The Dudley Observatory

This is the Skywatch Line for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
by Joe Slomka

The Sun sets at 4:30 PM; night falls at
6:13. Dawn breaks at 5:45 AM, ending with sunrise at
7:26.

Two bright planets occupy opposite sectors of the twilight sky. Mercury begins an appearance in the southwest. It is quite low and not easily seen. It achieves greatest elongation this week; Mercury sets at 5 PM, so an observer should move quickly.

Mars rises shortly before sunset and remains up most of the night. Mars continues westward until January’s end, and blazes off of Castor’s foot. The Red Planet lies about three and a half degrees from the binocular star cluster M35 and seven degrees from the telescopic supernova remnant M1.

By midnight Saturn joins Mars and both act as bright beacons. Saturn remains under Leo’s belly. It is best viewed after Midnight until Dawn.

Pre-dawn skies are very active. Mars is low in the West. Saturn lies high in the South. The Last Quarter Moon rises at 1:20 AM, very close to the bright star Spica in Virgo. Wednesday morning finds a slimmer Moon midway between Virgo and Libra. Venus rises just above Scorpius, competing with the red star Antares for attention. Finally, Jupiter rises after daybreak.
It is found low in the southeast. In all, half of the Solar System’s planets are seen between 5:45 and 7:25 AM.

Tuesday is, of course, New Year’s Day. Other cultures celebrate different days. For some, it is the spring equinox, others the winter solstice. Ancient Egyptians marked the rising of the star Sirius. Western calendars begin on January First – thanks to Julius Caesar. The Roman calendar was a mess; it contained 354 days. Extra months had to be inserted to keep in step with the Sun. While Caesar courted Cleopatra, he met her astronomer, Sosigenes, who recommended calendar reform. Caesar adopted those suggestions. On January First 45 BC, the new calendar became effective. It called for 365 days and twelve months. A leap year would be added every four years, to keep the calendar in sync with the Sun. With minor changes, this is the calendar we now use.

This is Dudley Observatory's Skywatch Line for Friday, December 28, through Sunday, December 30, written by Alan French.

The Moon was Full last Sunday, so over the weekend a waxing gibbous Moon will rise late in the evening. Moonrise on Friday night will be just before ten, and on Saturday it will rise just after eleven. By Sunday the Moon will not make an appearance until six minutes after midnight. The Moon will be at last quarter early Monday morning.

On Friday night the Moon will be close to Saturn. If you look toward the east around eleven Saturn will be above and just to the Moon's left. The bright star farther above the Moon and a little to its right is Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, the Lion.

Saturn's rings are a beautiful sight through a telescope. Although they are best seen with a moderate sized instrument at about 250 power, they can be detected through almost any telescope magnifying thirty times. Even a steadily held 10 power pair of binoculars may show something is not quite right with Saturn – with careful focus the ringed planet will look oval or oblong, not round.

Like the Earth, Saturn is tipped on its axis. Saturn's tip is about twenty-seven degrees. As Saturn makes its journey around the Sun, our view of the rings changes. We see them tipped 27 degrees toward us, or “wide open,” then they gradually “close” until we see them edge on and they briefly vanish through most telescopes. They then slowly close again until we see them tipped 27 degrees away from us and “wide open” again. The entire cycle takes about thirty years.

During the coming year Saturn's ring tilt will vary from ten degrees to one degree. In September 2009 the rings will be edge on.

Brilliant Mars continues to dominate the night sky, and this is still prime time for telescopic observations of the Red Planet. Planets reveal the most detail when they are highest in the sky and we are viewing through less of the Earth's atmosphere. Mars is now due south and highest at 11:30 PM, so the best chance to catch the subtle markings on the planet will be between eleven and twelve. If you visit www.skyandtelescope.com <http://www.skyandtelescope.com/> you can find a map that can be set to show the current appearance of the side of Mars facing us.

On Monday morning at 6:30 Venus, shining brightly at magnitude minus four, will be a pretty sight low in the southeast. Our sister planet will be just above the constellation Scorpius, the Scorpion. Look for reddish Antares - “the Rival of Mars” – below Venus.

