glimpse with the naked eye from a dark site, binoculars will help your search immensely. The closest guide star is magnitude 4.4 Xi1 (ξ1) Ceti, which lies 4° to the southeast. A telescope reveals Uranus’ disk, which spans 3.6" and shows a distinct blue-green hue.

Sunday, January 12:  Ruddy Mars grows more prominent before dawn with each passing week. The Red Planet now rises just after 4 a.m. local time and climbs 20° above the southeastern horizon an hour before sunrise. Mars glows at magnitude 1.5 against the backdrop of Scorpius the Scorpion, some 6° north-northwest of its ancient rival, the 1st-magnitude star Antares. Unfortunately, a telescope doesn’t add much to the view, revealing a bland disk only 4" across.

http://www.astronomy.com/observing/sky-this-week/2020/01/the-sky-this-week-from-january-3-to-12

[fumpkins]

The sky this week for May 25 to June 3

Friday, May 25

Look high in the northwest after darkness falls this week and you’ll be greeted by the familiar sight of the Big Dipper. The Dipper is the sky’s most conspicuous asterism — a recognizable pattern of stars that doesn’t form a complete constellation shape. It makes up the body and tail of Ursa Major the Great Bear. Use the Pointers, the two stars at the end of the Dipper’s bowl, to find Polaris, which lies due north for everyone north of the equator. Polaris marks the end of the Little Dipper’s handle. On evenings in late May and June, the relatively faint stars of this dipper arc directly above Polaris.

Saturday, May 26

Neptune rises around 2:30 a.m. local daylight time and appears 15° high in the east-southeast as twilight commences. The distant world glows at magnitude 7.9, so you’ll need binoculars or a telescope to spot it. Fortunately, it lies near a brighter star that will guide you. This morning, Neptune stands 1.1° west-southwest of 4th-magnitude Phi (φ) Aquarii. You can confirm your sighting of Neptune through a telescope, which reveals the planet’s 2.3″-diameter disk and blue-gray color.

Sunday, May 27

The waxing gibbous Moon appears near brilliant Jupiter all night. The two were closest during the afternoon hours from North America (when they were below the horizon), and they slowly pull apart as the night progresses. Still, they make a pretty pair set against the backdrop of Libra the Scales. If it weren’t for the Moon, Jupiter would dominate the late evening sky. The giant planet reached opposition and peak visibility earlier this month, and it remains a stunning sight from shortly after sunset until morning twilight is underway. It appears in the southeastern sky during evening twilight and climbs highest in the south around 11:30 p.m. local daylight time. Shining at magnitude –2.5, Jupiter is the night sky’s brightest point of light once Venus sets shortly before 11 p.m. The giant world resides in Libra, 1.1° northeast of Zubenelgenubi (Alpha [α] Librae). When viewed through a telescope, the gas giant’s disk spans 44″ and shows stunning detail in its cloud tops.

Monday, May 28

Mars rises around 12:30 a.m. local daylight time and climbs 25° high in the south-southeast by the time twilight commences. Although it won’t reach opposition for another two months, the Red Planet appears noticeably brighter than it did just a week ago. Shining at magnitude –1.1 this morning, it is the second-brightest point of light in the morning sky after Jupiter. If you point a telescope toward Mars this morning, you’ll see a 15″-diameter disk with several subtle surface features. To learn more about the planet’s great summer show, see “Observe Mars at its best” in the May Astronomy.

Tuesday, May 29

Full Moon occurs at 10:20 a.m. EDT, but our satellite looks completely illuminated all night. You can find it rising in the east near sunset and peaking in the south around 1:30 a.m. local daylight time. The Moon spends the night among the background stars of southern Ophiuchus.

Wednesday, May 30

If you look at Jupiter through a telescope tonight, it will appear as if it has a “black eye.” The reason: The shadow of its moon Io appears in stark contrast to the bright jovian cloud tops. The action gets underway at 10:37 p.m. EDT, when Io itself first touches the planet’s eastern limb. The volcanic moon’s shadow follows 30 minutes later. You can track the pair crossing Jupiter for the next two hours. Io moves off the planet’s western limb at 12:45 a.m., followed by its shadow at 1:17 a.m.

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New post published on: https://www.livescience.tech/2018/05/28/the-sky-this-week-for-may-25-to-june-3/

[bobs-spaces]

   After the very thin waxing crescent Moon passed the innermost planet Mercury on the evening of the 25th the Moon continues its eastward orbit, and over a 2-day period the waxing crescent Moon passes by the other inner planet, Venus. On the evenings of January 27th and 28th the 3-4-day old waxing crescent Moon will be within 7o from Venus. On the 27th the Moon will be to the west and on the 28th the Moon will be east from Venus. Both conjunctions will fit within the field of view of binoculars.    On the evening of the 27th Venus will be less than 0.5o from the 4th magnitude star Phi Aquarii. This is an interesting contrast in magnitudes between the 4th magnitude star and nearby Venus. Venus also has a magnitude of 4, however for Venus it is a -4.0 apparent magnitude! #gallery-0-6 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-6 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-6 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-6 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

January 27 – 6:30 pm CST

January 28 – 6:30 pm CST

            Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces. Also Follow me and other great resources at Feedspot. Venus and Moon: A 2-Day Affair After the very thin waxing crescent Moon passed the innermost planet Mercury on the evening of the 25th…

[astrogeoguy]

The Full Thunder Moon gets Eclipsed, Evening Gas Giant-Gazing, and the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Arrives!

(Above: Features visible on a full moon are labelled on this image by Michael Watson of Toronto. The Apollo Mission landing sites are the red numerals. Apollo 11 was sent to study the dark, bluish basalts of Mare Tranquilitatis.)

Hello, Summer Stargazers!

Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of July 14th, 2019 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. I repost these emails with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where all the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. If you are a teacher or group leader interested joining me on a guided field trip to York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory or the David Dunlap Observatory, visit www.astrogeo.ca.

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event. Contact me, and we’ll tour the Universe together!

The Moon and Planets

This week, a big, bright moon will dominate evening skies all over the world – perfect for reminding us to celebrate humankind’s first steps upon it 50 years ago this Saturday, July 20 when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Besides that, there are plenty of other celestial doings to look at. Here are the Skylights! 

When the bright, nearly full moon rises over the southeastern horizon at 8:30 pm local time on Monday evening, the medium-bright, yellowish planet Saturn will be positioned 2.5 finger widths to the left (celestial east) of it. The pair will cross the sky together during the night and will easily fit within the field of view of your binoculars. If you watch the pair over several hours, starting at dusk, you will see the moon’s orbit carry it closer to the planet and the rotation of the sky lift Saturn above the moon. Observers in eastern Melanesia, southern Polynesia, Easter Island, and central South America will see the moon cover (or occult) Saturn. 

The July full moon will happen at 5 pm EDT on Tuesday. Also known as the “Buck Moon”, “Thunder Moon”, or “Hay Moon”, this one always shines in or near the stars of Sagittarius (the Archer) or Capricornus (the Sea-Goat). When the moon approaches its full phase, all of the regions where the Apollo astronauts explored are illuminated by sunlight. Each of the six crewed Apollo Missions was sent to a different region of the moon in order to carry out experiments and to bring back rock samples that help us determine the age and composition of the moon’s surface. For safety reasons, Apollo 11 was sent to the flat and relatively featureless terrain of Mare Tranquillitatis “Sea of Tranquility”. Later missions landed in more rugged regions with complex geology. Visually, Mare Tranquilitatis is darker and bluer than the other mare – due to a higher Titanium content in the basalt rocks that created it. 

This full moon will also feature a partial lunar eclipse. The northern portion of the moon will pass through the southern edge of Earth’s umbral shadow and become darkened. At greatest eclipse, the moon will be in Sagittarius and positioned 7.5 finger widths east of Saturn. The entire eclipse will be visible from most of Africa, the Middle East, and western India. South America will see the later stages of the eclipse after moonrise, and Australia and Southeast Asia will see the eclipse set in progress. None of the eclipse will be visible from North America. Maximum eclipse occurs near Maputo, Mozambique at 21:30:46 UT. Remember that lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch without eye protection.

(Above: This is the arrangement of the sky that was seen by observers near Toronto at the moment Neil Armstrong was stepping on the moon - at 10:56:15 pm EDT.) 

After Tuesday, the moon will wane in phase and rise later – passing through the stars of Capricornus and then Aquarius (the Water-Bearer) on the coming weekend. Unfortunately, the moon will rise very late on the anniversary date. 

Mars is steadily fading from view as it slips downward towards the evening sun. Your best chance to see it will be low in the north-northwestern sky before about 9:30 pm local time. Thankfully, we’ve got the two big gas giant planets to view in evening this summer. 

The incredibly bright object gleaming in the southeastern evening sky is Jupiter! This week, Jupiter will be visible from dusk to about 3 am local time. Even a backyard telescope can show Jupiter’s two main equatorial stripes and the four Galilean moons named Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede. They always appear in a rough line flanking the planet. If you see fewer than four, then some are either in front of Jupiter, or hidden behind it.

(Above: On Monday, July 15, the waxing gibbous moon will land near Saturn, as shown here for 10:30 pm EDT. Jupiter is off to the west.) 

From time to time, the small, round black shadows cast by the Galilean moons become visible in amateur telescopes as they cross (or transit) Jupiter’s disk. Europa’s shadow will be transiting Jupiter from 9:09 to 11:38 pm EDT on Tuesday with the Great Red Spot, and Io’s shadow will cross on Saturday, July 20 from 8:54 to 11:06 pm EDT. 

