The second month of the year historically has been one of the best for clear days. It tends to be fairly good for clear nights as well. We will ignore the fact that the climate is changing around us and anticipate some beautiful sky watching opportunities between now and February 28. Brave the cold clear winter night when the opportunity offers those brilliant stars and be sure to dress in cozy layers.

The King of the Planets, Jupiter is becoming a little shy as it moves lower in the western sky day by day but it's ringed counterpart, Saturn is rising in the east earlier every day so that even at the beginning of the month we can enjoy its straw colored glow by 10:30pm. For those with interfering trees or early bedtimes Saturn also can be seen in the morning hours high in the southern sky by sunrise.

Also among the morning sky lights the brilliant Venus is still a morning star rising in the east by 4:30 so that it gains altitude and is visible in the Southeast when morning dawn breaks. The two other small planets, Mercury and Mars are still elusive though Mars will give us a good showing by the end of the year and Mercury after the Ides of March next month.

One meteor shower this month is 'sometimes' active and interesting to watch- the Alpha Centaurids. Named for the closest star system to the sun where they appear to originate, Earth crosses its stream of particles and gets pummeled at the end of week 1 each February. The activity peak is very unpredictable but this shower is much more interesting and productive in the early morning hours (around 2-4AM) on the 8th.

February 2 is Groundhog Day- one of four cross-quarter days.  Cross-quarter means half way between a solstice and an equinox. These dates had significant meaning in some primitive cultures and the odd observances remain in our calendar.  You can look for the others on your own calendar or wait for future issues when we will be sure to mention each one that passes.

January Skylights
A Tour of the Maine Sky

The New Year will be rung in once again with the fireworks of a meteor shower called the Quadrantids on the 3rd. This shower is active from January 1 to 5 but the peak comes on the evening of January 3 and into the early hours of the fourth.  The exact peak of activity is quite uncertain for this shower. Luckily there is a new moon at the beginning of this month, so its light will not wash out the faint streaks of falling stars.

Coincidentally, the earth will reach its perihelion, closest approach to the sun in its orbit, on the same day as the Quadrantid shower but the long moonless night will not suggest any increase in the sun's warmth or influence in Maine. Still, the winters would be a slight bit cooler if we were not so close to Sol in this season.

 The bright beacon of January  evenings  is still Jupiter but it will set earlier every day until it is completely out of sight in April.  Look for it in the southwest after sunset. Saturn rises in the east after midnight this month but will come up earlier each night until spring when it replaces Jupiter as the reigning giant. 

The inferior (inner) planets Venus and Mercury are still morning apparitions with the brightest goddess of love well up in the east before sunrise and Mercury following behind just ahead of the sunrise. Both planets are at extreme separation from the sun, (known as greatest elongation) on the 8th and 9th of the month so around t his period is the best time to try to identify the modest light of Mercury to the lower left of Venus. Venus will rise almost 4 hours ahead of the sun and Mercury almost 2 hours. Mercury is actually quite bright, but always in competition with the glowing sky of dawn or dusk.

After the dark nights of early January, a time when telescope users can get the most from their instruments,  the moon will wax to full on January 19. Curiously, the first full moon of the year is called the Old Moon. 

Lastly, there will be a partial eclipse of the sun this month on the 4th that pairs with the lunar eclipse of December,  but unfortunately for us here in Maine there will not be an opportunity to view the rare sight. The eclipse is only partial and will be seen in Africa and Europe but be at its best and darkest in Northeast Sweden. 

December Skylights
Planets, Stars, and Meteor Showers

It is a wonder-filled sky for the holiday season starting with the “star-in-the-east”’ and ending with a lunar eclipse. Venus reaches its brightest magnitude of the year at the start of the month and rises well ahead of the sun in the east, each morning.  Although this planet has phases like the moon, we cannot say it is full, despite its brightness. Learn more by visiting the Jordan Planetarium sometime soon. Higher in the east and less prominent, Saturn is still in the stars of Virgo. These are the sights for early risers and for more information about the star of Bethlehem, the seasonal family favorite, Season of Light will explain what the wise men probably saw and much more.

