Night Sky

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The Night Sky – December 2018

A short-period comet, Comet Wirtanen takes 5.4 years to orbit the Sun.  It will make a close pass by Earth in December. Some speculation is that Comet Wirtanen could reach magnitude +3.x, making it one of the brighter comets in quite a while.  If so, it might be visible to the naked eye in our dark Vermont skies. It’s closest approach will be on 12/16 when it will be 7.26 million miles from us.  Look for a faint, fuzzy object appearing to travel between the Hyades star cluster and the Pleiades star cluster.

Comet Wirtanen links:

Comet Wirtanen Info

 

A Locator Chart

 

NASA/JPL Animation

Observing Notes
– 12/10/18   Comet Wirtanen (was naked eye (barely) from my location in Dorset, Vermont, the night of December 10, 2018.  Still fuzzy, poorly defined, and no visible tail through 15×70 binoculars)

– 12/12/18  Not so great seeing conditions. Comet Wirtanen was barely naked-eye visible from my location in Dorset, Vermont, if you knew where to look (above and to the left of Menkar, Alpha Cetus).  Still quite faint, fuzzy,  better defined, and no visible tail through 15×70 binoculars).  A fair number of meteors tonight as the Geminids approach!

 

THE MOON
Phases
New Moon: 6th
First Quarter: 14th
Full Moon: 21st
Last Quarter: 28th

MERCURY – A good chance to see this not-so-easy one.
Mercury reappears in the pre-dawn sky from December 6^th at a quite bright magnitude of +0.0 and high in the sky, rising around 5:40 am.  Binoculars will be very helpful!  By the end of the month it will rise about 6:15 am so earlier in the month will be better.

VENUS – High and Bright!
Venus starts the month bright (magnitude -4.9) and high (30 *), and maintains good viewing all month long. Super easy to identify as it is the brightest object int the morning sky (besides the Sun and Moon).  Big binoculars or a small telescope should reveal the phase of Venus.

MARS – bright and easy, but fading away.
As Mars keeps moving further away from the Earth it will continue to appear smaller and dimmer in brightness (from magnitude -0.0 to magnitude +0.4 by the end of the month). That said, it remains fairly high in the sky (around 25* at the beginning of the month and an elevation of around 33* on the Solstice).  At this distance it will be difficult to see any surface detail in small and medium telescopes.

JUPITER – He’s back! (Sort of).
Jupiter will appear in the predawn East around the middle of the month.  It will be bright at magnitude -1.8 but quite low in the sky and so not the best for observing.  The good news?  It will continue to improve in the early morning sky during the coming months.

SATURN- Last Call.
You may get a peek at Saturn very low above the south-western horizon during the first week of the month, but after that it will be lost in the glare of the Sun before it disappears behind the Sun.

URANUS past Opposition, but still good!
Opposition for Uranus was October 23 so it is still fairly big and bright…for Uranus!
Uranus is still easy to see with binoculars this month, and visible throughout the evening into the early hours in the constellation of Pisces.  It is around magnitude +5.7.  Use a tripod to steady the binoculars.  It sets around 3:30 am at the beginning of the month, and around 1:45 am at the end of the month. It is a beautiful turquoise color is great through binoculars or a telescope.

NEPTUNE – Never easy…but worth it.
Neptune sets around 11:40 pm at the beginning of the month and around 9:45 at the end. You will need binoculars or a telescope to see it, shining at magnitude 7.9 in Aquarius. Make no mistake; it is not easy and you will likely need a telescope of 8 inch and larger aperture to resolve the planet.  It is very far away (2.795 billion miles at this time, and very dim (magnitude 7.9).

Meteor Showers
The Geminids peak after midnight the 14^th-15^th . This shower produces lots of slow movers and some fireballs.  The First Quarter Moon sets an hour or two before the expected peak.

The Ursids peak late evening of the 22-23^rd of the month.  This shower is not great with a maximum hourly rate of about 10 to 15 meteors.  The 12/21 Full Moon will not help.  Still if you’re out there, keep an eye open for the bright ones.