Due to Jupiter’s rapid 10-hour rotation period, the Great Red Spot (or GRS) is only observable from Earth every 2nd or 3rd night, and only during a predictable three-hour window. The GRS will be easiest to see using a medium-sized, or larger, aperture telescope on an evening of good seeing (steady air). If you’d like to see the Great Red Spot in your telescope, it will be crossing the planet on Tuesday evening from 8 to 11 pm EDT. More GRS viewing opportunities will occur from 9:45 pm to 12:30 am on Thursday night, and after dusk on Sunday. 

Yellow-tinted Saturn will remain visible all night long during August. Its position in the sky is just to the left (east) of the stars that form the teapot-shaped constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer). Saturn is quite a bit dimmer than Jupiter. To find it, look about 3 fist diameters to the lower left (east) of Jupiter. Dust off your telescope! Once the sky is dark, even a small telescope will show Saturn's rings and several of its brighter moons, especially Titan! Because Saturn’s axis of rotation is tipped about 27° from vertical (a bit more than Earth’s is), we can see the top surface of its rings, and its moons can appear above, below, or to either side of the planet. During this week, Titan will migrate counter-clockwise around Saturn, moving from Saturn’s upper left tonight (Sunday) to below the planet next Sunday. (Remember that your telescope will flip the view around.) 

For night owls, distant and dim, blue Neptune is in the southeastern pre-dawn sky, among the stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer). The planet will be rising shortly at about 11:30 pm local time this week. You’ll find the magnitude 7.9 planet sitting a thumb’s width to the left (east) of a medium-bright star named Phi (φ) Aquarii. 

Blue-green Uranus will be rising at about 1 am local time this week. It is sitting below the stars of Aries (the Ram) and is just a palm’s width above the head of Cetus (the Whale). At magnitude 5.8, Uranus is bright enough to see in binoculars. 

(Above: Venus will soon vanish into the pre-dawn twilight. for now you can still look for it low in the ENE, as shown here at 5:30 am local time.)

Similar to Mars, Venus is barely bright enough to see within the pre-dawn twilight sky that surrounds it, but it is sitting very low in the northeast - sinking ever-closer to the rising sun. Venus will be rising at about 5 am local time all week. 

Finally, Pluto reaches peak visibility today – but invisible to backyard telescopes. 

Some Moonlight-Friendly Sights

If you missed last week’s suggestions for objects to look for on moonlit nights, I posted the sky charts here. 

Public Astro-Themed Events

At 7:30 pm on Wednesday, July 17, the RASC Toronto Centre will hold their free monthly Recreational Astronomy Night Meeting at the Ontario Science Centre, and the public are welcome. Talks include The Sky This Month (presented by me), imaging planets while at southern locations, and solar science. These meetings are also streamed live on RASC-TC’s YouTube channel. Check here for details. Parking is free. 

Every Monday evening, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday nights they offer free public viewing through their rooftop telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

On Tuesday, July 16 and Thursday, July 18, starting at 11 am, U of T’s AstroTour planetarium show will be a Kids Summer Break Show. Find tickets and details here. 

At 3:30 pm on Tuesday, July 16, the Agincourt Library will present a free public talk by Max King from the University of Toronto’s Astronomy & Astrophysics department entitled Mission to Pluto, From Napkin to New Horizon. Check here for details. 

On Tuesday, July 16, starting at 7 pm, U of T’s AstroTour planetarium show will be Our Musical Universe. Find tickets and details here. 

(Above: One of few photographs of Neil Armstrong on the moon, taken by Buzz Aldrin.)

The 50th Anniversary of humankind’s first steps upon another world is here! Here is a list of the places around town where you can join experts and fellow “lunatics” to honour Apollo 11 this Saturday night, July 20. 

On Tuesday, July 16, starting at 8 pm, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 with a free film and star-gazing on the Arboretum roof! Details are here. 

Ontario Science Centre: Apollo 11 50th Anniversary on Saturday from 10 am to 10 pm features many moon and space activities and presentations, stargazing – and a Canadian astronaut! Regular admission and parking fees apply, except for the star party. Details are here. 

Aga Khan Museum: Moon Landing Festival on Saturday and Sunday from 12 pm to 10 pm features art, live music, talks, and stargazing. Free! Details are here. 

U of T’s Dunlap Institute: SpaceTime on Saturday from 6:30 to 8:30 pm features all-ages fun, talks, games, and giveaways. Free! Details are here. 

The next RASC Family Night at the David Dunlap Observatory will be on Saturday, July 20. There will be sky tours in the Skylab planetarium room, space crafts, a tour of the giant 74” telescope, and viewing through lawn telescopes (weather permitting). The doors will open at 8:30 pm for a 9 pm start. Attendance is by tickets only, available here. If you are a RASC Toronto Centre member and wish to help us at DDO in the future, please fill out the volunteer form here. And to join RASC Toronto Centre, visit this page.

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do. I love questions and requests - so, send me some!

[astrogeoguy]

Lovely Luna in Evening, Saturn Shines at Maximum, and Moonlight-Friendly Sights!

(Above: Look - a donut! The Ring Nebula in Lyra, imaged by Ron Brecher of Guelph, Ontario on July 25, 2012. His other excellent images are found at  http://astrodoc.ca/ )

Hello, Summer Stargazers!

Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of July 7th, 2019 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. I repost these emails with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where all the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. If you are a teacher or group leader interested joining me on a guided field trip to York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory or the David Dunlap Observatory, visit www.astrogeo.ca.

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event. Contact me, and we’ll tour the Universe together!

The Moon and Planets

This is the week of the lunar month when skywatchers worldwide can enjoy the moon in the early evening sky - just ahead of next week’s 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. And, two more planets will reach opposition and maximum visibility this week. Here are the Skylights!

(Above: The moon at First Quarter, imaged by Michael Watson of Toronto in spring, 2015. Michael’s amazing photos can be viewed on his Flickr page here.) 

Tonight (Sunday) the moon will begin the week as a pretty waxing crescent in the western, early evening sky on the border between Virgo (the Maiden) and Leo (the Lion). On Tuesday morning, the Earth-orbiting moon will reach a 90 degree angle from the sun - setting up its First Quarter phase, when it appears half-illuminated from Earth. We call this phase “first quarter” because the moon has completed one-quarter of the trip around Earth. 

First quarter moons rise around noon and set around midnight. The evenings surrounding this lunar phase are the best times to look at the moon under magnification. As the sun slowly rises over the moon’s eastern horizon (which takes a week!), its steeply slanted rays of light cast deep, black shadows to the west of every elevated feature – mountains, crater rims, boulders, and even fault lines. Every hour, and every night, the zone alongside the terminator, the pole-to-pole boundary dividing the lit and dark hemispheres, creeps west - revealing new breathtaking vistas. 

On Tuesday night, the moon will take up a position above (celestial north of) the very bright, white star Spica in Virgo. Over the course of several hours, you can watch the moon’s orbital motion carry it eastwards of that star. That’s toward the left for Northern Hemisphere observers, and vice versa. 

On Thursday and Friday night, the waxing gibbous (which means “more than half-illuminated”) moon will visit Libra (the Scales) and then land above the up-down row of three little white stars that mark the claws of Scorpius (the Scorpion). 

In the southern sky on Saturday evening, the waxing gibbous moon will land about three finger widths to the left (east) of the bright planet Jupiter. If you watch the moon and Jupiter over several hours, starting at dusk, you will see the moon’s orbit carry it farther from the planet, while the rotation of the sky will lift the moon above Jupiter.

(Above: The bright gas giant planets continue to dominate the southern evening sky. On Saturday, July 13, the bright, waxing gibbous moon will land near Jupiter, as shown here for 10 pm local time.) 

For about an hour after sunset on the Sunday evening, Mercury’s orbital motion downwards towards the sun will bring it less than 4 finger widths to the lower left (south) of slightly brighter Mars. The two dim planets will be very low in the north-northwestern twilit sky. Take care that the sun has completely disappeared below the horizon before attempting to search for them with binoculars or telescopes. The best time to look for Mercury falls between 9:30 and 9:45 pm local time. Mars sets nearly 30 minutes later, so you’ll have more time to look for it. Observers closer to the Equator will have a better chance to see the two planets – due to a darker sky after sunset. Mercury will drop too low to see after mid-week.

(Above: Mars and Mercury can be spotted with difficulty, low in the north-northwestern sky after sunset early this week, as shown here at 9:40 pm local time. Mercury is following its orbit downward, toward the sun.)  

That incredibly bright object that you’ve been seeing in the southeastern evening sky recently is Jupiter! This week, Jupiter will be visible from dusk to almost 4 am local time. Even a backyard telescope can show Jupiter’s saucy equatorial stripes and the four Galilean moons named Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede. They always appear in a rough line flanking the planet. If you see fewer than four, then some are either in front of Jupiter, or hidden behind it. 

From time to time, the small, round black shadows cast by the Galilean moons become visible in amateur telescopes as they cross (or transit) Jupiter’s disk. Io’s shadow will transit Jupiter after midnight on Thursday (i.e., Friday morning) from 12:31 am to 2:43 am EDT. 

Due to Jupiter’s rapid 10-hour rotation period, the Great Red Spot (or GRS) is only observable from Earth every 2nd or 3rd night, and only during a predictable three-hour window. The GRS will be easiest to see using a medium-sized, or larger, aperture telescope on an evening of good seeing (steady air). If you’d like to see the Great Red Spot in your telescope, it will be crossing the planet starting late on Monday evening (from 10:15 pm until 2:15 am EDT). More GRS viewing opportunities will occur after dusk on Tuesday and Thursday, and on Saturday night from 10:15 pm to 1:30 am EDT. 

