December 2013 Celestial Highlights

December Sky

Early December - 8:30 p.m. 

Late December - 7:30 p.m. 

Geminid Meteor Shower: December 13 after 8:00 p.m. until dawn on December 14. Look high in the east.  The bright waxing gibbous Moon greatly hinders the meteor count.

SUN reaches Winter Solstice in the constellation Sagittarius on December 21 at 12:11 a.m. Winter begins in the northern hemisphere.

MOON attains a distant sub moon status on the night of December 16. Smallest full Moon of 2013.

Visible Planets:

MERCURY lost in the solar glare.  

VENUS low in the southeast 45 minutes after sunset. Next to the waxing thin crescent Moon on December 5. Reaches greatest brilliancy on December 10.

MARS rises after 1 a.m. at the beginning of December and at 12:30 a.m. at the end of the month. Next to the third quarter Moon on December 25 and 26.

JUPITER rises in the east-northeast before 8 p.m. at the beginning of December and before 6 p.m. near the end of the month. Very close to the near full Moon on December 18. 

SATURN rises in the southeast at 5:30 a.m. at the beginning of December and after 3:30 a.m. at the end of the month. Near the waning crescent Moon on December 28 and 29.  

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Cassiopeia

Capella

Use the Great Square of Pegasus to locate:

Fomalhaut

Deneb Kaitos

Altair

To use this map:

Face south and hold the map above your head. Place the zenith directly overhead. The stars on the map will match those in the sky.

Such is our view from Earth…

November 2013 Celestial Highlights

Roanoke Valley's 

November Sky

Early November - 9:30 p.m. (EDT)

Late November - 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Daylight Saving Time ends on November 3

Leonid Meteor Shower: November 17 after 1:00 a.m. EST. Bright moon interferes significantly with meteor count. 

Visible Planets:

MERCURY very low in the east-southeast at 6:20 a.m. after November 11. Next to Saturn on November 23 - 27. 

VENUS low in the west-southwest 60 minutes after sunset. Near to the thin crescent moon on November 6 and 7.

MARS rises in the east just before 2 a.m. all of November. Near the crescent moon on October 29 and November  27. 

JUPITER rises in the northeast before 10:00 p.m. at the beginning of November and at 8:00 p.m. by the end of the month. Near the waning gibbous moon on November 21.

SATURN lost in the solar glare for the first three weeks of November. Behind the sun on November 6. Very low in the east-southeast after November 22.

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Cassiopeia

Use the Great Square of Pegasus to locate:

Fomalhaut

Deneb Kaitos

Altair

To use this map:

Face south and hold the map above your head. Place the zenith directly overhead. The stars on the map will match those in the sky.

Such is our view from Earth...

October 2013 Celestial Highlights

Roanoke Valley's 

October Sky

Early October - 9:00 p.m. (EDT)

Late October - 8:00 p.m. (EDT)

MILKY WAY: The glow of the Milky Way stretches from the southwest to the northeast at 8:30 p.m. each night. Observe when there is no moon in the sky (from September 29 through October 9 and after October 22) and from a dark location away from city lights to best appreciate this glorious sight. 

Orionid Meteor Shower: October 21 after 11:30 p.m. in the east. Less than 20 meteors per hour can be seen because of the bright waning gibbous moon.

Visible Planets:

MERCURY lost in the solar glare.

VENUS very low in the west 60 minutes after sunset all month.  Crescent moon above Venus on October 8. 

MARS rises before 3 a.m. all month. Close to the moon on October 1 and October 29. Next to the similarly bright Regulus low in the east on October 15 at 5 a.m.  

JUPITER  rises in the east-northeast before 12:30 a.m. at the end of September and by 8 10:30 p.m. at the end of October. Near the moon on October 25.

SATURN very low in the west-southwest after sunset. Lost in the solar glare after October 5.

