Saturday: Mars is four and a half fists held upright and at arm’s length above the southeast horizon at 10 p.m. Its two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, are not visible in typical backyard telescopes. But they are an interesting study. The prevailing view among most astronomers is that they are captured asteroids. That makes sense given Mars’ proximity to the asteroid belt. But resent findings by European astronomers indicate that Phobos is very porous and made of material similar to the surface of Mars. This implies that Phobos may consist of chunks of Martian debris that was blasted off by numerous impacts and gravitationally bound together. Unfortunately, the Russian Phobos-Grunt probe launched late last year to collect material from Phobos crashed on Earth after malfunctioning. For more information about this new model of Phobos’ formation, go to http://goo.gl/g4cdp.
Sunday: Apparently, Venus and Jupiter had a falling out. Venus is moving away from Jupiter in the night sky. They are about three fists above the west horizon at 8 p.m. The much brighter Venus is about a half a fist above Jupiter. Watch them move farther apart as the week goes by, like a Kardashian woman and her NBA star.
Monday: Look up in the sky. It’s a plane. It’s a bird. No, it’s the vernal equinox. The vernal equinox!? Spring starts at 10:13 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. The first day of spring is often called the vernal equinox. This label for the day is misleading. The vernal equinox is actually the point in the sky where the Sun’s apparent path with respect to the background stars (called the ecliptic) crosses the line that divides the stars into north and south (called the celestial equator). This point is in the constellation Pisces the fishes. At the vernal equinox, the Sun is moving from the southern region of background stars to the northern region. Since the Sun crosses the vernal equinox at night, tomorrow will actually be the first full day of spring.
Because the Earth slowly wobbles like a spinning top, the vernal equinox is slowly moving into the constellation Aquarius. By the year 2597, the vernal equinox will reach the constellation Aquarius and the “Age of Aquarius” will begin. Until then, we’ll be in “the age of Pisces”.
Tuesday: Still worried about 2012? Don’t be. Watch http://www.universetoday.com/94080/still-concerned-about-2012/.
Wednesday: Sirius, the brightest star in the nighttime sky, is two and a half fists above due south at 8 p.m.
Thursday: 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. The New Moon is not a big deal this month. But, May 20, the New Moon will be covering most of the Sun leading to an annular solar eclipse. What is an annular solar eclipse? More on that as the eclipse time draws nearer.
Friday: So far this week, I have written about Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. Do you even care about these planets or does another planet really catch your fancy? If you’d like to know what most people’s favorite planet is, go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pluto/favorite.html and click on “Launch Interactive”. The public TV special called “The Pluto Files” has set up a website in which astronomers give a 30-second pitch for why a certain planet is their favorite. After listening to the pitch, you may vote for your favorite planet. Of course, you may also do what most people do for political elections: vote for the candidate with the best name or the one with the most interesting campaign slogan. So whether you carefully consider each planet or simply “Swoon for Neptune”, “Jump for Jupiter”, or “Pick Uranus”, go to “The Pluto Files” and vote. Saturn will be holding a campaign rally tonight at 11 p.m., nearly two fists above the southeast horizon.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The Ellensburg Sky for the week of 3/10/12
Saturday: Don't forget to set you clocks ahead one hour tonight for the annual ritual called daylight savings. Daylight savings originated in the United States during World War I to save energy for the war effort. But a recent study by two economists shows that switching to daylight savings time may actually lead to higher utility bills. When the economists compared the last three years of energy bills in the section of Indiana that just started observing daylight savings, they discovered that switching to daylight savings cost Indiana utility customers $8.6 million in electricity. In an even more important consequence of daylight savings, Stanley Coren of the University of British Columbia discovered a 7% jump in traffic accidents on the Monday after we "spring ahead". Blame it on the lost hour of sleep. And, sky watchers will lose even more sleep because the sky does not get dark for an additional hour.
You won’t need to be very wide-awake to find a bright planet conjunction every night this week. Venus passes by Jupiter in the early evening sky throughout the week. Tonight Jupiter is less than a half a fist to the upper left of the very bright Venus. They are three fists held upright and at arm’s length above the west horizon at 7 p.m. Because of daylight savings, they’ll be at this altitude (number of degrees above the horizon) at 8 p.m. the rest of the week. If anyone you know needs evidence that objects in the night sky actually move with respect to each other, the motion of Venus compared to Jupiter is a highly visible example.
