Eg Astronomy Updates

[kwj]

GET READY FOR A BUSY MONTH!

Well fellow astronomers, it's time for an UPDATE. February is shaping up to be the perfect month to start with too.

First up is the Conjunction of two of the brightest planets in our night skies.

Feb. 1 will find Venus and Jupiter just 6/10 of 1 degree apart-about a full moon width- at about 45 minutes before sunrise. Which is about 4:30 or so.
The two planets have been getting closer all week with the grand finale set for Friday morning. It will definitely be worth getting up for if you have clear overnight skies.
Binoculars and small telescopes will really bring out the spectacular pairing of the planets.

Next is Valentine's Day and an Orange, Red and White sky gift for your Valentine. That is the night that Mars, the moon and Betelgeuse will form a perfect triangle in the sky. Valentine's Day colors are red, white and gold.
Due south on Valentine's night between 8 & 9 pm. ET or your local time zone the moon will be to the right of golden-orange Mars which is now dimmer than it was just a few months ago and below Mars is the shoulder star of Orion Betelgeuse shining at it's biggest and reddest of the year.

Then on Feb. 20th get ready for the last Total Lunar Eclipse until the year 2010. This will be the last one for both North and South America. The eclipse will begin around 8:43pm ET or your equivalent with totality starting around 10:01 and ending around 10:51pm. The best part of the eclipse though is during totality. That's when you will be able to see Saturn and the star Regulus at their best. Both will be nice and bright.

Then the last big event is the opposition of Saturn on Feb. 24th. This will be the last best time to see Saturn's rings before they "close" and "disappear" sometime in Sept. of next year. By being in opposition Saturn will be visible from Sunset on the 23rd to Sunrise on the 24th. It will reach it's Zenith at Midnight ET or your own zone.

So get the minions dancing for clear skies and "mild" temperatures to enjoy the sky events for February. It's going to be a busy month!

[Siberman]

For those of us who are astronomically challenged:

Venus and Jupiter are to the southeast, you can't miss 'em if you look up there about 5:30 am. :p

[kwj]

:o I am such a dummy sometimes. Sorry about not putting the location of the conjunction of Venus and Saturn on Friday morning.

[TJcanada]

We gifted our youngest with a telescope for Christmas,... will have to watch for some clear sky evening and begin to learn how to use the thing.

Thanks for posting this!

[kwj]

What a gorgeous sight! After all the rain last night, the sky was so clear that Venus and Jupiter looked like they could be plucked from the sky. For anyone who is interested, Venus is the brighter of the two planets.

Also if you happened to notice the moon, it was snuggled up with the "heart" of Scorpio, the star Antares. Very pretty also.

I apologize to everyone if they get unusual weather today. It was so worth getting up for to see the skies this morning. :)

[kwj]

Just wondering if anyone was able to see the sky Valentine last night. I hope everyone had at least a little bit of clear skies to view it. It was pretty to see the moon and the stars glittering like diamonds.

Don't forget the Lunar Eclipse next Thursday. If we get the minions to working on it, maybe we can get the skies cleared up for everyone to enjoy the show.

Enjoy the night skies y'all. :)

[Tc2]

We didn't, seems like it's been overcast since August. Oh well, the news this morning mentioned wednesday night beginning around 8:30 pm for the lunar eclipse here in western PA. Hopefully it will be clear then. I know it will be cold and the weather people are calling for snow, but you never know.

[kwj]

Tc2, that fits with the est. time above. For me in Deep Dixie it starts an hour "earlier". Don't feel badly about the cloudy skies. It seems to come with the territory when a really good sky show is going to take place. Down here today and the next 2 days are supposed to be gorgeously clear with a chance of rain on Thursday. Figures. :rolleyes: We just need to get the minions dancing for clear weather.

The totality times are est. Eastern Standard Time. So everyone west of that time zone will need to adjust accordingly. It should be spectacular to watch. Don't forget that Saturn will be visible during totality along with Regulus. Something to admire as well as the shocking color change of the moon.

Good luck with clear skies y'all. I'm praying for them.

