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Dudley Observatory
Supporting research and education in astronomy, astrophysics, and the history of astronomy |
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Skywatch October 2005
Skywatch Line for Friday, September 30, through
Sunday, October 2, 2005 The skies are dark and moonless over the weekend, and current predictions are for clear skies, so it should be a fine weekend for stargazing. Mars now rises toward the east just after 8:30 PM, and the red planet continues to brighten as it moves toward its closest approach to Earth on October 30. It is large enough to show some detail through a telescope, especially if you look at Mars when it is high in the sky around 3:45 AM. A telescope magnifying just over 100 power will now make Mars appear as large as the Full Moon does to the unaided eye, and should reveal some dark markings on the planet. Weather permitting the Albany Area Amateur Astronomers will host public Star Parties this coming weekend. At Star Parties a variety of telescopes are set up for your viewing pleasure, providing views of galaxies, star clusters, nebulae, and pretty double stars. During the early part of the Star Party, club members will have their telescopes pointed at some of the celestial showpieces. Later on, we take requests, as long as the object is above the horizon. Friday night's program is at the George Landis Arboretum in Esperance, and begins at 8:00 PM. If you enter Esperance traveling west on Route 20, watch for the arboretum sign on your right, immediately after crossing the bridge over the Schoharie River. After taking the right, follow the signs to the arboretum. Continue up the hill past the main parking area and farmhouse, and turn right into the Meeting House drive as you reach the top of the hill. A reflective "Star Party" sign will mark the driveway. Saturday night's Star Party is in Indian Meadows Park in Glenville, also beginning at 8:00 PM. Indian Meadows Park is off of Droms Road in East Glenville, and is marked by a large sign. After passing the park buildings, bear left at the fork in the road, and continue to a gravel parking lot on your left. The telescopes are set up beyond the gravel parking lot. Please park in the gravel lot and walk to the telescope area. If you are bringing a telescope, you may drive to the observing area, but try to arrive early. There is no admission charge and all ages are welcome. You are welcome to stay as long or as briefly as you wish. Keep in mind that the temperature feels 20 to 30 degrees cooler when you are inactive under the night sky – so dress appropriately! Temperatures are predicted to drop into the lower 40s on Friday night, and to the upper 40s on Saturday. It never hurts to have some extra layers of clothing in the car – some guests leave early because they get chilled. Star Parties are canceled if the skies are mostly cloudy. Call Alan or Sue French at 374-8460 for more information or to verify a cancellation due to cloudy skies. This is the Skywatch Line for Monday, October 3. The Sun sets at 6:33 PM, with night falling at 8:07.
Dawn breaks at 5:22 AM, and ends with sunrise at 6:56. This is the Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for Tuesday October 4th,
2005, written by Steven Russo, Planetarium Manager of the Suits-Bueche
Planetarium at the Schenectady Museum.
It was on Today’s date in 1957, that the modern space age began, as the
Soviet Union launched the first man made satellite known as Sputnik.
Sunrise today was at 7:00 AM, and it will set tonight at 6:34 PM. It will
rise tomorrow at 7:01 AM, and will set tomorrow at 6:32 PM.
The Moon is currently in a waxing crescent phase. It can be viewed
tonight very low in the west right after Sunset. On Thursday evening, the
moon will be next to the very bright planet Venus.
Venus is very low in the west after Sunset. By 7:30 PM, Venus is low in
the west, and the Summer Triangle of Vega, Deneb, and Altair is high up in
the sky with bright blue Vega overhead. Running through the center of the
triangle, is the Summer portion of our Milky Way Galaxy. Appearing as a dim
smudgy band of light under dark skies, a pair of binoculars will reveal
countless numbers of stars.
And don’t forget about the planet Mars, looking like an orange-yellowish
star. It rises at around 9:00 PM, and is in good view by 10:30. Next to
Mars is the winter group of stars known as the Pleiades, or the Seven
Sisters.
High up in the east, appearing as a dim smudge of light, is the
Andromeda Galaxy. It is our closest neighbor galaxy, at a distance of 2.5
million light years away.