Before you go inside tonight, be sure to look for Mercury, a half a fist above the west horizon. By the end of the week, it will be too close to the Sun to be easily visible.
Sunday: Mercury is the naked eye planet we know the least about. You may not have even knowingly seen it until reading yesterday’s exciting section of “What’s up in the sky”. That global lack of knowledge is rapidly going away because NASA’s Messenger probe has been orbiting Mercury for one year as of this week. It is the first visitor since 1974 to the planet that one Messenger scientist called the most under-appreciated planet. The number one question scientists hope to answer is why Mercury has such a large iron core compared to its size. The number one question you may be asking is “Why is Mercury noticeably closer to the horizon since yesterday?”. Since Mercury is so close to the Sun, it moves very fast in its orbit so it changes positions in the sky much faster than anything other than the Moon.
Monday: Mars is three and a half fists above the east-southeast horizon at 9 p.m.
Tuesday: Antares is one and a half fists above due south and about a half a fist to the lower left of the Moon at 6 a.m. this morning.
Wednesday: This morning’s almost last quarter Moon is in the constellation Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer.
Thursday: Saturn is one fist above the east-southeast horizon at 11 p.m.
Friday: Ask someone which day in March has the same duration day and night. Go ahead, ask someone. Why are you still reading this? I can wait. If that person said the first day of spring, they are wrong. Today, three days before the first day of spring, is the date in which day and night are closest in duration. There are two main reasons for this. First, the atmosphere acts like a lens, bending light from the Sun above the horizon when the Sun is actually below the horizon. This makes the Sun appear to rise before it actually rises and appear to set after is actually sets. Second, spring starts when the center of the Sun passes through the point called the vernal equinox. But, the Sun is not a point. The upper edge of the Sun rises about a minute before the center of the Sun and the lower edge sets a minute after the center of the Sun. Thus, even if we didn’t have an atmosphere that bends the sunlight, daytime on the first day of spring would still be longer than 12 hours.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
You won’t need to be very wide-awake to find a bright planet conjunction every night this week. Venus passes by Jupiter in the early evening sky throughout the week. Tonight Jupiter is less than a half a fist to the upper left of the very bright Venus. They are three fists held upright and at arm’s length above the west horizon at 7 p.m. Because of daylight savings, they’ll be at this altitude (number of degrees above the horizon) at 8 p.m. the rest of the week. If anyone you know needs evidence that objects in the night sky actually move with respect to each other, the motion of Venus compared to Jupiter is a highly visible example.
Before you go inside tonight, be sure to look for Mercury, a half a fist above the west horizon. By the end of the week, it will be too close to the Sun to be easily visible.
Sunday: Mercury is the naked eye planet we know the least about. You may not have even knowingly seen it until reading yesterday’s exciting section of “What’s up in the sky”. That global lack of knowledge is rapidly going away because NASA’s Messenger probe has been orbiting Mercury for one year as of this week. It is the first visitor since 1974 to the planet that one Messenger scientist called the most under-appreciated planet. The number one question scientists hope to answer is why Mercury has such a large iron core compared to its size. The number one question you may be asking is “Why is Mercury noticeably closer to the horizon since yesterday?”. Since Mercury is so close to the Sun, it moves very fast in its orbit so it changes positions in the sky much faster than anything other than the Moon.
Monday: Mars is three and a half fists above the east-southeast horizon at 9 p.m.
Tuesday: Antares is one and a half fists above due south and about a half a fist to the lower left of the Moon at 6 a.m. this morning.
Wednesday: This morning’s almost last quarter Moon is in the constellation Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer.
Thursday: Saturn is one fist above the east-southeast horizon at 11 p.m.