[Tc2]

Thank you for the reminder - our local University (7 miles from my house) is holding a free planetarium show tonight dealing with the eclipse and a presentation of the stars and planets. These are usually full. After the show, weather permitting (of course it's snowing right now and supposed to stay this way through the weekend), the Geoscience department sets up telescopes and basically walks people through a viewing - not sure what other word to use there. This is only done a couple times a year (the free shows that is) but they are pretty neat if you can get seating. I'm going to try to bring my youngest in for this one (he's 12). The geoscience department also posted this web site http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html which is a NASA site if anyone is interrested. The next couple days (nights) should be pretty neat.

[Don D]

Argh. I really need to make sure to check the board more often. Missed that stuff. However, I will definitely make sure we go outside for the eclipse.

[kwj]

You are so lucky Tc2. I would give anything to have a planetarium/observaory near us! The only ones near here are 2 to 2 and 1/2 hours away. One is in Louisiana and the other is in Mobile. I hope you get to go and that the skies clear up for you. It's looking like we will be under severe weather warnings that night. *sigh* Where is Df when we need him? He was so good at minion training.

[Tc2]

As soon as I got home my son took the truck so I didn't have a vehicle. I didn't realize he had to work last night. Oh well, win a few, lose a few. It was overcast anyway so I bet things didn't go as planned. Good news is the sky will supposedly clear this evening so we can see at least some of the eclipse and hopefully Saturn and regulus. It's snowing pretty good here right now. The morning news showed the basic locations we should look during the eclipse to see them along with hints for seeing Saturns rings. That was pretty much over my head, anything more in depth than point and look gets a bit too complicated for me. I wonder if we'll be able to see the satellite get blown to bits, now that would be neat. I'm going to break out my satellite cathin net to try for some of the peices. Got it from the internet because as you know, if it's on the net, it's true and a good buy :rolleyes: Besides, I need something to occupy my time on this island since no one visits anymore. This iguana on a stick isn't bad.

[kwj]

Tc2 and everyone else, the Eclipse is TONIGHT. Again I must apologize to everyone for messing up on the Day if not the DAte. Today is the 20th not tomorrow! I am so sorry y'all. I hope everyone has better weather tonight than last night. :o

[Siberman]

(Y'all know the tune. *sigh*)

Isn't it rich?
Why do I stare
Up in the sky for a glimpse
Of what isn't there?

Send in the clouds
There have to be clouds

What's up with this?
The barometer's clear
I saw stars this morning but now
The ceiling's so near

Send in the clouds
There have to be clouds.....

Never mind......they're here.

[Don D]

LOL Siber. Deb is outside right now trying to take pics through her scope. It cleared up beautifully after the snow here in VA. Hope it did so for you guys as well, cause this is neat.

*runs back outside to freeze with Deb*

[Tc2]

Well, that was really neat to watch. We had clouds right up until around 10:30 which was perfect timing but we could catch glimpses between the clouds until then. It was very cold last night and no one wanted to bring the scope outside (including me) but we could watch from our kitchen window. I think the neatest part was the colors, the oranges and reds (best as I can tell) were like something out of a low budget horror flick :D Hope everyone had good luck with the clouds parting.

[kwj]

Siber, it had to be you. So thank you for breaking up the clouds. We got to see the eclipse here too. It wasn't too cold for a change either. So thank you, thank you, thank you. :)

[kwj]

May Update

Well everyone, after a not so busy March or April, May has a couple of interesting astonomical things to look for.

On Tuesday, May 6th, the planet Mercury will be visible. If you look west about 45 minutes after sundown, you should see a crescent moon complete with Earth Shine. Just below the moon you should see a pink "star". That is the planet Mercury. It will be visible higher and higher in the night sky reaching it's highest point in the night sky on May 14th after which it will slowly get lower and dimmer until it is just above the horizon by the end of the month.

On May 10th, look for a planetariunm or observatory near you and attend National Astronomy Day celebrations. Astronomy Clubs, and the two previously mentioned groups will be having programs, viewing and other events for the public. So take advantage of this special day.