The ringed Planet Saturn rises about an hour and a half before the Sun.
Public Programs at the Suits-Bueche 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 “Light
Years from Andromeda”, and at 3 P. M. is a live narration of the Summer Sky.
“Light Years From Andromeda” also plays Tuesday through Fridays at 2 PM.
Skywatch Line Oct 5, 2005 Tonight the Sun sets at 6:29 PM followed by the waxing crescent Moon at 7:22 PM. Venus is still easily visible in the southwest at brighter than minus four magnitude, setting at 8:12 PM.
Right now, though, of all the planets Mars steals the show. Rising at 8:14 PM less than nine degrees to the right of the Pleiades, on the border between the constellations of Taurus and Aries, Mars rises high in the sky during the night. At slightly less than minus two magnitude, Mars is unmistakable, although those expecting it to appear a deep red will be disappointed. In a telescope, Mars appears salmon colored and shows a fair amount of detail when the seeing steadies. Mars is steadily getting bigger and closer, reaching its closest approach to Earth on October 30th and opposition on November 7th.
Those staying up late will be rewarded by a view of Saturn, which rises at 1:28 AM. Saturn is almost zero magnitude in the constellation Cancer, less than two and a half degrees from M 44, the Beehive Cluster. Even a small telescope will show Saturn’s rings and several of its moons.
Staying out late on an autumn evening has another advantage. At 8:00 PM tonight, Sagittarius has not yet set and the Milky Way can be observed all the way from Sagittarius in the south southwest to Perseus in the northeast. If you stay out as late as 4:00 AM you will be able to see Deneb sinking near the horizon in the northwest and follow the Milky Way all the way from Cygnus, through Cassiopeia and Auriga, and past Orion and Canis Major. In other words, in one night you can see both the summer and winter Milky Way, peering both toward our galaxy’s center and away from it. Most of us are more familiar with the summer Milky Way, perhaps because warmer weather enables us to stay out late, but also because the summer Milky Way is richer and therefore more apparent. For those willing to stay up late, a mild autumn evening lets us view the sights of the winter sky without the cold and snow of winter.
And adding to such winter sights as the Orion Nebula, we now have a fascinating Mars on view high in the sky, and the return of Saturn with its resplendent rings and moons which change positions nightly. This is the Skywatch
Line for Friday, October 7, through Sunday, October 9. This is the Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for Tuesday October 11th, 2005, written by Steven Russo, Planetarium Manager of the Suits-Bueche Planetarium at the Schenectady Museum. Sunrise today was at 7:08 AM, and it will set tonight at 6:22 PM. It will rise tomorrow at 7:09 AM, and will set tomorrow at 6:20 PM. The Moon is currently in a waxing gibbous phase as first quarter was yesterday. It can be viewed tonight in the south after Sunset. It rose today at 3:40 in the afternoon, and will set after midnight. Tomorrow it will rise at 4:15 in the afternoon, and will set after midnight tomorrow. By 7:30 PM, Venus is low in the west, and the Summer Triangle of Vega, Deneb, and Altair is high up in the sky with bright blue Vega overhead. Running through the center of the triangle, is the Summer portion of our Milky Way Galaxy. Appearing as a dim smudgy band of light under dark skies, a pair of binoculars will reveal countless numbers of stars. And don’t forget about the planet Mars, looking like an orange-yellowish star. It rises at around 9:00 PM, and is in good view by 10:00. Next to Mars is the winter group of stars known as the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters. High up in the east, appearing as a dim smudge of light, is the Andromeda Galaxy. It is our closest neighbor galaxy, at a distance of 2.5 million light years away. The ringed Planet Saturn rises about an hour and a half before the Sun. Public Programs at the Suits-Bueche 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 “Light Years from Andromeda”, and at 3 P. M. is a live narration of the Summer Sky. “Light Years From Andromeda” also plays Tuesday through Fridays at 2 PM.
By Bernard Forman
Tonight the Sun sets at 6:17 PM. The waxing gibbous Moon rises at 4:11 PM and sets at 12:43 AM. First quarter Moon occurred last Monday. Unfortunately, after a fairly lengthy period of good weather, the rains have returned, promising little hope of observing the night sky for the next several days. What to do?