Friday: Ask someone which day in March has the same duration day and night. Go ahead, ask someone. Why are you still reading this? I can wait. If that person said the first day of spring, they are wrong. Today, three days before the first day of spring, is the date in which day and night are closest in duration. There are two main reasons for this. First, the atmosphere acts like a lens, bending light from the Sun above the horizon when the Sun is actually below the horizon. This makes the Sun appear to rise before it actually rises and appear to set after is actually sets. Second, spring starts when the center of the Sun passes through the point called the vernal equinox. But, the Sun is not a point. The upper edge of the Sun rises about a minute before the center of the Sun and the lower edge sets a minute after the center of the Sun. Thus, even if we didn’t have an atmosphere that bends the sunlight, daytime on the first day of spring would still be longer than 12 hours.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The Ellensburg Sky for the week of 3/3/12
Saturday: “The crow rises in the southeast,” said spy number one. “I’m sorry. I don’t recognize that code,” replied spy number two. Spy one exclaimed, “That’s because it’s not a code, you idiot. I’m talking about the constellation Corvus the crow.” This very bad spy movie dialogue is to remind you that Corvus had a very bad life. According to one myth, Corvus brought the god Apollo the news that his girlfriend was seeing someone else. In a classic case of punishing the messenger, Apollo turned the formerly beautifully colored crow black. The box-shaped Corvus is one fist held upright and at arm’s length above the southeast horizon at 10 p.m.
Sunday: Mercury is a half a fist above the west horizon at 7 p.m.
Monday: Have you been to outer space lately? Neither have I. But the iron meteorite slice recently acquired by the Central Washington University Astronomy club has. It made the trip from the inner Solar System asteroid belt long ago, landed on a farm near Uruaçu, Brazil in 1992 and now resides in a display case near the middle of the first floor in Lind Hall on the CWU campus. Thanks to NASA and the Night Sky Network for providing this slice of a coarse octahedrite meteorite, composed primarily of nickel-iron alloys.
Tuesday: Mars, the Moon, and the bright star Regulus make a right triangle in the southeast sky at 9 p.m. Mars is at the bottom of the triangle and Regulus is at the right angle.
Wednesday: Tonight’s full moon is in the constellation Leo the lion. While we may refer to the moon tonight by the boring title, “a full moon in March”, Native Americans in the eastern United States called this moon the Full Worm Moon. By March, the temperature has increased enough so the ground starts to thaw and earthworms make their first appearance. Earthworms attract birds. Northern tribes thought of the bird connection when they referred to the March full moon as the Full Crow Moon. Tribes in parts of the country with maple trees call this full moon the Full Sap Moon. For more full moon names, go to http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names.
Thursday: If you ask an astrobiologist for the three most likely places to find evidence of life in the Solar System, other than Earth, they’d probably say Mars, Europa (“Didn’t they sing “The Final Countdown”?”), and Enceladus. Mars makes sense to you because scientists have sent a lot of probes there. Astronomers discovered strong evidence of a large water ocean on Europa, a moon of Jupiter, in 1989. However, Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, piqued astrobiologists’ interested a few years ago then NASA’s Cassini probe discovered jets of water containing organic materials shooting out. Last month, the German space agency started a project called Enceladus Explorer, EnEx for short, to collect sample from deep within Enceladus. For more information on the Enceladus mission, go to http://goo.gl/VPxzs. Jupiter and Europa are two fists above the west horizon at 8 p.m., a half a fist to the upper left of the bright planet Venus. Saturn and Enceladus are one and a half fists above the southeast horizon at 11 p.m. By the way, the Swedish group Europe sang “The Final Countdown”. And they were “heading for Venus” in the song, not to the worlds of the outer Solar System.
Friday: In this busy world, it is important to know what time it is. We have many devises that give us the time. Our phone, a computer, a watch. But who has time to build a phone, computer or even a watch. Not you. But everyone has enough time to build a simple Sun Clock. All you need is a pencil, a compass and a print out of the clock template. Go to http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/sunclock.html for more information.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Sunday: Mercury is a half a fist above the west horizon at 7 p.m.
Monday: Have you been to outer space lately? Neither have I. But the iron meteorite slice recently acquired by the Central Washington University Astronomy club has. It made the trip from the inner Solar System asteroid belt long ago, landed on a farm near Uruaçu, Brazil in 1992 and now resides in a display case near the middle of the first floor in Lind Hall on the CWU campus. Thanks to NASA and the Night Sky Network for providing this slice of a coarse octahedrite meteorite, composed primarily of nickel-iron alloys.
