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Evening Sky Jupiter (magnitude -2.0) and Saturn (0.6) become visible in the southwest evening twilight. The two planets currently appear about one moon-width apart and continue to inch closer together until December 21. That evening, Jupiter and Saturn appear just 0.1° apart, meaning the two planets can be seen in the same telescopic field of view at low power. Both planets currently set just after 7:00pm, but by mid-January they will set about 45 minutes after sunset. Mars (-0.7) becomes visible high in the southeastern sky as darkness falls. The red planet currently sets in the west just before 2:30am and becomes dimmer over the next month. By mid-January, Mars shines at magnitude 0.1 and sets in the west-northwest around 1:30am. The moon appears about 6° below Mars the evening of December 23. Then on the night of January 20, the first quarter moon appears just below Mars, with distant Uranus (5.8) directly between them and closer to Mars. Mercury (-0.9) returns to the evening sky in mid-January, setting in the southwest about an hour after sunset. The innermost planet sets later each evening but rapidly dims until reaching magnitude 1.1 by the end of the month. The week of January 17, especially later that week, should provide the best viewing. Morning Sky Venus (-4.0) currently rises in the east-southeast around 6:00am, and about a half hour later by mid-January. Meteor Showers The Ursids meteor shower is active from December 17 to 26, peaking the night of December 21-22. Normally a lower volume shower, this year the Earth passes near several past debris trails of comet 8P/Tuttle, the source of the Ursids. The debris trail left in the year 829 is predicted to produce the most favorable peak between 10:00-10:30pm on December 21. Unfortunately, west coast observers will need to deal with the first quarter moon. To view the Ursids, look to the northern sky, about half way between the horizon and zenith. Moon Phases First (12/21), full (12/29), last (1/6), new (1/13), first (1/20), full (1/28) (Thanks to FoG founding member Mark Thorson for most of the following.) New to astronomy? Thinking about your first telescope or a gift for a budding astronomer? Here are a few tips to help you out, and links to helpful articles. Find a good sky as best you can. Sky conditions are more important than the equipment you use for observing. Even expensive sophisticated telescopes do not overcome poor sky conditions.
Use binoculars. They will help you focus on the kinds of objects you like to watch, and this will help you choose the right telescope later. Most binoculars are easy to carry around and to focus. That means you're more likely to use them - and to enjoy exploring the sky. (Here are some binocular recommendations). Look at the moon and its craters, look at the other planets, maybe try looking for constellations or galaxies or star clusters in the Milky Way. Never look at the sun through binoculars (or telescopes), but you can focus the sun's image onto a sheet of paper. It's a pretty neat way to see sunspots or an eclipse. Caution! Solar observing requires special equipment and experienced supervision.
Try someone else's telescope. Ask your local astronomy club for opportunities to look through their different types of telescopes. Ask members about their telescopes, what they like or dislike about them, and what they'd choose today. When we return to public events, after the pandemic, watch our calendar for our sidewalk astronomy or other viewing events. The public is always welcome! Starting to narrow things down? Here are a few more tips.
What do these terms mean? Check out this terrific Sky and Telescope article. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-equipment/how-to-choose-a-telescope/ Happy viewing!  Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Jupiter (magnitude -2.1) and Saturn (0.6) become visible in the south-southwest as darkness falls. Jupiter currently sets in the southwest just before 8:30pm, and Saturn just afterward. By mid-December, both planets set just after 7:00pm. The moon passes 2° south of Jupiter and 3° south of Saturn the evening of November 19. Jupiter and Saturn appear to inch closer together with each passing evening. On December 16, the two planets appear about a moon-width apart, with a crescent moon appearing about 3° below them. Then on December 21, Jupiter and Saturn appear just 0.1° apart, meaning the two planets can be seen in the same telescopic field of view at low power. Mars (-1.5) becomes visible high in the eastern sky as darkness falls. The red planet currently sets in the west just after 3:30am. By mid-December, Mars dims by about a full magnitude and sets just before 2:30am. Morning Sky Venus (-4.0) currently rises in the east-southeast around 4:30am, and just before 6:00am by mid-December. The moon appears just above Venus in the early morning hours of December 12. Mercury (-0.7) currently rises in the east-southeast about 5:45am and remains visible until fading into the morning sunlight. The innermost planet rises about five minutes later and appears lower to the horizon each morning, until vanishing into the sun’s glow by the end of November. Meteor Showers The Leonids meteor shower peaked in the early morning hours of November 17 and remains active until November 30. The Geminids meteor shower is active from December 4 to 17, peaking the night of December 13-14. The moon will not be a factor this year, and the best viewing should occur after 11:00pm on December 13 through the early morning hours of December 14. It is typically one of the richest showers of the year and may produce as many as 100 to 150 meteors per hour around the 2:00am peak. The Geminids appear to radiate from a point in the southeastern sky in the constellation Gemini. Moon Phases First (11/21), full (11/30), last (12/7), new (12/14), first (12/21), full (12/29)  Hello, everyone
