Skywatch November 2004

This is the Skywatch Line for Monday, November 29.  The Sun sets at 4:23 PM, with night falling at 6:03. Dawn breaks at 5:24 AM and ends with sunrise at 7:05.

As the Sun sets, Mercury hovers in the southwestern sky. The moderately bright planet is best seen with binoculars or telescope, but its low altitude makes observing difficult.

By 10 PM, both the Moon and Saturn are well up in the constellation Gemini. The Moon lies between the twins, while Saturn lies below. The Moon is virtually full tonight, and blocks our views of dim galaxies and comets. 

At first light, a line of bright planets and stars join Saturn and the Moon. Jupiter rises about 2:30 AM in Virgo. It outshines the otherwise bright star Spica, below it. Venus and Mars hover above the eastern horizon, separated by about three and a half degrees. Venus, in binoculars or telescope, looks like a miniature version of the Moon, far above. Mars’ distinctive red color makes identification easy.

The Great Square of Pegasus dominates the sky.  While the constellation is well known, not many people know it is featured in an ancient soap opera. The W shaped constellation is Cassiopeia, the Queen. Next to Cassiopeia is Cepheus, a house-shaped constellation. Andromeda is their daughter. She is usually depicted as a faint chain of stars that spring from Pegasus’ upper left star. Perseus is found just to the left of Pegasus and Andromeda. He resembles a stick figure of a person, with one leg shorter than the other. Cetus, the sea monster, is found low on the horizon.

One legend states that Andromeda angered the gods and was chained to a rock to be eaten by the sea-monster Cetus. Perseus, passing by on Pegasus, heard her cries for help. He slew Cetus and freed the maiden. 

This is just one example of the myths the ancients used to explain the stars and planets. Different cultures have different interpretations of the constellations. For example, some native tribes picture Ursa Major, The Big Bear, quite differently from our classical view. 

    This is the Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for Tuesday, November 30th,

2004, written by Steven Russo, Planetarium Manager of the Suits-Bueche

Planetarium at the Schenectady Museum.

    The sun sets tonight in the south west at 4:23.  It will rise tomorrow, Wednesday in the south east at 7:11 and will set at 4:24.  We are moving towards the shortest days of the year, which occur around the first day of Winter on December 21st. The Moon is approaching Last Quarter, which is on December 4th, so it is currently in a Waning Gibbous phase. It rises today at 7:17 in the evening, and will set at around 11:24 tomorrow morning.

    The morning sky is good for planet watching.  Venus is the very bright star-like object in the East Northeast before Sunrise.  Just below Venus, you can locate the planet Mars, with Jupiter higher above Venus.  The Planet Saturn is almost overhead by the time the sky brightens up.

    The famous Summer Triangle is low in the west by 9:00 PM. It is marked by the three bright stars of Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Running through the center of thr Triangle is our Milky Way.  Away from the bright city lights, it can be viewed as a white “smudgy” band. Overhead, lies Pegasus the Flying Horse, also known as the Great Fall Square.  Orion the Hunter is beginning to rise during late evening in the east, and by 10 PM, is well up in the eastern sky.

    Very close to the horizon in the north, you can find the Big Dipper.  During this time of the year, it is right-side up.  Drawing an imaginary line through the two end stars in the cup, and extending it upwards from the horizon, will point you to the North Star.  It is also known as Polaris.  Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT the brightest star in the sky.  Its only importance is that it points us towards the north.

    Public Programs at the Suits-Buech Planetarium at the Schenectady

Museum are on Saturdays and Sundays at 1, 2, and 3 P. M.  The 1:00 program

is The Friendly Stars, a program for young people. At 2 P. M. is Tis The Season, our brand new holiday show, And at 3 P. M. is a live narration of the Winter Sky.  There are also programs on Wednesday and Thursdays at 2 PM.

Tonight, the Moon is in the constellation Aries, approximately 97 percent illuminated.  Full Moon occurs Friday evening.

