Saturday: If the National Enquirer was around in Galileo’s day, it may have featured the headline: “Saturn has love handles; Opis leaves him for a much thinner Mars”. When Galileo first observed Saturn through a telescope, he reported objects that looked like bulges on either side of Saturn’s midsection. He was actually seeing Saturn’s rings through less than ideal optics. Go to http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov/observe_mar.htm. for more information about Saturn. Go to two and a half fists held upright and at arm’s length above the southeast horizon at 10 p.m. to see Saturn.
Sunday: Tonight’s full moon is in the constellation Leo the lion. Because February is typically snowy month, some Native American tribes in the northeastern United States called the full moon in February the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes referred to how the harsh winter conditions affected their food gathering ability by calling the February full moon the Full Hunger Moon.
Monday: Saturn is one fist to the upper left of the Moon at 10 p.m.
Tuesday: It’s getting dark. The last remnant of twilight has disappeared. Suddenly, you notice a large softly radiant pyramid of light in the western sky. The base of this ghostly triangle is along the west horizon and the peak stretches two or three fists above the horizon. It is not really a ghost. It is an effect called the zodiacal light. This light comes from sunlight reflecting off dust grains in our solar system. The effect is the most visible when the band of constellations called the zodiac makes a steep angle with the horizon. You need a clear dark sky with no haze or light pollution to see the zodiacal light. At its brightest, the zodiacal light rivals the light of the central Milky Way. Look for this light after twilight in the middle evening for the next few weeks.
Wednesday: How many stars can you see in the constellation Orion? From tonight through March 16, you can help answer that question. The organization called GLOBE at Night is looking for people all over the world to count how many stars they can see in the constellation Orion. Participants use star charts found at http://www.globeatnight.org/ to observe Orion and compare what they see to the charts. After making the observations, participants can go to the website and add their findings to those of thousands of other observers. The main goal of GLOBE at Night is to research the pattern of light pollution across the globe. A secondary goal is to increase interest in observing and awareness of the night sky. You can find Orion four fists above the southwest horizon at 9 p.m. In Orion, you’ll see four of the 30 brightest stars in the night sky: Rigel, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, and Alnilam.
Thursday: Tonight, the Central Washington University Astronomy Club will be putting on three planetarium shows at the Mary Grupe Center on the CWU campus. During the 45 minute shows, starting at 7, 8, and 9 p.m., the astronomy club will provide an overview of what’s up in the sky as well as share constellation myths from a number of cultures. The Grupe Center is on coordinate G-12 on the CWU map at www.cwu.edu/newmap.html.
Friday: Mars is six and a half fists above due south at 9:30 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The Ellensburg sky for the week of 2/20/10
Saturday: In this, the 200 anniversary of the year of his birth, let’s remember Abraham Lincoln: 16th president, person on the penny, and astronomer. Astronomer? Well, maybe not an astronomer, but someone who used observational evidence from the sky to solve a problem. In 1858, Lincoln defended Duff Armstrong, a family friend who was accused of murder. The prosecution thought they had a strong case because their primary witnesses claimed to have observed the killing by the light of the nearly full moon. Let’s listen in on the trial courtesy of the 1939 film, Young Mr. Lincoln.
Lincoln: How’d you see so well?
Witness: I told you it was Moon bright, Mr. Lincoln.
Lincoln: Moon bright.
Witness: Yes.
(Dramatic pause as Lincoln reaches for something)
Lincoln: Look at this. Go on, look at it. It’s the Farmer’s Almanack. You see what it says about the Moon/ That the Moon… set at 10:21, 40 minutes before the killing took place. So you see it couldn’t have been Moon bright, could it?
Lincoln used the known information about Moon rise and set times for August 29, 1858 as evidence in a trial. You may confirm Lincoln’s findings on the Moon set time by going to http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.php, the US Naval Observatory website, and filling out Form A. For more information about Lincoln’s “almanac trial”, go to http://media.skyandtelescope.com/documents/Almanac_Trial.pdf.
Sunday: Tonight’s first quarter moon is in the constellation Taurus. The open star cluster called The Pleiades is about a half a fist held upright and at arm’s length to the right of the Moon at 7 p.m.
Monday: Avast ye matey. Swab the poop deck. Pirates love astronomy. In fact, the term “poop” in poop deck comes from the French word for stern (poupe) which comes for the Latin word Puppis. Puppis is a constellation that represents the raised stern deck of Argo Navis, the ship used by Jason and the Argonauts in Greek mythology. Argo Nevis was an ancient constellation that is now divided between the constellations Puppis, Vela and Carina. The top of Puppis is about a fist and a half to the left of the bright star Sirius in the south-southwest sky at 10 p.m. Zeta Puppis, the hottest, and thus the bluest, naked eye star in the sky at 40,000 degrees Celsius is near the uppermost point in Puppis.