Tuesday: Mars, the Moon, and the bright star Regulus make a right triangle in the southeast sky at 9 p.m. Mars is at the bottom of the triangle and Regulus is at the right angle.
Wednesday: Tonight’s full moon is in the constellation Leo the lion. While we may refer to the moon tonight by the boring title, “a full moon in March”, Native Americans in the eastern United States called this moon the Full Worm Moon. By March, the temperature has increased enough so the ground starts to thaw and earthworms make their first appearance. Earthworms attract birds. Northern tribes thought of the bird connection when they referred to the March full moon as the Full Crow Moon. Tribes in parts of the country with maple trees call this full moon the Full Sap Moon. For more full moon names, go to http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names.
Thursday: If you ask an astrobiologist for the three most likely places to find evidence of life in the Solar System, other than Earth, they’d probably say Mars, Europa (“Didn’t they sing “The Final Countdown”?”), and Enceladus. Mars makes sense to you because scientists have sent a lot of probes there. Astronomers discovered strong evidence of a large water ocean on Europa, a moon of Jupiter, in 1989. However, Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, piqued astrobiologists’ interested a few years ago then NASA’s Cassini probe discovered jets of water containing organic materials shooting out. Last month, the German space agency started a project called Enceladus Explorer, EnEx for short, to collect sample from deep within Enceladus. For more information on the Enceladus mission, go to http://goo.gl/VPxzs. Jupiter and Europa are two fists above the west horizon at 8 p.m., a half a fist to the upper left of the bright planet Venus. Saturn and Enceladus are one and a half fists above the southeast horizon at 11 p.m. By the way, the Swedish group Europe sang “The Final Countdown”. And they were “heading for Venus” in the song, not to the worlds of the outer Solar System.
Friday: In this busy world, it is important to know what time it is. We have many devises that give us the time. Our phone, a computer, a watch. But who has time to build a phone, computer or even a watch. Not you. But everyone has enough time to build a simple Sun Clock. All you need is a pencil, a compass and a print out of the clock template. Go to http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/sunclock.html for more information.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Ellensburg Sky for the week of 2/25/12
Saturday: An astronomy version of The Music Man might go something like this: “Oh, we got trouble, in the river constellation. With a capital “T” and that rhymes with “B”, and that stands for bright.” And bright does NOT describe the river constellation called Eridanus, at least as seen from the northern United States. Eridanus is a river of dim stars that winds beneath the feet of Orion and off to the lower right. Orion is four fists above the south-southwest horizon at 8 p.m. If you are looking for trouble in River City, see the Ellensburg High School production of The Music Man at 7 p.m. February 24, 25, March 2, and March 3 at Morgan Middle School. Ellensburg starts with “E” and that rhymes with “G” and that stands for great.
Venus is less than a half a fist held at arm’s length below the thin crescent Moon in the western sky at 7 p.m.
Sunday: Do you need evidence that the Moon moves significantly with respect to the rest of the sky? The Moon’s obvious change in position over the last two nights provides that evidence. Last night the Moon was right next to Venus, the brightest point of light in the night sky. Tonight the Moon is near Jupiter, the second brightest point of light in the night sky. Jupiter is about two finger widths to the lower left of the Moon. Venus and Jupiter are about one and a half fists apart from each other in the sky this week. Thus, the Moon moves about one and a half fists or 15 degrees with respect to the more distant objects in the sky from one night to the next.
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: Mars is four fists above the east-southeast horizon at 10 p.m.
Wednesday: 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. Look one fist above the east-southeast horizon at 11 p.m. to see Saturn.
Thursday: Today is Leap Day – the day when everyone leaps for joy because we have an extra day to rest. Well, not everyone leaps for joy on Leap Day. Frederic, one of the main characters in the play (and movie) The Pirates of Penzance, wished Leap Day did not exist. As an infant, Frederic was apprenticed to a group of pirates until his 21st birthday. He started to celebrate his freedom when he reached the end of his 21st year. However, the pirates read the rules differently. Frederic was born on Leap Day – February 29. The pirates want him until the 21st celebration of February 29 – when he is 84. Perhaps the pirates would have let Frederic go early if he explained the need for a Leap Day.
