Night Sky

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.

The Night Sky – January 2018

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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.

The Night Sky – December 2017

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The Night Sky – December 2017

THE MOON
Phases
Full Moon: Sunday December 3
Last Quarter: 10th
New Moon: 18th
First Quarter: 26^th
MERCURY
Mercury is rarely easy. It is behind the Sun at the beginning of the month, and will reappear in the pre-dawn sky around December 20^th, quickly getting brighter and higher in the sky. It will be great by the end of the month; high and bright. DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN WITHOUT CERTIFIED PROTECTIVE FILTERING!

VENUS
Venus Nope. Not this month.

MARS
Mars rises around in the east about 4 hours before the Sun, continuing to get brighter as the month goes on. That said, Mars is still pretty far from Earth at this time, so it will be small and will be difficult to see any surface details.

JUPITER
The Kingis back as a pre-dawn object rising about 2 hours before the Sun at the beginning of the month, quite bright around magnitude -1.7. As the month goes on, it will get brighter and bigger. Even with a very modest telescope, the bands and the four Gallilean moons will be visible.

SATURN
Saturnis behind the Sun and not visible.

URANUS
This Ice Giant is getting smaller and dimmer, but still is visible most of the night, setting around 3:30 am at the start of the month, and 1:22 am at the end of the year. 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
Pretty much everything we said about Uranus applies to Neptune, only harder. This Ice Giant is the farthest planet from the Sun, more than 30 times more distant than we are, so it appears to be very small. It sets around 11:30 at the start of the month and by 9:30 pm at the end. You will need a telescope and need to know where to look.

METEOR SHOWERS

The Geminids
December 14th and 15th, especially after midnight. A good year as the moon shouldn’t be much of a factor. This can be a really good one, escpecially if you can observe away from bright lights.

The Ursids
December 22nd and 23rd especially later in the evening, Not a very high rate usually but sometimes it surprises us. Worth a look to be sure.

The Night Sky – October 2017

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The Night Sky – October 2017

THE MOON
Phases
Full Moon: Wednesday October 4th
Last Quarter: 11th
New Moon: 19th
First Quarter: 27th
MERCURY
Mercury is rarely easy. It can be found very low on the horizon in the western sky, around sunset. DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN WITHOUT CERTIFIED PROTECTIVE FILTERING!

VENUS
Venus continues to dazzle in the pre-dawn skies, but continues to get lower. Enjoy it in the early morning sky for the few weeks before it disappears from view.

MARS
Mars rises around 5 am in the east at the start of the month and around 4:30 around the end. It will be low in the sky and not very bright at first, but will continue to climb higher and get brighter as the month progresses.

JUPITER
Jupiter will not be visible this month, disappearing behind the Sun. It will reappear low in the pre-dawn sky in November.

SATURN
Saturn is visible in the southwest at sunset, setting around 10:30 pm at the beginning of the month and setting a little after 8:30 pm at the end. Observing conditions will continue to degrade over the next few months as it continues to sink lower in the sky, before disappearing from view. That said, the planet is tilted at a great angle affording a great view of the rings. The Cassini Gap is visible in a modest scope so give it a look. This pretty planet is always worth a peek. It never disappoints.

URANUS
This Ice Giant reaches opposition and is closest to Earth on the 19^th and will be visible all night during October. 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 your best 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
This Ice Giant is visible all night long through a telescope. Neptune is found in Aquarius. The naked eye star Hydor, located only 0.5 degrees above the planet, will help you find it with binoculars or a telescope. On October 30, Neptune will be about 2 degrees above the Moon. This is the farthest planet from the Sun, more than 30 times more distant than we are.

The Night Sky – September 2017

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The Night Sky – September 2017

THE MOON
Phases
Full Moon: Tuesday September 6th
Last Quarter: 13th
New Moon: 20th
First Quarter: 27th
MERCURY
September offers a good chance to catch a glimpse of the planet closest to the sun. Mercury is rarely easy. It is found low on the horizon in the pre-dawn sky, so the window of opportunity is small. DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN WITHOUT CERTIFIED PROTECTIVE FILTERING! All that said, this month is our chance to catch Mercury.

VENUS
Venus continues to dazzle in the pre-dawn skies, but is gradually getting lower. Enjoy it in the early morning sky for the next month or so before it disappears from view.

MARS
If you’re lucky and have a really flat horizon to the East, you MIGHT catch a glimpse of Mars before the Sun rises, but odds improve later in September. It’s quite low but give it a try!

JUPITER
Very, very, last call for Jupiter this month! At the 1^st of the month it will be low (~15*) in the West at sunset, and will set by 9 pm. It’s getting lower and lower in the western sky, and by month’s end will be near the horizon, soon to go behind the sun and disappear from view. It’s been a nice, long run for “The King”, but he’s going away soon, so catch him while you can. Even in a very small scope, bands can be visible on the planet and the four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto can be seen. By the end of the month, he sets around 7:20 pm. Jupiter will reappear low in the pre-dawn sky in November.

SATURN
Is visible in the south at sunset, setting around 2 am at the beginning of the month, setting around midnight at the end. Observing conditions will continue to degrade over the next few months as it continues to sink lower in the sky, before disappearing from view. That said, the planet is tilted at a great angle affording a great view of the rings. The Cassini Gap is visible in a modest scope so give it a look. This pretty planet is always worth a peek. Saturn never disappoints.

