What's Happening in the Night Sky? Upcoming Astronomy Events to Look Out For!

[J-Man]

Cool, thanks for the link.

(on a side-note: apparently, Poverty is located somewhere around Florida/Gulf of Mexico. That means I must be mistaken - I must be in SubPoverty. ;-) )

 

[Labguy]

Originally posted by J-Man
Cool, thanks for the link.

(on a side-note: apparently, Poverty is located somewhere around Florida/Gulf of Mexico. That means I must be mistaken - I must be in SubPoverty. ;-) )

Yes, Poverty is very far south in CONUS. Anything with a lower Latitude is in Sub-Poverty.

__________________________________________________
This message was produced using entirely meaningless information.

 

[Phobos]

Originally posted by J-Man
-Mars rises before midnight in Aquarius at the beginning of the month. Its brightness and observability continue to improve until its "super opposition" at the end of August.

It's already the brightest I've ever seen it! Time to dust off my telescope. (been using mostly binocs lately)

 

[Dagenais]

Don't know if this has already been mentioned but on July 24:

1. Full Moon
2. Comet du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte Closest approach to Earth

 

[Shadow]

Yeah I can't wait to view mars, it's supposed to be spectacular. I was reading the Discover Magazine article and it hasn't been this bright in 5,000 years!

 

[Phobos]

Originally posted by Shadow
Yeah I can't wait to view mars, it's supposed to be spectacular. I was reading the Discover Magazine article and it hasn't been this bright in 5,000 years!

Start looking now...don't wait for just the peak day (closest approach to Earth). It will still be great for weeks before & after the peak.

 

[Dagenais]

I'm still a beginning Astronomer, viewing that is. I can never find planets.

I have studied more in Cosmology.

Astronomy is more interesting though, at least from what I know.

 

[Phobos]

Astronomy is great...and the more you are familiar with the night sky, the more you will appreciate cosmology too.

Originally posted by kenikov
I'm still a beginning Astronomer, viewing that is. I can never find planets.

Start with Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn...they're easy. Especially Mars over the next couple months...look east around 11:30 pm tonight...it's the brightest point of light in the sky and it should be noticeably red/orange.

Remember the planets will always be found along the ecliptic...an imaginary line across the sky...the same path the sun appears to follow...so that's basically an east to west arc. Once you know where the ecliptic is, the planets become much easier to find.

Check what time the planets rise/set on the night you observe (for example, Sky & Telescope's website gives such info...or this topic in PF). Get a sky map (available monthly in Astronomy or Sky&Telescope magazines or even downloadable free from the web).

 

[Dagenais]

Hmmm...


Maybe I can just go out, point myself east and look for a bright, red star.

Then I'll set-up my Telescope for viewing.

 

[Phobos]

Originally posted by kenikov
Maybe I can just go out, point myself east and look for a bright, red star.

Then I'll set-up my Telescope for viewing.

A perfect start. In the telescope, Mars will look like a small disk (stars would still look like points). The real trick is trying to see any features on that disk.

Don't worry if the disk keeps sliding out of your telescope's view. That's just the rotation of the Earth, not a problem with your telescope.

 

[Dagenais]

Yeah, I know. I should set-up my finder scope tonight.

My mount makes it even harder to stay on target. Even the moon keeps on sliding out of view.

The mount is really bad, in fact, if you want to tighten the altitude part of the telescope to keep it in position (altizimuth mount), it is nearly impossible. The thing that you have to screw-in to keep the telescope from dropping down is really tough to tighten.

 

[Zero]

I'm looking forward to seeing Mars through my rifle scope...

 

[J-Man]

Skywatcher's Information for August 2003
========================================
Some information from www.space.com,[/url] [url]www.astronomy.com[/URL]
======================================================

Moon phases:
------------
Aug 5 - 1st Quarter
Aug 12 - Full Moon
Aug 19 - Last Quarter
Aug 27 - New Moon

Planets: (Planets Info originally by Larry Sessions from space.com, edited by J-Man.)
--------
-Mercury is in the evening sky but not particularly well placed for observing unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere.

-Venus conjuncts with the Sun on the 18th and hence is a no-show for August.

