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A monthly look at the night sky from your favorite Astronomy teacher at Pequea Valley High School
Episodes
Wednesday Mar 27, 2013
Wednesday Mar 27, 2013
April is not the most exciting month, especially after Comet PanSTARRS. However, the Moon will be very close to Jupiter for a night and Saturn another, the Lyrid Meteor Shower will make its quiet presence known, and you might be able to see Comet PanSTARRS (see my best pics here) and the Andromeda Galaxy in one binocular view. EVENTS...
Last Quarter Moon - 3rd (Visible from midnight into the morning)
2nd - Comet PanSTARRS near Andromeda
New Moon - 10th (darkest skies)
14th -Close Encounter - Moon & Jupiter - Jupiter will be only 3˚ to the right of the waxing crescent Moon. Just find the Moon, and you'll find Jupiter right there. Also in the area are Taurus (the Hyades), Aldebaron, and the Pleiades.
First Quarter Moon - 18th (Visible until midnight)
21st - 22nd - LYRID METEOR SHOWER - The Lyrids aren't really a strong meteor shower, but at least it's warmer out than in the Fall (hopefully). This year isn't all that great either, since the Gibbous Moon will be bright and will be out almost all night. That means the best time to look is in the morning before twilight and after 3:30am. There are typically only 10-20 meteors per hour, so be patient. Here's the typical advice for watching a meteor shower:
Find a dark location, and lie down in a reclining chair or swimming pool floaty
Dress in multiple layers and bring hot chocolate
Check the weather to see if the skies will be clear (weather.com has a good map here)
You want to look at the sky as a whole rather than looking at one spot or through a telescope or binoculars. You never know where in the sky they will be.
But you DO know where they will come from - Lyra! Look toward Lyra (In the NNE close to the horizon around 10pm, rises throughout the night until sunrise where it will be almost directly above.) That is where the radiant is - where the meteors will appear to be coming from. If you trace the meteors' steps back, they should all go to that spot.
Adapt your eyes to the dark by staying away from light sources or using a red light if you need to look at a star chart or not trip over something.
The shower is usually active from April 16th to April 25th, but it peaks on the morning of the 22nd. You may see a few stray Lyrids in the days leading up to and after the peak.
Full Moon - 25th (Visible all night - East around sunset, West around Sunrise)
25th - Close Encounter - Saturn & Moon - Get out after 8:30pm to find the Full Moon. Then look about half a fist-width at arm's length away up and to the left and find the very bright object which is Saturn.
PLANETS...well, the ones visible with your naked eye Planets you can see around Sunset - Jupiter (W) Planets you can see throughout the night - Saturn (ESE) Planets you can see in the Morning - Saturn (SàW)Mercury - Either in the Sun's glare, or not worth looking for just yet.
Venus - In the Sun's glare, or not worth looking for just yet.
Mars - In the Sun's glare.
JUPITER - Look West after sunset and before 11pm. Close to the Moon on the 14th. Use binoculars or a telescope to try to see the four Galilean Moons. If you're looking at Taurus, Jupiter's the very bright one above the V of Taurus.
SATURN - Look ESE after 10p.m. in the beginning of the month and after sunset toward the end of the month and find the very bright object which is Saturn. Close to the Moon on the 25th. Use binoculars or a telescope and try to see its rings, or as Galileo called them, "ears"
CONSTELLATIONS... (see sky map link at the bottom for a Star Map for this month - or ask Mr. Webb) Look straight up and you'll see...After Sunset (sunset is around 7:30-8:00pm) - Cancer, Leo, Lynx, Ursa Major's legs - Extra Challenge! Find M44 in the middle of Cancer - an open cluster of stars also known as the Beehive Cluster. You may be able to see it as a small fuzzy patch with your naked eye if you have very dark skies. However with a pair of binoculars or a telescope on low power, it will look like a hive of bees in the distance, hence its nickname.
Between Sunset and Midnight - Leo, Leo Minor, Ursa Major's legs
Midnight - Canes Venatici, Coma Berenices are closer to the Zenith (the point straight above you), but Ursa Major, Leo, and Bootes make a nice but bigger triangle around it.
Early Morning - Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus - These are the Summer constellations, and since they are starting to rise in the morning now, that means that summer is on its way.
GENERAL CONSTELLATION FINDING TIPS:Winter constellations: Orion is still easy to spot as he is directly in the SW after sunset. You can use Orion to find many other winter constellations, for the last time until the fall.
Using Orion: Find Orion by looking for the three stars in a row that make up Orion's belt in the Southwest. If you draw a line from the left star to the right star and keep going right about 20 degrees (about 2 fists at arm's length) until you reach another very bright star, you will have reached the star Aldebaran in Taurus (the V). Follow that line a little more (about another fist) and you'll find the Pleiades.
If you start at his belt again, but instead go the opposite way and draw a line from the right star in Orion's belt to the left star, and keep going left about 20 degrees (2 fists again), you'll come to the brightest star in the sky - Sirius - part of Canis Major.
Above these three constellations are Gemini and Auriga. The brightest stars in each of these constellations form a circle in the sky. Going clockwise - Aldebaron (Taurus) - Rigel (Orion - bottom right foot) - Sirius (Canis Major) - Procyon (Canis Minor) - Castor & Pollux (Gemini) - Capella (Auriga). It makes for great stargazing in the winter sky.
Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.Saturday Mar 02, 2013
Saturday Mar 02, 2013
March brings us Daylight Savings time, the astronomical first day of spring, some lunar close encounters with the planets, and, most spectacularly, the likely best comet in many years for those of us in the northern hemisphere! EVENTS...
2nd - Close Encounter - Saturn & Moon - Get up after 1am and before sunrise on the 2nd, look Southeast to Southwest and you'll find Saturn about 4˚ up and the to left of the gibbous Moon.
Last Quarter Moon - 4th (Visible from midnight into the morning)
10th - Daylight Savings time starts - 2 a.m.
New Moon - 11th (darkest skies)
12th-18th - Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) at its best for mid-northern latitudes
Never seen a comet? Well, here's your chance! We haven't had any visible comets for the past couple of years, but this one should be visible to the naked eye. In order to find it, here are the details. The 12th to the 18th are the best days for those of us in North America, since that's when it will have the best combination of being high in the sky and bright. Where do you look? Basically west. Before sunset, find a place that has a very low view to west and nothing in the way between you and the sunset. Bring some binoculars (or a telescope if you have one) and watch the sunset.
As twilight fades, look to the west, about one fist-width at arm's length above the horizon. It might be easiest to find on March 12th, since the Moon will be about 4 degrees (four pinky fingers at arm's length) to the right of the comet. You should be able to see the comet's head, or nucleus, first. Then, as the sky gets darker or if you use bigger binoculars or telescopes, you may be able to see the tail. If you have a digital camera that can take long exposures, perhaps you could get a picture of it! The best zoom lens you have is a must.
After the 20th, it'll get harder to see, but it should also be higher in the darker skies, so it will still be visible. For more information, updates, and star charts, check skypub.com/panstarrs
17th -Close Encounter - Moon & Jupiter - Jupiter will be only 2˚ up and to the left of the waxing crescent Moon. Just find the Moon, and you'll find Jupiter right there. Also in the area are Taurus (the Hyades), Aldebaron, and the Pleiades.
First Quarter Moon - 19th (Visible until midnight)
20th - Spring Equinox - Astronomically the first day of Spring, even though meteorologically Spring starts in the beginning of March. Here's some more info.
Full Moon - 27th (Visible all night - East around sunset, West around Sunrise)
28th - 29th - Close Encounter - Saturn & Moon - Get out after 10pm to find the just-past-full Moon. Then look about a fist-width at arm's length away down and find the very bright object which is Saturn. The Moon will be on one side of it on the 28th, and the other side on the 29th.
PLANETS...well, the ones visible with your naked eye Planets you can see around Sunset -Jupiter (SE) Planets you can see throughout the night - Jupiter (S to W) Planets you can see in the Morning - Saturn (S)Mercury - Either in the Sun's glare, or not worth looking for just yet.
Venus - In the Sun's glare.
Mars - In the Sun's glare.
JUPITER - VERY high in the South at sunset (almost straight above) and visible until midnight in the beginning of the month and 11 p.m. at the end. Close to the Moon on the 17th. Use binoculars or a telescope to try to see the four Galilean Moons. If you're looking at Taurus, Jupiter's the very bright one near the V of Taurus.
Saturn - Look ESE after 1 a.m. in the beginning of the month and after 11 p.m. toward the end of the month and find the very bright object which is Saturn. Throughout the morning it will rise to about 35˚ above the horizon toward the South. Close to the Moon on the 2nd, 28th, and 29th.
CONSTELLATIONS... (see sky map link at the bottom for a Star Map for this month - or ask Mr. Webb) Look straight up and you'll see...After Sunset (sunset is around 5:30-6:30pm) - Auriga (Taurus is right nearby), Gemini
Between Sunset and Midnight - Cancer, Gemini, Lynx, and Leo later in the month - Extra Challenge! Find M44 in the Middle of Cancer - an open cluster of stars also known as the Beehive Cluster. You may be able to see it as a small fuzzy patch with your naked eye if you have very dark skies. However with a pair of binoculars or a telescope on low power, it will look like a hive of bees in the distance, hence its nickname.
Midnight - Leo, Leo Minor, Ursa Major's legs
Early Morning - Corona Borealis, Hercules, Boötes (you can also find the Big Dipper's handle, and starting from the inside of the handle, follow the arc that those four stars make past the last star in the handle about 30˚ or three fist-widths to the next very bright star you find which is Arcturus, the base of the constellation Boötes. Hence astronomers use the phrase "Follow the Arc to Arcturus")
GENERAL CONSTELLATION FINDING TIPS:Winter constellations: Orion is easy to spot as he is high in the south as the Sun sets. You can use Orion to find many other winter constellations.
Using Orion: Find Orion by looking for the three stars in a row that make up Orion's belt in the South after 7pm. If you draw a line from the left star to the right star and keep going right about 20 degrees (about 2 fists at arm's length) until you reach another very bright star, you will have reached the star Aldebaron in Taurus (the V). Follow that line a little more (about another fist) and you'll find the Pleiades.
If you start at his belt again, but instead go the opposite way and draw a line from the right star in Orion's belt to the left star, and keep going left about 20 degrees (2 fists again), you'll come to the brightest star in the sky - Sirius - part of Canis Major.
Above these three constellations are Gemini and Auriga. The brightest stars in each of these constellations form a circle in the sky. Going clockwise - Aldebaron (Taurus) - Rigel (Orion - bottom right foot) - Sirius (Canis Major) - Procyon (Canis Minor) - Castor & Pollux (Gemini) - Capella (Auriga). It makes for great stargazing in the winter sky.
Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.