On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 9, Earth’s orbit will carry us between Saturn and the sun. Sitting opposite the sun in the sky on that date, Saturn will rise at sunset and arrive at its minimum separation from Earth of 9.0 Astronomical Units (an AU is the average sun-Earth distance). That’s 1.351 billion km, or 75 light-minutes! Saturn will shine at a peak brightness for the year (magnitude +0.05) and exhibit an apparent disk diameter of 18.4 arc-seconds. The rings, which will be getting narrower every year until the spring of 2025, will subtend 42.86 arc-seconds. (For comparison, the full moon is 1,800 arc-seconds across.) Don’t fret if Tuesday is cloudy. Saturn will look nearly as good for several days.

(Above: Saturn will reach peak visibility for 2019 on Tuesday, as shown here at 10:30 pm EDT. Look in the southeastern sky after dusk, about 30 degrees to the lower left of Jupiter.)  

Yellow-tinted Saturn will remain visible all night long. Its position in the sky is just to the left (east) of the stars that form the teapot-shaped constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer). Saturn is quite a bit dimmer than Jupiter. To find it, look about 3 fist diameters to the lower left (east) of Jupiter. Dust off your telescope! Once the sky is dark, even a small telescope will show Saturn's rings and several of its brighter moons, especially Titan! Because Saturn’s axis of rotation is tipped about 27° from vertical (a bit more than Earth’s is), we can see the top surface of its rings, and its moons can appear above, below, or to either side of the planet. During this week, Titan will migrate counter-clockwise around Saturn, moving from Saturn’s right tonight (Sunday) to the upper left of the planet next Sunday. (Remember that your telescope will flip the view around.) 

For night owls, distant and dim, blue Neptune is in the southeastern pre-dawn sky, among the stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer). The planet will be rising shortly before midnight local time this week. You’ll find the magnitude 7.9 planet sitting a thumb’s width to the left (east) of a medium-bright star named Phi (φ) Aquarii. 

Blue-green Uranus will be rising at about 1:30 am local time this week. It is sitting below the stars of Aries (the Ram) and is just a palm’s width above the head of Cetus. At magnitude 5.8, Uranus is bright enough to see in binoculars. 

Venus is bright enough to see within the pre-dawn twilight sky that surrounds it, but it is sitting very low in the northeast - sinking ever-closer to the rising sun. Venus will be rising at about 5 am local time all week. 

But wait, there’s more! On Sunday, July 14, the dim and distant dwarf planet Pluto will also reach opposition. (After all, it IS sitting near Saturn this year.) On that date, Pluto will be the closest to Earth (4.91 billion km, or 273 light-minutes) and reach its greatest visual magnitude (+14.2) for 2019. Pluto will rise in the east at sunset and reach its highest elevation, over the southern horizon, at 1:20 am local time. While Pluto is far too dim to see in amateur-grade telescopes, an astronomy app can show you where it is compared to the brighter nearby stars. Even if you can’t see it directly, you will know that Pluto is there. 

Some Moonlight-Friendly Sights

While the moon will brighten evening skies all over the world this week, there are still plenty of sights to see.  

Stars shine with a colouration that is produced by their surface temperatures, and this is captured in their spectral classification. The three bright stars of the Summer Triangle, namely Deneb, Vega, and Altair, are all A-class stars that appear blue-white to the eye and have surface temperatures in the range of 7,500 to 10,000 K. High in the southwestern sky, orange Arcturus is a K-class giant star with a temperature of only 4,300 K. Finally, reddish Antares, the heart of Scorpius, is an old M-class star with a surface temperature of 3,500 K. By comparing these stars colors’ to other stars, you can estimate those stars’ temperatures. The classification letters, from hottest to coolest are: OBAFGKM. Can you think up a mnemonic phrase to remember the order? I have one.

(Above: The bright stars of summer shine with different colours. Deneb, Vega, and Altair are hot white, medium-hot Arcturus is orange, and cooler Antares is closer to reddish. The sky is shown for early July at 10 pm local time.)  

The constellation of Lyra (the Harp) is positioned high overhead in late evening in early July. This constellation features a coffee and a donut! Keen eyes might reveal that the star Epsilon Lyrae, located just one finger’s width to the left (east) of the bright star Vega (Alpha Lyrae), is a double star. Binoculars or a small telescope will certainly show the pair. Examining Epsilon at high magnification will reveal that each of the stars is itself a double – hence its nick-name, “the double-double”. To see the donut, aim your telescope midway between the stars Sulafat and Sheliak, which form the southern end of Lyra’s parallelogram. Messier 57, also known as the Ring Nebula, will appear as a faint grey ring. Higher magnification works well on this planetary nebula – which is the corpse of a star that had a similar mass to our sun.

(Above: The constellation of Lyra, the Harp features summertime’s brightest star, Vega. It also contains a coffee and a donut - the double double-star Epsilon Lyrae and the Ring Nebula, respectively.)  

Mid-July evenings bring us one of the best asterisms in the sky, the Teapot in Sagittarius (the Archer). This informal star pattern features a flat bottom formed by the stars Ascella on the east and Kaus Australis on the west, a triangular pointed spout pointing west, marked by the star Alnasl, and a pointed lid marked by the star Kaus Borealis. The stars Nunki and Tau Sagittarii form its handle. The asterism reaches maximum height above the southern horizon around midnight, when it will look as if it’s serving its hot beverage – with the steam rising as the Milky Way! 

(Above: The stars of Sagittarius form a quaint Teapot-shaper asterism. The Milky Way rises like steam from its spout, as shown here at 11 pm local time in early July.)

The Summer Triangle

If you missed last week’s note about the Summer Triangle asterism, which shines high in the eastern sky every July, I posted it here. 

Public Astro-Themed Events

Taking advantage of the moon and other bright objects in the sky this week, the RASC Toronto Centre astronomers will hold their free monthly public City Sky Star Party in Bayview Village Park (steps from the Bayview subway station), starting around 8 pm on the first clear weeknight this week (Mon to Thu only). You don’t need to be an RASC member, or own any equipment, to join them – looks are free! Check here for details, and check the banner on their website home page or Facebook page for the GO or NO-GO decision around 5 pm each day. 

Every Monday evening, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday nights they offer free public viewing through their rooftop telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

On Tuesday, July 9, starting at 7 pm, U of T’s AstroTour planetarium show will be Our Musical Universe. Find tickets and details here. 

Weather permitting, on Tuesday, July 9 from 9 to 10:30 pm, astronomers from RASC – Mississauga will hold a free public star party at the Riverwood Conservancy, 4300 Riverwood Park Lane, Mississauga. Details are here. 

On Thursday, July 11, starting at 7 pm, U of T’s AstroTour will present their planetarium show Grand Tour of the Cosmos. Tickets and details are here. 

At 2 pm on Thursday, July 11, the Cliffcrest Library will present a free public talk by Dr. John Percy, Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, in Astronomy & Astrophysics and in Science Education entitled The Amazing Universe. Check here for details. 

If it’s sunny on Saturday morning, July 13 from 10 am to noon, astronomers from the RASC Toronto Centre will be setting up outside the main doors of the Ontario Science Centre for Solar Observing. Come and see the Sun in detail through special equipment designed to view it safely. This is a free event (details here), but parking and admission fees inside the Science Centre will still apply. Check the RASC Toronto Centre website or their Facebook page for the Go or No-Go notification. 

The next RASC Family Night at the David Dunlap Observatory will be on Saturday, July 13. There will be sky tours in the Skylab planetarium room, space crafts, a tour of the giant 74” telescope, and viewing through lawn telescopes (weather permitting). The doors will open at 8:30 pm for a 9 pm start. Attendance is by tickets only, available here. If you are a RASC Toronto Centre member and wish to help us at DDO in the future, please fill out the volunteer form here. And to join RASC Toronto Centre, visit this page. 

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do. I love questions and requests - so, send me some!

[astrogeoguy]

Meteors Mount, Gas Giants in Evening, and Touring the Triangle and Celestial Critters!

(Above: Albireo is the beautiful double star that marks the head of Cygnus the Swan!)

Hello, Summer Stargazers! 

Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of July 28th, 2019 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. I repost these emails with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where all the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. 

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event. Contact me, and we’ll tour the Universe together! 

Meteor Shower Update

The Southern Delta Aquariids meteor shower runs annually from July 21 to August 23. It is caused by the Earth passing through a cloud of tiny particles dropped by a periodic comet – likely Comet 96P/Machholtz. The shower peaked before dawn this morning (Sunday, July 28), but is quite active for a week surrounding that date. This shower commonly generates 15-20 meteors per hour at the peak, but is best seen from the southern tropics, where the shower’s radiant, in Aquarius (the Water-Bearer), is positioned higher in the sky. The waning crescent moon on the weekend should not adversely affect the shower very much. 

The prolific Perseid Meteor Shower runs from July 13 through August 26, so keep an eye out for a few of them this week. The moon will spoils the show on the peak nights of August 12/13, so take advantage of the darker skies this week. 

To increase your chances of seeing any meteors, find a dark location with lots of sky, preferably away from light polluted skies, and just look up with your unaided eyes. Binoculars and telescopes are not useful for meteors because their fields of view are too narrow to fit the streaks of meteor light. Don’t watch the radiant. Any meteors near there will have very short trails because they are travelling towards you. Try not to look at your phone’s bright screen – it’ll ruin your night vision. And keep your eyes heavenward, even while you are chatting with companions. I’ll write more about meteors in the coming weeks. For now, happy hunting! 

The Moon and Planets

Keep that telescope handy - the first half of this week will feature dark evening skies worldwide. Late on Wednesday, the moon will pass the sun - giving us a second new moon in July, and then our natural satellite will return to grace the western evening sky after sunset to end the week. Here are this week’s Skylights! 