The Earth takes 365.24 days to orbit the Sun. Thus, each year, our calendar falls about a quarter of a day behind the Earth’s actual motion. Almost every four years, we add a day to the calendar to make up that day. You may have noticed that this correction over compensates because 4 X 0.24 = 0.96, a little less than a full day, while we add a day. In order to correct for this over compensation, the years that mark the turn of the century are not leap years unless they are divisible by 400. 2000 was a leap year. 2100, 2200, and 2300 will not be leap years. Tell your twelve-year-old to remember that on her 100th birthday.
Friday: Mercury is a fist above the west horizon at 6:30 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Venus is less than a half a fist held at arm’s length below the thin crescent Moon in the western sky at 7 p.m.
Sunday: Do you need evidence that the Moon moves significantly with respect to the rest of the sky? The Moon’s obvious change in position over the last two nights provides that evidence. Last night the Moon was right next to Venus, the brightest point of light in the night sky. Tonight the Moon is near Jupiter, the second brightest point of light in the night sky. Jupiter is about two finger widths to the lower left of the Moon. Venus and Jupiter are about one and a half fists apart from each other in the sky this week. Thus, the Moon moves about one and a half fists or 15 degrees with respect to the more distant objects in the sky from one night to the next.
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: Mars is four fists above the east-southeast horizon at 10 p.m.
Wednesday: 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. Look one fist above the east-southeast horizon at 11 p.m. to see Saturn.
Thursday: Today is Leap Day – the day when everyone leaps for joy because we have an extra day to rest. Well, not everyone leaps for joy on Leap Day. Frederic, one of the main characters in the play (and movie) The Pirates of Penzance, wished Leap Day did not exist. As an infant, Frederic was apprenticed to a group of pirates until his 21st birthday. He started to celebrate his freedom when he reached the end of his 21st year. However, the pirates read the rules differently. Frederic was born on Leap Day – February 29. The pirates want him until the 21st celebration of February 29 – when he is 84. Perhaps the pirates would have let Frederic go early if he explained the need for a Leap Day.
The Earth takes 365.24 days to orbit the Sun. Thus, each year, our calendar falls about a quarter of a day behind the Earth’s actual motion. Almost every four years, we add a day to the calendar to make up that day. You may have noticed that this correction over compensates because 4 X 0.24 = 0.96, a little less than a full day, while we add a day. In order to correct for this over compensation, the years that mark the turn of the century are not leap years unless they are divisible by 400. 2000 was a leap year. 2100, 2200, and 2300 will not be leap years. Tell your twelve-year-old to remember that on her 100th birthday.
Friday: Mercury is a fist above the west horizon at 6:30 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Ellensburg Sky for the week of 2/18/12
What's up in the sky 2/18/12
Today: “Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Pluto. Happy Birthday to you.” On this day in 1930, Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto, the solar system object formerly known as a planet.
Sunday: 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.
Monday: This President’s Day weekend, let’s remember Abraham Lincoln: 16th president, country lawyer, man 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 (sic). 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 rising and setting times for August 29, 1858 as evidence in a trial. This is one of the earliest uses of forensic astronomy. 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://goo.gl/dS56e.
Tuesday: 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.
Wednesday: Venus is two and a half fists held upright and at arms length and Jupiter is four fists above the southwest horizon at 7 p.m.
Thursday: Saturn is just barely above the horizon at a reasonable viewing hour. It is a half a fist above the east-southeast horizon at 11 p.m.
Friday: The space shuttles have been retired. But that does not mean NASA has stopped thinking about the future of space flight. Here is a small NASA poster summarizing the future of American Human spaceflight: http://goo.gl/D8KWj. Mars is one of the possible destinations. If Mars is your viewing destination tonight, look three and a half fists above the east-southeast horizon at 10 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Today: “Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Pluto. Happy Birthday to you.” On this day in 1930, Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto, the solar system object formerly known as a planet.
Sunday: 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.
Monday: This President’s Day weekend, let’s remember Abraham Lincoln: 16th president, country lawyer, man 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 (sic). 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 rising and setting times for August 29, 1858 as evidence in a trial. This is one of the earliest uses of forensic astronomy. 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://goo.gl/dS56e.
