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Skywatch January 2012 (newest at top)

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Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for Wednesday, January 25 and Thursday, January 26 written by Louis Suarato

Joseph Louis Lagrange was born on January 25, 1736. Lagrange studied celestial mechanics and discovered imaginary points in space where objects sent there will remain stationary. There are five such points surrounding the Earth where its gravity and the gravity of the Sun cancel each other out. These “Lagrange Points” are used by satellites such as the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO, which remains stationary about 932,000 miles above Earth and is not orbiting, and has an uninterrupted view of the Sun at all times and collects information about the solar wind an hour before it reaches the Earth.
On Wednesday, sunrise occurs at 07:16 and sets at 4:59 p.m. Venus and the 8% illuminated waxing crescent Moon are 8 degrees apart at twilight. Jupiter will be higher to the southwest. Binoculars or a telescope will show Jupiter’s moon Callisto, furthest away from the planet, and Io on one side, and Ganymede and Europa, close together, on the other side. Mars rises at 8:50 p.m., and continues to brighten as the Earth approaches, followed by Saturn around midnight.
Bright Venus pairs up again with the crescent Moon again Thursday evening. The Moon and Venus will be at their closest, visually, of the month. Between the two bright planets, Jupiter and Venus, is the constellation Pisces. A deep sky target in Pisces is M74, the only Messier object in the constellation. M74 (NGC 628) is a spiral galaxy seen face on. It's about 22 million light years away, and one of the faintest Messier objects. Larger telescopes provide the best view of this spiral galaxy. These views will show two or three loosely-wound spirals spinning out from a small bright nucleus. The galaxy is found 1.5 degrees east-northeast of eta Piscium. Eta Piscium is the brightest star in the constellation Pisces.

 

Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday, January 23rd and 24th.
by Joe Slomka

The Sun sets at 4:56 PM, while night falls at 6:35. Dawn breaks at 5:39 AM and ending with sunrise at 7:18.

As the Sun sets, two bright objects attract our attention. Venus is the brightest object in our sky tonight. It is moderately high in the southwest. With telescopes or high-powered binoculars, the planet appears about three quarters illuminated. Venus sets about 8:11 PM. Jupiter appears high in the southwest - almost overhead.

Usually the Moon is the easiest object to observe; its brightness can't be ignored. However, the Moon turned "New" in Monday's pre-dawn hours, and now Earth's satellite is a very slim crescent low on the southwestern horizon. It is tonight's challenge object, which sets at 5:43 PM. Tuesday's sunset finds the Moon much brighter, larger and easier to find.

Nightfall sees Jupiter and Venus being joined by planets Uranus and Neptune, asteroids Ceres and Vesta and, Tuesday evening, the Moon. Each bright body is paired a dimmer one.
Asteroid Ceres is seven and half degrees from Uranus, asteroid Vesta lies five degrees from Venus and Tuesday's Moon shines seven degrees from Neptune. Usually only one planet inhabits a constellation, but now four Solar System objects: Uranus, Neptune, Ceres and Vesta congregate in Aquarius. Astronomy magazines and websites provide finder charts for all these objects.

By Midnight, zero magnitude Mars glows between Virgo's head and Leo's hind feet. The Red Planet daily grows brighter and larger in anticipation of its March opposition.

Asteroid 433 Eros is joins Mars in that sector of the sky.
It lies between Leo's hind feet and the constellation Sextans. It appears star-like, as the word "asteroid" means. This tiny member of our Solar System orbits the Sun just like a planet. But, its orbit is elongated. Every 17 years, Eros nears the Earth. It comes no closer then 14 million miles and poses no threat to our planet. In February 2001, NASA's NEAR spacecraft circled Eros and revealed that it was potato-shaped and about 21 miles long.
It spins once every 5 hours, 16 minutes and dims by two magnitudes, which makes it easy for amateur observers to witness the event in a single night.

Clear Skies

Joe Slomka

Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for the days of Friday, January 20th, through Sunday, January 22nd 2012, written by Tony Scalise.

 

Friday, January 20th marks the 82nd birthday of Apollo 11 Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.  Buzz Aldrin, is of course, well known as the second man to walk on the moon. Decades after making his own steps into history, Moonwalker Aldrin is still actively promoting space travel by writing books and making public appearances. For his services to his country, Aldrin was awarded the New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal last November.

 

Astronomically speaking, the Sun rises at about 7:20 AM and sets at 4:55 PM EST. The length of day from sunrise to sunset is 9 hours and 35 minutes, barely a half hour longer than the shortest day of the year last December.