Tuesday: Saturn is about three fists above the southeast horizon at 11 p.m.
Wednesday: Time to do a little word association quiz. I’ll type a word and you say the first thing that comes to mind. Ice. Did you say “cold”? Okay. Sun. Many of you said “bright”. Finally, galaxy. Hum, I bet you said “spiral”. Although there are many types of galaxies, most people’s image of a galaxy is a spiral galaxy. Many astronomers wonder how such stately, orderly-looking collections of stars could have survived the chaotic, collision-filled early universe. Two competing teams of astronomers have developed computer models to try and solve this puzzle. But, you don’t need a computer to enjoy our own spiral, galaxy, the Milky Way. At 7 p.m., the Milky Way rises from the southeast sky, passes straight over head and disappears in the northwest sky.
Thursday: Mars is about a half a fist to the upper left of the Moon at 7 p.m.
Friday: Sirius, the brightest star in the nighttime sky, is two and a half fists above the south horizon at 9 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Lincoln: How’d you see so well?
Witness: I told you it was Moon bright, Mr. Lincoln.
Lincoln: Moon bright.
Witness: Yes.
(Dramatic pause as Lincoln reaches for something)
Lincoln: Look at this. Go on, look at it. It’s the Farmer’s Almanack. You see what it says about the Moon/ That the Moon… set at 10:21, 40 minutes before the killing took place. So you see it couldn’t have been Moon bright, could it?
Lincoln used the known information about Moon rise and set times for August 29, 1858 as evidence in a trial. You may confirm Lincoln’s findings on the Moon set time by going to http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.php, the US Naval Observatory website, and filling out Form A. For more information about Lincoln’s “almanac trial”, go to http://media.skyandtelescope.com/documents/Almanac_Trial.pdf.
Sunday: Tonight’s first quarter moon is in the constellation Taurus. The open star cluster called The Pleiades is about a half a fist held upright and at arm’s length to the right of the Moon at 7 p.m.
Monday: Avast ye matey. Swab the poop deck. Pirates love astronomy. In fact, the term “poop” in poop deck comes from the French word for stern (poupe) which comes for the Latin word Puppis. Puppis is a constellation that represents the raised stern deck of Argo Navis, the ship used by Jason and the Argonauts in Greek mythology. Argo Nevis was an ancient constellation that is now divided between the constellations Puppis, Vela and Carina. The top of Puppis is about a fist and a half to the left of the bright star Sirius in the south-southwest sky at 10 p.m. Zeta Puppis, the hottest, and thus the bluest, naked eye star in the sky at 40,000 degrees Celsius is near the uppermost point in Puppis.
Tuesday: Saturn is about three fists above the southeast horizon at 11 p.m.
Wednesday: Time to do a little word association quiz. I’ll type a word and you say the first thing that comes to mind. Ice. Did you say “cold”? Okay. Sun. Many of you said “bright”. Finally, galaxy. Hum, I bet you said “spiral”. Although there are many types of galaxies, most people’s image of a galaxy is a spiral galaxy. Many astronomers wonder how such stately, orderly-looking collections of stars could have survived the chaotic, collision-filled early universe. Two competing teams of astronomers have developed computer models to try and solve this puzzle. But, you don’t need a computer to enjoy our own spiral, galaxy, the Milky Way. At 7 p.m., the Milky Way rises from the southeast sky, passes straight over head and disappears in the northwest sky.
Thursday: Mars is about a half a fist to the upper left of the Moon at 7 p.m.
Friday: Sirius, the brightest star in the nighttime sky, is two and a half fists above the south horizon at 9 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Friday, February 12, 2010
The Ellensburg sky for the week of 2/13/10
Saturday: 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. It seemed that all was lost. But, along came the great warrior Perseus, fresh off his defeat of the evil Gorgon, Medusa. The only similarity between Andromeda and Medusa was that Andromeda caused people to stand still and stares at her beauty while Medusa turned people to stone because of her ugliness. (And, you thought you looked bad in the morning.) 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 monsters neck and killed it. In a little known addendum to the story, Perseus carved “Percy (heart symbol) Andi” in the rock, thus originating the use of the heart symbol as a substitute for the word “love”.
You can find these lovers in the sky this Valentine’s Day. Just remember it is rude stare – and you never know when you might turn to stone. First, find the Great Square of Pegasus at 7 p.m. between one and a half and three and a half fists held upright and at arm’s length above the west horizon. The lowest star in Andromeda is the top star in the square. This represents Andromeda’s head. Perseus is at her feet, nearly straight overhead. Mirphak, the brightest star in Perseus is about eight fists above the west horizon. Perseus’ body is represented by the line of stars to the left and right of Mirphak.