On our summer solstice, last June 21, the Sun reached its northernmost point on the ecliptic, giving us the longest day and shortest night of the year. Ever since then, the Sun has been setting a bit earlier and rising a little later each day, until we reached the winter solstice last Saturday when we experienced the shortest day and longest night of the year. There is an interesting asymmetry in the changes in times of sunset and sunrise. Actually, the earliest sunset in our area occurred on December 9, and sunsets have occurred a little later since then. On the other hand, sunrise will continue to occur later each day until January 5, after which date sunrise will begin to arrive a bit earlier each day. However, the rate of change is painfully slow. For a full six weeks, centered on the solstice, the times of sunset and sunrise will change by less than 10 minutes each, so that the short dark days of December and January seem endless. Only in February will the lengthening of daylight hours finally become noticeable.

Another asymmetry is apparent in the relationship, in our area, of the daily temperature and our distance from the Sun. Because our orbit is slightly elliptical, our distance from the Sun varies over the course of a year. Many people are surprised to learn that next week, on January 2, the Earth will be at perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun. We will be 5 million kilometers closer to the Sun during our coldest winter month than we will be during the hot days around the 4th of July. The reason for this seeming paradox is that the 23 degree tilt of the Earth's rotational axis to the plane of the ecliptic, has a more important effect on our temperature than our distance from the Sun does. At the winter solstice, the northern hemisphere is tilted to a maximum extent away from the Sun, so that the low angle of the noonday sunlight provides much less energy for the Earth's surface to absorb.

It is interesting to remember that, for people living in the southern hemisphere, last week's solstice was their summer solstice, their longest day and hottest season just as the Earth is at its closest approach to the Sun. This tends to intensify the summer's heat for South Americans and Australians.

This is the Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
by Joe Slomka

The Sun sets at 4:24 PM, with night falling at 6:08. Dawn breaks at 5:40 AM, ending with sunrise at 7:24. A nearly full Moon rises after twilight’s end and remains up the rest of the night.

At Sunset, Mars appears very low in the northeast. Tonight, Mars is at opposition, which means that it rises at sunset, is highest at midnight, and sets at sunrise. Opposition also means that Mars is directly in front of Earth, with the Sun at Earth’s back. Normally, oppositions are the best time to view sky objects. Last week, Mars was closest to Earth, and at its best. But Mars grows smaller and dimmer at a slow pace; and many weeks of useful observations are still possible. Mars also holds a treat tonight; it lies within three degrees of the open star cluster M 35.
This is very nice cluster of gems against a dark sky.

Saturn rises before 10:00 PM and is found beneath Leo’s belly. Saturn is easily identified. It is the brightest object in Leo, and its creamy white color distinguishes it from the constellation’s stars.

Since Saturn is a significant feature of our night sky. Let us consider his importance. This time of the year was dedicated to Saturn, the Roman God of Harvests. A series of feasts were held during the week of the Winter Solstice – the Saturnalia. Saturn was depicted as a jolly old man. People decorated evergreen trees. Candles were lit everywhere. Houses were decorated with wreaths and Holly. Decorated cookies were baked. People wore red peaked hats, similar to the “Santa hats” of today. Banquets were held both in honor of the harvest and wishing for a prosperous new year. Gifts were exchanged: dolls for the children, candles and fruit for the adults. Donations and benefits were held for he poor. Saturnalia was an official government holiday. The holiday was so popular that the Christians moved the feast of Christ’s birth to compete and adopted many of the symbols and traditions of this pagan feast.

Dudley Observatory's Skywatch Line for Friday, December 21, through Sunday, December 23, written by Alan French.

The Moon will be Full at 8:16 PM on Sunday, so the nights will be bright with moonlight over the weekend.

On Friday night the Moon will be close to the Pleiades, known to many as the Seven Sisters. The Moon will be due east at 5:30 PM and the many stars of the Pleiades cluster will be to the Moon's right. This should be a pretty sight in binoculars or a small telescope. As night progresses the eastward motion of the Moon among the stars will gradually move it away from the cluster.

Comet 8P/Tuttle is now moving in through the inner solar system, while the Earth is moving through the trail of debris – small particles of dust and rock – left from one of Comet Tuttle's previous trips inward. When our Earth passes through the orbital debris left by a comet, we get a meteor shower. This shower is called the Ursids because the meteors radiant from the constellation Ursa Minor, the Little Bear, also known as the Little Dipper. If you traced the meteor's paths back across the sky, you would find they all point to an area near Polaris, the North Star.

The Ursids are usually considered a very minor shower with few meteors – perhaps ten an hour. This year predictions say dozens of meteors per hour could be visible from the shower between 5:00 and 6:00 PM Saturday night, and a good number of meteors will continue to be seen until about 10:00. Unfortunately bright moonlight will hamper the viewing, but if is clear it would be worth watching high in the northern sky. Forecasters predict the outburst will produce a fair number of bright meteors. If they're right, perhaps you'll have a pleasant surprise as a bright fireball streaks across the sky.

