Saturday: “Hey baby! What’s your sign?”
“Ophiuchus,
of course”
The
Sun is in the same part of the sky as the stars of Ophiuchus from about
November 29 to December 17. This is what astrologers mean when they say the Sun
is “in” a constellation. Thus, if you were born between these dates, you should
be an Ophiuchus. The fact that the horoscopes never list Ophiuchus is a major
flaw of astrology. Astrology says that some of our characteristics are based on
the location of the Sun at our birth. How can astrologers leave out three weeks
from their system? That is like a scientist saying she can explain the results
of her experiment every month of the year except early December. Ophiuchus was
a mythical healer who was a forerunner to Hippocrates. According to myth, he
could raise people from the dead. Maybe that is why he is ignored by astrology.
Raising people from the dead is much less impressive than giving spot-on advice
such as “Today is a good day to watch your finances.”
The
bright stars of Ophiuchus rise just before the Sun. Rasalhague (pronounced
Ras’-al-hay’-gwee), the brightest star, is about a half a fist held upright and
at arm’s length above the east-northeast horizon at 6:30 a.m.
Sunday: There
is a line-up of planets in the morning sky. Venus is two and a half fists above
the southeast horizon. The bright star Spica is a half a fist to the lower
right of Venus. Mars is a fist and a half to the upper right of Venus. Jupiter
is three fists to the upper right of Venus.
Monday:
Have you been shopping all weekend? Do you need an evening sky break? You deserve
a big reward so make it a double. A Double Cluster, that is. The Double
Cluster, also known as h and Chi Persei, consists of two young open star
clusters in the constellation Perseus. Of course, young is a relative term as
these clusters are about 13 million years old. Each cluster is spread out over
an area about the same size as the full moon. To the naked eye, the Double
Cluster shines with a steady, fuzzy glow. Binoculars resolve dozens of
individual stars in the clusters. The Double Cluster is six fists above the
northeast horizon at 6 p.m., about a fist below the sideways “W” of Cassiopeia
and three fists above the bright star Capella.
Tuesday: Have you even seen a Black Hole? Neither have scientists. But
they have seen the effects of a Black Hole. Black holes have a strong
gravitational influence on anything that passes close to them, including light.
Cygnus X-1, the first Black Hole candidate ever discovered, is six fists above
the west horizon at 7 p.m., in the middle of the neck of Cygnus the swan. NASA
launched the Chandra X-ray observatory in 1999 to study black hole candidates
and other high-energy events.
Wednesday: I am guessing that some of you don’t like the line of
reasoning from Tuesday: that seeing the effects of a Black Hole is good enough
to claim there are Black Holes. You have never seen the wind. But, you have
seen the effects of the wind. And no Ellensburg resident doubts the existence
of the wind.
Thursday:
Comet
Catalina should now be visible with binoculars in the southeastern sky just
before sunrise. First find Venus, the brightest point of light in the sky two
and a half fists above the southeast horizon. Move Venus to the upper right
hand portion of your binocular field of view. Then move your binoculars to the
lower left to the brightest star in that portion of the sky, called Kappa
Virginis. This star will be a lot dimmer than Venus. Comet Catalina will be to
the left of this star. For more information and a finder chart for Comet
Catalina, go to http://goo.gl/LxdeAw.
Friday: Is your favorite astronomy-loving relative of yours asking
for a telescope this Christmas? Before reaching for your credit card, read this
guide to choosing your first telescope, available at http://goo.gl/5oXmGj. If cost is an issue, look
no further than this Sky and Telescope article about low cost telescopes http://goo.gl/40zd6.
The authors review and recommend three telescopes that now cost less than $130
each. If you want to give a gag astronomy gift to someone who really bugs you, give
them a copy this column. After such a dud “gift”, you’ll never hear from them
again. And that may be the best gift of all.
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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