-Mars is still in the retrograde motion it started last month. It continues to brighten as the Earth approaches in an orbital race that brings the two closest together on the 27th. The Earth, being the faster-moving planet, passes Mars about every two years, two months. In such events, the Earth is between the Sun and Mars. But Mars also varies in distance from the Sun (as does the Earth, but to a much lesser extent). When it is closest to the Sun it is said to be in perihelion. Due to resonances between the orbits of Mars and Earth, the Red Planet passes especially near our world every 15-17 years. If this happens at the time of Martian perihelion, it is said to be a perihelic opposition. As it turns out, Mars has a perihelic opposition this year, on August 28. (the actual perihelion is on the 30th.) However, it is at its closest to Earth on the 27th. In fact, it is closer to Earth than it has been in tens of thousands of years! Of course it is still millions of miles away, actually just less than 34.65 million miles (55.76 million kilometers). But this approach promises the best views of Mars in small telescopes during your lifetime (and that of several generations of your descendents!)

-Jupiter is awash in the solar glare and cannot be seen. It is in conjunction with the Sun on August 22 and stays hidden until it re-emerges in the morning sky in September.

-Saturn, is now in the morning sky, among the stars of Gemini. It is well up in the east at sunrise, and makes a fine sight in a small telescope until sunlight interferes.


Day-by-day: (All times ET unless noted)
-----------
Tuesday, 8/4
-Neptune at opposition.

Tuesday, 8/5
-First Quarter Moon, 3:28 a.m.
Look for this Moon high in the southern sky at sunset on Monday and Tuesday, moving progressively farther eastward (higher and to the left) on each succeeding night.

Wednesday, 8/6
-Moon at perigee.

Monday, 8/11
-Neptune 5 degrees north of the moon.
-Perseid meteor shower starts. (You might be able to see a few on the 9th or 10th as well.)

Tuesday, 8/12
-Full Moon, 12:48 a.m.
Look for this late summer Moon in the east-southeast just as it begins to darken on Monday evening, or about a half hour later on Tuesday evening. The Harvest Moon arrives next month, but this Full Moon had names, too. In Colonial America it was sometimes called "Dog Day’s Moon," while the Cheyenne referred to it as the "Moon When Cherries Turn Ripe," and the Wisham People of Oregon and Washington called it "Blackberry Patches Moon" (Source: The Moon Book by Kim Long). Full Moon Fever
-Uranus 5 degrees north of the moon.
-Perseid Meteor Shower building up.

Wednesday, 8/13
-Perseid Meteor Shower, 1 a.m.
The days leading up to the peak will offer better viewing, because unfortunately the Full Moon will pretty much ruin this year’s Perseids on the peak night. Perseus will be in the northeast sky and the Moon in the south at the time of the peak. How can you tell if it is true Perseid Meteor and not a sporadic? Trace the path of the meteor back, and if the path crosses the constellation of Perseus, there this is a high likelihood that what you saw was a Perseid.
-Moon passes Mars, 1 p.m. (Mars 1.9 degrees south of the moon.)
While this event occurs long after moonset in North America, you can observe Mars and the Moon very close together in the southwestern sky before dawn.

Thursday, 8/14
-Perseid Meteor Shower declining.
-Mercury at greatest eastern elongation (27 degrees.)

Wednesday, 8/18
-Venus in superior conjunction with the sun. Sorry, you can't see this.

Tuesday, 8/19
-Moon at apogee.
-Last Quarter Moon, 8:48 p.m.
Last – or Third – Quarter Moon is the phase when the Moon is three-quarters of the way around its orbit of Earth, starting at New Moon. Moon moves progressively farther eastward each night, such that after about a week it is at First Quarter, a week later at Full Moon, and a week later at Last Quarter. Last Quarter rises long after sunset and can be seen in the morning sky, even after sunrise.

Friday, 8/22
-Jupiter in conjunction with the sun. Sorry, you can't see this.

Saturday, 8/23
-Saturn 4 degrees south of moon.
-Moon approaches Saturn, before dawn
Look for the Waning Crescent Moon as it approaches Saturn in the predawn eastern sky. They are at their closest in the late afternoon, but of course will not be visible at that time.

Sunday, 8/24
-Uranus at opposition.

Wednesday, 8/27
-Mars at closest to Earth, 5:52 a.m.
On this day, Mars is closer to Earth than it has been in your lifetime or throughout recorded history! Being close, it is bright and a great sight in a small telescope. Be sure to observe it now, because your great-great-grandchildren will walk on Mars before it gets any closer to Earth than this!
-New Moon, 1:26 p.m.
The Moon is New on the 27th, but don’t expect to see it! New Moons cannot be observed, but do look for the Crescent Moon low in the western sky just after sunset beginning on Thursday.
-Mercury stationary.