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Arcturus

Deneb

Cassiopeia

To use this map:

Face south and hold the map above your head. Place the zenith directly overhead. The stars on the map will match those in the sky.

Such is our view from Earth...

 

Venus heads towards Spica

Venus moves towards Spica each evening until September 5th when it passes it.  From now until then, Venus will be a little closer to Spica. Saturn comes next when Venus catches it on September 18. Look to the west-southwest about 8:45 p.m. for this ever changing trio.

In this image taken August 26, Venus glows at the lower right while the much dimmer Spica twinkles to the farther left.

 

Saturn can be seen at the upper left of the image.

Such is our view from Earth...

September 2013 Celestial Highlights

Roanoke Valley's 

September Sky

Early September - 10:00 p.m. (EDT)

Late September - 9:00 p.m. (EDT)

MILKY WAY: The glow of the Milky Way stretches from the southwest to the northeast at 9:30 p.m. each night. Observe when there is no moon in the sky (from August 26 through September 10 and after September 24) and from a dark location away from city lights to best appreciate this glorious sight. 

SUN reaches Autumnal Equinox in the constellation Virgo on September 22 at 4:44 p.m.

Visible Planets:

MERCURY lost in the solar glare.  

VENUS low in the west 60 minutes after sunset. Next to the crescent Moon on Sept. 8 and next to Saturn on Sept. 18. 

MARS rises in the east before 4 a.m. at the end of August and before 3:30 at the end of September.  To the upper left of the waning crescent moon on September 2.  Crosses in front of the Beehive Cluster on September 8 and 9. 

JUPITER  rises in the east-northeast after 2 a.m. and before 1 a.m. at the end of September. Brightly shines near the waning crescent moon on August 31 and September 28.

SATURN very low in the west-southwest just after sunset. To the right of the waxing crescent moon on September 9. Next to Venus on September 18 and 19.

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Arcturus

Deneb

Cassiopeia

To use this map:

Face south and hold the map above your head. Place the zenith directly overhead. The stars on the map will match those in the sky.

Such is our view from Earth...

August 2013 Celestial Highlights

Roanoke Valley's 

August Sky

Early August - 10:30 p.m. (EDT)

Late August - 9:30 p.m. (EDT)

MILKY WAY: The glow of the Milky Way stretches from the south to the northeast at 10 p.m. each night. Observe when there is no moon in the sky (from July 28 through August 12 and after August 26) and from a dark location away from city lights to best appreciate this glorious sight.

Meteor Shower: 

PERSEIDS visible in the northeast after 11:15 p.m. on August 12. Perhaps up to 60 meteors per hour can be seen from a dark site. 

Visible Planets:

MERCURY very low in the east-northeast 45 minutes before sunrise from August 1 through August 7. Above the waning crescent moon on August 5. 

VENUS low in the west at 8:45 p.m. Above the waxing crescent moon on August 9. 

MARS low in the east-northeast at 5:00 a.m. during August. The waning crescent moon sits to its lower right on August 4. 

JUPITER  rises in the east-northeast before 4:00 a.m. at the beginning of August and before 2:30 a.m. at the end of the month. Left of the moon on August 3. 

SATURN in the south-southwest at sunset. Sets after midnight at the beginning of August and at 10:30 p.m. at the end of the month. Upper left of the waxing crescent moon on August 12. 

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Arcturus

Spica

Cassiopeia

Deneb

To use this map:

Face south and hold the map above your head. The relative positions of the stars on the map will match those in the sky.

Such is our view from Earth...

July 2013 Celestial Highlights

Roanoke Valley's 

July Sky

Early July - 11:30 p.m. (EDT)

Late July - 10:30 p.m. (EDT)

MILKY WAY: The glow of the Milky Way stretches from the south to the northeast at 11 p.m. each night. Observe when no moon is present in the sky (from June 30 to July 12 and from July 28 to July 31) and from a dark location away from city lights to best appreciate this glorious sight.