If you are out under the stars before dawn on Monday, you’ll see a pretty crescent moon in the eastern sky, between the toes of Gemini (the Twins) and the upraised club of Orion (the Hunter). Yes – those winter constellations will return to view before we know it! On Tuesday morning, the moon will be lower, and closer to the sun. 

The moon will first return to view, positioned low over the northwestern horizon, shortly after sunset on Thursday evening. For the rest of the week, the moon’s delicate crescent will grow and the moon will set later – passing through the stars of Leo (the Lion) and landing a few finger widths to the right (celestial west) of the medium-bright star Porrima in Virgo (the Maiden) on Sunday evening. Viewed in a backyard telescope, Porrima splits into a lovely double star - but I recommend waiting until next spring to view it. At that time it will be higher in the sky. 

(Above: The southern evening sky at 10 pm local time.)

With the moon away, Jupiter is the brightest object in the early evening sky. After dusk, look for it gleaming in the southwestern sky. It will set in the west after 2 am local time. On a typical night, even a backyard telescope will show you Jupiter’s two main equatorial stripes and its four Galilean moons, named Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede. The moons always form a rough line flanking the planet. If you see fewer than four, then some are in front of Jupiter, or hidden behind it. 

From time to time, the small, round black shadows cast by the Galilean moons become visible in amateur telescopes as they cross (or transit) Jupiter’s disk. After midnight on Saturday night, Io’s shadow will start to transit the northern part of Jupiter at 12:44 am. Unfortunately, Jupiter will set in the Eastern Time Zone before its passage is complete; but observers farther west can watch the entire event. 

Due to Jupiter’s rapid 10-hour rotation period, the Great Red Spot (or GRS) is only observable from Earth every 2nd or 3rd night, and only during a predictable three-hour window. The GRS will be easiest to see using a medium-sized, or larger, aperture telescope on an evening of good seeing (steady air). If you’d like to see the Great Red Spot in your telescope, it will be crossing the planet tonight (Sunday evening) from dusk to 11 pm EDT, on Tuesday night from 10:52 pm to 12:30 am EDT, on Thursday from 11 pm to 2:30 am EDT, and after dusk on Friday and Sunday. I posted a calendar of Jupiter’s doings here. 

Yellow-tinted Saturn will remain visible from dusk until almost dawn this month. The ringed planet’s position in the sky is just to the upper left (celestial east) of the stars that form the teapot-shaped constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer). Saturn is quite a bit dimmer than Jupiter. To find it, look about 3 fist diameters to the lower left (east) of Jupiter. Dust off your telescope! Once the sky is dark, even a small telescope will show Saturn's rings and several of its brighter moons, especially Titan! Because Saturn’s axis of rotation is tipped about 27° from vertical (a bit more than Earth’s axis), we can see the top surface of its rings, and its moons can appear above, below, or to either side of the planet. During this week, Titan will migrate counter-clockwise around Saturn, moving from the upper right of Saturn tonight (Sunday) to the lower left of the planet next Sunday. (Remember that your telescope will flip the view around.) 

For night owls, tiny blue Neptune is in the southeastern pre-dawn sky, among the stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer). The planet will be rising before 10 pm local time this week. You’ll find the magnitude 7.8 Neptune sitting a thumb’s width to the left (east) of a medium-bright star named Phi (φ) Aquarii. The planet is actually moving slowly toward that star! 

Blue-green Uranus will be rising at about midnight local time this week. It is sitting below the stars of Aries (the Ram) and is just a palm’s width above the head of Cetus (the Whale). At magnitude 5.8, Uranus is bright enough to see in binoculars under dark skies. 

Venus is above the east-northeastern sky, barely bright enough to see within the pre-dawn twilight sky that surrounds it. Sinking ever-closer to the rising sun, Venus will be rising at about 5:30 am local time all week. By the end of this week, Mercury will be easier to see than Venus. The swift, innermost planet is climbing away from the sun. Your best opportunity to see it will be at at about 5:30 am local time. 

A Summer Triangle Tour

When you are out on the next clear night, be sure to look for the three bright and beautiful blue-white stars of the Summer Triangle asterism, which shines high in the eastern sky in late July and early August. Once you have it identified, you can find some treasures within it, and follow its progress across the night sky until it finally disappears in late fall. 

(Above: The evening eastern sky features the Summer Triangle formed by the stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair. The Milky Way passes through it.)

Find an open area and face east. The very bright star Vega will be almost straight over your head. It’s the fifth brightest star in the entire night sky and one of the first stars to appear after dusk. Now look for the other two corners of the triangle. Altair, not as bright as Vega, sits about 3.5 outstretched fist diameters (34°) to the lower right of it. The third star, Deneb, is about 2.5 fist diameters (24°) to the lower left of Vega, and is higher up than Altair. It’s a very big triangle! 

Can you see the four fainter stars forming a small, upright parallelogram just below Vega? That shape is about a thumb’s width wide and a few finger widths tall. This box is the body of the musical harp that makes up the constellation of Lyra (the Lyre). Vega marks the top of the instrument’s neck. Vega’s visual magnitude, or brightness, is the zero reference point for the scale we use to define stars’ brightness values. Objects brighter than Vega have values lower than zero, and vice versa. Antares, the reddish star near Jupiter this summer, has a value of about 1, making it 2.5 times dimmer than Vega. (It’s a logarithmic scale.) 

(Above: A detailed view of Lyra, the Harp. The constellation features many double stars, including the Double Double, located a finger’s width from Vega)

Vega also forms a little triangle with two other dim stars, each about a finger’s width apart. The star to Vega’s upper left is Epsilon Lyrae, also known as the Double Double. Can you tell it’s actually two stars crammed tightly together? Try using binoculars. When magnified in a telescope, each star splits again! 

Deneb marks the tail of great Cygnus (the Swan). Look for a modest star sitting about two fist diameters (22°) to the right of Deneb. That’s Albireo, a colourful double star that marks the swan’s head. (I like to think of Albireo as the centre of doc Brown’s flux capacitor. The Summer Triangle stars are the gadget’s corners!) Albireo was given a single star name before telescopes revealed that there were two stars there! 

A widely spaced string of medium-bright stars aligned up-down traces out the swan’s wings. (Look closer to Deneb than Albireo for them – swans have long necks!) The brighter star in the middle of the wing span is Sadr, marking the swan’s belly. If you are in a dark location, you should also be able to see that the Milky Way runs right through Cygnus, as if she is about to land for a swim on that celestial river! 

The most southerly of the triangle’s corners is marked by Altair – the head of the great eagle Aquila. In fact, its name translates from “the flying eagle”. At only 16.8 light-years distance, Altair is one of the nearest bright stars – so close that its surface has been imaged! The star also seems to be spinning 100 times faster than our sun, probably generating an equatorial bulge. Like Cygnus, the Aquila the eagle is oriented with its wingtips up-down. The tail bends to the lower right. Two little stars named Terazed (above) and Alshain (below) sit on either side of Altair, like a balance. As a matter of fact, those two little stars’ names derive from an old-fashioned scale balance. 

Grab your binoculars and look about midway between Vega and Altair for a little grouping of stars called The Coathangar. (Hint: For North American observers, it’s oriented with the hook downwards to the right.) Finally, have a look for two little constellations in the area. Sagitta (the Arrow) comprises five faint stars running left-right, above Altair. The three on the right (west) end form the feathers. Below Sagitta, and about 1.3 fist diameters (13°) to the left of Altair is cute little Delphinus (the Dolphin). Four stars form a diamond-shaped body and another star to the lower of that right marks the tail flukes! The star names for Delphinus include a very interesting story. Look it up! 

There’s one more small constellation inside the Summer Triangle, but its dim stars make it difficult to make out. It’s called Vulpecula (the Fox), and it sits about a palm’s width above and parallel to Sagitta. I’ll post a star chart for the entire area here. Two birds, a dolphin, and a fox! (And – there’s the lizard Lacerta just to the east and a little foal Equuleus below Delphinus!) Enjoy your tour of the triangle and visit to this celestial zoo! 

(Above: The Summer Triangle neighbourhood includes a dolphin, a fox, a foal, and a lizard.)

Touring the Dark July Southern Sky

If you missed last week’s tour through the scorpion, the teapot, and the shield, I posted it with sky charts here. 

Public Astro-Themed Events

Taking advantage of dark, moonless evening skies this week, astronomers with the RASC Toronto Centre will gather for dark sky stargazing at Long Sault Conservation Area, northeast of Oshawa on (only) the first clear evening (Monday to Thursday) this week. You don’t need to be a RASC member, or own any equipment, to join them. Check here for details and watch the banner on their homepage or their Facebook page for the GO or NO-GO decision around 5 pm each day. 

Every Monday evening, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday nights they offer free public viewing through their rooftop telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

At 8:30 pm on Wednesday, July 31, the High Park Nature Centre will host a free public Urban Bat Walk followed by stargazing (weather permitting). Check here for details. 

On Thursday, August 1, starting at 11 am, U of T’s AstroTour planetarium show will be a Kids Summer Break Show. Find tickets and details here. 

On Thursday, August 1, starting at 9 pm, U of T’s AstroTour will present a talk entitled A Brief History of Everything, followed by stargazing and a planetarium show. Find tickets and details here. 

Eastern GTA sky watchers are invited to join the RASC Toronto Centre and Durham Skies for solar observing and stargazing at the edge of Lake Ontario in Millennium Square in Pickering on Friday evening, August 2, from 6 pm to 11 pm. Details are here. Before heading out, check the RASCTC home page for a Go/No-Go call in case it's too cloudy to observe. The rain date is Saturday. 

On Friday, August 2, starting at 7 pm, U of T’s AstroTour planetarium show will be Grand Tour of the Cosmos. Find tickets and details here. 