Sunday night's Full Moon rises at 3:47 in the east-northeast and will quickly be followed by Mars, which will be very close to the Moon all evening. By 5:30 brilliant reddish Mars and the Moon will make a lovely pair against the darker night sky. The Moon's motion will slowly move it past Mars. Check its progress throughout the evening. They will be closest together at 9:00 PM. It parts of the extreme northwest, Alaska, and Canada the Moon will pass in front of or occult Mars.

Comet 17P Holmes, which flared up a millionfold last October 24, continues to expand into an ever larger but fainter and more diffuse dust cloud as it slowly traverses the constellation Perseus. It rounded the Sun at perihelion last May 4, and has been receding from us for the past 8 months. Also, its path of departure lies close to our line of sight so that it appears to move very slowly against the background stars. The diameter of this dust cloud is now larger than that of the Sun. To this observer's eye, it seems to have taken on a tan or slightly brownish hue, giving the impression that a huge Sahara dust storm blew right off the Earth and is disappearing into the cosmos. In a dark sky, it is still easily visible to the naked eye as it slowly approaches the famous variable star, Algol.

Another comet, designated as 8P Tuttle, is currently approaching perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun, on January 27. On its way in to round the Sun, it will fly past Earth on New Year's Day at a distance of only 23.5 million miles, about one quarter of our distance from the Sun, and the closest it has approached since its discovery in 1790. Its nearness will make it appear to be moving very fast among the stars. Careful observation over a five or ten minute period will easily show its motion against the background stars. It will shortly shine at magnitude 6, at the limit of naked eye visibility but a great sight in binoculars. On Saturday, December 22, it will be crossing the "W" of Cassiopeia and on December 28, it will be flying through the constellation Andromeda about 7 degrees east of the Great Andromeda Galaxy. Observers report that Tuttle appears as a gray-green puffball. For an excellent atlas tracing the path of Tuttle through Andromeda, Pisces and Cetus in the next few weeks, consult the magazine, Sky and Telescope, January 2008 issue, on page 74.

In an interesting coincidence, on Sunday, December 23, the Earth will be passing through cometary debris left by 8P Tuttle in its previous passages through Earth's orbit. This will generate the Ursid Meteor Shower. This is usually a modest display with perhaps 10 meteors per hour. Unfortunately, the Moon will be full, brightening the sky and washing out all but the brightest meteors.

The Earth now stands at its closest approach to Mars, at about 55 million miles. The Full Moon will appear to pass very close to Mars on Sunday night about 10 p.m. Observers in Alaska and Canada will actually see the Moon occult the planet.

Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday, December Seventeenth and Eighteenth.
by Joe Slomka

The Sun sets at 4:20 PM; night falls at 6:04. Dawn breaks at 5:36 AM and ends with sunrise at 7:20.

At Sunset, the First Quarter Moon is the brightest object. At half illuminated, it dominates the southern sky, including the dim planets Uranus and Neptune nearby. The Moon resides in Pisces today and tomorrow.

Comet Holmes is still visible just West of Iota Persei. It was naked eye visible a few days ago, and is visible in binoculars. Those with telescopes can try to spot Comet Tuttle midway between the tip of Cepheus and the “W” of Cassiopeia. Astronomy magazines and websites provide more exact locations.

Mars is up by nightfall and visible most of the night. The Red Planet blazes off of Gemini’s knees. Both nights find Mars at its brightest and largest of this year. Tuesday night finds it closest to Earth at about 7 PM. In 2003, Mars was at an historic close approach, .37 the average Earth-Sun distance (about 34 million miles). The Martian image was 25 arc seconds and it was -2.9 magnitude. In contrast Tuesday, Mars is .59 the Earth-Sun distance (about 55 million miles) and much smaller and dimmer. An erroneous email circulates the Internet that Tuesday night sees a remarkable close approach; this is simply a repeat of a 2003 email that was not updated. To confuse things further, Mars reaches opposition on Christmas Eve. Normally, oppositions are prime observing times. However, Tuesday night should be best, weather permitting.
The shapes of each planet’s orbit cause the difference. While nearly circular, both planets have elliptical, or egg-shaped orbits. In addition, Mars takes about 1.9 years to circle the Sun. So close approaches occur at different points in their orbits.
The next closest approaches take place in 2016 and 2020.