For later observers, the evening sky has a fine apparition of Mercury, although that planet is always a challenge to see as it competes with the glow of twilight.  Look for it just a fist width above the southwest horizon after sunset. Sunset comes very early now and the King of the Planets, Jupiter, is already up in the south to greet sky watchers then.  Jupiter is still growing dimmer among the stars of Pisces since its peak brightness in September but is nearly as bright as the morning star, Venus.

The big excitement this year is the eclipse of the moon happening very close to the winter or December solstice in the wee early morning hours of December 21. This is the first total lunar eclipse since January 2008, and the next one will be more than 3 years away, but its timing is also special. Being opposite from the sun at the solstice places our moon at its highest position in the sky. This is the northernmost lunar eclipse anyone ever can see. Unfortunately, it is an early riser event starting around 1:30 AM. For celestial action at a more civilized hour, some shooting stars are expected to bright the sky this month.

Fireworks are a part of a traditional Mexican Christmas celebration and the Geminid meteors will reinforce that when they reach their peak activity on the night of December 13-14.  The moon sets by midnight leaving the sky dark. The shower is likely to offer more than 10 shooting stars an hour for the whole late night period.  Unlike most showers, the Geminids source is an asteroid, not a comet, and the shooting star activity happens to last from evening to dawn. 

And for the Telescope User...

A few good lights for December 2010: Scope It Out

                                   
M1: The first object in Messier’s’ list, and the one which legend has it caused him to start assembling his list of ‘objects to avoid while comet hunting’, is well placed in the late night, early morning sky this time of year. To find it, start from zeta Tauri, the eastern horn star of Taurus. Now go about 1 degree north and 1 degree west

Observing Notes: M1, as a bright supernova remnant nebula, can be seen with medium-sized telescopes, 6 inches and up. A light pollution filter will definitely help as the nebula emits radiation in the parts of the spectrum passed by such filters. At anything above 30X the nebula is easy to spot but higher powers with larger instruments can show a hint of structure. Under dark skies telescopes of 10 inches or greater aperture will show a fair amount.

While touring the area, check out the two open clusters that lie between Taurus' horns.  They are dispersed star fields and make little impression except in larger binoculars and wide-field telescopes. As clusters they are both just at the limit of naked eye visibility, about magnitude 6.2.

NGC598: An old friend, M33 by another name aka The Great Pinwheel spiral in Triangulum. It measures a full degree across and has a total magnitude of 5.3 but because it is so large, has a surface brightness of just 14.4. This makes it a good test object for rating the night sky. Some observers judge a night to be really good if they can see M33 with their naked eye. Fortunately, it is not hard to find. Just go to the west end of the triangle (marked by 3.4 magnitude alpha aka Rasalmothallah) and go about one degree north and then a little less than four degrees west. Make a note of what power gives you the brightest view of the galaxy.

Auriga is known for much more than its very bright alpha star, Capella.  Three open clusters inhabit it:

M38: Located near the center of Auriga, M38 is one of the premium objects in the fall/winter night sky. It is 21 arc minutes across and has a total integrated magnitude of 6.4. When viewed through a 6-10” telescope about two dozen 9th and 10th magnitude stars can be resolved.  An addition two to three dozen (depending on scope size and viewing conditions) round out this delightful cluster.
M36: Moving about three degrees southeast from 38 we come to M36, M38 is more compact (12 arc minutes) and brighter (6.0).  It boasts about a dozen stars of 9th or 10th magnitude, and about a dozen fainter ones in a moderate size scope.
M37: Moving about four degrees further east and three degrees south from M36 we arrive at M37, one of the finest open clusters in the sky.  Nearly the size of the full moon with a width of 24 arc minutes, the cluster is made up of 500 stars.  Nearly a hundred can be seen with larger amateur instruments, while small telescopes show a broad haze of stars.  With a total magnitude of 5.6 this cluster can be seen under decent skies with the naked eye.

