Saturday: This evening’s viewing challenge is the planet Mercury. It is less than half a fist above the west-northwestern horizon at 9:25 p.m., a half hour after sunset. Pan the west-northwestern horizon with binoculars for the best chance to see it.
Sunday: Since 2014, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
Evolution (MAVEN) mission has been orbiting Mars gathering information about
the Martian upper atmosphere. Studying the atmosphere and climate on other
planets is crucial for helping scientists understand the Earth’s climate
history and make better predictions about its future. Unfortunately, as of
early July, the White House proposed 2025-26 budget cuts funding for this
mission. While MAVEN may no longer be able to send valuable information back to
Earth, Mars will always be visible to us. Mars is one fist above the western
horizon at 10:00 p.m.
Monday: Ten years ago today, NASA’s New Horizons probe
passed by Pluto. If the band Nirvana was still together, they’d probably
rewrite one of their hit songs to be called “Heart-Shaped Spot”, after one of
Pluto’s most distinctive features. “She eyes me like a dwarf planet when I am
weak. I’ve been imaging your heart-shaped spot for weeks.” Astronomers think
this heart-shaped spot is a large plain of nitrogen ice that consists of
convective cells 10-30 miles across. Solid nitrogen is warmed in the interior
of Pluto, becomes buoyant, and bubbles up to the surface like a lava lamp. You
will find great pictures and information about what New Horizons found this
past year at http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/.
Pluto, itself, is one fist above the southeastern horizon at 11:00 p.m.
Hey, wait, I’ve got a new complaint. People should be more
interested in astronomy. The best group to start with is children. If you are
stuck at home, wondering what to do, go to the NASA Kids Club website at https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/. There
are fun and educational activities for younger children. Older children may
like my favorite NASA website - about planets outside our Solar System. I
suggest first exploring the “Galaxy of Horrors!” at https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/alien-worlds/galaxy-of-horrors/.
Tuesday: Venus is more than one and a half fists above the
eastern horizon and Jupiter is just above the northeastern horizon at 4:30 a.m.
Wednesday: Did you know that you can see bright planets
during the day? It really helps if they are close to an easy to spot object
such as the Moon. Saturn is just to the lower right of the Moon from midnight
in the eastern sky until nearly noon when they set in the west. They are four
fists above the south-southeastern horizon at 4:30 a.m. Look at the Moon with
binoculars anytime between sunrise and nearly noon. Once you find Saturn in the
binocular field of view, lower your binoculars and look at that same location
with the naked eye. You should still be able to see Saturn with the naked eye
now that you know exactly where it is located.
Thursday: Say "Cheese". 175 years ago, Vega, in
the constellation Lyra the lyre, became the first star ever photographed. The
photograph was taken at the Harvard Observatory using the daguerreotype
process. Vega is the third brightest nighttime star we can see in Ellensburg,
behind Sirius and Arcturus. Vega is nearly straight overhead at midnight.
Friday: The Southern Delta Aquarid meteor shower has a long
gradual peak for the next few weeks into mid-August. Meteor showers are named
after the constellation from which the meteors appear to originate. These
meteors appear to come from a point in Aquarius near the star Delta Aquarii,
also known as Skat. This point is about two and a half fists above the
southeast horizon at 3:00 am early this morning. You can follow this point
throughout the night and for the next few weeks, as it will remain a fist above
Fomalhaut, the brightest star in that section of the sky. Read about the
shower, at https://earthsky.org/?p=159138.
As your mother might say, dress warmly and sit in a comfortable chair for
maximum enjoyment. Meteors are tiny rocks that hit the Earth and burn up in the
atmosphere.
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 https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/planner.cfm.
All times are Pacific Time unless noted.