The 2003 manifestation was quite low. Now Mars is about as high as possible; its small image size is compensated by a steadier picture that takes high powers well. If you fail to observe Mars tonight, all is not lost. The planet is well placed for observation during the rest of December and January.

Skywatch Line for Friday, December 14, through Sunday, December 16,
written by Alan French.

The snowstorm prevented area residents from watching for meteors from the annual Geminid shower during the peak hours Thursday night through Friday morning, but the shower will still be in progress Friday night and Saturday morning. A few Geminids should also be seen on the following nights this weekend. My wife and I saw a number of Geminids – some quite bright – on Wednesday night.

The best time to watch for meteors will be anytime during late evening, after moonset, until dawn. On Friday night the Moon sets at 9:14, on Saturday night it sets at 10:34, and by Sunday it won't set until 11:35. According to the current weather forecast, however, it sounds like Friday night into Saturday morning will provide the only chance of clear skies over the weekend.

Meteors from the Geminids can appear anywhere in the sky, so just sit in a comfortable reclining lawn chair, dressed for the cold and encased in a sleeping bag, and look high overhead.

With a less than promising outlook for clear skies over most of the weekend, this might be a good time to visit some of the interesting web sites dedicated to astronomy. If you want to learn more about Dudley Observatory, which brings you the Skywatch Line, visit www.dudleyobservatory.org.

There are two fine magazines devoted to astronomy – Sky & Telescope and Astronomy, and both have web sites. One is www.skyandtelescope.com, and the other is www.astronomy.com. In addition to information about events in the night sky, monthly sky charts, and various resources for stargazers, both feature many fine articles about astronomy and space.

On of the best sites for finding out about satellites that are visible from your house is Heavens Above, at www.heavens-above.com. If you haven't visited the site to enter and bookmark your location for future use, this would be a good weekend to do so. They now have a map based selection tool to identify where you live.

This coming Tuesday night, December 18, the Albany Area Amateur Astronomers will meet at 7:30 PM at the Schenectady Museum. Guests are welcome and there is no charge to attend a meeting. This month club members will be showing their astrophotos. After the meeting the Union College Observatory will be open – weather permitting. Bad weather can lead to a meeting cancellation, so call 374-8460 late Tuesday afternoon if in doubt. Also, meetings are canceled if weather closed the Schenectady City Schools.

The inner Solar System, defined as the space around the Sun within the orbits of the four inner rocky planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, is a relatively dusty place compared to the emptiness of interstellar space. Much of the dust is generated by collisions between rocky asteroids that orbit the Sun in the Asteroid Belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Many of these dust particles are about the size of a grain of sand, small enough so that the radiation pressure from the Sun slows them down and they slowly move in closer to the Sun. After a residence time of a few million years in the inner Solar System, they eventually spiral into, and are absorbed by, the Sun.

If the Earth, traveling in its orbit at 18 miles per second, intercepts any of these particles, an interesting train of events follows. By the time the particle, moving at high speeds through our upper atmosphere, reaches an altitude of about 100 miles above the Earth's surface, it is colliding with atoms and molecules in our atmosphere frequently enough that the particle is heated to a white-hot incandescence. As this hot particle speeds through our upper atmosphere, it irradiates nearby atoms and molecules, within a radius of perhaps 50 meters, with enough energy that they glow or fluoresce, much as the atoms of neon glow in a neon sign. This rapidly moving column of glowing gas is what our eye sees as a meteor, often called a "shooting star", from our location, 100 miles below.

Another, more important, source of meteoric particles is the debris left by comets that cross Earth's orbit when they come into the inner Solar System to swing around the Sun in their usually elongated, elliptical orbits, before returning to the frozen outer reaches of the Solar System. Comets are modest-sized objects, typically 1 to 10 miles in diameter, mostly ice, with lots of tiny rocky or metallic particles imbedded in the ice. When the comet moves in close to the Sun, the Sun's heat vaporizes some of the surface ice, thus releasing swarms of particles, known as a meteor stream. When the Earth later runs into this stream of particles, we experience a meteor shower.

In fact, the best meteor shower of the year, known as the Geminids, should occur Thursday night into Friday morning. The Geminids are so named because all of the meteors in this shower will appear to originate near the bright star Castor, in the constellation Gemini. For the best observing, go out after midnight when the number of meteors will be increasing hourly. Lie on a reclining lounge chair in a dark, unobstructed location, dressed in many layers of warm clothing, and tucked into a subzero sleeping bag, with a warm hat, gloves and insulated boots. Look toward any direction in the sky, and, if the weather is favorable, you may see upwards of 100 meteors per hour. Look again on Friday night, when the meteors may be fewer, but are often bigger and brighter.