EARTH reaches aphelion (its farthest point from the sun) on July 5 when the Earth-sun distance will be 94.5 million miles.

Visible Planets:

MERCURY lost in the solar glow..

VENUS low in the west-northwest 45 minutes after sunset. 

MARS rises before 5:00 a.m. in the east-northeast at the beginning of July and before 4:15 a.m. at the end of the month. Near the brighter Jupiter on the mornings around July 22. 

JUPITER  lost in the solar glow until July 15, then very low in the east-northeast at 5:15 a.m. To the right of  the much dimmer Mars on July 22. 

SATURN in the south at sunset. Sets before 2:30 a.m. at the beginning of July and at 12:30 a.m. at the end of the month. Above the first quarter moon on July 16.

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Arcturus

Spica

Deneb

Cassiopeia

Such is our view from Earth...

Look for tonight's Supermoon

Beginning tonight night and heading into tomorrow morning, the full moon becomes a “supermoon,” being closer than any other full moon of the year. When it is at its nearest one hour after sunrise on Sunday, the moon appears 7% wider and 15% larger than the average full moon. Its distance shrinks to 222,000 miles, some 18,000 miles less than that of the average full moon. 

Reports are circulating on its unusual brightness in the sky and its unusual closeness to our planet. Curious skywatchers should take the hyperbole with more than a grain of moon dust. 

While the June 22/23 full moon will be the closest of the year, it will not necessarily be the brightest. Saturday’s full moon lies in the same low region of the sky where the December sun shines. Therefore, it won’t reach a high sky position, but it will trace a shallow arc beginning in the southeast thirty minutes before sunset, rising low in the south, then ending in the southwest fifteen minutes after sunrise. 

Summer haze may substantially diminish the brightness of tonight’s supermoon, causing it to be dimmer than the year’s smallest full moon which occurs on December 17. That cold moon, while being 21% smaller, climbs much higher in the December night reaching the same height as June’s noonday sun. It’s light cuts through much less atmospheric muck, appearing glaringly bright, possibly brighter than this weekend’s supermoon.

Moonrise in the Roanoke area today is about 8 p.m. Any judgement about its brightness shouldn’t be made until after 10 p.m. when it has risen appreciably above the south-southeastern horizon. If it is cloudy, the next supermoon can be seen next year on August 10.

Such is our view from Earth...

Mercury passes Venus

Say goodbye to Mercury until it pops up in the dawn sky in July. The smallest planet can be found tonight to the lower left of Venus. Look to the west-northwest at 9:35 p.m. for Venus shining low above the horizon. Mercury lies to its left. Binoculars most likely will be need to spot i, though,t unless the sky is very clear. After tonight, it will be too low to spy its feeble light in the bright twilight. 

These two images were taken June 18 at 9:40 p.m.

Such is our view from Earth...

Spotting Mercury as it rounds the sun

At 9:40 p.m. in the west-northwest, Venus can be easily found shining low above the horizon. The solar system's innermost planet, Mercury, while in the same general area, is not nearly so easily found. Over the next week, it drops quickly past Venus to the horizon as it orbits the sun. Mercury sits just to Venus' left on Tuesday night (June 18). Use binoculars to positively ID it since Mercury and Venus both glow in the same field of view. If conditions are very clear, binoculars may not be necessary to see Mercury.

In the image, taken at 9:40 p.m. on June 15, Mercury is seen to Venus' upper left.

Why not give Mercury spotting a try?

Such is our view from Earth...

Monday night June 10, the moon provides a guide to locate the solar system's innermost planet, Mercury. At 9:20 p.m. look to the west-northwest for Venus and the thin crescent moon. If skies are clear, Mercury will be glimpsed above Venus and to the upper right of the moon. Binoculars will make the scene easier to see, but they are not essential.

Mercury is now at its highest in the early evening sky and drops towards Venus over the next week.

Such is our view from Earth.

