Saturday: Some
people in town today for the Yakima River Canyon Marathon may be looking for a
little running inspiration. While nothing can take the place of a 20+ mile long
run for marathon preparation (I know), certain objects in the night sky are
inspiring. In the Bible, Job specifically mentions the star Arcturus, or the
bear keeper, to his friend as a sign of God's majesty. He describes God as that
"Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers
(constellations) of the south" (Job 9:9, King James Version). Whatever
your religious beliefs, it is clear that Job was impressed with this very
bright star. See the star that inspired Job about two and a half fists held
upright and at arm’s length above the east horizon at 10 p.m.
Sunday: If
you ran far yesterday, you don’t want to stay up late looking at the stars. So
do something during the day that will help you and other night sky enthusiasts:
make sure your outdoor light fixtures are shielded or at least facing down.
This will cut down on light pollution, stray light that obscures the stars, and
give you a head start in celebrating International Dark Sky week, which occurs in
mid-April. Go to http://goo.gl/w6Hi7 for more
information on how to do an outdoor lighting audit and get more information
about International Dark Sky week. You won’t need to have dark skies to see
Jupiter less than a fist to the upper left of the moon at 9 p.m.
Monday: Mars
is one fist and Venus is two and a half fists above the west horizon at 8 p.m.
Tuesday: The Space Shuttles have been retired. But NASA is still making
plans about the future of space flight. Here is a small NASA poster summarizing
the future of American Human spaceflight: http://goo.gl/D8KWj.
It is interesting to compare the sizes of these real spaceships to the dozens
of fictional spacecraft summarized on a poster found at http://goo.gl/F95aEL.
Wednesday:
After a long journey through space, there is nothing will quench your
thirst better than a few drops of refreshing Mars water. Wait! Is this an April
Fool’s Day joke? No. In 2010, after analyzing photos taken by the Mars Phoenix
Lander, a group of astronomers discovered what they interpreted as drops of
very salty liquid water on one of the Lander’s legs. But we are not going to
travel 18 months to Mars just to lick a few drops of water off a metal leg. We
want waterfront property if we are going all that way. The high-resolution
camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has taken images of dark rivulets
that form, grow, and fade in the Martian southern hemisphere. Even though Mars
is very cold, this liquid could contain enough salt to lower its freezing point
by more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, enough to remain liquid.
Newsflash! Earlier this year, Astronomers found evidence that Mars may have
had an ocean of water that has since been lost. Maybe it’s too late for that
waterfront property after all. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_on_Mars
for an overview of the history of, you guessed it, water on Mars. Mars is one fist
above the west horizon at 8 p.m.
Thursday: Saturn
is two fists above the south-southwest horizon at 6 a.m.
Friday: You’ve
seen all of the top 100 lists: top 100 ways to please your mate, top 100
restaurants in the local region, etc. Now get excited for the lunar 100 at http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/the-lunar-100/.
This
list describes 100 interesting landmarks on the moon that are visible from
Earth. They are listed from easiest to see, starting with the entire moon
itself at number 1, to most difficult (Mare Marginis swirls, anyone?). Stay up all
night to binge watch the moon or just make a few observations a month. It’s
your decision. It’s our moon.
The positional
information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for
the entire week. For up to date information about the night sky, go to http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/planner.cfm.
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