This is the Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday, December tenth and eleventh.
by Joe Slomka

The Sun sets at 4:21; twilight ends at 6:02 PM. Dawn breaks at 5:31 AM and ends with sunrise at 7:14.

After sunset, Jupiter lies low on the southwest horizon, soon to set. Monday night, a one-day-old Moon lies to Jupiter’s lower left. Both are so low that trees or hills could hide them. Tuesday night finds a fatter and easier to observe Moon higher in southern skies.

Comet Holmes continues to occupy the constellation Perseus – near the star Iota. It is now greatly dimmed, but binoculars or telescope help in finding it. Another repeating comet is also coming into view, comet Tuttle. It plunges southward from Polaris, the North Star. Tuttle is near the star Gamma in Cepheus, which forms the roof peak of the house-shaped constellation. Magazine and website charts help in locating it.

Mars appears at nightfall and lasts nearly all night. Spring comes to its northern hemisphere. Mars’ distinctive red color makes identification easy, low in the East. By 10 PM it is well placed for observation. Mars continues to grow in size and brightness this month, permitting telescopic views of its deserts.

Midnight sees Mars high in the southeast, while Saturn is moderately high in the East. Saturn remains beneath Leo’s, the Lion’s, belly. It is best viewed in pre-dawn hours.

Saturn is the highlight of any star party. First time viewers simply cannot believe that such a beautiful object exists. Although known from antiquity, Galileo first observed Saturn telescopically and could not understand what the rings were. Dutch astronomer Christian Huygens spoke of Saturn’s “Ring,” a solid ring. French astronomer Cassini discovered the first of several lanes. We now know that the rings consist of icebergs that orbit the planet, and are kept in place by swarms of “shepherd moons. Since Saturn is about a third smaller than Jupiter and almost twice as far, it would be far dimmer if not for its rings. In fact, when the rings appear edge-on, Saturn is noticeably dimmer. Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings, which are visible only to passing space probes.

This is Dudley Observatory's Skywatch Line for Friday, December 7, through Sunday, December 9, written by Alan French.

The Moon will be New at 12:40 PM on Sunday, so the skies this weekend will be dark and moonless. The dark skies on Thursday evening revealed that Comet Holmes is even more obvious and easier to spot than it was during the last moonless period. Before my eyes were used to the dark, Comet Holmes was clearly visible as a hazy patch of light – larger than a Full Moon – three and a half degrees southwest of Mirfak. Mirfak, or Alpha Persei, is the brightest star in the constellation Perseus, which is visible all night long.

If you can find Mirfak, and are away from major light pollution, simple look for a roundish, hazy cloud not far from the star. Holding your first three fingers together and at arms length, they will span five degrees. The comet will be closer to Mirfak than the span of your fingers. If you need help, a web search will turn up both star charts and finder charts for Comet Holmes.

I looked at Comet Holmes through a telescope Thursday night, but found the most pleasing view was through binoculars.

Mars rises at 5:39 PM and is well up in the eastern sky by mid-evening. Now shining at magnitude -1.4 reddish Mars is impossible to miss. Mars is now 15.5 arc seconds in diameter, large enough to reveal some surface details in most amateur telescopes. The best views will be when Mars is highest and due south, which would be around 1:30 AM. The planet will, however, be high enough for good views anytime after 10:00 PM.

Mars will be closest to Earth on December 19, when it will appear only slightly larger than it does now at 15.9 arc seconds. During its closest approach in 2003, it appeared just over 25 arc seconds in diameter. However, Mars never appeared high above the horizon from here, so our views were hampered by the unsteady air low in the sky. Local amateur astronomers expect better views during this approach because the planet will be high in the sky, and we will be looking through far less of our image distorting atmosphere.

The earliest possible launch time for the space shuttle Atlantis is now 3:43 PM on Saturday. This is another mission to the International Space Station, and the ISS will be passing over our area during the morning hours for the next two weeks. This means we may have a chance to see the shuttle Atlantis while it is close to the ISS but before it docks, and will be able to see the ISS while the shuttle is docked unless the launch is considerably delayed. The ISS, which appears as bright as the brightest stars when high in our skies, is even brighter with a shuttle docked to it. On this mission the ISS crew will be adding Europe's Columbus laboratory to the space station, making it larger and increasing its brightness further. Visit www.heavens-above.com <http://www.heavens-above.com/> and enter your location to get precise times when the ISS and Atlantis will be visible from your house.