And Perseus is rising high enough for clearer views of its clusters:
M34: Easily a binocular object, this sparse open star cluster is rewarding in larger instruments. To find it, look near the center of the circular western ‘hook’ of Perseus using a finder telescope or binoculars. It will appear as a small fuzzy patch. Center it in your main optic, and start ramping up the power.
M34 is often one of the last objects observed by beginners after they view the Big Eight of M31, M45, M42, the Double Cluster, M13, M1 and M57. In a 4 to 10” telescope it shows a handful of bright stars and a greater number of fainter stars. With a diameter of 35 arc minutes, and 80 stars, you can view it at almost any power.

Late enough in December evenings, our old hunting companion is shining bright once again:

M78: This small, faint patch of nebulosity is a fine example of why Messier developed his list of objects that he, as a comet seeker, wanted to avoid. It appears, in small telescopes, much like the head of a comet. To find it, go to the easternmost star in the belt of Orion, Zeta Orionid aka Alnitak.  Now go about 1.5 degrees east and 2 degrees north. Alternatively, center on Zeta and go north to the second star shown on the map below. Then just sweep east about 1.5 degrees.

Observing Notes: M78 is hard, if not impossible, to see in small binoculars but easy in a moderate size telescope. It stands out with as little as 20 power, so large binoculars should be able to see it. It is not a spectacular object but worth visiting. Messier first saw this one in 1780, shortly after his fellow comet-seeker Mechain. Two bright stars spaced 53 arc seconds apart, are embedded in the nebula. There is a pair of dimmer patches some 6 arc minutes to the west. These are much more difficult to see. We are actually seeing only a small amount of the nebula: It is embedded in a large, dark region of dust and gas. Up to a point, the bigger the telescope you use the better. The whole nebula is only 8 by 6 arc minutes so quite a bit of power can be applied, easily up to 100X. The Orion region is one huge field of nebulosity- some emission but most absorption clouds.  We can explore it more in future issues.

Enjoy some holiday lights that you find for yourself and will not increase your carbon footprint!!

November Skylights

This November there are quite a few interesting celestial objects in the morning, evening, and nighttime sky. This is perfect for night owls and early birds alike. With just a little direction and a clear sky anyone can see the wonders of the Universe right in their own backyard.

Venus, Saturn, Spica, and Jupiter

The "Morning Star" Venus is high in the dawn sky this November; a friendly light during brisk fall mornings. It will reach maximum brightness towards the end of the month, and will rise 3 to 4 hours before the sun each morning.

Venus, Saturn and the star Spica will engage in a quiet dance in the dawn sky throughout November. At start of the month Venus is directly below Spica, and the much higher Saturn, in the southeastern sky.

These bright celestial objects carry on a chase through the middle of the month, with the brilliant Venus coming just within reach of Spica on November 17.

As the days progress, Venus almost catches Saturn on November 22, only to sink lower at the month's end. The elusive Saturn gets away and Venus appears to lower its position in the sky. This is called retrograde motion; an illusion that results from our point of view of the planet from Earth.

These cosmic motions can be observed in the dawn skies of November for a striking look at motions of the cosmic clocks in our sky.

In the early evening hours Jupiter will be at its highest point in the southern sky at the end of twilight. Luckily the King of Planets will still be near its maximum brightness this month. This makes it an easy sight to find in the early evening sky, and a notable sight to see.

 Leonid Meteors

This month is a fantastic opportunity to view the Leonid Meteor Shower if you are willing to stay up a little past your bedtime. The Leonid Meteors are known to be vibrant in their display and brightness. Best viewing of this shower is in the early morning of November 17 and 18 after 2 A.M., once the moon has set. The display is predicted to be favorable this year due to its expected brightness, so it is a worthwhile treat if you are willing to forgo a few extra hours of sleep.

The Leonid Meteor Shower, which was named for the constellation Leo that it resides in, will be just above the lion's head, right over the peak. In the past over half of the meteors had long, shimmering trains. The Leonids will be active from November 10 through November 23.