June 2013 Celestial Highlights

Roanoke Valley's 

June Sky

Early June - 11:30 p.m. (EDT)

Late June - 10:30 p.m. (EDT)

SUN reaches summer solstice on June 21 at 1:04 a..m. Summer begins in Earth's northern hemisphere.

MOON reaches full moon and perigee nearly simultaneously on June 23 at 7 a.m., appearing as a supermoon.

Visible Planets:

MERCURY low in the west-northwest at 9:15 p.m. during the first half of June. To the upper right of the crescent moon on June 10.

VENUS low in the west-northwest 45 minutes after sunset. To the right of the crescent moon on June 10.

MARS lost in the solar glow.

JUPITER  very low in the west-northwest on May 26, forming an equilateral triangle with Mercury and Venus at 9:05 p.m. Lost in the solar glow after June 1. 

SATURN in the south after sunset, drifting between Spica and Zubenelgenubi. Next to the waxing gibbous moon on June 18. 

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Leo

Arcturus

Spica

Deneb

To use this map:

Face south and hold the map above your head. The relative positions of the stars on the map will match the stars in the sky.

Such is our view from Earth...

Three planets dance in the west

An unusual planetary grouping begins tomorrow night and lasts for a week or so. Very low in the west-northwest at about 9:05 p.m., three planets dance above the horizon. On May 26, bright Venus lies at the lower corner of an equilateral triangle. Jupiter, recently a bright object in the west, has sunk so that it now sits just to Venus' upper left. Dim Mercury occupies the final point of the triangle to the upper right of Venus. Binoculars may be needed to find Mercury's feeble light in the bright twilight.

As the nights pass, Jupiter drops from view until late July, while Mercury rises higher above Venus.

Such is our view from Earth...

May 2013 Celestial Highlights

Roanoke Valley's 

May Sky

Early May - 11:00 p.m. (EDT)

Late May - 10:00 p.m. (EDT)

Visible Planets:

MERCURY low in the west-northwest about 9 p.m. after May 22. To the right of Venus on May 23.

VENUS low in the west-northwest 30 minutes after sunset after May 22. 

MARS lost in the solar glare.

JUPITER  low in the west-northwest 45 minutes after sunset. To the lower right of the crescent Moon on May 12. Forms an equilateral triangle with Mercury and Venus on May 26.

SATURN  rises in the southeast at sunset and sets in the southwest near sunrise. Gibbous moon next to it on May 22.

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Leo

Arcturus

Spica

Deneb

To use this map:

Face south and hold the map above your head. The stars on the map will match the stars in the sky.

Such is our view from Earth...

April 2013 Celestial Highlights

Roanoke Valley's April Sky

Early April - 10:30 p.m.

Late April - 9:30 p.m.

Visible Planets:

MERCURY lost in the bright morning twilight. To the right of the thin crescent Moon at 6:30 a.m. on April 8. 

VENUS lost in the solar glare. Behind the sun on March 28. 

MARS lost in the solar glare. Behind the sun on April 17.

JUPITER high in the west 60 minutes after sunset at the end of March and low in the west-northwest 60 minutes after sunset at the end of April. Next to the Moon on April 14.

SATURN rises in the east at sunset and is high in the south at midnight. Visible all month.  Next to the full Moon on April 25.

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Capella

Pollux and Castor

Leo

Arcturus

Spica

Use Orion to locate:

Aldebaran

Sirius

The Winter Triangle

To use this map:

Face south and hold the map above your head. The stars on the map will match the stars in the sky.

Such is our view from Earth...

Moon meets Jupiter on March 17

On Sunday March 17, look high in the west  for the moon, just shy of 1st quarter. It glows below the bright planet Jupiter. This provides a juxtaposition of giant, but distant Jupiter against the much smaller — 40 times smaller — and much closer moon. Jupiter lies over 2000 times farther than the moon! All of this results in Jupiter appearing starlike while the moon shows an impressive orb.