Rising in the east in the early evening is the bright constellation, Orion, the Hunter. Orion is one of the best known and most easily identifiable constellations anywhere in the sky. The central part of the constellation is marked by seven very bright stars. Four stars form a credible rectangle, marking the two shoulders and two feet of the hunter. The remaining three stars lie in a straight line across his waist, marking his belt. All of these stars have magnitudes ranging from two down to zero. As the constellation rises in the east, Orion appears to be lying down facing the observer with his two shoulders to the left and his feet to the right. By midnight, when Orion is in the south he will have roused himself into an upright position.

While six of the stars are white or blue-white in color, Betelgeuse, the star marking Orion's right shoulder, is distinctly reddish in color. From this observation, we can immediately infer that Betelgeuse is much cooler than the whiter stars. Furthermore, because cooler stars are intrinsically less luminous than hotter stars, the fact that Betelgeuse shines brilliantly at almost zero magnitude from a distance of 500 light-years, implies that this star must be truly gigantic in size. Indeed, Betelgeuse is one of the largest stars ever observed in our corner of the galaxy. While almost all stars resolve into a simple point of light, even in the largest telescopes, Betelgeuse is so large that it has been imaged as a disk showing distinct markings on its surface. If placed at the center of our Solar System, Betelgeuse would extend out to the orbit of Mars, and the Earth would be revolving deep beneath the surface of the star.

Hanging in a line below Orion's belt is a line of three fainter stars designated as Orion's sword. Your eye may tell you that the center star of the three looks a bit fuzzy. Binoculars show a hazy patch of light, but even a modest telescope reveals a turbulent-looking cloud of gas and dust. This giant cloud is a nursery where new stars are being born from the gravitational collapse of denser pockets of gas and dust within the cloud. Four of the new, "baby" stars form a four-sided trapezoidal shape known as the Trapezium, a favorite target for both amateur and professional astronomers. Intense radiation from these new stars as well as from the hundreds or even thousands of other newborn stars still hidden in the cloud causes the surrounding gases to glow and it is these countless fluorescing atoms that make the cloud visible to us at 1350 light-years away. Eventually, the intense radiation will disperse the remaining gases and our distant descendants will see, not a cloud, but a beautiful, bright cluster of new stars, all siblings, born from the same cloud of gas and dust.

This is the Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday, December Third and Fourth.
by Joe Slomka

The Sun sets at 4:22 PM; night falls at Six. Dawn breaks at 5:26 AM, ending with sunrise at 7:08.

As the Sun sets Jupiter remains the only bright planet. But it is very low on the southwest and sets within the hour.

Monday night sees Perseus’ bright star Algol undergoes its regular eclipse. This happens at nightfall; compare its brightness with neighboring stars to track its recovery over the next few hours.

Mars rises after twilight’s end and is well placed for observation after 10 PM. Mars is half a degree above the star Epsilon in Gemini; note how it travels westward during the coming weeks.

Saturn rises about 11 PM and is best observed in pre-dawn hours. Saturn remains within a binocular view of three galaxies; a moderate sized telescope shows them.

Venus rises in Aquarius before dawn. The Moon joins Venus on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Before dawn on Wednesday the Moon makes a nice trio with Venus and the bright star Spica. Venus outshines Spica, despite being only two-thirds illuminated.

By midnight, both Orion and Canis Major, the mighty hunter and his dog, are well up. The distinct star pattern guaranteed that Orion would be considered a god, hero, or both. Orion was so good a hunter that the gods feared he would exterminate all the animals. The stealthy scorpion was sent to sting and kill Orion. The gods repented right after Orion’s death. So they placed him in the sky, along with his faithful dog. However, the gods also placed the scorpion in the sky, but at opposite ends. So, the constellation Scorpius sets as Orion rises.

The four bright stars that mark his shoulders and knees, the three stars that signify his belt, and the fuzzy spot that denotes his scabbard easily identify Orion. That fuzzy spot is now known as the Great Orion Nebula. In amateur telescopes, it appears as a gray cloud. But that cloud is special; it is a stellar nursery. As we watch, clouds of gas and dust are condensing, causing pressures and igniting nuclear fires.

Clear Skies

Joe Slomka