The next RASC Family Night at the David Dunlap Observatory will be on Saturday, August 10. There will be sky tours in the Skylab planetarium room, space crafts, a tour of the giant 74” telescope, and viewing through lawn telescopes (weather permitting). The doors will open at 8:30 pm for a 9 pm start. Attendance is by tickets only, available here. If you are a RASC Toronto Centre member and wish to help us at DDO in the future, please fill out the volunteer form here. And to join RASC Toronto Centre, visit this page.

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do. I love questions and requests - so, send me some!

[astrogeoguy]

Maximum Mercury, Dark Nights, Bright Jupiter, and the Best of Boötes!

(Above: The Pinwheel Galaxy, aka Messier 101, is located between Boötes and Ursa Major. This image was taken using data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Subaru Telescope and then processed by Robert Gendler. NASA APOD for June 14, 2015.)

Hello, Stargazers!

Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of June 23rd, 2019 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. I repost these emails with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where all the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. If you are a teacher or group leader interested joining me on a guided field trip to York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory or the David Dunlap Observatory, visit www.astrogeo.ca.

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event. Contact me, and we’ll tour the Universe together!

The Moon and Planets

The moon will be out of the evening sky this week as it slides towards its meeting with the pre-dawn sun next week. Meanwhile, it’s a perfect week to explore the night sky – now that the Northern Hemisphere daylight period is slowly shortening and our nights lengthening! Here are the Skylights! 

Monday morning will find the late-rising moon among the modest stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer) in the southeastern pre-dawn sky; and then our natural satellite will linger in view in the southwestern sky until mid-day. For the rest of the week, the waning moon will pass through Cetus (the Whale) and dip into Pisces (the Fishes). On Tuesday morning at 5:46 am Eastern Time, the moon will officially reach its last quarter phase – appearing half-illuminated on the left-hand (its western) side. 

On Saturday morning, the old, slim, crescent moon will land in the western end of Taurus (the Bull). On Sunday morning, just before sunrise, see if you can spot the delicate moon sitting a few finger widths above Taurus’ brightest star, Aldebaran.

(Above: The distant, dim, blue planet Neptune is among the stars of Aquarius, shown here for 4 am local time on June 29, 2019. The magnitude 7.9 planet will be sitting a thumb’s width to the left (east) of a medium-bright star named Phi (φ) Aquarii.)

While we’re talking pre-dawn, remember that Distant and dim, blue Neptune is in the southeastern pre-dawn sky, among the stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer). The planet will be rising shortly after midnight local time this week. You’ll find the magnitude 7.9 planet sitting a thumb’s widths to the left (east) of a medium-bright star named Phi (φ) Aquarii. 

Blue-green Uranus will be rising just after 3 am local time this week. It is sitting among the stars of Aries (the Ram) and is just a palm’s width above the head of Cetus. The large main-belt asteroid Vesta is nearby - a palm’s width below Uranus. Look for Vesta sitting only half a finger’s width below the modest star Xi (ξ) Ceti (and also named Al Kaff al Jidhmah). They will appear together in the field of view of a backyard telescope.

(Above: The blue-green planet Uranus is among the stars of southwestern Aries, shown here for 4 am local time on June 29, 2019. The asteroid Vesta is located a palm’s width below Uranus this week. Vesta is only half a finger’s width below the modest star Xi (ξ) Ceti, labelled here as Al Kaff al Jidhmah.)  

Venus is bright enough to see within the pre-dawn twilight sky that surrounds it, but it is sitting very low in the northeast - sinking ever-closer to the rising sun. Venus will be rising at about 4:40 am local time all week.

The blazingly-bright object that you’ve been seeing in the southeastern evening sky recently is mighty Jupiter. We are still near our closest approach to the planet for 2019, increasing its apparent brightness and the size of its banded disk and moons in binoculars and telescopes. This week Jupiter will be rising at about 7:30 pm local time, before sunset. 

(Above: Io’s shadow will be completing a transit on Jupiter (with the Great Red Spot) just before 11 pm EDT on Thursday evening, so you can start to look for them as soon as the sky darkens. This image shows the situation at 10:15 pm EDT.)

From time to time, the small, round black shadows cast by Jupiter’s four Galilean moons become visible in amateur telescopes as they cross (or transit) Jupiter’s disk. Starting at about 2 am EDT on Wednesday morning, Io and its shadow will cross Jupiter for more than two hours. Io’s shadow will also be completing a transit (with the Great Red Spot) just before 11 pm EDT on Thursday evening, so you can start to look for that as soon as the sky darkens. On Saturday morning, Europa and its shadow will cross Jupiter for two hours (with the Great Red Spot), starting at about 2:40 am EDT. Jupiter will set while they are crossing. 

Due to Jupiter’s rapid 10-hour rotation period, the Great Red Spot (or GRS) is only observable from Earth every 2nd or 3rd night, and only during a predictable three-hour window. The GRS will be easiest to see using a medium-sized, or larger, aperture telescope on an evening of good seeing (steady air). If you’d like to see the Great Red Spot in your telescope, it will be crossing the planet on Monday evening from 10 pm until 12:30 am EDT. More GRS viewing opportunities will occur on Wednesday from 11 pm to 2 am EDT, Thursday evening before 11:30 pm EDT, and on Saturday night in the hours before midnight. 

(Above: The bright planets Jupiter and Saturn dominate the southern evening sky this month, as shown here at 11 pm local time. Saturn is 30 degrees to the east (lower left) of Jupiter.)

Yellowish Saturn will be rising in the east-southeast just before 10 pm local time this week. Its position in the sky is just to the left (east) of the stars that form the teapot-shaped constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer). Saturn is quite a bit dimmer than Jupiter. To find it, look about 3 fist diameters to the lower left (east) of Jupiter. Dust off your telescope! Once the sky is dark, even a small telescope will show Saturn's rings and several of its brighter moons, especially Titan!  Because Saturn’s axis of rotation is tipped about 27° from vertical (a bit more than Earth’s is), we can see the top surface of its rings, and its moons can appear above, below, or to either side of the planet. During this week, Titan will migrate counter-clockwise around Saturn, moving from the upper right tonight, to the left of the planet next Sunday. (Remember that your telescope will flip the view around.) 

Dim, reddish Mars and brighter Mercury are still hanging out together just above the northwestern horizon after sunset this week, but not as close together as last week. Mercury will become easier to spot every night while it climbs away from the sun and brightens. The best time to look for Mercury falls between 9:45 and 10:15 pm local time. Tonight (Sunday) Mercury will peak in visibility when it reaches its widest separation, 25 degrees east of the Sun, for the current apparition. Look for Mars sitting a few finger widths to the upper left of Mercury. (Take care that the sun has set before attempting to view them using binoculars or a telescope.) You can also look for the bright stars Castor and Pollux of Gemini (the Twins) sitting to the upper right of the two planets.

(Above: Mercury is climbing away from the sun and drawing away from dimmer Mars, as shown her at 10 pm local time on Sunday evening. Mercury swings widest from the sun on the same date, and then will start dropping sunward again.)

The Treats of Boötes

The absent moon for the next two weeks and the lovely early summer nights offer a fine opportunity to explore the realm of Boötes (“Bow-Oh-tees”), the Herdsman or Plowman. Grab your binoculars and your favorite star-gazing partner and head outside. Let’s tour!

After it gets dark, face southwest and look about halfway up the sky for a very bright, orange-tinted star named Arcturus. The fourth brightest star in the entire night sky, Arcturus means “Guardian of the Bear” in Greek, because it rises after Ursa Major (the Big Bear), which sits to its upper right (west). Arcturus is that colour because it is just passing middle-age for a star, starting on its way towards the red supergiant stage. In Chinese, Arcturus is known as Dà Jiǎo 大角, "Great Horn". 

(Above: Shown here at 11 pm local time, the western evening sky in late June / early July annually features the constellation of Boötes, the Herdsman. It is easy to trace out by starting at the very bright, tinted star Arcturus.)

Arcturus marks the bottom tip of the large, kite-shaped constellation Boötes, traditionally represented as a Herdsman or Plowman. The rest of the stars in the kite are medium-bright and visible under party light-polluted skies. About a fist’s diameter above and slightly left (east) of Arcturus are two close-together stars. The higher one named Izar, meaning “Loin Cloth”, is moderately bright. The lower one is much fainter. In a telescope, Izar splits into a gorgeous double star – one is golden and the other is white or greenish. 

Moving another fist’s width upwards along the same line brings us to the Herdsman’s eastern shoulder, a modest star designated Delta Boötis, or Thiba. (The word Boötis is latin for “belonging to Boötes.) Thiba is a sun-like star, about ten times the mass of our sun, sitting 117 light-years away. Looking up and to the right about 7.5°, we find a star named Nekkar “Ox Driver”, marking the constellation’s head (or tip of the kite). This is an elderly blue star passing through a phase that is causing it temporarily resemble a large version of our sun - on its way to becoming a brighter red giant. 

Sitting about three finger widths towards the upper left from the line connecting Delta Boötis and Nekkar (shoulder and head) is a triple star named Alkalurops, a name derived from “Shepherd’s Staff”. Two of Alkalurops’ stars can be discerned with good eyes or binoculars, and one of these becomes two stars when viewed in a telescope. All three stars are orbiting in a dance that takes at least 125,000 years for a turn. 

As we head from Nekkar back down the crooked western side of the kite, we first stop at a medium bright star named Seginus, which marks the western shoulder. Seginus is also evolving - presently a white giant star that is on the way towards becoming a red giant one day. This 85 light-years distant star is spinning about 70 times faster than our sun! 

