Saturday: Are
you disappointed because you are not going anywhere for Thanksgiving? Why not
take a (virtual) trip to outer space using Google’s new visualization tool
called 100,000 Stars. It shows the stars in our neighborhood in a very good
simulation of 3-D. The Sun is initially at the center. If you zoom in, you can
click on neighboring stars and learn more about them. For more information and
a link to the tool, go to http://goo.gl/hg6Oc.
Sunday: You
know winter is coming when Orion is visible in the evening sky. It is about a
fist held upright and at arm’s length above the east-southeast horizon at 9
p.m.
Monday: When
you think of space, the first image that comes to mind is a few large, massive
bodies surrounded by a lot of empty space. After all, it is called “outer
space”, not “outer stuff”. But that so-called empty space is filled with powerful
radiation and high-speed sub-microscopic particles. Much of this is dangerous
to life. However, many planets, including Earth, have a shield against radiation
and particles called a magnetic field. Jupiter’s magnetic field is the
strongest of all the planets. Find Jupiter three fists above the east horizon
at 8 p.m. For more information about magnetic fields, go to http://goo.gl/OYShj.
Tuesday: The
first quarter moon is in the constellation Capricornus the sea goat. It is
three and a half fists above the south horizon at 6 p.m. You may be having
trouble finding Capricornus because it is the second dimmest constellation in
the Zodiac.
Wednesday:
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, was the
first Sun-like star discovered 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.
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: Venus
is a little more than one fist above the east-southeast horizon at 6 a.m.
Saturn is to the lower left of Venus, about a fist above the horizon.
The
positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically
accurate for the entire week.
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