Sunday: Give your sweetheart a ring for Valentine’s Day. No, no, no. Don’t break the bank. Show your sweetheart Saturn, the ringed planet. It is nearly three fists above the southeast horizon at 11:30 p.m.
Monday: Catch a glimpse of a Moon sliver this evening. The Moon will resemble a thin bowl pointing away from the Sun one fist above the southwest horizon at 6:30 p.m. You may notice that the entire Moon appears to be dimly lit. The bright crescent portion is sunlight that has bounced (reflected) off the Moon. The dim light of the rest of the Moon comes from sunlight which has bounced off the Earth and then off the Moon before reaching your eye back on Earth. This light is called earthshine.
Tuesday: The calendar may say February, but the late night sky is starting to say “summer triangle”. Vega, the brightest star in the summer triangle rises at 10:30 p.m. By midnight, it is a little less than one fist above the northeast horizon. The Summer Triangle is a set of three stars that is visible high throughout most of the night in the summer sky.
Wednesday: Vesta, the second most massive asteroid in the main asteroid belt, is at opposition tonight. This means Vesta is at its brightest and closest point to the Earth in this orbital cycle. Even thought Vesta is the brightest asteroid, you’ll still need binoculars to see it. First find Regulus, the brightest star in Leo and the bottom of the backwards question mark that represents Leo’s head. It is five fists above the southeast horizon at 10:30 p.m. Algieba, the second brightest star in the region, is about a fist to the upper left of Leo. Put Algieba in the middle of your binocular field of view. Vesta will be a little to the right of the middle. Look to this portion of the sky for the next few nights. Vesta will be the point of light than moves from night to night. For more information about finding Vesta, go to http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/80433142.html.
Thursday: “Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Pluto. Happy Birthday to you.” Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto, the solar system object formerly known as a planet, on this day in 1930.
Friday: Mars is six fists above the southeast horizon at 9 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
You can find these lovers in the sky this Valentine’s Day. Just remember it is rude stare – and you never know when you might turn to stone. First, find the Great Square of Pegasus at 7 p.m. between one and a half and three and a half fists held upright and at arm’s length above the west horizon. The lowest star in Andromeda is the top star in the square. This represents Andromeda’s head. Perseus is at her feet, nearly straight overhead. Mirphak, the brightest star in Perseus is about eight fists above the west horizon. Perseus’ body is represented by the line of stars to the left and right of Mirphak.
Sunday: Give your sweetheart a ring for Valentine’s Day. No, no, no. Don’t break the bank. Show your sweetheart Saturn, the ringed planet. It is nearly three fists above the southeast horizon at 11:30 p.m.
Monday: Catch a glimpse of a Moon sliver this evening. The Moon will resemble a thin bowl pointing away from the Sun one fist above the southwest horizon at 6:30 p.m. You may notice that the entire Moon appears to be dimly lit. The bright crescent portion is sunlight that has bounced (reflected) off the Moon. The dim light of the rest of the Moon comes from sunlight which has bounced off the Earth and then off the Moon before reaching your eye back on Earth. This light is called earthshine.
Tuesday: The calendar may say February, but the late night sky is starting to say “summer triangle”. Vega, the brightest star in the summer triangle rises at 10:30 p.m. By midnight, it is a little less than one fist above the northeast horizon. The Summer Triangle is a set of three stars that is visible high throughout most of the night in the summer sky.
Wednesday: Vesta, the second most massive asteroid in the main asteroid belt, is at opposition tonight. This means Vesta is at its brightest and closest point to the Earth in this orbital cycle. Even thought Vesta is the brightest asteroid, you’ll still need binoculars to see it. First find Regulus, the brightest star in Leo and the bottom of the backwards question mark that represents Leo’s head. It is five fists above the southeast horizon at 10:30 p.m. Algieba, the second brightest star in the region, is about a fist to the upper left of Leo. Put Algieba in the middle of your binocular field of view. Vesta will be a little to the right of the middle. Look to this portion of the sky for the next few nights. Vesta will be the point of light than moves from night to night. For more information about finding Vesta, go to http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/80433142.html.
Thursday: “Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Pluto. Happy Birthday to you.” Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto, the solar system object formerly known as a planet, on this day in 1930.
Friday: Mars is six fists above the southeast horizon at 9 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Ellensburg sky for the week of 2/6/10
Saturday: Are you scared of snakes? Then don’t look due east at 6:30 p.m. The pentagon-shaped head of Hydra the water snack is about one fist held upright and at arm’s length above the east horizon. And, this is no ordinary water snake. It is the largest constellation in the sky, more than twice the size of Orion. Hydra’s tail does not rise until after midnight.
