Saturday: Do you ever look into the night sky and wonder if any other stars have planets? So far, astronomers have discovered planets orbiting 280 stars. But, until earlier this month, none of those planets were discovered by direct photography. On November 13, astronomers confirmed that pictures they took of Fomalhaut (pronounced Fo’-mal-ought) show a planet about three times the mass of Jupiter in an orbit that averages 115 astronomical units from the star. One astronomical unit is the average distance between the Earth and Sun. For comparison, Pluto’s orbit is about 40 astronomical units from the Sun. Fomalhaut is nearly a fist and a half held upright and at arm’s length above due south at 6:15 p.m.
Sunday: 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 and a half fists above the northeast horizon at 7 p.m., about a fist below the sideways “W” of Cassiopeia.
Monday: Should I start every entry with a question? Maybe. But, you should definitely start every morning this month by finding Saturn, the highest planet in the sky this month. It is nearly five fists above due south at 6:30 a.m. this morning.
Tuesday: Where is Venus? About 0.7 astronomical units from the Sun. Helpful, aren’t I. You can find Venus one fist above the southwest horizon at 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Do you believe in miracles? Yes! Team USA beating the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics may have been a miracle. But, star birth isn’t. It’s taking place in the Orion Nebula, a giant star-forming region in the middle of Orion’s sword. The Orion Nebula looks like a fuzzy patch to the naked eye. Binoculars reveal a nebula, or region of gas and dust, that is 30 light years across. The center of the nebula contains four hot “baby” stars called the Trapezium. These hot stars emit the ultraviolet radiation that causes the Nebula’s gas to glow. The Orion Nebula is three fists above the southeast horizon at 11 p.m.
Thursday: Is Jupiter still visible in the evening sky? Barely. It is a fist above the southwest horizon at 5:30 p.m.
Friday: Not every day starts with a question. But every clear night includes Capella. Capella is the brightest circumpolar star meaning it never goes below the horizon from our point of view in Ellensburg. It is straight overhead a little after midnight tonight.
The positional information in this column about stars and any planet except Mercury is accurate for the entire week.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The Ellensburg sky for the week of 11/22/08
Today: The Nature of Night takes place today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Black Hall on the CWU campus. There will be planetarium shows, fun nighttime projects, storytelling, cookies and much more. The event is free. The Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education at CWU and various community sponsors work together to put on this event. If you go, ask about Venus. It is nearly a fist above the southwest horizon at 5:30 p.m. You can even see it in the daytime sky if you know where to look. At 2:47 p.m., Venus is nearly two fists held upright and at arm’s length above due south. Use binoculars to scan about two or three binocular fields of view up from due south.
Sunday: Sirius, the brightest star in the nighttime sky, is one fist above the southwest horizon at 6 a.m.
Monday: Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, is a half a fist above the Moon at 6 a.m.
Tuesday: Saturn is four and a half fists above the south-southeast horizon at 6 a.m.
Wednesday: Jupiter is one fist above the southwest horizon at 6 p.m.
Thursday: Some of us have a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. But, probably not as much as Andromeda had to be thankful for. According to Greek mythology, the beautiful princess Andromeda was chained to a rock next to the ocean. Cetus the sea monster was about to devour her in order to punish her family. Her mother Queen Cassiopeia and her father King Cepheus didn’t know what to do. It seemed that all was lost. But, along came Andromeda’s boyfriend, the great warrior Perseus. Even though Perseus’ standing as the son of King Zeus and the slayer of Medusa was probably enough to win Andromeda under normal circumstances, Andromeda’s impending death-by-sea-monster was not a normal circumstance. So, Perseus drove his sword into the sea monster’s neck and killed it. This was the first time in recorded history that a set of parents actually welcomed an uninvited Thanksgiving visit from the boyfriend. Perseus is about five fists above the east-northeast horizon and Andromeda is about seven fists above the east horizon at 7 p.m.
Friday: Are you thankful that you live in a solar system with multiple planets? You should be. A giant planet like Jupiter cleans up planetary debris that could have collided with Earth and hindered the formation of complex life. Any inhabitants of the planets orbiting Upsilon Andromedae are thankful for this, as well. Upsilon Andromedae, a star in the constellation Andromeda, is the only Sun-like star to have multiple planets orbiting it. So far, all of its planets are giant planets like Jupiter. But, the system is likely to also contain smaller planets. The dim star, but certainly not its planets, is barely visible straight overhead at 9 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and any planet except Mercury is accurate for the entire week.
Sunday: Sirius, the brightest star in the nighttime sky, is one fist above the southwest horizon at 6 a.m.
Monday: Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, is a half a fist above the Moon at 6 a.m.