For the present, we are relegated to being armchair astronomers, limited to magazines, books and, perhaps, the internet. While the internet contains an immense amount of information, the novice stargazer is best served in learning about the sky and amateur equipment through magazines and books.
Everyone with any interest in amateur astronomy should subscribe to at least one, if not both, of the popular general interest astronomy magazines, Sky and Telescope and Astronomy. Both contain articles on the science of astronomy, as well as many useful tips on observing. Additionally, virtually every issue contains an article reviewing the latest equipment. Before buying that new telescope, perhaps after seeing an ad in one of these magazines, it’s a good idea to find an equipment review. Back issues of both magazines can often be found at a public library and reviews can also be found on the internet.
As recently as the 1960s, there were few books aimed at the amateur astronomer. Many of today’s middle age amateurs grew up reading books by Patrick Moore, the noted English popularizer of the hobby. The emphasis was clearly on the Moon, the planets, and double and variable stars. Today, the situation is quite different with many books on all aspects of amateur astronomy.
If you are relatively new to amateur astronomy, one of the best books available is The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide by Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer. The book offers an excellent introduction to equipment and observational astronomy. For anyone wishing to delve deeper into amateur astronomy, the authors suggest books for further reading and have a website providing links to websites of interest to amateur astronomers, including those of equipment manufacturers and suppliers.
Finally, the novice amateur will require both a planisphere
and a star atlas. Among star atlases stick to one of the less detailed,
magnitude six and brighter star atlases. Among these are the Bright Star
Atlas 2000.0 by Tirion and Skiff, The Cambridge Star Atlas by Wil
Tirion, and Norton’s 2000.0 Star Atlas and Reference Handbook edited by
Ian Ridpath. Skywatch Line for Friday, October 14, through Sunday, October 16. Skywatch Line for Monday,
October 17 The Sun sets tonight at
6:09, with night falling at 7:44 PM. Dawn breaks at 5:38 AM, with the Sun rising
at 7:12.
Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for Tuesday October 18th, 2005 Sunrise today was at 7:16 AM, and it will set tonight at 6:10 PM. It will rise tomorrow at 7:18 AM, and will set tomorrow at 6:09 PM. The Moon, one day past Full, is currently in a waning gibbous phase. It will rise tonight at 6:40 PM, shortly after Sunset, and will set at 9:45 tomorrow morning. Tonight, it is near the red planet Mars, which is in the east a few hours after sunset. Tomorrow night, it is near the Pleiades. By 7:30 PM, Venus is low in the west, visible even before darkness falls. The Summer Triangle of Vega, Deneb, and Altair is high up in the sky with bright blue Vega overhead. Running through the center of the triangle, is the Summer portion of our Milky Way Galaxy. Appearing as a dim smudgy band of light under dark skies, a pair of binoculars will reveal countless numbers of stars. You may wish to wait a few days when the moon is out of the picture. And don’t forget about the planet Mars, looking like an orange-yellowish star. It rises at around 9:00 PM, and is in good view by 10:00. Next to Mars is the winter group of stars known as the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters. High up in the east, appearing as a dim smudge of light, is the Andromeda Galaxy. It is our closest neighbor galaxy, at a distance of 2.5 million light years away. The ringed Planet Saturn rises about an hour and a half before the Sun. Public Programs at the Suits-Bueche 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 “Light Years from Andromeda”, and at 3 P. M. is a live narration of the Fall Sky. “Light Years From Andromeda” also plays Tuesday through Fridays at 2 PM. Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for October 19 by Bernard Forman
Tonight the Sun sets at 6:06 PM. The waxing gibbous Moon rises at 7:08 PM in the constellation Taurus, the Bull. Full Moon occurred this past Monday.
Going out tonight and facing east north east the Moon is within ten degrees of Mars and close by is M 45, the famous Pleiades star cluster. Probably the most famous open cluster in the entire sky, the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, is readily visible to the unaided eye. Normal sighted people can usually pick out at least six stars and keen sighted people under good conditions can see as many as twelve stars without optical aid.