Moving less than halfway down the constellation towards Arcturus, we find a modest star sitting about four finger widths to the right of Izar. This star, designated Rho (ρ) Boötis, marks the gentleman’s western hip. There’s a noticeable small star just to its left named Sigma Boötis. 

Descending from Arcturus to the east and west are some minor stars that mark the legs and feet. The eastern foot, less than a fist’s diameter to the lower left of Arcturus, is designated Zeta Boötis. In a telescope it is revealed to be a nice matched pair of close together white stars. Moving about four finger widths down the western leg brings us to the bright star Muphrid. It’s also classed like our sun, and is actually the same distance from us as Arcturus. But its inherent brightness is less, so it looks much dimmer. Dropping down slightly and moving farther right is the star Upsilon Boötis, a very distant red giant star.

(Above: A sky chart identifying all the major stars of Boötes. Sweep the sky to the right of Arcturus with binoculars to find the small, fuzzy blob of the globular star cluster labelled as M3)  

All the stars in our galaxy are in motion, jostling as they orbit the galactic centre every quarter of a billion years or so. Some stars’ move faster, or are closer to us – so they exhibit a greater apparent motion across the sky. Astronomers call this Proper Motion. That’s why star charts need to be updated regularly. Arcturus has a very high proper motion southward. In a few thousand years, the herdsman’s legs will be bent upwards with Arcturus below his knees! 

Boötes extends way up to the tip of the Big Dipper’s handle. Just before you get there, look for a tight grouping of three stars that represent the herdsman’s upraised hand. The star names are Asellus Primus, Asellus Secundus, and Asellus Tertius “First, second, and Third Donkey”. Two of them are telescopic double stars, but the area around them is a lovely rich field for viewing. The famous Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101) is located only a few finger widths above them! I’ll post a sky chart here.

Oh, Look – it’s Ophiuchus!

If you missed last week’s information about the large summer constellation of Ophiuchus (the Serpent Bearer) and its loads of deep sky treats, I posted it here. 

Public Astro-Themed Events

Every Monday evening, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday nights they offer free public viewing through their rooftop telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

On Friday, June 28, starting at 7 pm, U of T’s AstroTour will present their planetarium show The Life and Death of Stars. Find tickets and details here. 

The next RASC Family Night at the David Dunlap Observatory will be on Saturday, July 13. There will be sky tours in the Skylab planetarium room, space crafts, a tour of the giant 74” telescope, and viewing through lawn telescopes (weather permitting). The doors will open at 8:30 pm for a 9 pm start. Attendance is by tickets only, available here. If you are a RASC Toronto Centre member and wish to help us at DDO in the future, please fill out the volunteer form here. And to join RASC Toronto Centre, visit this page.

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do. I love questions and requests - so, send me some!

[astrogeoguy]

It’s Easy to See Ceres, the Full Strawberry Moon meets Mars after Saturn, and the Ringed Planet Peaks for 2018!

(Above: On Wednesday, June 27, Saturn reaches its closest and brightest point for this year. That same night, the full moon will sit just above it. Many spectacular deep sky objects sit around Saturn, and are better seen once the moon moves away. Look for the large, bright open cluster designated M24 sitting above Saturn all summer.)

Astronomy Skylights for this week (from June 24th, 2018) by Chris Vaughan. (Feel free to pass this along to friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics.) I post these with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. If you are a teacher or group leader interested joining me on a guided field trip to York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory, or another in your area, visit www.astrogeo.ca.

If you’d like me to bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event, visit DiscoveryPlanetarium.com and request me. We’ll tour the Universe together! 

Public Events

On Monday evenings, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday evenings after dark, they offer free public viewing through their telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

On Friday, June 29, starting at 7 pm, the U of T AstroTour will present their planetarium show entitled Grand Tour of the Cosmos. Tickets and details are here. 

The next RASC Family Night at the David Dunlap Observatory will be on Saturday, July 7. There will be sky tours in the Skylab planetarium room, space crafts, a tour of the giant 74” telescope, and viewing through lawn telescopes (weather permitting). The doors will open at 8:30 pm for a 9 pm start. Attendance is by tickets only, available here. If you are a RASC member and wish to help us at DDO in the future, please fill out the volunteer questionnaire here. And to join RASC, visit this page. 

The Moon and Planets

To begin this week, the moon will be shining brightly in the evening sky as a nearly full (waxing gibbous) globe. Remember to pull out your binoculars or small telescope and look along the boundary separating the lit and dark sides. That’s where the most dramatic moonscapes are. Because the moon reaches its full phase on Thursday at 12:53 am EDT, the moon will look full on Wednesday evening and slightly past full on Thursday night.

(Above: The full Strawberry moon is nick-named for the bounty of Mother Nature in June annually.) 

The June full moon, colloquially known as the Strawberry Moon, Mead Moon, Rose Moon, or Hot Moon, always shines in or near the stars of southern Ophiuchus (the Serpent-Bearer). Because the moon reaches full when it is opposite the sun in the sky, full moons always rise in the east as the sun sets, and set in the west at sunrise. Since vertically impinging sunlight casts no shadows on a full moon, all of the surface brightness variations are generated by differences in the reflectivity, or albedo, of the lunar surface rocks. 

In the southeastern sky after dusk on the Wednesday evening, the full moon will sit one finger’s width above bright, yellowish Saturn. The two objects will cross the sky together during the night and will easily fit within the field of a small telescope at low magnification. Meanwhile, the moon’s separation from Saturn will noticeably increase as the moon slides eastward in its orbit during the night. 

The large open star cluster called Messier 24 will sit a few finger widths above (to the northeast of) the moon and Saturn. The cluster, also known as the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud, is three times wider than the moon! Try to see it using binoculars, or wait for the moon to move away on the following nights and use Saturn to find it then. 

After mid-week, the moon will slide east, rise later, and begin to wane – with the dark region growing on the moon’s western (our right-hand) side. About 11 pm local time on Saturday night, bright red Mars will rise in the east with the waning gibbous moon shining 4 finger widths to the upper left (northeast) of it. Both objects will fit into the field of view of binoculars. By dawn, the pair will appear low in the southwestern sky.

(Above: The inner planets Mercury and Venus continue to put on a good show this week, as shown here for 9:30 pm local time on Sunday, June 24. Mercury will fade and descend next week, while Venus will continue to brighten.) 

Venus continues to catch our eye in the western evening sky this week while it continues to swing away from the sun - and it will still get brighter! The planet will be setting at about 11:30 pm local time all week because it is travelling east while the entire sky is shifting west, holding it in place. Venus is gradually growing larger as it moves towards Earth. In a small telescope, the planet’s disk will not look round. Instead, it will exhibit a gibbous (70% illuminated) phase. 

This is the best week to see elusive Mercury sitting low over the northwestern horizon for a brief period after sunset. It recently peaked in brightness and the best time to look is between 9:45 and 10:15 pm local time. You’ll need a low open horizon because the planet will be only a few finger widths above the horizon (or less). 

Jupiter is the bright object you will see shining brightly in the southern sky after dusk this week. Around that time, it will be at its highest elevation (about three fist diameters) above the southern horizon. Over the following five hours, it will move west and descend – setting in the west-southwest about 3 am local time. Once it’s dark enough, look for a bright star sitting just to the lower left of Jupiter. That’s Zubenelgenubi, the brightest star in Libra (the Scales). In binoculars or a small telescope, it splits into a closely separated pair of stars.

(Above: On Monday, June 25, the shadow of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede will transit the northern zone of the planet, along with the Great Red Spot, as simulated here at 10 pm EDT.)  

On Monday, June 25, and visible between 9 pm (in twilight) and 10:42 pm EDT, the little, round, black shadow of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede will cross (or transit) near the north pole of Jupiter’s disk. On Saturday, June 30 starting at 1:14 am and visible until Jupiter sets, the shadow of Jupiter’s moon Io will transit. A reasonable backyard telescope will show the black shadows, but a very good telescope is needed to see the moons themselves. More shadow transits are available in other time zones around the world. 

The Great Red Spot (or GRS, for short) takes about three hours to cross Jupiter’s disk. But the planet’s 10-hour rotation period (i.e., its day) means that the spot is only observable from Earth every 2-3 nights. If you’d like to see the GRS, use a medium-sized telescope (or larger). You’ll have your best luck on evenings with steady air – when the stars are not twinkling too much. The best times to try this week are: Monday, June 25 at 1:18 am and again at 9:09 pm (in twilight, with a Ganymede shadow bonus), Wednesday, June 27 at 10:48 pm, and Saturday, June 30 at 12:27 am. All times are given in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), so adjust for your local time zone. Try to look within an hour before or after the times I’ve given.

(Above: Look for Saturn above the Teapot-shape of Sagittarius all summer. On opposition night, June 27, the full moon will join the party, as shown here at 11 pm local time.)

On Wednesday, the Earth’s orbit will carry us between Saturn and the sun. Sitting opposite the sun in the sky (a term that astronomers call opposition), Saturn will be visible all night long, and the planet’s disk will be the brightest and largest (18 arc-seconds) for the year. Planets don’t emit their own light. We see them because the sun’s light has travelled all the way out to them and reflected off their surfaces. At opposition, the reflected light from Saturn will travel for 75 minutes to reach Earth – and our human eyes. 

Yellow-tinted Saturn will rise in the southeastern sky at about 9 pm local time this week, just as the sun sets. The ringed planet will be spending the summer of 2018 just to the left of the Milky Way, and just above the Teapot-shaped stars that form Sagittarius (the Archer). Saturn moves over the southern horizon, its highest point in the sky at 1:30 am local time. It will remain visible until about 5 am local time, when it will sit more than a fist’s width above the southwestern horizon. Scientists have recently determined that Saturn’s reflective icy rings formed only a few hundred million years ago – during Earth’s Carboniferous Period, when early dinosaurs roamed our planet! 

