Saturday: Have you ever looked down on the ground and spotted a penny? In Yakima? While you were standing in Ellensburg? If you have, then you’d be able to see the star Hamal is more than just a point of light. It has an angular diameter that can be detected from Earth. Hamal, the brightest star in the constellation Aries the ram, has the same angular diameter as a penny 37 miles away. (For comparison, the moon is about half the diameter of a penny held at arm’s length.) Hamal is six and a half fists held upright and at arm’s length above due south at 8 p.m.
Sunday: At 4:04 a.m., the Sun reaches its lowest point in the sky with respect to the background stars. This point is called the Winter Solstice. During the day that the Sun reaches this point, your noon time shadow is longer than any other day of the year. Also, the Sun spends less time in the sky on the day of the Winter Solstice than any other day making this the shortest day of the year. Even though it is the shortest day of the year, it is not the day with the latest sunrise or the earliest sunset. The latest sunrise is during the first week in January and the earliest sunset is during the second week in December. The Sun is at its southernmost point with respect to the background stars on the day of the winter solstice. This means the Sun spends the least amount of time above the horizon on that day. But, the Sun rise and set time depends on more than its apparent vertical motion. It also depends on where the Sun is on the analemma, that skinny figure-8 you see on globes and world maps. During the second week in December, the Sun is not quite to the bottom of the analemma. But, it is on the first part of the analemma to go below the horizon. During the first week in January, it is on the last part of the analemma to rise above the horizon. For more information on this, go to http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/dark_days.html.
Monday: Venus is nearly two fists above the southeast horizon at 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday: What does that special someone deserve for Christmas? A dust mop? No. A bucket? No. A subscription to The Daily Record? No. Well, maybe. But what she or he really deserves is a ring. And, what better way to remember than to see the ringed planet. Saturn, the ringed planet, is a half a fist above due east at 11:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Mercury is barely above the southwest horizon at 5 p.m. It is about a half a fist to the lower right of the much brighter Jupiter
Thursday: Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw Jupiter being eclipsed by the Moon in the east and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2, Bruce Palmquist version). In 1991, astronomer Michael Molnar bought an ancient Roman Empire coin that depicted a ram looking back at a star. Aries the ram was a symbol for Judea, the birthplace of Jesus. The Magi, or “wise men”, who visited the baby Jesus practiced astrology and would have been looking in that region of the sky for the king prophesied in the Old Testament. Molnar, a modern day wise man, used sky simulation software to model the positions of planets and the Moon in the region of Aries. According to his model, Jupiter was eclipsed, or blocked, by the Moon on the morning of April 17, 6 BC. Molnar’s theory is supported by a book written by the astrologer of Constantine the Great in 334 AD. The book describes an eclipse of Jupiter in Aries and notes a man of divine nature born during this time. See http://www.eclipse.net/~molnar/ for more information.
Aries and Jupiter make an appearance in the Christmas sky tonight. At 5:30 p.m., the dim constellation Aries is about five fists above the east-southeast horizon and Jupiter is a half a fist above the southwest horizon.
Friday: Tonight’s Moon is new. Don’t bother looking for it. The new moon is the phase where the Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun. Hence the side of the Moon facing Earth is not receiving any sunlight and cannot be seen. In fact it is so well hidden, the icon on the Daily Record weather page says the new moon doesn’t occur until tomorrow. That is because the moon is directly between the Earth and Sun at 4:30 a.m. on December 27 making the night which includes December 26 and 27 the new moon night.
The positional information in this column about stars and any planet except Mercury is accurate for the entire week.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Ellensburg Sky for the week of 12/13/08
Saturday: The Geminid meteor shower peaks late tonight and early tomorrow morning. Meteor showers are named after the constellation from which the meteors appear to originate. These meteors appear to come from a point in Gemini the twins. This point is about three fists held upright and at arm’s length above the east-northeast horizon at 9 p.m. tonight. You can follow this point throughout the night as it will remain near the bright star Castor, the right hand star of the “twin” stars Pollux and Castor. This shower is typically one of the best ones of the year producing bright, medium speed meteors with about 50 meteors per hour near the peak. Most of the dim meteors in the sky tonight and tomorrow morning will be obscured by the light of the waning gibbous moon.