 

The moon is a very thin, waning crescent seen in the late morning twilight.  It will become a new moon on early Monday morning, at 2:39 EST and can be seen in the evening twilight for the next few nights thereafter.

 

As the sun sets, the first planet of the night sky you see will be Venus, shimmering in the western twilight as a bright yellow star.  Telescopically, Venus currently exhibits a gibbous phase.  But as the months progress, Venus will be racing to catch up with the Earth and become closer and brighter to us.  Its phase will change to a half and later to a larger, crescent phase.  And on June 5th, Venus will be almost directly between the Earth and the Sun and will be seen transiting, or crossing the disk of the Sun.  This is an event that is visible in New York State and one that you don't want to miss.  Contact the Dudley Observatory for advice on how to safely watch this event.

 

While you gaze upon Venus, don't forget to look high over the southern horizon for the giant planet Jupiter which looks like a bright, white star but dimmer than Venus. Observe that as each week goes by, Jupiter and Venus will be closing in on each other until they are only three degrees apart on March 13th.  Three degrees is about the width of two fingers held together at an arm's length. This is a sight that is sure to capture much of the public’s attention. Of course you can enjoy this close pairing of the two brightest planets at anytime for a few days before and after this date.

 

The red planet Mars rises in the east at about 10:00 PM.   Mars is steadily closing in on Earth as Earth races to catch up with slower orbiting Mars for a March 3rd opposition. Over the next few weeks, Mars will become noticeably brighter and its disk as seen through a telescope will become appreciably larger.

 

Finally, Saturn rises a half hour after midnight.  Through a telescope, Saturn’s rings are seen as tilted 15 degrees from edgewise. A good telescope will easily show the prominent rings and divisions and reveal the presence of Saturn’s largest moon Titan.

 

Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for Wednesday, January 18th and Thursday, January 19th by Louis Suarato

Wednesday’s predawn sky features a 28% illuminated waning crescent Moon, one day past perigee. The Moon will be between 1.05 magnitude Antares and 1.24 magnitude Saturn. Wednesday morning also features an approximate magnitude -3 ISS pass at approximately 06:15 Eastern Standard Time. Check for the exact time at www.heavens-above.com. The ISS will emerge out of the west, continue below Regulus and above Castor and Pollux. The ISS will continue northeast below Vega and above Capella. The sun rises on Wednesday at 7:21, providing 9 hours and 28 minutes of daylight before setting at 4:50 p.m. EST. As the sun sets, Venus is high and bright, approximately 30 degrees above the horizon in the southwest. To the southeast, Jupiter is 50 degrees above the horizon. Both planets can easily be seen at twilight. Mars rises at 9:18 p.m. and is now at a brightness of magnitude -.22. Saturn follows Mars just after midnight, rising just 6 degrees to the lower left of Spica.

The Moon rises at 3:55 a.m. on Thursday with Antares 3 degrees to its lower right. Antares, or Alpha Scorpii, is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, and the 15th brightest star in the nighttime sky. Antares’ name is from the ancient Greek word “Anti-Ares” which means “Rival of Mars”. Like, Mars, Antares is also reddish, being a red supergiant star and is often mistaken for the red planet. Antares is one of two M-type supergiants among the 1st magnitude stars. The other is Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion. Antares has a small companion star, usually described as green in color. Due to its closeness and contrast in brightness, this double star is a challenge to split with a telescope and will require a good 6-inch scope and near-perfect seeing conditions.

 

Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday, January 16th and 17th.
by Joe Slomka

The Sun sets at 4:47 PM; night falls at 6:27. Dawn breaks at 5:42 AM and ends with sunrise at 7:22.

As the sky darkens, two brilliant planets break through the twilight. Jupiter is due South, almost overhead. Brighter Venus is half as high in the southwest. While Jupiter appears "full," Venus is about 79 percent illuminated in telescopes or high-powered binoculars. Venus sets before 8 PM, while Jupiter sets before 1 AM.

At nightfall, the planets Neptune and Uranus, and asteroids Ceres and Vesta are well placed to be observed. Astronomy magazines and websites provide finding charts for these distant members of our Solar System.

Mars is ideally situated for observation by midnight. The Red Planet hovers between Leo's hind legs and Virgo's head. Mars continues to brighten and grow larger in our eyepieces.

Saturn joins Mars in Virgo. Saturn rises with the bright star Spica after midnight. It glows six degrees East of Spica.