(Above: Mars rises well after Saturn, but still before midnight, as shown here on June 27 at 11 pm local time.)

Mars is getting good now! The Red Planet will be rising in the east just after 11 pm local time this week. Mars will continue to steadily brighten and increase in apparent size (when viewed through a telescope) as the Earth’s faster orbit brings us closer to the red planet until July 31. Mars will reach its highest position, over the southern horizon, around 3:30 am local time, and then remain visible until just after 5 am. 

Distant blue Neptune, among the modest stars of Aquarius (the Water-bearer), is observable in telescopes in the eastern sky after it rises around 13:30 am local time. This week, look for the magnitude 7.9 planet sitting one finger width to the right of the naked eye star Phi (φ) Aquarii and about five finger widths to the left of brighter Hydor (Lambda Aquarii). 

Blue-green coloured Uranus is visible in binoculars, if you know where to look. It, too, is in the eastern pre-dawn sky, located about four finger widths to the left of the modestly bright star Torcular, which is down toward the “V” where the two cords of Pisces (the Fishes) meet. I posted sky charts for Uranus and Neptune here. 

It’s Easy to See Asteroids - Sometimes

Here’s a very easy way to see an asteroid with your own eyes. After dusk on the evening of Wednesday, June 27, the large dwarf planet (formerly asteroid) Ceres will sit only 9 arc-minutes (or less than one third of the moon’s apparent diameter) above the bright, visible double star Algieba in Leo (the Lion). Algieba marks the throat of the lion, midway along the backwards question-mark that forms the front of the constellation. After dusk, the lion will be positioned over the western horizon and tipped with his face downward to the right. I’ll post a sky chart here. 

(Above: Thursday, June 27 brings the perfect chance to see the dwarf planet Ceres when it passes very closely above the naked-eye double star Algieba in Leo the lion. Use binoculars and small telescopes on the double star and look for a small object just above it. The sky is shown for 10:30 pm local time.)

Use binoculars to look for Ceres as a little, star-like object just a short distance above Algieba. A small telescope at medium-high magnification will show Ceres and Algieba’s close-together pair of distant stars together in the same field of view.

(Above: A detailed view of the region around Algieba and Ceres on June 27. The yellow circle represents the field of view of a medium power telescope.) 

After a determined search by many astronomers who were looking for a theorized missing planet, Ceres was the first asteroid ever discovered, by Giuseppe Piazzi in Palermo, Sicily, on January 1, 1801. It was named after the Roman Goddess of Agriculture. (The same name gave us the word “cereal”!) Ceres was originally given planet status, orbiting as it does between Mars and Jupiter. But calculations of its 950 km diameter, and later discoveries of countless additional bodies in the asteroid belt, led to its demotion to queen of the asteroid belt. But in 2006, the same rules that demoted Pluto to dwarf planet status promoted Ceres to the same class of objects. Good luck! 

(Above: The path of the large asteroid Vesta (red line) over the month surrounding June 19, when it reached peak brightness, within range of binoculars. The sky is shown at 10:30 pm local time.)

As I mentioned last week, another asteroid, the minor planet (4) Vesta, is now visible all night long, and appearing about its brightest (magnitude 5.33) for the year - within reach of binoculars and small telescopes. Look for the object above the Teapot-shaped constellation Sagittarius (the Archer), about a fist’s diameter to the upper right of Saturn.

Keep looking up to enjoy the sky! I love getting questions so, if you have any, send me a note.

[astrogeoguy]

Mars Mania means Opposition, Closest Approach, and a Thunder Moon Meet-up!

(Above: Mars imaged on July 21, 2018 by Damian Peach, showing that the recent global dust storm is abating.)

Astronomy Skylights for this week (from July 22nd, 2018) by Chris Vaughan. (Feel free to pass this along to friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics.) I post these with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. If you are a teacher or group leader interested joining me on a guided field trip to York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory, or another in your area, visit www.astrogeo.ca.

If you’d like me to bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event, visit DiscoveryPlanetarium.com and request me. We’ll tour the Universe together! 

Public Events

On Monday evenings, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday evenings after dark, they offer free public viewing through their telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

At 6:30 pm on Tuesday, July 24, the S. Walter Stewart Library will host a free public talk by U of T Professor Roberto Abraham entitled Finding Your Place in Space and Time. Check here for details. 

On Tuesday, July 24, starting at 9 pm, the RASC Mississauga will host a free public star party at the Riverwood Conservancy. Details are here. 

At 6:30 pm on Thursday, July 26, the Brentwood Library will host a free public talk by U of T PhD Candidate Yvette Cendes entitled Supernovae – Witnessing Cosmic Explosions. Check here for details. 

If it’s sunny on Saturday morning, July 28 from 10 am to noon, astronomers from the RASC Toronto Centre will be setting up outside the main doors of the Ontario Science Centre for Solar Observing. Come and see the Sun in detail through special equipment designed to view it safely. This is a free event (details here), but parking and admission fees inside the Science Centre will still apply. Check the RASC Toronto Centre website or their Facebook page for the Go or No-Go notification. 

On Friday, July 27, starting at 7 pm, the U of T AstroTour will present their planetarium show entitled Grand Tour of the Cosmos. Tickets and details are here. 

Here are the Mars-themed events for this week: 

This weekend, July 28-29 at the Ontario Science Centre, kids are invited to participate in a fun activity to develop and deploy a Mars rover mission. Check here for details. This event is free with your admission to the science centre, on a first come-first served basis. 

York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory will turn their telescopes on Mars all week, with free public viewing from Tuesday through Friday between 9 and 11:45 pm. Details about this Mars Extravaganza are here. 

This Friday night from 8 pm through 1 am, the Ontario Science Centre will hold Mars Fest, with a talk by Mars expert Dr. Tanya Harrison and (weather permitting) telescope viewing of the Red Planet, the full moon, and all of the other bright planets. The event is free, but parking fees will apply. Details are here. 

The next RASC Public Event at the David Dunlap Observatory will be on Saturday, July 28 – a celebration of Mars’ close approach. There will be a Mars lecture by Mars expert Dr. Tanya Harrison, sky tours in the Skylab planetarium room, space crafts, a tour of the giant 74” telescope, and viewing through lawn telescopes (weather permitting). The doors will open at 8:30 pm for a 9 pm start. Attendance is by tickets only, available here. If you are a RASC member and wish to help us at DDO in the future, please fill out the volunteer questionnaire here. And to join RASC, visit this page. 

Some mid-July Sights

If you missed last week’s sampling of some celestial sights available in mid-July when the young moon is also in the sky, I posted some sky charts and images here. 

The Moon and Planets

This week, the moon remains prominent in the evening sky worldwide, waxing towards its full moon phase on Friday. Tonight (Sunday) will find the gibbous moon above the stars of Scorpius (the Scorpion) and its bright, reddish star Antares, the “Rival of Mars”. On Tuesday night, the moon will land about two fingers to the upper right of yellowish Saturn. And on Friday, the Full “Buck Moon”, “Thunder Moon”, or “Hay Moon” will grace the sky to the upper left of Mars. 

This full moon is occurring only 13 hours after apogee, the farthest point from Earth in the moon’s orbit. That will give us the smallest apparent full moon size of 2018. Meanwhile, a total lunar eclipse will be visible from Africa, the Middle East, India, and western Australia. Eastern Australia and Southeast Asia will see a portion of the eclipse before the moon sets and morning twilight arrives, while for Europe and Eastern South America the eclipse will already be in progress when the moon rises. North America will not see any of this eclipse. Maximum eclipse occurs just east of Madagascar at 20:22 UT. The moon will cross just north of the center of Earth’s darker umbral shadow, setting up conditions for an extra long and very dark eclipsed moon. At greatest eclipse, the moon will be sitting a palm’s width north of Mars – that’s two reddish objects for the price of one!

(Above: Venus gleams in the western sky after sunset as shown here for 9:15 pm local time on July 22, 2018) 

Brilliant Venus continues to brighten in the western evening sky this week – easily visible until it sets at 10:45 pm local time. The descending evening ecliptic is now pulling Venus a bit lower each night. In a small telescope, the planet’s disk will exhibit a waning gibbous (60% illuminated) phase, lit on the sunward side (although your telescope might flip the view). 

This week, Jupiter continues to be the object shining very brightly in the southwestern sky after dusk. It will set in the west-southwest at about 1 am local time. The bright star sitting just to the left of Jupiter is Zubenelgenubi, the brightest star in Libra (the Scales). In binoculars, you’ll plainly see that it is a pair of stars. While you have them out, can you also see Jupiter’s four Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede) flanking the planet? Astronomers recently announced the discovery of another 12 moons around the giant vacuum-cleaner of a planet – bringing the total to 79! Many of the smaller moons are former asteroids captured by Jupiter’s strong gravity.

(Above: All month long, Jupiter will sit to the upper right of the easy-to-see double star Zubenelgenubi in Libra, as shown here for 10 pm local time on July 22 2018.) 

On Sunday, July 22, Europa’s shadow will begin a crossing (transit) of Jupiter’s disk at 10:46 pm that ends when Jupiter is setting at about 1 am. On Tuesday, July 24, Io’s shadow will complete a transit at 10:04 pm that began earlier in twilight. A reasonable backyard telescope will show the black shadows, but a very good telescope is needed to see the moons themselves. More shadow transits are available in other time zones around the world. 