Tuesday: 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.
Wednesday: Venus is two and a half fists held upright and at arms length and Jupiter is four fists above the southwest horizon at 7 p.m.
Thursday: Saturn is just barely above the horizon at a reasonable viewing hour. It is a half a fist above the east-southeast horizon at 11 p.m.
Friday: The space shuttles have been retired. But that does not mean NASA has stopped thinking about the future of space flight. Here is a small NASA poster summarizing the future of American Human spaceflight: http://goo.gl/D8KWj. Mars is one of the possible destinations. If Mars is your viewing destination tonight, look three and a half fists above the east-southeast horizon at 10 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Ellensburg Sky for the week of 2/11/12
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 stare 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 to 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: Spica is less than a half a fist to the upper right and Saturn is one fist to the upper left of the Moon in the southwest sky this morning.
Monday: How many stars can you see in the constellation Orion? This week, 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 south horizon at 8 p.m. If you are too busy this week, GLOBE at Night will collect data in mid-March and mid-April too.
Tuesday: Are you looking for a little romance in your life? If so, make a date with your sweetie to go to the CWU Astronomy Club planetarium show tonight at 7:30 or 8:30 p.m. Here you will learn important tips for making your relationship stronger such as identifying constellations in the sky or determining which direction is north. The shows are in the SURC Ballroom, up on the second floor. Located on the CWU campus at the intersection of N Chestnut Street and E 11th Avenue, the SURC has ample free parking available after 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday: February is named for the Roman word februum, which means purification. Februa, the Roman festival of ritual purification, was held on February 15 according to the Roman lunar calendar. Feb-hand-sanitizer-rua is the soccer mom ritual of pre snack purification. It is held every Saturday during the summer before the orange slices are handed out. Speaking of orange, the orange-red star Antares is a half a fist below the Moon at 6 a.m.
Thursday: Last month, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) took pictures of definite evidence of intelligent life on Mars. Shocking news, right? It makes you wonder if “War of the Worlds” could be true. It could be… but in reverse. The MRO spacecraft took pictures of the lander that the NASA probe called Spirit arrived on in 2004. That’s right, the invaders came from Earth to Mars. See the evidence at http://goo.gl/1dRDs. Mars, itself, is two and a half fists above the east-southeast horizon at 10 p.m.
Friday: Venus is two fists above the west-southwest horizon and Jupiter is three and a half fists above the southwest horizon at 7 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 to 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: Spica is less than a half a fist to the upper right and Saturn is one fist to the upper left of the Moon in the southwest sky this morning.
Monday: How many stars can you see in the constellation Orion? This week, 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 south horizon at 8 p.m. If you are too busy this week, GLOBE at Night will collect data in mid-March and mid-April too.
Tuesday: Are you looking for a little romance in your life? If so, make a date with your sweetie to go to the CWU Astronomy Club planetarium show tonight at 7:30 or 8:30 p.m. Here you will learn important tips for making your relationship stronger such as identifying constellations in the sky or determining which direction is north. The shows are in the SURC Ballroom, up on the second floor. Located on the CWU campus at the intersection of N Chestnut Street and E 11th Avenue, the SURC has ample free parking available after 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday: February is named for the Roman word februum, which means purification. Februa, the Roman festival of ritual purification, was held on February 15 according to the Roman lunar calendar. Feb-hand-sanitizer-rua is the soccer mom ritual of pre snack purification. It is held every Saturday during the summer before the orange slices are handed out. Speaking of orange, the orange-red star Antares is a half a fist below the Moon at 6 a.m.
Thursday: Last month, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) took pictures of definite evidence of intelligent life on Mars. Shocking news, right? It makes you wonder if “War of the Worlds” could be true. It could be… but in reverse. The MRO spacecraft took pictures of the lander that the NASA probe called Spirit arrived on in 2004. That’s right, the invaders came from Earth to Mars. See the evidence at http://goo.gl/1dRDs. Mars, itself, is two and a half fists above the east-southeast horizon at 10 p.m.