 

 

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The Night Sky – November 2018

THE MOON
Phases
Last Quarter: 30 ^th
New Moon: 7^th
First Quarter: 15^th
Full Moon: 23^rd

MERCURY Not visible.

VENUS
Around the 6^th or 7^th of November Venus will become visible as an early morning object, low in the East, but climbing higher, and getting brighter as the month goes on.  Magnitude -4.6 early in the month, -4.9 at the end.

MARS
Mars is well positioned for viewing all month.  It will continue to grow dimmer as the month goes on (magnitude -0.6 to magnitude -0.1), pulling further and further away from us.  That said, it will climb higher in the sky and so may actually present better viewing later in the month.  This may be  a good chance to see some surface detail through a telescope as the dust storm has cleared.  Catch it before it pulls too far away from us!  It sets around 1 am or so.

JUPITER
Not visible.

SATURN
Saturn can be spotted about 10* above the horizon in the SW around sunset at the beginning of November, setting around 8 pm (after the time change) at the beginning of the month, getting progressively tougher to spot as the month goes on.

URANUS past Opposition, but still good!
Opposition for Uranus was October 23 so it is still close to it’s biggest and brightest of the year/
It is visible practically all night long during the month.   It’s beautiful turquoise color is great through binoculars or a telescope. Use a tripod to steady the binoculars.

NEPTUNE
Recently past opposition, it should be visible all night long, and fairly high in the sky.  That  said, make no mistake that it is not easy and you will likely need a telescope of 8-inch and larger aperture to resolve the planet.  It is very far away (2.7 billion miles (4.3 billon kilometers) at this time, and very dim (magnitude 7.9)

 

 

 

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The Night Sky – September 2018

THE MOON
Phases
Last Quarter: 3^rd
New Moon: 9^th
First Quarter: 17^th
Full Moon: 25^th

MERCURY is visible low above the ENE horizon for about 45 minutes before sunrise during the first few days of the month, shining quite brightly at magnitude -1.0. On the 6th, Mercury will be very close to the bright star Regulus.  By the middle of the month it will become lost in the glare as it moves even closer to the Sun.  At best it is close to the Sun so the chance to see it doesn’t last long.  Binoculars are the best way to spot it.

VENUS
Venus remains very bright in the evening sky around sunset, but continues to sink lower and lower as time goes by.  Look for it in the WSW before sunset.  It sets about 70 minutes after the Sun. It is very bright but increasingly will be fighting the Sun’s glare. Later in the month binoculars may be required to spot the planet.  Still, a thing of great beauty!

MARS Past Opposition, but still great!
It’s true that Earth and Mars are now pulling away from each other but Mars still looks really, really great in the night sky and will for a while to come! Mars was engulfed in a major dust storm during August, blocking all surface details.  That said, the dust storm on Mars is significantly improving but has not yet fully subsided. A small telescope may reveal major surface details if seeing conditions continue to improve. Look for Mars at an elevation of about 14 degrees ESE where it will shine at magnitude -2.1, reducing to only -1.3 or so by month’s end…plenty bright! At the beginning of the month Mars rises around 8:30 pm and sets at 5 am.  Towards the end of August Mars sets around 2:30 am.

JUPITER
The King reached opposition back on May 8th, and continues to get smaller as distance grows between us.  Still he is The King and will be visible early in the evening, setting around 10 pm at the beginning of the month and about 8:30 pm by the end.   It is still quite bright; around magnitude -1.9.  Jupiter’s equatorial bands, the four Gallilean moons, and sometimes the Great Red Spot should make for a fun view through even a small telescope. All that said, Jupiter is now quite low on the southern horizon, so viewing is not going to be so good due to the thickness of Earth’s atmosphere at that elevation.

SATURN
Saturn sets around 1 am at the beginning of the month, and about sets about 11 pm at the end.  The rings are still at a great angle, but the problem is the same as with Jupiter…it will be very low in the sky, never getting above 15 degrees so you will be looking through a good deal of Earth’s atmosphere while viewing it.