With the Christmas shopping season upon us, there is a great temptation to buy the budding astronomer a telescope.  Most telescopes found at the local mall, with few exceptions, are derisively referred to as department store telescopes.  But, if a child or young adult has progressed beyond a good book on astronomy, a planisphere or star map, and a red flash light, the first optical instrument one should buy is a decent pair of binoculars.  If not already in the home, decent binoculars can be bought for less than a hundred dollars. 

Even seasoned amateur astronomers, with large, impressive telescopes, almost invariable own a pair, or sometimes two or three, binoculars.  Most amateurs, in fact, consider binoculars essential.  Binoculars are easier to use than even small telescopes and, in fact, for some objects, binoculars are often the instrument of choice.

There are two types of binoculars:  roof prism, which have straight tubes, and porro prism.  Porro prism binoculars, of equivalent size and excellent optical quality, are generally much less expensive and are, accordingly, preferred. 

Binoculars are referred to by two numbers, indicating magnification and the size, in millimeters, of the objective lenses.   Thus, 7 X 50 binoculars have a magnification of seven and objectives fifty millimeters, or approximately two inches, in diameter.  Binoculars come in many sizes.  Generally speaking, binoculars with a magnification of ten or less are preferable, as a first pair, since they can readily be hand held without the view dancing around.  For this reason, lighter weight binoculars are also preferable.  Binoculars which can be hand held can be used at a moments notice and for necessarily brief periods, but can also be used for extended periods without tiring.

What can binoculars show you?  In addition to the benefit of easy use, binoculars typically have wide fields of view.  Objects which cannot fit into the restricted fields of view of telescopes, such as large open clusters like the Hyades or Pleiades, are best seen in binoculars. Other extended objects, such as the Great Andromeda Galaxy, can be seen in their entirety in binoculars.  On a clear, dark night, when you can see a few thousand stars with the naked eye, binoculars will show a hundred thousand stars and will bring out the color in many of them.  The Milky Way is a glorious star studded sight in binoculars.

Binoculars will show numerous craters on the moon, as well as the lunar “seas”. 

Binoculars will improve the view of almost anything visible to the naked eye, and reveal much that cannot be seen without optical aid.  They are truly indispensable and a logical next step in learning to view the night sky.

Tonight, the crescent Moon is an obvious sight, even before sun set.  In Capricornus, in the western sky, the Moon is approximately twenty-three percent illuminated, setting just after 8:30 PM.  Just west of the Moon is Neptune, invisible to the naked eye at around magnitude eight.  Somewhat further, north of the Moon lies Uranus in the constellation Aquarius, barely visible to the naked eye under optimum conditions at around sixth magnitude.

The most obvious planet in the evening sky is Saturn, below Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini.  Brighter than zero magnitude, Saturn is an obvious interloper.  In a telescope of any size, Saturn is probably one of the most memorable sights in the night time sky, undoubtedly because of its system of rings.  Additionally, even a small telescope will show Titan, its largest moon, and moderate size instruments will show several more moons.

To the lower left of Saturn, in the constellation Cancer, the Crab, can readily be seen M44, a glorious open star cluster of approximately third magnitude, also known as the Beehive Cluster or Praesepe.  Like the planets, the Beehive Cluster is located near the ecliptic and, accordingly, its stars may, at times, be occulted by the Moon.  It is one of the largest, nearest, and brightest galactic, or open, star clusters, clearly visible to the naked eye and readily resolved into stars with binoculars.  Galileo was probably the first person to view the Beehive with a telescope and discover its true nature as a star cluster.

With Orion and Gemini rising in the East, the Great Square of Pegasus is well in the west.  Near the Meridian, the line from due north, through the zenith, to due south where celestial objects are at their highest point, can be found the constellation Perseus, with its famous Double Cluster.  Facing south, the Double Cluster should be relatively easy to spot in a dark sky to the lower left of the “W” of Cassiopeia.

 Cold, clear winter nights often have transparent skies ideal for locating open clusters such as the Double Cluster and the Beehive Cluster.  With a small pair of binoculars, and a sky map, several others can be easily found. Wait for the Moon to set, dress warmly, and see how many you can find.

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Dudley Observatory
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