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...