Friday: Venus is two fists above the west-southwest horizon and Jupiter is three and a half fists above the southwest horizon at 7 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The Ellensburg Sky for the week of 2/4/12
Saturday: “E.T. phone Kepler 20… if you are feeling cold”. This may be the new iconic line of dialog if there is a sequel the hit movie “E.T.”. In December, scientists working on the Kepler planet-finding mission announced the discovery of two Earth-size planets orbiting a star other than the Sun. This star, dubbed Kepler-20, is a little smaller and cooler than the Sun. The planets are much closer to their star than Earth is to the Sun. Kepler 20e is around 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt glass. The planets orbiting Kepler 20 were discovered using the transit method where a planet passes between the Earth and its host star such that the host star’s light is dimmed a little bit. Kepler-20 is located about one fist held upright and at arm’s length above the northwest horizon at 7 p.m. It is much too dim to be seen with the naked eye but it is midway between the bright stars Deneb and Vega in the sky. To learn more about the Kepler mission, go to http://kepler.nasa.gov/.
Sunday: Winter is a good time to see the thick band of the Milky Way galaxy. It arches high in the high in the early evening starting in the southeast by Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Climbing from Sirius through the "horns" of Taurus high overhead, it drops down toward M-shaped Cassiopeia in the north and the tail of Cygnus, the swan, in the northwest.
Monday: Jupiter is four and a half fists above the southwest horizon at 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Some Native Americans call tonight’s full moon the Full Snow Moon because the heaviest snow often falls during this month. The Moon is in the constellation Cancer the Crab tonight.
Wednesday: Uranus gets a guide in the sky for the next few nights. The planet is too dim to be seen with the naked eye unless the sky is extremely dark, cloudless, and still. For the next three nights, it will be near the super bright planet Venus in the night sky. First find Venus with your binoculars. Tonight, Uranus will be to the upper left of the Moon. Tomorrow night, they’ll be close enough together in the sky to be visible together in a small to medium-sized telescope. Each night, Venus is two fists above the west horizon at 7 p.m.
Thursday: Mars and Saturn are both up by midnight. Mars is a fist to the upper left of the Moon and four fists above the southeast horizon at midnight. Saturn is a little more than a half a fist above the east-southeast horizon.
Friday: Are you looking for a little romance in your life? If so, make a date with your sweetie to go to the CWU Astronomy Club planetarium show on Valentine’s Day at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Here you will learn important tips for making your relationship stronger such as helping them determine their latitude if they are lost or refuting the validity of horoscopes. The shows are in the SURC Ballroom, up on the second floor. Located on the CWU campus at the intersection of N Chestnut Street and E 11th Avenue, the SURC has ample free parking available after 4:30 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
Sunday: Winter is a good time to see the thick band of the Milky Way galaxy. It arches high in the high in the early evening starting in the southeast by Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Climbing from Sirius through the "horns" of Taurus high overhead, it drops down toward M-shaped Cassiopeia in the north and the tail of Cygnus, the swan, in the northwest.
Monday: Jupiter is four and a half fists above the southwest horizon at 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Some Native Americans call tonight’s full moon the Full Snow Moon because the heaviest snow often falls during this month. The Moon is in the constellation Cancer the Crab tonight.
Wednesday: Uranus gets a guide in the sky for the next few nights. The planet is too dim to be seen with the naked eye unless the sky is extremely dark, cloudless, and still. For the next three nights, it will be near the super bright planet Venus in the night sky. First find Venus with your binoculars. Tonight, Uranus will be to the upper left of the Moon. Tomorrow night, they’ll be close enough together in the sky to be visible together in a small to medium-sized telescope. Each night, Venus is two fists above the west horizon at 7 p.m.
Thursday: Mars and Saturn are both up by midnight. Mars is a fist to the upper left of the Moon and four fists above the southeast horizon at midnight. Saturn is a little more than a half a fist above the east-southeast horizon.
Friday: Are you looking for a little romance in your life? If so, make a date with your sweetie to go to the CWU Astronomy Club planetarium show on Valentine’s Day at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Here you will learn important tips for making your relationship stronger such as helping them determine their latitude if they are lost or refuting the validity of horoscopes. The shows are in the SURC Ballroom, up on the second floor. Located on the CWU campus at the intersection of N Chestnut Street and E 11th Avenue, the SURC has ample free parking available after 4:30 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week.
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