The Last Quarter Moon rises after 1:30 AM on Tuesday and an hour later on Wednesday. Tuesday finds the Moon near Libra, while Wednesday has the Moon by the Scorpion's head.

Mercury rises before 6:43 AM in the southeast, but is quickly hidden by the rising Sun's glare.

With Venus so prominently high and bright, let us examine her in greater detail. Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is almost an Earth twin, about the same size and mass. Early telescopic observers noted its complete cloud cover. They speculated that Venus was a lush, tropical planet. As science obtained better instruments, rude shocks came. Venus did not rotate in 24 hours like Earth; its day lasts 243 earth-days. Russian and US probes landed on Venus and showed a rock filled wasteland. Those landers recorded a toxic atmosphere with true acid rain. Temperatures approached the melting point of lead. Most planetary observers now think that Venus is a case of uncontrolled global warming. The only advantage of this hellish environment is the highly reflective cloud cover. When Venus makes a close approach to Earth, its illumination can cause people to confuse it with aircraft landing lights.

 

Clear Skies

Joe Slomka

 

Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for the days of Friday, January 13th, through Sunday, January 15th, 2012, written by Tony Scalise.

 

The Sun rises at about 7:24 AM and sets at 4:45 PM. The days are now becoming noticeably longer. Venus is easily seen as a bright, flickering yellow star sinking in the west at sunset.  At the same time, Jupiter itself is visible as a dimmer, whitish star high over the southern horizon. The Moon is waning towards last quarter and is up in the east well before dawn. Over the next few days it will pass near Mars and then Saturn.

 

Saturday, January 14th marks the 7th anniversary of the remarkable landing of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft lander onto the surface of Saturn’s largest moon Titan, the only moon in the solar system with a thick atmosphere. The Huygens lander beamed back grainy photos along with data for more than two hours. The scientific world was mesmerized. The photos revealed a world of sand dunes, hills and mountains along with rivers of liquid methane and ethane flowing into large seas and lakes. There were very few craters which suggest a geologically young surface. The atmosphere was determined to consist of mainly nitrogen along with clouds of methane, ethane and other organic compounds – much like Earth was 4 ½ billion years ago. The presence of organic compounds hints at the possibility of simple microbial life. The atmospheric pressure was measured to be 1.5 times as great as that of Earth’s but the surface temperature is a frigid 180oC below zero. Ground photos from the lander revealed large, rounded pebbles made of water ice. Water ice is actually a mineral and on Titan it is harder than the hardest granite on Earth.

 Future unmanned missions are now being proposed for Titan. Some could be launched within a few more years. But for now, Saturn, being only three months away from its April 15th opposition, along with Titan are both easily visible with a telescope. Grab a telescope if you can, and gaze upon this surreal world of magnificent icy rings along with its tantalizing moon called Titan.

 

Fobos-Grunt Update:  Lastly, a word for satellite watchers - the failed Mars-bound Russian space probe Fobos-Grunt that is now stranded in Earth orbit is set for a fiery reentry anytime soon. According to Russian scientists, the probe will crash into the Indian Ocean sometime on Sunday. Check Spaceweather.com for updates.

This is the Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for Wednesday, January 11 and Thursday, January 12 by Louis Suarato

On January 11, 1787, the German astronomer, William Herschel, discovered the first two moons of Uranus, Titania and Oberon. Six years earlier, on March 13, 1781, Herschel discovered the planet. These names, Titania and Oberon, were suggested by Herschel's son John in 1852 at the request of William Lassell. Lassell discovered two more moons of Uranus in 1851. These two moons became known as Ariel and Umbriel. Titania's diameter is 998.2 miles or 1,610 km and its distance from Uranus is 271,104 miles or 436,300 km. Oberon, the outermost of the major moons of Uranus, has a mean diameter of 1,523 km and a mean distance from Uranus of 583,500 km. Uranus should be good for observing in the early evening this month. The planet will be easy to spot through binoculars and possibly with just a good set of eyes from a dark site. The best time to observe Uranus will be just as it gets dark when it will be high in the sky in the southwest looking through less of the Earth’s atmosphere. Uranus sits south of Pegasus in southern Pisces very close to the ecliptic and the celestial equator. Using the constellation Pegasus can help spot Uranus. Locate the big square in Pegasus, then find the two eastern stars of the square, Algenib and Alpheratz. Follow a line going south through these stars, at about the same distance apart as these two stars, and slightly to the southwest, you should see Uranus, which appears aquamarine in color. Uranus will be magnitude 5.9 this month. Four of Uranus's 27 known satellites can be seen in moderate to large amateur telescopes. Both Titania and Oberon have been observed with apertures as small as 20 centimeters or 8 inches. Umbriel and Ariel lie much closer to the planet's glare, and are normally difficult to see with even twice that aperture.
On Wednesday, the waning gibbous Moon is 7 degrees to the right of Regulus. Both rise at approximately 7:45 p.m. eastern standard time. Mars follows 9:45 p.m.
On Thursday, faint Neptune, at magnitude 7.9, is 1.3 degrees north or to the upper right of Venus. At magnitude -4.0, Venus is 60,000 times brighter than Neptune. Jupiter remains a great target high in the south after dark at a magnitude -2.5. Jupiter’s moon, Europa disappears behind the planet at 7:58 p.m. followed by Io at 9 p.m.. Both emerge just before midnight. The 85% illuminated Moon will be below Regulus and above and to the right of Mars Thursday night.