Alan Davenport, Director

October Skylights for Gazers

Comet Month

October is a very special month because we will greet Comet Hartley 2, which maybe visible to the naked eye when it is at its closest to Earth. There are also a number of other fascinating events, views of constellations, and planets occurring just as the crisp fall air settles in on the month of October.

Last month introduced us to a view of Jupiter that will continue in October. Jupiter will remain at its peak angular size and brightness, as it is still relatively close. For the rest of the month Jupiter will be visible for most of the night. It is the second brightest celestial object in the sky next to our moon. 

Face the east part of the sky after dark and you should be able to see Jupiter high above the horizon. As the night progresses it will reach its highest point in the sky, due south, near midnight.

Also, after disappearing behind the sun in September Saturn makes a return to the morning sky in late October.

On October 23 there will be the Hunter’s Moon, also known as a Blood Moon, which is the first full moon after the autumn equinox. Historically it was named a Hunter’s Moon because the moon was bright and allowed ancient people to track and hunt migrating birds under the light of the full moon. 

This year also gives us a favorable view of the Draconid meteor shower. Just look up into the sky, as long as it is favorable, and there should be a good view of the shower from after dark on the 8th, to the predawn hours on the 9th.  It is best viewed in areas with a clear, dark sky.  

Cepheus, the King, can be viewed all year in the northern hemisphere.  Named after the King of Ethiopia, it is a constellation from Greek mythology. Cassiopeia was his queen and angered the gods with the claim that her daughter was more beautiful than even them. As punishment the gods ordered Cepheus and his Queen, Cassiopeia to sacrifice their daughter Andromeda to a sea monster. Coming in on his Pegasus, Perseus was able to save Andromeda from a horrible fate and made her his wife.

This story is recreated each night in the October sky. With a little direction, and a bit of imagination, anyone can see the various constellations that make up this Greek legend. Cepheus looks like a small house with a box shape and a triangle on top. It is high in the shy in the south part of the sky. To the left is his queen Cassiopeia, a W shape located in the haze of the Milky Way.

Below Cassiopeia you will find the feet of the princess Andromeda, whose hips are home to M-31, the Andromeda Galaxy. Andromeda’s head is one of the corner points of Pegasus, the great winged horse, whose rectangular body and arched head allowed for the princesses’ swift rescue.

Visit the Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium or Observatory for help in finding all of these celestial sights in the real night sky.

Dominique Scarlett

September Skylights for Gazers

Planets Parade

A parade of planets continues to give us bright lights this fall.  Learn to identify a few more constellations and the planets will become fast friends- moving friends in fact.  In order of brightness, Venus, Jupiter and Mars are all easily found in the evening sky as long as you time your observing right. The sun does not set until almost 7pm but Venus is visible low in the southwest almost immediately thanks to its brilliant magnitude of -4.5. As it sinks lower watch the sky to the right of Venus for a dim red dot, Mars, that has been with us all summer and now is being swallowed in twilight more each day. Turn to face east after 7:15 and across an open field you should be able to see the King of the planets, Jupiter just rising.  If trees block the horizon it will be much higher later and cross the south point at 1am.

The stars are more reliable each year and care should be taken not to confuse the bright star Arcturus for Venus as it rides higher in the western sky every September. The western planets will set by 8:30 but Arcturus will still be half way up the sky marking the feet of Bootes the Herdsman.  Take a look at the stars above it and see if you can make the ice cream cone pattern that we at the Jordan Planetarium like so well. A sure-fire way to identify Arcturus is to extend the curving handle of the Big Dipper in the northwest and see if it guides you to that bright yellowish star. It always should.

As Jupiter rises in the eastern sky, it lies among the many dim stars that characterize the fall constellations.  One notable asterism, or unofficial constellation, above and left of the King Planet is a simple large square of three moderate and one dim star. The dimmest is at the bottom of this “Square of Pegasus” and closest to Jupiter. Some liken it to a baseball diamond as it stands on that lower corner at this time of year. The few dim stars between the square and Jupiter are part of the sprawling zodiac pattern called Pisces the Fish.