URANUS
Uranus, rises around 9:30 pm at the start of the month and 7:30 pm at the end of the month.  It is visible all night and will be a binocular target throughout September. Use a tripod to steady the binoculars.

NEPTUNE
Rises around 7:45 pm at the beginning of the month and 5:45 pm at the end, and therefore should be visible all night, and should be fairly high in the sky.  That said, make no mistake that it is not easy and you will likely need a telescopes of 8-inch and larger apertures to resolve the planet.

 

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The Night Sky – August 2018

THE MOON
Phases
Last Quarter: 4^th
New Moon: 11^th
First Quarter: 18^th
Full Moon: 26^th

THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER runs annually from approximately July 13 until August 26, with the peak on August 12. The best time for seeing meteors is after midnight. The meteors are debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle.  The moon cooperating this year and should be absent at peak.

MERCURY
Mercury starts the month behind the sun.  The best chances to see it is later in the month (August 26 or so) in the predawn sky rising around 4:45 am.  At best it is close to the sun so the chance to see it doesn’t last long.  Binoculars are the best way to spot it.

VENUS
Venus remains the brightest object in the evening sky after the moon and can be seen in the west after sunset.  Venus is getting lower in the sky as the month goes on as it pulls further away from us as time goes by, reaching it’s furthest point from us on August 12th.   Still, a thing of great beauty, and after that it starts moving towards us again!

MARS Past Opposition!
It’s true that Earth and Mars are now pulling away from each other but Mars still looks really, really great in the night sky and will for a while to come! At the beginning of the month Mars rises around 8:30 pm and sets at 5 am.  Towards the end of August Mars sets around 2:30 am.

JUPITER
The King reached opposition back on May 8th, and continues to get smaller as distance grows between us.  Still he is The King and will be visible early in the evening, setting around midnight at the beginning of the month and about 10:15 pm by the end.   It is very bright.  Jupiter’s equatorial bands, the four Gallilean moons, and sometimes the Great Red Spot should make for a fun view through even a small telescope. On Thursday, August 16, Europa’s shadow will begin to transit at 7:56 p.m. EDT (in evening twilight). At 8:05 p.m. EDT, Io’s shadow will join Europa’s and the pair will transit Jupiter until they both move off the planet at 10:10 p.m.

SATURN
Saturn rises around 6 pm and sets around 3 am at the beginning of the month, and about sets about 1 am.  The rings aren’t as wide as they were a few months ago but are still at a great angle.

URANUS
Uranus, rises around 9:30 pm and is visible all night.

NEPTUNE
Rises around 9:45 pm at the beginning of the month and 7:45 pm at the end.  Visible all night, but never easy.

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The Night Sky – May 2018

THE MOON
Phases
Last Quarter: 8^th
New Moon: 15^th
First Quarter: 22^nd
Full Moon: 29^th

MERCURY
Mercury will be too close to the Sun to see.

VENUS
at magnitude -3.9, Venus is the brightest object in the evening sky after the moon and can be seen in the west after sunset.  Venus rises a little higher in the sky as the month goes on setting about two hours after the sun at the start of the month, and two and a half hours at the end.

MARS
Mars rises about 1:30 am at the beginning of the month and after midnight by the end.   During the month, Mars has a magnitude which increases rapidly from -0.4 to -1.2 as the month goes on.  Over the coming months, our view of Mars will continue to improve as we get closer together.  Each month, Mars will appear bigger and brighter in our scopes, with more detail visible.

JUPITER
The King reaches opposition on May 8th, and will be visible all night, rising at about 8:30 pm at the beginning of the month and about 6 pm by the end.   It is very bright at magnitude -2.5.  Jupiter’s equatorial bands, the four Gallilean moons, and sometimes the Great Red Spot should make for a fun view through even a small telescope.

SATURN
Saturn rises around 12:30 am at the beginning of the month, and about 10:20 pm by month’s end, climbing higher in the sky and getting brighter as the month goes on.  The rings aren’t as wide as they were a few months ago but are still at a great angle.