The Seven Sisters are so named after a group of mythological nymphs, the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. The cluster spans approximately one and one half degrees of sky, or approximately three full moon widths. It is a relatively young cluster, about fifty million years old, containing about one hundred stars in all and lying approximately 410 light years away.
In binoculars or a telescope affording a wide field of view, the Pleiades are a glorious sight. Being a relatively young cluster, there are numerous hot, blue giant stars. The entire cluster is still embedded in the cloud of gas out of which the stars formed, some of which can be seen visually, even in binoculars under good conditions. Photographs show much nebulosity in the region.
In contrast to the Pleiades, the Hyades star cluster, also in Taurus, is much older and closer, approximately 150 light years distant. The Hyades contains about two hundred stars, which are spread over five degrees of sky. The Hyades appear around the bright star Aldebaran, which is not part of the cluster. In mythology, the Hyades are half sisters of the Pleiades, being the daughters of Atlas and Aethra.
The Hyades are decidedly V shaped and form the face of Taurus, with Aldebaran representing the Bull’s eye.
One more celebrated object lies in Taurus. M 1, the first object in Messier’s famous catalogue, is also known as the Crab Nebula. Lying approximately 6500 light years away, the Crab Nebula appears as only a faint bit of nebulosity in small telescopes, although it may be glimpsed in binoculars on a good night. The nebula is the remains of a supernova, which was observed and recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1054 A. D. At the heart of the nebula is a rapidly spinning pulsar, the remains of the massive star which exploded so long ago.
Skywatch Line for Friday, October 21, through Sunday, October 23. by Alan French The Moon is now just past full, so it rises early in the evening, and bright moonlight will dominate much of the night sky. Moonrise on Friday night is at 8:30. On Saturday night it will rise at 9:24, and by Sunday night moonrise will not be until 10:24. The moonrise on Saturday night will be unusually far toward the north, so look for the Moon coming up toward the northeast just before 9:30. Early risers will have a chance to see the International Space Station travel directly over our area on Saturday morning. It will appear high in the sky as it moves out of the Earth's shadow at 5:46:55 AM. If you know the constellations, look for the ISS to appear in Auriga near the star Capella. If are unfamiliar with the constellations, look high overhead for a bright star moving toward the southeast. After moving out of the Earth's shadow, the ISS will travel down through Gemini, past Saturn, and then vanish below the southeastern horizon at 5:50. Mars continues to dominate the late evening sky. Over the weekend, the red planet will rise toward the east just before 7:00 PM and will be 33 degrees above the horizon by 10:00 PM. Mars is now highest and due south at 2:00 AM in the morning, when it will be 64 degrees above the southern horizon and appear very high in the sky. Although Mars is about 25 percent farther away than it was at its closest approach in recorded history in late August of 2003, the planet will be 30 degrees higher in the sky. Because we are looking through less of the Earth's atmosphere, this will be a better chance to observe Mars with a telescope than we had in 2003. We will not have another such opportunity here in the northern latitudes until 2020. Mars now appears just over 20 arc seconds in diameter, and shines at magnitude –2.2. It is brighter than any of the stars in the night sky. Only Venus, toward the southwest in the early evening, outshines Mars. Through a telescope magnifying 90 times, Mars will appear about the same size as the Moon does to the unaided eye. When high in the south any telescope should reveal some markings on the planet, and the view will continue to slowly improve slightly until early November. If you want to see what features are visible on the surface of Mars do a search on the web for a program called Mars Previewer. This program can show how the features of Mars would appear at any time, and it is a great tool for learning the features visible through a telescope. This is the Skywatch Line for Monday, October 24. The Sun sets tonight at 5:58 PM, with night falling at 7:34. Dawn breaks