 

Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday, January Ninth and Tenth.
by Joe Slomka

The Sun sets at 4:39 PM; night falls at 6:20. Dawn breaks at 5:44 AM, ending with sunrise at 7:25.

After sunset, Jupiter shines overhead. Meanwhile, brighter Venus blazes in the southwest. In binoculars, Jupiter displays a retinue of pinpoint moons. Occasionally, a moon crosses the face of the giant planet. Ganymede, one of these moons, crosses Jupiter at 11:45 PM Tuesday, while Europa, another moon, follows at 1:25 AM. Most telescopes can capture this event.

Venus, the brightest object at Dusk, appears eighty percent illuminated, before setting at 7:37 PM.

The Moon became "Full" Monday morning. Rising after sunset, it remains up the rest of the night. Our Moon is making news this month. NASA's GRAIL space probes are successfully installed around Earth's satellite. The spacecraft's primary mission is to study the Moon's composition by analyzing its weak gravity.

Mars rises about 9:48 PM and remains up most of the night.
Mars is now zero magnitude and brightening and growing larger. The Red Planet appears beneath Leo's tail. Mars is best observed in pre-dawn hours.

Saturn rises after midnight and remains up all night. Saturn appears slightly brighter than the nearby star Spica, in Aquarius. In a telescope, Saturn's rings are quite apparent and never fail to astound first time observers.

Mercury rises about an hour before sunrise. In a telescope, it appears almost "full." Mercury is quickly masked by the approaching solar glare.

Winters in the Northeast are notoriously cloudy. However, when skies are clear, the night sky presents a riot of brilliant stars and constellations that seem close enough to reach out and touch. In fact, twenty-three of the fifty brightest stars are visible in tonight's sky. Orion, the Dogs and Taurus account for the majority of the brightest stars in the heavens. Sirius is not only brightest on this list, but also second only to the Sun in luminosity; it is also the leading light of Canis Major, the Large Dog. About half of the list lies relatively close to us; the other half is intrinsically brighter, though further away. So, if it is clear, bundle up and enjoy Nature's sky show.

Clear Skies

Joe Slomka

 

Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for the days of Friday, January 6th, through Sunday, January 8th, 2012, written by Tony Scalise.

 Sunday, January 8th marks the 39th anniversary of the launch of the former Soviet Union’s spacecraft Luna 21, which carried the lunar rover Lunokhod 2 to the surface of the Moon. This eight-wheeled vehicle made many notable contributions to lunar science, such as photographing the lunar surface and performing soil science experiments for four months before breaking down. 20 years later, the used rover and its mother craft were sold at a used lunar rover auction to the entrepreneur Richard Garriott for $68,000. Richard Garriott, who is well know as the founder of a popular video game company and one of the few space tourists to have visited the International Space Station, then laid claim “to be the only private owner of an object on a foreign celestial body.” After the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed the rover and its tracks in 2010, revealing its exact location, Garriott also lightheartedly made the claim of owning the land along the rover’s areas of travel.

  Astronomically speaking, the Sun rises at about 7:26 AM and sets at 4:38 PM.  

The Moon will be a late waxing gibbous phase over the weekend. It will become exactly full on Monday morning at 2:30.

  During the early evening hours after sunset, Venus will be seen high in southwest blazing at magnitude -4.0. Through a telescope Venus currently exhibits a gibbous phase.

  At the same time that Venus is visible in the west, Jupiter, slightly dimmer than Venus, is visible even higher over the southern horizon. From here on Jupiter will become noticeably lower in the evening sky as the Earth recedes from the giant planet in the coming weeks. Through a telescope, Jupiter's disk will also appear to become slightly smaller.