Most meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through the orbital trail of a comet. The broken off comet fragments collide with the earth and burn up in the atmosphere. Astronomers had searched for the comet source since 1862 when the shower was first observed. In 1983, astronomers discovered the object that created the fragments that cause the meteor shower. To their surprise, it was a dark, rock that looked like an asteroid, not a shiny icy comet. Astronomers named this object Asteroid 3200 Phaethon. But, they still don’t know if it an asteroid or if it is a comet with all of its ice boiled off by many close passes by the Sun.
Sunday: Jupiter is rapidly fading toward the southwest horizon. The much brighter planet Venus is to the upper right of Jupiter. Venus is most likely the first object you’ll find in the southwest sky because it is the brightest point of light in the sky. It is a fist above the southwest horizon at 6 p.m. Jupiter is nearly a fist to the lower right of Venus.
Monday: Who could forget this holiday classic? “Away in the manger, no crib for its bed. The Moon near Praesepe in Cancer instead.” Oh. You have forgotten it already. Well, that’s probably for the better. At least this song has meaning this morning because the Moon is in the constellation Cancer near the open star cluster called Praesepe (Latin for “manger”). Watching over the manger are Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis, the northern and southern donkey stars, respectively. The donkeys and the manger are less than a fist to the upper left of the moon, too dim to be seen with the naked eye through the glare of the Moon.
Tuesday: When you were growing up, you may have heard “Don’t make waves.” The red supergiant star Betelgeuse must not have listened. According to data from the Japanese Akari satellite, Betelgeuse creates a shockwave as it moves through the surrounding cloud of gas and dust. If viewed through a telescope sensitive to infrared radiation, this shockwave would appear to be the size of the full Moon as seen from Earth. Betelgeuse is four fists above the southeast horizon at 10 p.m.
Wednesday: Capella, the bright star in the constellation Auriga the charioteer, is straight overhead at 11:30 p.m.
Thursday: Saturn is about a fist to the upper left of the Moon this morning. They are four fists above the south-southwest horizon at 7 a.m.
Friday: This morning’s last quarter moon is in the constellation Virgo.
The positional information in this column about stars and any planet except Mercury is accurate for the entire week.
Most meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through the orbital trail of a comet. The broken off comet fragments collide with the earth and burn up in the atmosphere. Astronomers had searched for the comet source since 1862 when the shower was first observed. In 1983, astronomers discovered the object that created the fragments that cause the meteor shower. To their surprise, it was a dark, rock that looked like an asteroid, not a shiny icy comet. Astronomers named this object Asteroid 3200 Phaethon. But, they still don’t know if it an asteroid or if it is a comet with all of its ice boiled off by many close passes by the Sun.
Sunday: Jupiter is rapidly fading toward the southwest horizon. The much brighter planet Venus is to the upper right of Jupiter. Venus is most likely the first object you’ll find in the southwest sky because it is the brightest point of light in the sky. It is a fist above the southwest horizon at 6 p.m. Jupiter is nearly a fist to the lower right of Venus.
Monday: Who could forget this holiday classic? “Away in the manger, no crib for its bed. The Moon near Praesepe in Cancer instead.” Oh. You have forgotten it already. Well, that’s probably for the better. At least this song has meaning this morning because the Moon is in the constellation Cancer near the open star cluster called Praesepe (Latin for “manger”). Watching over the manger are Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis, the northern and southern donkey stars, respectively. The donkeys and the manger are less than a fist to the upper left of the moon, too dim to be seen with the naked eye through the glare of the Moon.
Tuesday: When you were growing up, you may have heard “Don’t make waves.” The red supergiant star Betelgeuse must not have listened. According to data from the Japanese Akari satellite, Betelgeuse creates a shockwave as it moves through the surrounding cloud of gas and dust. If viewed through a telescope sensitive to infrared radiation, this shockwave would appear to be the size of the full Moon as seen from Earth. Betelgeuse is four fists above the southeast horizon at 10 p.m.