Thursday, 8/28
-Mars at Opposition, 2 p.m.
Although Mars is closest to Earth on the 27th, it is at opposition today. Thus, like the Moon when it is full, it rises at about sunset, stays up all night, and sets at about sunrise. Because it is close and appears as large as it can in a telescope, don’t fail to take a look!
-Mercury 9 degrees south of the moon.

Saturday, 8/30
-Pluto stationary
-Mars at perhelion

Sunday, 8/31
-Moon at perigee.

 

[Sting]

I finally had the opportunity to go out last night and see Mars for my own two eyes.

Absolutely Amazing.

 

[Dagenais]

I finally had the opportunity to go out last night and see Mars for my own two eyes

Hopefully I can go see it tonight.

I usually don't get a chance to see these kind of things, since I take my shower early and don't feel like heading outside in the cold.

 

[J-Man]

Skywatcher's Information for September 2003
Some information from www.space.com,[/url] [url]www.astronomy.com[/URL]
======================================================

Moon phases:
------------
Sept 3 - 1st quarter
Sept 10 - Full moon
Sept 18 - Last quarter
Sept 25 - New moon


Planets: (in a few days see: [url]http://www.space.com/spacewatch/sky_calendar.html[/url] in case I don't update this part.)
--------
-Saturn

-Mars

-Jupiter will be in the morning sky later in September.

-Mercury

-Venus


Day-by-day: (All times ET unless noted)
-----------
Wednesday, Sept. 3
-1st quarter Moon

Sunday Sept. 7
-Neptune 5 degrees north of moon

Tuesday, Sept. 9
-Uranus 5 degrees north of moon
-Mars 1.2 degrees south of moon, occultation

Wednesday, Sept. 10
-Full moon
-Mercury in inferior conjunction

Tuesday, Sept. 16
-Moon at apogee

Thursday, Sept. 18
-Last quarter moon

Friday, Sept. 19
-Mercury stationary
-Saturn 5 degrees south of moon

Tuesday, Sept. 23
-Autumnal equinox, 6:47 a.m. EDT
-Jupiter 4 degrees south of moon

Wednesday, Sept. 24
-Mercury 5 degrees south of moon

Thursday, Sept. 25
-New Moon

Friday, Sept. 26
-Mercury at greatest western elongation (18 degrees)

Sunday, Sept. 28
-Moon at perigee

 

[Phobos]

watch for an aurora tonight

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/10/24/solar.forecast/index.html

The coronal mass ejection, or CME, is expected to reach Earth about 3 p.m. EDT and its effects could last 12 to 18 hours, according to space weather forecasters.
...
Solar activity is rated, similar to the system for hurricanes or earthquakes, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 as the most intense. The effects from this storm are expected to be classified 3, or moderate.

Supposedly, the aurora may reach down into the northern U.S. Be sure to turn off your porch lights.

 

[NileQueen]

Solar Flare

Good picture here of what's going on with the sun...

http://spaceweather.com/

"SEVERE SOLAR ACTIVITY: One of the most powerful solar flares in years, a remarkable X17-category explosion, erupted from sunspot 486 this morning at approximately 1110 UT. A strong solar radiation storm is in progress. (Click here to learn about the effects of such storms.) The explosion hurled a coronal mass ejection almost directly toward Earth, which could trigger bright auroras when it arrives perhaps as early as tonight."

 

[chroot]

Holy crap this is cool!

http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/images2003/28oct03/cme_c3_big.gif

- Warren

 

[NileQueen]

heliocolor

Well if you liked that, you can see it in vivid colors here (filters, of course)

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/

 

[Phobos]

an exciting November

total eclipse of the moon coming up on Nov. 8!
http://skyandtelescope.com/aboutsky/pressreleases/article_1087_1.asp

Leonid meteors peak on Nov 17-18

 

[Kerrie]

phobos, i would also like to add that at the same time as the lunar eclipse of 11/8, 6 major planets will form the star of david above the earth...a rare event that we are lucky to witness...

pm me if you want more info :)

 

[Phobos]

...and here is where I would have posted a photo of this weekend's lunar eclipse if my camera battery had not died.

oh well...the view I had was spectacular and I held a mini-star party with some of my family (and 1 passerby). I was thrilled that they were so interested in the eclipse.