Tuesday: Saturn is four and a half fists above the south-southeast horizon at 6 a.m.
Wednesday: Jupiter is one fist above the southwest horizon at 6 p.m.
Thursday: Some of us have a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. But, probably not as much as Andromeda had to be thankful for. According to Greek mythology, the beautiful princess Andromeda was chained to a rock next to the ocean. Cetus the sea monster was about to devour her in order to punish her family. Her mother Queen Cassiopeia and her father King Cepheus didn’t know what to do. It seemed that all was lost. But, along came Andromeda’s boyfriend, the great warrior Perseus. Even though Perseus’ standing as the son of King Zeus and the slayer of Medusa was probably enough to win Andromeda under normal circumstances, Andromeda’s impending death-by-sea-monster was not a normal circumstance. So, Perseus drove his sword into the sea monster’s neck and killed it. This was the first time in recorded history that a set of parents actually welcomed an uninvited Thanksgiving visit from the boyfriend. Perseus is about five fists above the east-northeast horizon and Andromeda is about seven fists above the east horizon at 7 p.m.
Friday: Are you thankful that you live in a solar system with multiple planets? You should be. A giant planet like Jupiter cleans up planetary debris that could have collided with Earth and hindered the formation of complex life. Any inhabitants of the planets orbiting Upsilon Andromedae are thankful for this, as well. Upsilon Andromedae, a star in the constellation Andromeda, is the only Sun-like star to have multiple planets orbiting it. So far, all of its planets are giant planets like Jupiter. But, the system is likely to also contain smaller planets. The dim star, but certainly not its planets, is barely visible straight overhead at 9 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and any planet except Mercury is accurate for the entire week.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Ellensburg sky for the week of 11/15/08
Today: Imagine Opie and Andy Taylor walking down the dirt path at night to that fishing hole in the sky. (No, that is not a euphemism for death.) They’d probably be looking to catch Pisces, the two fish already conveniently tied together with two ropes. The ropes are connected at the star Alrescha, Arabic for “the cord”. Alrescha is four and a half fists held upright and at arm’s length above due south at 10 p.m. The fish are attached to lines of stars that branch out at one o’clock and three o’clock from Alrescha. By the way, “The Fishing Hole”, The Andy Griffith Show’s theme song was rated the 20th best TV theme song of all time by ign.com. That’s too low in my opinion.
Sunday: The Leonid meteor shower peaks tonight and tomorrow morning. These meteors appear to come from a point in Leo the lion. This point is about one fist above the east-northeast horizon at midnight tonight. You can follow this point throughout the night and into the morning as it will remain about one fist above the bright star Regulus. These meteors are particles from the tail of Comet Tempel-Tuttle. This will likely be an average to below average Leonid shower with about 10-15 meteors per hour visible throughout the night. But the light of the waning gibbous moon will obscure all but the brightest meteors.
Monday: Jupiter is one fist above the southwest horizon at 6 p.m.
Tuesday: Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus the bull, is two and a half fists above due east at 8 p.m.
Wednesday: This morning’s last quarter moon is in the constellation Leo the lion.
Thursday: Saturday, November 22, the Nature of Night takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Black Hall on the CWU campus in Ellensburg, Washington. There will be planetarium shows, fun nighttime projects, storytelling, cookies and much more. The event is free. Go to www.cwu.edu/~scied or call 509-963-2929 for more information. The Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education at CWU and various community sponsors work together to put on this event. When you are there, ask about Venus. It is nearly a fist above the southwest horizon at 5:30 p.m. You can even see it in the daytime sky if you know where to look.
Friday: Saturn is about a half a fist to the upper right of the moon at 6 a.m. They are in the southeastern sky.
The positional information in this column about stars and any planet except Mercury is accurate for the entire week.
Sunday: The Leonid meteor shower peaks tonight and tomorrow morning. These meteors appear to come from a point in Leo the lion. This point is about one fist above the east-northeast horizon at midnight tonight. You can follow this point throughout the night and into the morning as it will remain about one fist above the bright star Regulus. These meteors are particles from the tail of Comet Tempel-Tuttle. This will likely be an average to below average Leonid shower with about 10-15 meteors per hour visible throughout the night. But the light of the waning gibbous moon will obscure all but the brightest meteors.
Monday: Jupiter is one fist above the southwest horizon at 6 p.m.
Tuesday: Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus the bull, is two and a half fists above due east at 8 p.m.
Wednesday: This morning’s last quarter moon is in the constellation Leo the lion.