Wednesday: Capella, the bright star in the constellation Auriga the charioteer, is straight overhead at 11:30 p.m.
Thursday: Saturn is about a fist to the upper left of the Moon this morning. They are four fists above the south-southwest horizon at 7 a.m.
Friday: This morning’s last quarter moon is in the constellation Virgo.
The positional information in this column about stars and any planet except Mercury is accurate for the entire week.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Ellensburg Sky for the week of 12/6/08
Saturday: The earliest sunset of the year occurs this week. The Sun is at its southernmost point with respect to the background stars on the day of the winter solstice. This means the Sun spends the least amount of time above the horizon on that day. But, the Sun rise and set time depends on more than its apparent vertical motion. It also depends on where the Sun is on the analemma, that skinny figure-8 you see on globes and world maps. During the second week in December, the Sun is not quite to the bottom of the analemma. But, it is on the first part of the analemma to go below the horizon.
Sunday: “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 highly personal 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 one fist held upright and at arm’s length above the east horizon at 6:30 a.m.
Monday: Venus is about a fist above the southwest horizon at 6 p.m. Jupiter, about one fifth as bright, is less than half a fist to the lower right of Venus.
Tuesday: Saturn rises at about midnight. By 6 am, it is nearly five fists above due south.
Wednesday: At about 11 p.m., the Moon occults the Pleiades. That means the Moon passes between the open star cluster called the Pleiades and the Earth, blocking the light of the Pleiades from reaching Earth. They are six and a half fists above the south-southwest horizon when this happens.
Thursday: Sirius, the brightest star in the nighttime sky, is one fist above the southeast horizon at 10 p.m.
Friday: In 1981, the well known astronomy rock group Blondie released The Tide is High in two versions: the radio version and the astronomy version. In the astronomy version, Debbie Harry sang: “The tide is high ‘cause the moon is full. Higher still when the moon’s close, Will.” (Will must be Debbie’s sky watching partner.) The full moon is the phase where the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. That means the moon and Sun are both stretching the Earth in the same direction causing the ocean water in line with the Sun and moon to be pulled upward. The highest high tides occur when the moon is full or new. In addition, the moon is at perigee this evening. Peri- means close and –gee refers to the Earth so this is the day of the month when the moon is closest to the Earth. This accentuates the upward pull on the water and makes the tides really high.
The positional information in this column about stars and any planet except Mercury is accurate for the entire week.
Sunday: “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 highly personal 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 one fist held upright and at arm’s length above the east horizon at 6:30 a.m.
Monday: Venus is about a fist above the southwest horizon at 6 p.m. Jupiter, about one fifth as bright, is less than half a fist to the lower right of Venus.
Tuesday: Saturn rises at about midnight. By 6 am, it is nearly five fists above due south.
Wednesday: At about 11 p.m., the Moon occults the Pleiades. That means the Moon passes between the open star cluster called the Pleiades and the Earth, blocking the light of the Pleiades from reaching Earth. They are six and a half fists above the south-southwest horizon when this happens.
Thursday: Sirius, the brightest star in the nighttime sky, is one fist above the southeast horizon at 10 p.m.
Friday: In 1981, the well known astronomy rock group Blondie released The Tide is High in two versions: the radio version and the astronomy version. In the astronomy version, Debbie Harry sang: “The tide is high ‘cause the moon is full. Higher still when the moon’s close, Will.” (Will must be Debbie’s sky watching partner.) The full moon is the phase where the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. That means the moon and Sun are both stretching the Earth in the same direction causing the ocean water in line with the Sun and moon to be pulled upward. The highest high tides occur when the moon is full or new. In addition, the moon is at perigee this evening. Peri- means close and –gee refers to the Earth so this is the day of the month when the moon is closest to the Earth. This accentuates the upward pull on the water and makes the tides really high.
The positional information in this column about stars and any planet except Mercury is accurate for the entire week.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
The Ellensburg sky for the week of 11/29/08
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.
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 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.
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