 Mars, currently located between the constellations Virgo the Virgin and Leo the Lion and getting quite bright and large in telescopes, rises in the east at about 10:00 PM.  By midnight the red planet will be quite high in the sky and by 3:30 in the morning, it will be at its highest. It's disk is now just as large as that of Venus.

  Saturn, located in the constellation Virgo the Virgin and just to the left of the star Spica, rises at about midnight in the east. Saturn’s rings are titled 15 degrees from edgewise.  A telescope will easily show the prominent rings and divisions.  The best time to view Saturn is before dawn.

Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for Wednesday, January 4th and Thursday, January 5th
by Louis Suarato

On January 4th, 1912, the closest approach to Earth by the Moon in the 20th century occurred and was 221,441 miles away, center to center. This January 4th is perihelion, the closest the Earth will be to the Sun during 2012. At 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the Earth will be a distance of 91,407,282 miles from the Sun. Wake up early Wednesday as the Quadrantid meteor shower will peak around 2 a.m. on January 4th. The waxing gibbous Moon sets at 3:10 a.m., leaving the sky dark after the shower’s peak. The Quadrantids is the strongest meteor shower of the year and as many as 100 per hour may be seen in dark skies. The shower’s radiant (the point in the sky from which all the meteors seem to originate) lies in the northern part of the constellation Boötes the Herdsman, which will lie low in the eastern sky at midnight and overhead at dawn. The Quadrantid meteor shower originated from a near-Earth asteroid named 2003 EH. Although astronomers classify 2003 EH as an asteroid, most believe it to be a dead comet. Observers first recognized the Quadrantids as an annual meteor shower in 1839. The Quadrantids got their name from a defunct constellation, Quadrans Muralis the Mural Quadrant, which once occupied the sky between the right foot of Hercules, the left hand of Boötes. Also, in the early morning hours in the east-southeastern skies, you will see Saturn 6 degrees to the left of Spica. Further south, and higher in the sky, is Mars.
Wednesday evening, the 82% illuminated waxing gibbous Moon shines to the right of the Pleiades star cluster and to the right of Jupiter. Jupiter's Great Red Spot crosses the planet's central meridian around 7:08 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Venus sets at 7:22 p.m. EST.
On Thursday, the bright Moon is between the Pleiades and Aldebaran. Aldebaran is Arabic for “The Bright One of the Follower”. Its name given from the fact it follows the Pleiades. At an average magnitude of .87, Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus and the thirteenth brightest in the nighttime sky. Aldebaran can be easily found by following the belt stars of Orion from left to right. The first bright star continuing on from the belt is Aldebaran.

Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday, January second and third.
by Joe Slomka

The Sun sets at 4:32 PM; night falls at 6:14. Dawn breaks at 5:44 AM and ends with sunrise at 7:26.

Sunset finds a bright nine-day-old Moon high in the southeastern sky. Monday night has the Moon just above Jupiter. Tuesday evening sees the Moon to Jupiter's upper left. The Moon sets in pre-dawn hours.

Jupiter, while not as bright as the Moon, is still a very bright object. It is high in the southeastern sky at sunset. Binocular viewers can see all four moons on both nights at twilight's end. Jupiter sets before 2 AM.

An observer at 2 AM may see meteors streaming from the northeast. This is the annual Quadrantid meteor shower. The meteor shower is named for obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis, which now occupies empty space between Hercules, Bootes and Draco.

Friday, January 6, is the Christian feast of the Epiphany, otherwise known as “Three Kings Day.” Who were these “kings?” Most likely they were Magi from Babylon. Babylonians, famous for their astronomical skill, identified visible planets, major constellations, the zodiac and the Saros cycle of eclipses. These priest-astrologers were respected throughout the known world.

These dedicated sky watchers would have noticed any new event in the night sky. While some think that a comet or supernova may have been the “Christmas Star.” The prevailing opinion is that it may have been an astrological event: a triple conjunction between Saturn and Jupiter during the year 7 BC. During the course of the year, Jupiter appears to: chase Saturn, catch up with it, pass it, turn around, catch up with and pass Saturn again, and finally catch up with Saturn one more time before sailing eastward past it. This startling series of events took place in Pisces, a significant constellation. While we now know the planets to be worlds like Earth, to the ancients stars and planets were messengers from the gods. When two planets, associated with the most powerful gods, kept meeting, the Magi knew something significant was about to happen. These scholars were also familiar with their neighbors. A search of Jewish literature provided the inspiration to set off for a possible meeting with a new god-king.

Clear Skies

Joe Slomka