Thursday: Saturday, November 22, the Nature of Night takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Black Hall on the CWU campus in Ellensburg, Washington. There will be planetarium shows, fun nighttime projects, storytelling, cookies and much more. The event is free. Go to www.cwu.edu/~scied or call 509-963-2929 for more information. The Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education at CWU and various community sponsors work together to put on this event. When you are there, ask about Venus. It is nearly a fist above the southwest horizon at 5:30 p.m. You can even see it in the daytime sky if you know where to look.
Friday: Saturn is about a half a fist to the upper right of the moon at 6 a.m. They are in the southeastern sky.
The positional information in this column about stars and any planet except Mercury is accurate for the entire week.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The Ellensburg sky for the week of 11/8/08
Today: The North Taurid meteor shower peaks for the next few late nights and early mornings with the night of the 12th being the peak of the peak. This is not a prominent shower but it occasionally produces a couple of bright “fireballs”. The moon will not be out for the next few late nights to interfere with your meteor viewing. Meteor showers are named after the constellation from which the meteors appear to originate. These meteors appear to come from a point in Taurus the bull. This point is about six fists held upright and at arm’s length above the southeast horizon at 11 p.m. You can follow this point throughout the night as it will remain midway between the bright star Aldebaran (pronounced Al-deb’-a-ran) and the open star cluster, the Pleiades. If you miss the peak tonight, don’t worry. Taurid meteor showers result in a slight increase on meteor activity from mid-October to the beginning of December.
Sunday: Jupiter is one and a half fists above the southwest horizon at 6 p.m.
Monday: Saturn is about four fists above the southeast horizon at 6 a.m.
Tuesday: We wish you a Merry Martinmas. We wish you a Merry Martinmas. We wish you a Merry Martinmas. And a happy Wednesday. Martinmas is a holiday in many parts of the world commemorating Saint Martin of Tours. He was buried on November 11, 397. What does this have to astronomy? Not much except that the celebration on November 11 often doubles as a cross-quarter day celebration, a day that is halfway between an equinox and a solstice.
Wednesday: Are you thirsty? Enjoy a full frosty one. November’s full moon is called the full frosty moon. Late fall and early winter full moons are very enjoyable because they are so high in the sky. How can that be? The answer relates to the position of the Sun. In the late fall and early winter, the Sun is very low in the sky at noon. Since the full Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun, a Sun that is very low in the sky at noon means a full Moon that is very high in the sky. The summertime Sun is high in the sky at noon resulting in a full Moon that is low in the sky. It is almost like the sky is apologizing for a low winter Sun with a high winter full Moon. Tonight’s full frosty moon is the mug, I mean constellation, Aries the ram.
Thursday: The constellation Lepus the hare is right under the feet of Orion. At 11 p.m., the middle of the hare is one fist above the southeast horizon. Rigel, the brightest star in the constellation Orion, is just above the head of the hare.
Friday: Tonight, Venus is as low as it can get with respect to the background stars. It’s pretty low compared to our local horizon, as well. Venus is about a half a fist above the southwest horizon at 5:30 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and any planet except Mercury is accurate for the entire week.
Sunday: Jupiter is one and a half fists above the southwest horizon at 6 p.m.
Monday: Saturn is about four fists above the southeast horizon at 6 a.m.
Tuesday: We wish you a Merry Martinmas. We wish you a Merry Martinmas. We wish you a Merry Martinmas. And a happy Wednesday. Martinmas is a holiday in many parts of the world commemorating Saint Martin of Tours. He was buried on November 11, 397. What does this have to astronomy? Not much except that the celebration on November 11 often doubles as a cross-quarter day celebration, a day that is halfway between an equinox and a solstice.
Wednesday: Are you thirsty? Enjoy a full frosty one. November’s full moon is called the full frosty moon. Late fall and early winter full moons are very enjoyable because they are so high in the sky. How can that be? The answer relates to the position of the Sun. In the late fall and early winter, the Sun is very low in the sky at noon. Since the full Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun, a Sun that is very low in the sky at noon means a full Moon that is very high in the sky. The summertime Sun is high in the sky at noon resulting in a full Moon that is low in the sky. It is almost like the sky is apologizing for a low winter Sun with a high winter full Moon. Tonight’s full frosty moon is the mug, I mean constellation, Aries the ram.
Thursday: The constellation Lepus the hare is right under the feet of Orion. At 11 p.m., the middle of the hare is one fist above the southeast horizon. Rigel, the brightest star in the constellation Orion, is just above the head of the hare.
Friday: Tonight, Venus is as low as it can get with respect to the background stars. It’s pretty low compared to our local horizon, as well. Venus is about a half a fist above the southwest horizon at 5:30 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and any planet except Mercury is accurate for the entire week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)