If you look at Jupiter through steadily held binoculars, you will see one starlike object slightly above the planet and two, maybe three below it. These are its Galilean moons which sizes are on the same order as of our moon. 

Four moons in one evening!

Such is our view from Earth...

How to find PanSTARRS

Between March 15 and March 18, the best times to spot Comet PanSTARRS are between 8:00 and 8:15 p.m. Any observing location having a relatively unobstructed low western horizon (yes, I know that is hard to find) away from bright lights should work. 

How high above the horizon will it be? Extend your arm and the width of your clinched fist is about 10 degrees. (Yes, taller people have longer arms, but they also have bigger fists, and smaller people have shorter arms and smaller fists. This makes the effective angular size of the clinched fist about the same for people of all heights.) The comet should be about 10 degrees (1 clinched fist) above the 0 degree horizon, and it will be slightly north of due west at 8:10 p.m.

By next Thursday March 21, the comet will likely be dimmer but slightly higher (1-1/4 "fists") in the sky and farther northward along the horizon, maybe 2 "fists" to the left of due west. The best time to see it then would be 8:10 to 8:20.

It is a lot easier to see through binoculars. (The angular field of view of typical binoculars is 5 to 6 degrees.) Remember, clear skies are needed. Haze greatly reduces its visibility.

Such is our view from Earth...

Comet PanSTARRS has arrived!

Comet PanSTARRS is not as bright nor as dramatic as recently predicted. It is visible, however, to those Curious Skywatchers who make the effort to spot it. Look directly to the west about forty-five minutes after sunset. Low in the sky sits the comet with its short tail. Because it is just visible to the unaided eye, binoculars greatly aid in the search. As the nights pass, PanSTARRS moves to the northwest rising slightly higher each evening. Since the comet is receding from the sun and the Earth, it fades from view before the end of March.

Such is our view from Earth...

2013 March Celestial Highlights

March 17: Jupiter will be just above the 1st quarter moon for an eye catching sight.

Comet PanSTARRS:

This comet, while not likely appearing as bright as first thought, still has a good chance of being noticeable in the western sky 30 minutes after sunset between March 10 and March 20. The very thin crescent moon lies just to the right of the comet on March 12 and above it, sitting on its tail, on March 13. This whole event is iffy: it might be really good, or it might be really difficult to see. 

As famed comet modeler Fred Whipple once said, "If you must bet, bet on a horse, not on a comet."

Such is our view from Earth...

Now is the time for the year's best view of Mercury

The closest planet to the sun, Mercury, can be the toughest of all the so-called bright planets to spot. Its solar proximity makes it alway appear near the sun, being in the evening sky for not long after sunset. (Or, likewise, in the morning sky before sunrise.) Monday and Tuesday, see the little world reach its highest point in the western sky after sunset before it drops towards the sun. For the next week, follow Mercury as it descends eventually disappearing from view during the last week of February.

Look to the wsw about 6:40 for Mercury's pinpoint of light. If you see something, it is likely the planet as there are no stars in the area bright enough to punch through the bright twilight glow.

Such is our view from Earth...

Mercury brightens, Mars fades away

Over the next two weeks, Mercury makes an appearance in our western sky forty minutes after sunset. Last night, it paired with Mars but now it is found much higher above the horizon than the Red Planet. Mercury can be seen with the unaided eye, but Mars requires binoculars. Mercury, at 121 million miles away, is brightening and quickly moving between the sun and the Earth, while Mars, at 214 million miles, is fading as it approaches the far side of the sun. Look to the west about 6:40 p.m. for the planetary pair. 

Such is our view from Earth...

February 2013 Celestial Highlights

Feb. 8 - 25: Mercury visible low in the west 40 minutes after sunset

Feb. 17: 1st quarter moon to the right of Jupiter

Feb. 18: moon to the left of Jupiter

Feb. 22: 8 pm, Winter solstice on Mars

Such is our view from Earth...