 

[Kerrie]

anyone else get to see the eclipse? the clouds parted in time for a viewing here in oregon...

 

[Phobos]

Originally posted by Kerrie
phobos, i would also like to add that at the same time as the lunar eclipse of 11/8, 6 major planets will form the star of david above the earth...a rare event that we are lucky to witness...

A debunking of this idea, for your consideration...
http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/concordance.html

 

[Labguy]

Saturn Opposition, 12/31/03

Saturns opposition on 12/31/03 will be the closest in 30 years. And, the ~25 degree ring-tilt is perfect for anyone with a telescope.

http://www.rocklandastronomy.com/saturn_info.htm

 

[Rader]

100 ton meteor

A big 100 ton meteor enters airspace over spain and fragments in large areas.

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/01/05/spain.fireballs.reut/index.html

 

[Phobos]

NASA says that the Mars rover Spirit's twin, the Opportunity, is still on course to land in the Meridiani Planum at 6:05 p.m. EST tomorrow (Jan 24).

 

[Phobos]

For weekly updates of sky events...
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance/

Don't forget to watch for Venus, which sits high and bright (mag -4.1) in the west-southwest after sunset. It's quite striking. Slap a telescope on it and you will see its gibbous shape (it has phases just like Earth's Moon).

 

[Labguy]

Originally posted by Phobos
For weekly updates of sky events...
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance/

Don't forget to watch for Venus, which sits high and bright (mag -4.1) in the west-southwest after sunset. It's quite striking. Slap a telescope on it and you will see its gibbous shape (it has phases just like Earth's Moon).

From that same site, this is a biggie:

"Triple shadow transit on Jupiter! The tiny black shadows of Callisto, Io, and Ganymede are all on Jupiter's face from 3:00 to 3:19 a.m. Sunday morning Eastern Standard Time."

I have seen two in transit several times, but three transits with three shadows should be quite a sight, even in a small (3" or so) telescope.

 

[Labguy]

For tonight's "triple transit, here are the event times. Remember, these times are for ARIZONA, mountain time.

Saturday, 3/27: 7:59 pm, Callisto, Egress from Transit (nothing exciting
here)
" , 3/27: 9:59 pm, Callisto, Shadow Ingress (first shadow
appears - then wait 2.5hrs until the second shadow appears)
" , 3/27: 10:44 pm, Ganymede, Ingress Transit
" , 3/27: 11:32 pm, Europa, Occultation Disappearance (goes
behind the planet)
" , 3/27: 11:59 pm, Io, Ingress Transit
Sunday, 3/28: 12:32 am, Io, Shadow Ingress (second shadow appears)
" , 3/28: 1:00 am, Ganymede, Shadow Ingress (Triple shadow transit
begins)
" , 3/28: 1:19 am, Callisto, Shadow Egress (and then there are
two)
" , 3/28: 2:05 am, Ganymede, Egress from Transit
" , 3/28: 2:14 am, Io, Egress from Transit
" , 3/28: 2:48 am, Io, Shadow Egress (and then there is one)
" , 3/28: 3:27 am, Europa, Eclipse Reappearance (becomes visible
after being behind the planet)
" , 3/28: 4:23 am, Ganymede, Shadow Egress (and then there are
none)

So the triple shadow event is visible from 1:00 am to 1:19 am. To have
three shadows transiting the planet at one time is rather rare. This is the
only occasion of it happening this year. Jupiter's Red Spot will be on the
central meridian of Jupiter at 4:48 am (3/28)

Go out if you get the chance, this doesn't happen often. It's Sunday, you can sleep-in.

 

[2Pac]

June 8, 2004. The transit of Venus. Venus will pass between the Earth and sun putting a dark spot on the sun. wear your sunglasses!

 

[Labguy]

June 8, 2004. The transit of Venus. Venus will pass between the Earth and sun putting a dark spot on the sun. wear your sunglasses!

Here is from where you can and can't see it.

http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_1021_1.asp

 

[recon]

Is anyone going to observe it and post their information here, so we can all collaborate to find a rough estimate of the distance of 1 AU just for fun? It won't be too accurate, but anyone think it is worth a try? We've got people from all over the world here on PF, so it might be a good idea. :)

 

[Labguy]

Two things going on:
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_1021_1.asp

http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/comets/article_1229_1.asp