URANUS
Not this month.  Uranus, rises around sunrise, and sets before sunset.

NEPTUNE
Maybe in the predawn sky towards the end of the month.  Never easy.

 

 

 

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The Night Sky – February 2018

THE MOON
Black Moon this month, meaning there is no full moon.  (This happens about
four times each century).
Phases
Full Moon: None
Last Quarter: 7th
New Moon: 15th
First Quarter: 23rd

MERCURY
Mercury, will be very tricky this month.  You may have some success towards the end of the month.  Look for it low in the western sky around sunset. You will need a clear horizon as it will be very low.

VENUS
Venus returns to the evening sky this month.  In early February it will be low in the west, getting higher in the western sky as the month goes on.

MARS
Mars is now a predawn object and rises about 2:30 a.m. climbing to about 25* before sunrise at the beginning of the month.  The planet will brighten considerably throughout the month, reaching magnitude 0.8 by month’s end. Over the coming months, our view of Mars will continue to improve as we get closer together.  Each month, Mars will appear bigger and brighter in our scopes, with more detail visible.  This will be a very favorable viewing year.

JUPITER
The King rises at about 1:30 am in the constellation Libra at the beginning of the month and by 11:45 pm at month’s end.  At magnitude -2.0 it is very bright in the night sky.
Even with a very modest telescope, the bands and the four Gallilean moons will be visible.

SATURN
Saturnis now in the pre-dawn sky in the constellation of Sagittarius, but remains low on the SE horizon, rising around 4:30 am at the beginning of the month, and about 3:20 am at the end.

URANUS
This Ice Giant is getting smaller and dimmer, but still is visible half of the night, setting around 11:00 pm.  It can be seen in binoculars and even seen with the naked eye in really dark skies.  Noteworthy because it is very high in the sky.  It hasn’t been this high since the 1960’s.  This is a very faint object, very far from Earth, so if you are hunting Uranus, this would be a very good time to look for it.  In a telescope it will appear as small, pale, blue-green disk, with no surface detail visible.  Still you will be able to saw you saw it with your own eyes.

 

NEPTUNE
Sets around 7:30 at the beginning of February, and 6 pm at the end.  Difficult because low in the sky as well as dim and far away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Night Sky – January 2018

The Sun
We will be closer to the Sun on January 2, 2018 than we will be for the rest of the year.

THE MOON
Blue Moon  (2^nd full moon) this month.  First total lunar eclipse of Blue Moon in 150 years.
Phases
Full Moon: January 2
Third Quarter: 8th
New Moon: 17th
First Quarter: 24^th
Full Moon: January 31

MERCURY
This month offers the best chance of the year for viewing Mercury, which rises about two hours before dawn and should be visible with binoculars an hour or so before dawn in the south-eastern sky.

VENUS
Venus Nope.  Not this month.

MARS
Mars will keep getting brighter as the month goes on. By January 15^th  Mars should be about magnitude +1.3. Mars will approach Jupiter during the first days of January, and will be very close on January 7^th.  Over the coming months our view of Mars will continue to improve as we get closer together.  Each month Mars will appear bigger and brighter in our scopes, with more detail visible.

JUPITER
The King rises at about 3 am in the constellation Libra at the beginning of the month and by 1:30 am at month’s end.   Mars will approach Jupiter during the first days of January, and will be very close on January 7^th.  This should make for a fun view through binoculars or a small telescope. Even with a very modest telescope, the bands and the four Galilean moons will be visible.

SATURN
Saturn is behind the Sun and not visible.

URANUS
This Ice Giant is getting smaller and dimmer, but still is visible most of the night.  It can be seen in binoculars and even seen with the naked eye in really dark skies.  Noteworthy because it is very high in the sky.  It hasn’t been this high since the 1960’s.  This is a very faint object, very far from Earth, so if you are hunting Uranus, this would be a very good time to look for it.  In a telescope it will appear as small, pale, blue-green disk, with no surface detail visible.  Still, you will be able to saw you saw it with your own eyes.

NEPTUNE
Not visible this month.