Then on May 22, Mars will point the way to a dim cluster of stars called the Beehive. It's also known as M-44 and the Manger.
Look West around 10pm EDT or your time zone equivalent and look directly above the horizon for red-gold Mars. Just near Mars you will see a very faint cluster of stars. If you have good, dark skies they will be a shade brighter. To really get a good look at the Beehive though, use a pair of binoculars. On the 23rd, Mars will have moved just past the star cluster. Showing how fast things are really moving in space.

Saturn is also up at night for ringed planet viewling.

So hopefully Mother Nature will allow us to view these Spring time sights this month. Get out the bug spray, cool drinks and get ready to view some stars y'all. :)

[kwj]

Okay y'all. Seems the skies have a few things for us to look at if the clouds stay away.

This weekend is the best time for viewing the King of the Planets: Jupiter. Jupiter will be at it's closest to Earth and therefore at it's biggest, which will allow us to see great details of Jupiter's swirling clouds and Red Spot as well as 4 of it's biggest moons. (they will look like spots of light moving very quickly.) Anyone with a telescope of any size or type should have no trouble viewing Jupiter this weekend. This will be the closest that Jupiter is to Earth this year.

We also have a small Meteor Shower this month. The Southern Delta Aquarids. July 28th is the Maximum with approx. 20 meteors an hour. Look to the SouthEast towards Aquarius. I am not sure of the times on this one.

Then the night of August 12th, the Perseid Meteor Shower hits it's peak or Maximum with up to 90 per hour. Not to mention that this shower starts earlier in the week and continues for a few days after the peak night.

So wipe off the scopes and binoculars and get ready for a kingly visit and some star showers. Oh, don't forget the bug spray. :)

[Don D]

kwj, thanks. :) Deb has been jonesing to see Jupiter. We just have to figure out where it is. And dont say UP. LOL

[kwj]

Don, tell Deb to look to the south. Jupiter looks a lot like Venus in the night sky. Very bright, glittery and twinkling. It is lying next to the constellation Sagittarius. That constellation looks like a tipsy teapot. Sagittarius is next to the fish hook constellation Scorpio. Look for the red star Antares in Scorpio.

Hope that helps her to find Jupiter. It's my favorite planet too.

[kwj]

Just a reminder to let everyone know that the King of Planets is at it's closest to Earth tonight, tomorrow and Monday nights with tomorrow being the absolute best night for viewing.

Here's hoping everyone has clear skies for viewing Jupiter this weekend. :)

[kwj]

EG Astronomy Reminder!

Just a reminder that Tuesday morning is the peak time to view the Perseids Meteor Shower. Go out between 1:30am edt and dawn, look northeast and start scanning the skies. If you are in a dark area you will see the fainter meteors as well as the big, bright ones.

No moon makes this time of night the best for viewing the meteors. So enjoy this year's showers as next year there will be a last quarter moon all night long to dim the viewing.

Hope everyone has clear skies and gets to see a few shooting stars this year. :)

[Don D]

Well, we finally managed to get a good look at Jupiter! We were able to see 4 of the moons as well. The red spot was facing away though. But we could clearly see the bands. It was way cool. We just need to learn how to use the telescope better. LOL

[kwj]

Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa y'all. It's been crazy here so I've been very negligent in posting sky happening.

Tonight and all this month you will be able to watch Jupiter and Venus move toward a rendevous at the end of the month. The moon will play a big part too.

Tonight, if you get outside before moonset, you will see Jupiter perched above the crescent moon and to the Southwest you will see Venus shining like a beacon. Very pretty.

Both planets will come together by the end of the month and be only 2 degrees apart. Should really be a pretty sight.

Of course the constellation Orion is rising earlier and earlier each evening so soon the Orion Nebula will be available for viewing.

Fall/Winter skies have much better viewing attractions so now is the time to get out and watch the skies. Bundle up though, it's getting chilly.

[kwj]

METEOR SHOWER ALERT

This weekend through Tuesday morning the Leonids Meteor Shower is taking place. The shower will appear to come from the w-nnw after midnight with the peak "night" being the 17th after midnight. Unfortunately, there will be a waning moon that will cause a problem. It will wash out all but the brightest meteors. There should be about 20 - 50 per hour and some should be bright enough to be seen even with the moon.

So if the skies are clear and it's not too, too cold and you happen to be up, look up and watch for a "shooting star" to wish upon. :)