Sunday: In 1985, the rock group Night Ranger released a song called “Goodbye”. The lyrics from the song may typify our emotions for Jupiter this week as it gets lost in the glare of the setting Sun: “All this could be just a dream so it seems, I was never much good at goodbye.” Say goodbye to Jupiter, a half a fist above the west-southwest horizon at 6 p.m.
Monday: Mars is four fists above the east horizon at 8 p.m. Less than half a fist to the lower right of Mars is the Beehive Cluster, an open star cluster of about 50 stars, all about 570 light years from Earth. The Beehive Cluster is a great object to look at through binoculars because it is big, taking up as much space in the sky as nine full moons.
Tuesday: Hydra is not the only long, squiggly constellation in the sky. Draco the dragon wraps around the cup of the little dipper. The head of the dragon is one fist above due north at 7:30 p.m. Eltanin, the brightest star in the constellation, is at one corner of the trapezoid-shaped head of Draco. Eridanus the river starts next to Rigel, the bright star in the lower right corner of Orion, and meanders down below the south horizon. Rigel is three and a half fists above due south at 7:30 p.m. That means at 7:30 tonight, there are long, squiggly constellations in the lower northern, southern and eastern sky.
Wednesday: The forehead of a lion is about to get smacked by an asteroid. Vesta, the brightest asteroid is moving through the night sky toward the bright star Algieba, located in the head of Leo the lion. First find Regulus, the brightest star in Leo and the bottom of the backwards question mark that represents Leo’s head. It is five fists above the southeast horizon at 11 p.m. Algieba is about a fist to the upper left of Leo, the second brightest star in the region. Put Algieba near the top of your binocular field of view. Vesta will be near the middle. Look to this portion of the sky for the next few nights. Vesta will be the point of light than moves from night to night. For more information about finding Vesta, go to http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/80433142.html.
Thursday: If you have a small telescope, or even a good pair of binoculars with a tripod, you can improve on Galileo’s initial discovery of Saturn. And, if Paolo Galluzzi, director of the Museum of History and Science in Florence, is correct, Galileo’s poor eyesight may have influenced his initial judgment of the ringed planet. Galileo thought that Saturn had an inflated side and not spherical. British and Italian scientists want to exhume Galileo’s body to test his DNA to determine the extent of his vision problems. Find Saturn using your good eyes nearly two fists above the east-southeast at 10 p.m.
Friday: Saturn is a little more than one fist above the east horizon at 10 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Sunday: In 1985, the rock group Night Ranger released a song called “Goodbye”. The lyrics from the song may typify our emotions for Jupiter this week as it gets lost in the glare of the setting Sun: “All this could be just a dream so it seems, I was never much good at goodbye.” Say goodbye to Jupiter, a half a fist above the west-southwest horizon at 6 p.m.
Monday: Mars is four fists above the east horizon at 8 p.m. Less than half a fist to the lower right of Mars is the Beehive Cluster, an open star cluster of about 50 stars, all about 570 light years from Earth. The Beehive Cluster is a great object to look at through binoculars because it is big, taking up as much space in the sky as nine full moons.
Tuesday: Hydra is not the only long, squiggly constellation in the sky. Draco the dragon wraps around the cup of the little dipper. The head of the dragon is one fist above due north at 7:30 p.m. Eltanin, the brightest star in the constellation, is at one corner of the trapezoid-shaped head of Draco. Eridanus the river starts next to Rigel, the bright star in the lower right corner of Orion, and meanders down below the south horizon. Rigel is three and a half fists above due south at 7:30 p.m. That means at 7:30 tonight, there are long, squiggly constellations in the lower northern, southern and eastern sky.
Wednesday: The forehead of a lion is about to get smacked by an asteroid. Vesta, the brightest asteroid is moving through the night sky toward the bright star Algieba, located in the head of Leo the lion. First find Regulus, the brightest star in Leo and the bottom of the backwards question mark that represents Leo’s head. It is five fists above the southeast horizon at 11 p.m. Algieba is about a fist to the upper left of Leo, the second brightest star in the region. Put Algieba near the top of your binocular field of view. Vesta will be near the middle. Look to this portion of the sky for the next few nights. Vesta will be the point of light than moves from night to night. For more information about finding Vesta, go to http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/80433142.html.
Thursday: If you have a small telescope, or even a good pair of binoculars with a tripod, you can improve on Galileo’s initial discovery of Saturn. And, if Paolo Galluzzi, director of the Museum of History and Science in Florence, is correct, Galileo’s poor eyesight may have influenced his initial judgment of the ringed planet. Galileo thought that Saturn had an inflated side and not spherical. British and Italian scientists want to exhume Galileo’s body to test his DNA to determine the extent of his vision problems. Find Saturn using your good eyes nearly two fists above the east-southeast at 10 p.m.
Friday: Saturn is a little more than one fist above the east horizon at 10 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
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