We regret to say that Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club must cancel this year's Solstice Lantern Walk. We had hoped it would be a go, especially with the City of Longview itself hosting a Halloween event at the Lake. However, the governor's latest directives shut down most outdoor activity until December 14. Even if all goes well by then, five days would not be a reasonable planning window for our December 19th event. All of the sponsors I've been in touch with wanted to go ahead this year. Thank you for your support! We hope to have our normal event in 2021. We may even have an extra summer event. Stay tuned! Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Jupiter (magnitude -2.3) and Saturn (0.6) become visible in the southern sky as darkness falls. Jupiter currently sets in the west-southwest just before 11:00pm with Saturn following about 30 minutes later. By mid-November, Jupiter sets about 8:30pm (adjusted for the change to Pacific Standard Time), followed by Saturn about 20 minutes later. The first quarter moon passes 2° south of Jupiter and 3° south of Saturn the evening of October 22. Mars (-2.4) becomes visible in the eastern sky as darkness falls. The red planet reached opposition on October 13 and currently remains visible until setting in the west just before 7:00am. By mid-November, Mars will have dimmed to magnitude -1.7 and will set just before 4:00am (adjusted for PST). The moon appears about 3° south of Mars the evening of October 28 and into the early morning hours of October 29, and just east of Mars the next night. Morning Sky Venus (-4.0) currently rises in the east just before 4:30am, and about the same time in mid-November when adjusted for PST. The moon passes 3° north of Venus in the early morning hours of November 12. Mercury (1.3) returns to the morning sky by November 1, rising in the southeast sky about 45 minutes before sunrise. The innermost planet gets brighter and rises a minute or two earlier each morning, reaching its greatest western elongation the morning of November 10 when Mercury shines at magnitude -0.5. A thin crescent moon appears just north of Mercury the morning of November 13. Meteor Showers The Orionids meteor shower is active from October 2 to November 7, having peaked in the early morning hours of October 21 with a predicted rate of 20 meteors per hour. Just as the Orionids are ending, the Leonids become active on November 6. The shower peaks in the early morning hours of November 17 with a predicted rate of 15 meteors per hour and a favorable moon. The Leonids are active until November 30 and result from the debris trail left by comet 55P/Temple-Tuttle. Moon Phases First (10/23), full (10/31), last (11/8), new (11/15), first (11/21), full (11/30) Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Jupiter (magnitude -2.5) is the first object other than the moon that becomes visible in the southeast twilight. Saturn (0.4) becomes visible east of Jupiter and slightly lower to the horizon as the sky darkens. Jupiter now sets about 1:00am, with Saturn following about 45 minutes later. By mid-October, Jupiter sets just before 11:00pm and Saturn about 30 minutes later. The moon passes less than 2° south of Jupiter the evening of September 24 and about 2° south of Saturn the following night. Mars (-2.2) now rises in the east about 9:00pm, and just over two hours earlier by mid-October, and remains visible until fading into the morning light. On the evening of October 2, the moon passes 0.7° south of Mars. Mars reaches opposition on October 13. That evening the red planet shines at magnitude -2.6, just slightly brighter than Jupiter. While Mars won’t be as close to Earth as it was for its 2018 opposition, it will be higher in the sky. Mercury (-0.1) is visible about 30 minutes after sunset low in the western sky from late September through early October. Although Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation on October 1, it lies south of the ecliptic and only rises about 3° above the horizon. Morning Sky Venus (-4.1) currently rises in the east-northeast about 3:00am, and about an hour later by mid-October. Venus appears about 0.1° south of the magnitude 1.36 star Regulus in the early morning hours of October 2. Orionids Meteor Shower The Orionids meteor shower is active from October 2 to November 7, peaking in the early morning hours of October 21 with a predicted rate of 20 meteors per hour. The moon will not be a factor this year at the peak or for about 10 days before. The meteors are from the debris trail left by Halley’s Comet. Moon Phases New (9/17), first (9/23), full (10/1), last (10/9), new (10/16), first (10/23), full (10/31) |
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