URANUS
This Ice Giant rises around 11 pm early in the month and is visible for the rest of the night. Rises around 9 pm at the end of the month. Noteworthy because it is very high in the sky. 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, you don’t need me to tell you where it is. 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 spotted it.

NEPTUNE
This Ice Giant rises around 9:30 at the start of the month and about 7:30 at the end of the month. Everything from Uranus applies only much more difficult. September is the best month this year to try to see it. It is visible for almost the entire night. Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun, more than 30 times more distant than we are.

The Night Sky – August 2017

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The Night Sky – August 2017

MERCURY
Forget Mercury this month. It’s too close to the sun to be seen.

VENUS
Venus still reigns in the pre-dawn sky, rising around 2:45 am at the start of the month, and rising about 3:30 am at the end of it. Enjoy it in the early morning sky for the next two months before it disappears from view.

MARS
Nope, not now. Look for Mars to reappear in the early morning sky in October.

JUPITER
Last call for Jupiter this month. It’s getting lower and lower in the western sky, and by month’s end will be near the horizon, so to disappear from view. It’s been a nice, long run for “The King”, but he’s going away soon, so catch him while you can. Even in a very small scope, bands can be visible on the planet and the four largest moons can be seen.

SATURN
Is visible in the south at sunset, setting around 2 am at the beginning of the month, setting around midnight at the end. Observing conditions will continue to degrade over the next few months as it continues to sink lower in the sky, before disappearing from view. That said, this pretty planet is always worth a peek. It never disappoints.

NEPTUNE
This Ice Giant rises around 9:30 at the start of the month and about 7:30 at the end of the month. Everything from Uranus applies only much more difficult.

June 2017 Night Sky

THE MOON
First Quarter: 1st
Full Moon: 9th
Last Quarter: 17th
New Moon: 24th

THE PLANETS

– Mercury is too close to the sun and not visible this month.

– Venus is extremely bright (-4.1 magnitude) this month. Look for it low (around 18*) in the east in the pre-dawn sky. There is no mistaking it.

– Mars sets about 90 minutes after the Sun, so Mars will be difficult to see this month because it will be low and lost in the glare of the setting Sun.

– Jupiter At the beginning of the month Jupiter is bright enough (-2.1 magnitude) to be spotted before sunset around 40* in the SSW. The King continues to dominate the evening sky. A strong pair of binoculars (use a tripod) or a small telescope will easily reveal the four Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto). With steady conditions, you can see the bands on the planet.

– Saturn rises around 9:20 pm at the beginning of this month, and will rise earlier each night. By the end of June, it will rise around 7:15 pm. It will be at it’s closest to Earth on the June 15. It will be a pretty bright golden object in the eastern sky, (about 0.0 magnitude). It will be tipped at a good angle for viewing its rings this month, but as the month goes on, it will be lower and lower in the sky, meaning we have to look through more and more atmosphere to see it. So viewing quality will likely fall off as the month goes on. Catch it early in the month if you can.

– Uranus rises around 3:15 am at the beginning of June and 1:30 am by the end. At magnitude 5.8 it is barely visible to very keen eyes on a very dark, clear night…if you know where to look. Practically speaking you need binoculars or a telescope to spot this blue world. You won’t be able to see any detail, but at least you can say you have seen it!

– Neptune rises around 1:44 am at the beginning of June and by the end rises at 11:42 pm. With a magnitude of 7.9 it is far too dim to be spotted with the unaided eye. As with Uranus, you won’t be able to see any detail, but at least you can say you have seen it!

May 2017 Night Sky

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The Night Sky – May 2017

THE MOON
Phases
First Quarter: 3rd
Full Moon: 10th
Last Quarter: 19th
New Moon: 25th

MERCURY
Forget Mercury this month. It’s too close to the Sun to see.

VENUS
Venus starts the month rising just before dawn in the east and gets higher in the sky as the month goes on. It is very bright with a magnitude of -4.7, which is as bright as it ever gets. Always be careful to never risk looking at the sun with a telescope.

MARS
Mars starts the month in Taurus with an elevation of around 11 degrees above the western horizon at sunset. As the month goes on this elevation decreases to only about 5 degrees by the end of the month, becoming lost in the Sun’s glare, then passing behind the Sun. Mars will not be visible through the entire summer, so get the last few glimoses in while you can.

JUPITER
Jupiter reached opposition on April 7th, which means that the King of the planets now rises at dusk in Virgo. We are pulling away from Jupiter, so it will start to slowly get smaller and dimmer. That said, it is still one of the brightest objects in the night sky, magnitude -2.3 or so. Take some time to watch the four Galilean Moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto). Easily viewed through large binoculars or a small telescope, they revolve around Jupiter at a much faster rate than our Moon revolves around Earth. In the case of Io, 10 hours. These are the four largest moons of Jupiter out of 67 moons! Wow! That’s a lot! And they are larger than any of the Dwarf Planets (such as Pluto). A slightly larger telescope will permit you to observe the bands on the planet as well as the Giant Red Spot. The King, in all his glory! Easy and fun!

SATURN
Saturn is in Sagittarius, rising around 11:30pm. It’s very bright at about magnitude +0.2 It never gets very high for the rest of the year. Still, though it may be small now, Saturn NEVER disappoints. Enjoy!

URANUS
Nope. Not this month. It rises after the Sun, and sets before the Sun does. ‘Nuf said.

NEPTUNE
Neptune rises around 3 am and will be low in the East before sunrise. Always be careful to never risk looking at the sun with a telescope.