at 5:46 tomorrow morning, and ends with sunrise at 7:21. This is the Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for Tuesday October 25th, 2005, written by Steven Russo, Planetarium Manager of the Suits-Bueche Planetarium at the Schenectady Museum. Sunrise today was at 7:25 AM, and it will set tonight at 6:00 PM. It will rise tomorrow at 7:26 AM, and will set tomorrow at 5:58 PM. The Moon, one day past last quarter, is currently in a waning crescent phase. It set this afternoon at 3:06 PM, and will rise just after midnight tonight, setting at 3:30 PM, tomorrow. Tonight and tomorrow, it will be near the ringed planet Saturn, which rises after midnight. By 7:30 PM, Venus is low in the west, visible even before darkness falls. By 9:00 PM, the Summer Triangle of Vega, Deneb, and Altair is high up in the sky in the west, getting lower and lower each night as we head further into Fall. Running through the center of the triangle, is the Summer portion of our Milky Way Galaxy. Appearing as a dim smudgy band of light under dark skies, a pair of binoculars will reveal countless numbers of stars. And don’t forget about the planet Mars, looking like an orange-yellowish star. It gets into good viewing position at around 9:00 PM, and is in good view by 10:00. Look for it in the northeast sky. Next to Mars is the winter group of stars known as the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters. Mars will be closest to Earth at a distance of 43 million miles on October 29th. It will not be this close again until 2018. High up in the east, appearing as a dim smudge of light, is the Andromeda Galaxy. It is our closest neighbor galaxy, at a distance of 2.5 million light years away. Public Programs at the Suits-Bueche 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 “Light Years from Andromeda”, and at 3 P. M. is a live narration of the Fall Sky. “Light Years From Andromeda” also plays Tuesday through Fridays at 2 PM. Tonight the Sun sets at 5:56 PM. The waning crescent Moon, in the constellation Leo, the Lion, rises at 1:37 AM. Third quarter Moon was yesterday.
Skywatch Line for Oct 26 by Bernard Forman
In the constellation Aries, having spent the first part of the month in Taurus, Mars shines at brighter than minus two magnitude. Rising at 6:34 PM, Mars is high up late at night, affording much better views than during the last opposition two years ago. With an angular diameter of just over 20 arc seconds, even relatively small telescopes will show albedo features on the planet. In larger telescopes, the planet is, generally, salmon colored, with the albedo features appearing bluish green. The polar cap has shrunk considerably, and dust storms have also been visible recently. Mars is closest to Earth on October 30th, and opposition occurs on November 7th. This will be the best opposition for northern hemisphere observers for a long time, so now is the time to get to a star party.
Of the remaining naked eye planets, Venus shines at brighter than minus four magnitude in the south west, setting at 8:05 PM. Saturn rises in Cancer just after Midnight. Around zero magnitude, the ringed planet is less than four degrees below M44, the Beehive Cluster. Binoculars will show both in the same field of view.
By 11:00 PM tonight, the Summer Triangle is sinking toward the western horizon, replaced in prominence by Cassiopeia, Perseus and Andromeda. Toward the east, first Auriga, then Orion and Gemini are coming into view. From a dark site, before the Moon rises, the Milky Way arcs high overhead.
East of Perseus and north of Taurus and Orion, Auriga, the Charioteer, is probably not as familiar to the novice as the other mentioned constellations. Yet Alpha Aurigae, Capella, is the sixth brightest star in the sky, shining at almost zero magnitude. Simply scan well north of Orion until you reach a very bright star. Auriga contains three open clusters listed in Messier’s famous catalogue, M 36, M37 and M 38. All three can be found with binoculars, with M 37, which contains about 150 stars, generally considered the most striking.
Of course, this is an excellent time of year for viewing open clusters. Taurus contains the Pleiades and the Hyades, both readily visible to the naked eye. And if you have a pair of binoculars or a telescope, the Double Cluster in Perseus is one of the great sights of the nighttime sky.
This is the Skywatch Line
for Friday, October 28, through Sunday, October 31, 2005. This is the Skywatch Line for Monday, October 31 Now that Daylight Savings Time has ended, the Sun
sets at 4:49 PM, with night falling at 6:24. Dawn breaks at 4:54 tomorrow
morning, and ends with sunrise at 6:30. |
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