The Great Red Spot (or GRS, for short) takes about three hours to cross Jupiter’s disk. But the planet’s 10-hour rotation period (i.e., its day) means that the spot is only observable from Earth every 2-3 nights. If you’d like to see the GRS, use a medium-sized telescope (or larger). You’ll have your best luck on evenings with steady air – when the stars are not twinkling too much. Try to look within an hour before or after the following times: Thursday, July 26 at 9:52 pm and Saturday, July 28 at 11:31 pm. All times are given in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), so adjust for your local time zone.

(Above: A trio of planet images captured and processed by award-winning RASC member Rick Foster, taken from his home in Markham, Ontario.) 

This week medium-bright and yellowish Saturn will be visible from dusk, when it’s shining over the southern horizon, until it sets in the west at 4 am local time. The ringed planet is spending this summer just east (to the left of) the Milky Way, and just above the Teapot-shaped stars that form Sagittarius (the Archer).  Once it’s dark, a small telescope should be able to show you some of the ringed planet’s larger moons, especially Titan. Because Saturn’s axis of rotation is tipped about 27° from vertical (a bit more than Earth’s is), we can see the top surface of its rings, and its moons can appear above, below, or to either side of the planet. 

Blue-green coloured Uranus is visible in binoculars and telescopes between midnight and dawn. The ice giant planet is located in the eastern sky, about four finger widths to the left of the modestly bright star Torcular (Omega Piscium), which is above the “V” where the two starry cords of Pisces (the Fishes) meet. The major asteroid Juno is about a palm’s width below Uranus, in the same region of sky. 

Distant blue Neptune, among the modestly-bright stars of Aquarius (the Water-bearer), is observable in telescopes in the eastern sky after it rises after 10:30 pm local time. This week, look for the magnitude 7.9 planet sitting one finger width to the right of the naked eye star Phi (φ) Aquarii and about 4.5 finger widths to the left of brighter Hydor (Lambda Aquarii). 

Mars at Opposition and Closest Approach

Well, this is it. It’s finally here! The week when Earth’s orbit will bring us closer to Mars than we’ve been in 15 years. This is a worldwide event, although people viewing Mars from low latitudes and from the Southern Hemisphere will see the Red Planet much more clearly than the folks in mid-northern latitudes. Let’s break it all down.

(Above: The orbits of Mars and Earth as viewed from high above the northern pole of the sun. The radial lines are drawn through the two planets at opposition dates from March, 2012 through January, 2015. The current opposition is among the closest the two planets ever get.) 

Mars has an orbit that is about 50% farther from the sun than Earth’s, on average. That causes Earth to complete an orbit of the sun faster than Mars does. In fact, Earth circles the sun almost two times in the time Mars takes to complete one orbit. If the planets were placed at the same starting line on an imaginary racetrack around the sun (as they will be this Friday), when Earth returned after lap one, slowpoke Mars would be out of sight on the opposite side of the sun. When Earth completed its second lap, Mars would be back on the same side of the sun and a bit ahead of us along the track. The outcome of all this is that we end up on the same side of the sun as Mars every 2 years and 50 days. 

There’s one more twist to all this. Our orbit is fairly circular, while Mars’ orbit is much more elliptical. Its distance from the sun varies quite a bit - between 206.7 million km and 249.2 million km, or about 20%. Every 15 years or so, the geometry works out that we pass Mars while we are near aphelion (our farthest distance from the sun) and Mars is near perihelion (its closest distance from the sun). When that happens, our two planets are at their minimum distance from one another. That’s what is happening this week. We have not been this close to Mars since 2003 and won’t be again until 2035! 

When Earth passes a more distantly orbiting planet on the “inside track”, that planet appears in our sky opposite to the sun, a term astronomers call opposition. That planet will rise in the east as the sun sets in the west. And because we are closer to it, it will shine brighter than at any other date and look larger in binoculars or a telescope. The 2018 Mars opposition occurs at 1 am Eastern Daylight Time on Friday, July 27. At that time, Mars will shine brighter than any planet except Venus and show a disk that is 24.2 arc-minutes across. That’s about two-thirds of the size of Jupiter! A very good telescope, or a long exposure photograph taken through one, might even show Mars’ two tiny moons, Phobos and Deimos (Greek for Fear and Dread). 

Because both Earth and Mars will be continuing to run their “race” after opposition night, and Mars’ true perihelion isn’t until mid-September, our actual minimum distance from Mars will occur on the night of Tuesday, July 31. At that time, the Red Planet will be 57.6 million km (or 0.385 astronomical units) from Earth. That translates to only 3 minutes and 18 seconds for radio signals to reach the planet, or vice versa.

(Above: The dramatic size difference in Mars’ disk between January 1, 2018 and closest approach on July 31, 2018.) 

Here’s how to find and see Mars this week. Tonight (Sunday) Mars will rise at about 9:35 pm local time (depending on your latitude). It will climb until nearly 2 am local time, when it will reach an elevation of about 20° (or two outstretched fist diameters) above the southern horizon. This is the best time to view the planet in a telescope because it will then be shining through the least amount of Earth’s distorting atmosphere. 20° is lower than many trees and buildings, so a clear southern vista is essential. 

Since Mars is close to opposition, it will descend into the west in the wee hours and set around dawn. Mars will be rising about 5 minutes earlier every night, so by Friday night it will rise by about 9:15 pm local time, and the following Tuesday it will rise before 9 pm. Opposition occurs at 1 am EDT on Friday morning, so Thursday evening will be a fine time to look at it, too. 

(Above: The arrangement of the sky at Mars opposition, shown for 1:25 am EDT on July 27, 2018. Hours earlier on the other side of Earth, the moon will have undergone an especially dark total lunar eclipse.)

If the clouds stay away, the planet will be impossible to miss. It will be brighter than anything nearby, except the moon. The red coloration will be obvious - as opposed to Saturn’s mere tint of yellow. The planet will not rapidly move location, or flash or blink. Anything doing that is a plane – keep hunting. 

The farther south you live, the higher Mars will climb. An observer in Florida will see Mars nearly halfway up the sky after midnight. And someone at the latitude of Sydney, Australia will see Mars directly overhead at midnight! 

Wherever you are at opposition, even with a small telescope on a night of good seeing (i.e., with clear, steady air), you should be able to see Mars’ southern polar cap of frozen CO2 and water ice, and also some darker and lighter regions on the planet. Because Mars’ rotational period (its day) is about 38 minutes longer than Earth’s, by viewing the planet over many nights you can see different parts of its surface. In fact, it would take you 41 nights of observing to see the entire globe of Mars. But since we have about 7 hours of darkness during nights in late July, you could also observe Mars from about 10 pm local time, soon after it rises, until 4:30 am just before it sets, and see about one-quarter of the globe in a single night.

(Above: The poles, prime meridian,and equator of Mars, plus labels for some of the features it will exhibit on opposition night. Viewing the planet all night long in July will show you about one-third of Mars’ globe.) 

A global dust storm has recently enveloped the planet – hiding its surface. But skilled planetary imagers like Damian Peach have reported that the storm is abating. Fingers crossed! 

Don’t worry if your Mars viewing is clouded out this week. After the close encounter, Earth will slowly begin to pull away from Mars, but Mars will decrease in apparent size more slowly than it has been increasing. In fact, it will look 90% as large for the next month! Its visual brightness will also remain intense for weeks to come. Keep an eye out on the media for the many Mars viewing parties that science centres, universities, and amateur astronomy clubs will be hosting.

Keep looking up to enjoy the sky! I love getting questions so, if you have any, send me a note.

[fumpkins]

The sky this week for August 8 to 12

Monday,August 6

Lookfor the subsiding crescent Moon this early morning as it hovers simply west of the Hyades star cluster in Taurus theBull The 2 things clear the horizon by 2 a.m. regional daytime time and climb one-third of the method to the zenith in the eastern sky by the time early morning golden starts. The Moon appears about 30 percent lit and quickly beats the stars of the V-shapedHyades First- magnitude Aldebaran, which marks one idea of the V, appears brighter than the remainder of the cluster’s stars since it in fact depends on the foreground.

Tuesday,August 7

DistantNeptune reaches opposition and peak presence in simply a month, however the view now is basically the very same. The ice giant world increases around 9: 30 p.m. regional daytime time and climbs up midway to the zenith in the south by 3 a.m. The magnitude 7.8 world depends on Aquarius, 1.5 ° west-southwest of 4th-magnitude Phi (φ)Aquarii You’ll require field glasses to spy Neptune and a telescope to see its blue-gray disk, which covers 2.3″.

Uranus’ eastward movement versus the background stars comes to a stop at 5 p.m. EDT. This so-called fixed point marks the start of the very best duration to observe the external world. Uranus increases prior to midnight regional daytime time and appears more than midway to the zenith in the southeastern sky as early morning golden starts. The magnitude 5.8 world depends on the southwestern corner of Aries, 12 ° south of 2nd-magnitude Hamal (Alpha[α] Arietis). A telescope exposes Uranus’ blue-green disk, which covers 3.6″.

Wednesday,August 8

The middle of this week discovers observers captured in between the peaks of 2 great meteor showers. The Southern Delta Aquariid shower reached optimum July 30 and has actually begun to decrease, while the Perseid shower is increase in preparation for its peak the night of August 12/13 The subsiding crescent Moon sheds little light in the predawn sky, and conditions enhance as the week advances and Luna’s stage subsides. You can inform meteors from the 2 showers apart by tracing their courses backwards. Southern Delta Aquariid meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Aquarius the Water- bearer, while Perseid meteors originate from Perseus the Hero.

Mercury reaches inferior combination, passing in between the Sun and Earth, at 10 p.m. EDT. The inner world will return to view prior to dawn in about 2 weeks.

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New post published on: https://livescience.tech/2018/08/04/the-sky-this-week-for-august-8-to-12/