Jupiter is the farthest from the sun of all these but it can be seen to change its position against the background stars if one observes it weekly. As with all planets, it would normally progress eastward compared to the distant constellation stars but now it is opposite the sun and will demonstrate retrograde or backwards movement until the end of November. Then it reverts to prograde motion and continues to be viewable in our sky until March.  It will be a convenient and popular target for telescope and naked eye observers through most of the school year.

Alan Davenport, Director

Astro Events for September

Planets

Jupiter, the solar system's largest planet, will dominate the sky nearly all night during September, presenting its best appearance in almost 50 years. Glowing low in the east as evening twilight fades; Jupiter will climb high in the south before midnight and set in the west around the time morning twilight begins. With no bright stars nearby, the planet will be easy to spot. Jupiter's four brightest moons were discovered by Galileo, and they can usually be seen with binoculars. All four of these moons will be grouped to the east of Jupiter before the morning sky brightens on Sept. 24.

Venus and Mars will form a tight trio with the bright white star Spica low in the west-southwest at the beginning of the month. Brilliant white Venus on the left (south) will be 300 times brighter than pale orange Mars on the right, which will be hard to see without binoculars in the bright glow of twilight. The two planets will remain close all month as Spica gradually moves away from them toward the right (west).

As the evening sky darkens early in the month, Saturn will be visible with binoculars very low in the west, far to the right of Venus.
In the last two weeks of the month, Mercury will become visible very low in the east-northeast about a half hour before sunrise. Look for the white pinpoint of light glimmering through the morning twilight just below the bright white star Regulus in the constellation Leo the Lion. This will be Mercury's best morning appearance of the year for observers at mid-northern latitudes.

Aurora

On a clear September night, you may be lucky enough to see an aurora (sometimes called "northern lights"). These silent ribbons and curtains of light can appear whenever the sun is active, but they are especially likely from August to October. Eruptions from the sun's surface hurl enormous amounts of charged particles into space, and when some of these solar particles head in our direction, they cause auroral activity.

Equinox

The sun will reach the September equinox on Sept. 22 at 11:09 p.m. EDT
(Sept.23 at 3:09 Universal Time) marking the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. For the next six months in the Northern Hemisphere, the nights will be longer than the days.

Hal Stephen Star Trak Newsletter

The Perseids Meteor Shower August 12th & 13th

See a brillant display of light and beauty this August 2010!

The Perseids is the name of a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseids are so-called because the point they appear to come from, called the radiant, lies in the constellation Perseus. The stream of debris is called the Perseid cloud and stretches along the orbit of the comet Swift-Tuttle. The cloud consists of particles ejected by the comet as it travels on its 130-year orbit.

Most of the dust in the cloud today is around a thousand years old. However, the Perseid meteor shower has been observed for about 2000 years, with the earliest information on this meteor shower coming from the Far East.
This year, if the sky is clear when the Perseids peak before dawn on August 12 and 13, there will be an unhindered display of silent fireworks.

This shower is one of the most popular every year because it happens on warm summer nights, when gazing at the starry sky is always enjoyable. There may be as many as 100 bright meteors per hour, some with smoke trails that last several seconds after the meteor has vanished.

The Perseids will be visible for most of August, though there will be fewer meteors to see the farther from the peak date you watch. If the peak on August 12 and 13 is hidden by clouds, try looking for meteors again as soon as the night sky is clear.

To minimize the effect of local light pollution, which can obscure as many as half of the meteors, try to avoid artificial lights. Face east if you have a clear view in that direction, and look about half-way up the sky from the horizon. You won't need binoculars or a telescope – the meteors move much too fast for that. The chances of seeing a fireball will be greatest near dawn, when Earth will be moving head-on into the meteor stream.

The Perseids may appear anywhere in the sky, but they will seem to originate from a point called the radiant in the constellation Perseus, which gives the meteors their name. The higher the radiant is above the northeastern horizon, the more meteors will be visible. Perseus is just north of the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia in the Milky Way, with the bright stars Capella and Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster below it.

Hal Stephen Star Trak Newsletter (Photo Credit Space.com)

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