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Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Venus (magnitude -4.2) continues to dominate the west-southwest evening sky. Venus becomes visible in the evening twilight and remains visible until setting just past 9:00pm in mid-February, and about an hour later by mid-March. The evenings of March 7 and 8 offer good chances to see Uranus, when Venus and Uranus appear about 2° apart. On the 7th, look southeast (to the lower left) of Venus for a faint star, and then continue scanning in the same direction about twice the distance between the star and Venus to see Uranus. On the 8th, first locate two faint stars southeast of Venus, and then continue about the same distance in the same direction to find Uranus. Morning Sky Mars (magnitude 1.2), Jupiter (-2.0), and Saturn (0.6) remain visible in the south-southeast morning sky all month. In mid-February, Mars rises in the southeast just after 4:00am, followed by Jupiter about an hour later and Saturn about 30 minutes after that. In mid-March, Mars rises a little before 4:00am, Jupiter a few minutes later, and Saturn about 30 minutes later. The moon passes about 2° south of Saturn on February 20. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and a crescent moon appear clustered together on March 18. Moon Phases New (2/23), first (3/2), full (3/9), last (3/16), new (3/24). Messier of the Month – M41 M41 is a magnitude 4.5 open cluster in Canis Major. The cluster contains about 100 stars, including several red giants and white dwarfs. M41 is about 25 light years in diameter, about 2,300 light years distant, and has an estimated age of 190 to 240 million years. Through binoculars, M41 appears as a large faint patch of light. Even small (4”) telescopes will resolve about 50 stars. M41 is best observed at low magnifications.
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Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Venus (magnitude -4.0) is clearly visible in the early evening west-southwest sky and appears a little higher above the horizon with each passing night. This means the bright planet sets a few minutes later each night – around 8:00pm in mid-January, and just past 9:00pm in mid-February. Venus is the brightest object in the night sky other than the moon. The early evening of January 27 presents two special celestial treats. A crescent moon appears just south (to the left) of Venus that evening. And if you have binoculars or a telescope (and clear skies), you might be able to see distant Neptune, which will look like a faint blue star, immediately west of Venus. This is the closest apparent approach of the two planets since 1984. Although Mercury returns to the evening sky the last week of January, early February offers the best evening viewing of the innermost planet this year. Look for Mercury low to the west-southwest horizon as the sky darkens after sunset. Mercury sets about 75 minutes after sunset on February 1, and about 90 minutes after sunset by mid-February. Each evening, Mercury becomes slightly dimmer (magnitude -1.0 on February 1; 0.6 on February 15), but it appears higher in the sky each evening through February 10, which should make it easier to locate. Morning Sky Mars (magnitude 1.1), Jupiter (-2.0), and Saturn (0.7) return to the morning sky in January. Reddish Mars rises in the southeast first, around 4:30am. It might be easy to mistake the red giant star Antares for Mars because of their proximity and similar color. However, Antares rises about 30 minutes before Mars, so it will appear higher in the sky. Antares is also slightly dimmer (magnitude 1.06) than Mars. Jupiter, the brightest of the planetary trio, rises next. The giant planet rises just before 7:00am in mid-January and about three minutes earlier each morning over the next month. Saturn rises about 30 minutes before sunrise in late January, but it will be difficult to find against the brightening sky. Better chances to see Saturn begin in early February, when the ringed planet rises 60 to 80 minutes before sunrise. Moon Phases Last (1/17), new (1/24), first (2/1), full (2/9), last (2/15), new (2/23). Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
Happy New Year and thank you Longview!
We had a great turnout for Longview's second annual Solstice Lantern Walk through the Solar System on December 21. We didn't have a full moon this year, but we did have tacos! We brightened the longest night, celebrated the return of longer days, and met great people. Here are some highlights. The rain cleared up just in time for the Walk. We estimate that 400 people walked part or all of the 3.7 billion miles from the Sun, at the south end of Lake Sacajawea to Pluto, at the north end. Couples, individuals, families, and pets had a great time - many dressed up with lanterns and lights. We had at least one couple drive up from Portland just to participate. Our route followed the Solar System Walk given to the City of Longview by the Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club in 2001. The walk is a series of granite markers showing the relative distances between the Sun and the planets - it's our solar system, scaled down to Lake Sacajawea. The markers follow the path on the west side of Lake Sacajawea, over 1.64 miles. Map of Solar System Walk We had passports for people to take to each planet and get it stamped. Thank you to Laval for the terrific passport design. Thank you to Pat and Michelle at Copies Today/Speedy Litho for donating the printing for our passports. They looked great! speedylitho.com The planets were lit up in a small way or in a big way. Kids got candy at several planets and people got to know some of the great clubs in our community. * * * * * If you walked the whole Solar System (3.7 billion miles!), you saw: The Sun - Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club started off the event with lanterns and passports and candy for the kids. FoG has monthly meetings (details below), sidewalk astronomy, star parties, and our annual overnight event at Mount St. Helens. friendsofgalileo.com Mercury - Kelso Freemasons Lodge #94 has been part of Kelso for over 125 years! Come by for a coffee on a Saturday morning and find out about the historic building and a centuries-old fraternity (204 S. Pacific Ave, Kelso). bluelodge-wa.org/kelso94/our_lodge.htm Venus - Girl Scouts of Western Washington brought cookies to Venus again. Keep an eye out for their new location on Commerce Ave. Opening soon - but the Girl Scouts are active now! girlscoutsww.org Earth - Three Rivers Christian School is a new sponsor this year. What a great job - they cleaned up in the online votes and the students did a huge amount of work. Their teepee lanterns were especially cool. https://3riversschool.net Santa Claus - Did you see him on his travels along the solar system? Ho ho ho! Mars - Shinju Dojo Aikido Martial Arts School was our first planet sponsor! A lot of people were interested to hear about a resource for adults and teens to grow their self confidence and become who they are meant to be. Learn self defense in a friendly, low-impact, non-competitive atmosphere right here in Longview. shinjudojo.com Planet Taco - Thank you, La Familia Taqueria, for joining us with your food truck. Their tacos were great, and helped fortify people during their billion-mile walk. La Familia Taqueria Jupiter - Longview Freemasons Lodge #263 - Our most generous donor. Thank you, Masons! They have been making good men better for centuries. Longview Lodge will celebrate its first century the year after Longview does. Find out more at their Thursday breakfasts (823 7th Ave, Longview, about 8:00 am). longviewlodge.org Saturn - Kelso-Longview Elks, Lodge #1482. The Elks are another new sponsor this year. They did a great job. Did you see Saturn and its rings hanging from the trees? elks #1482 Uranus - The Boy Scouts of America, Cascade Pacific Council didn't just have a good set up and interesting information about their planet ("12 Facts About Uranus"!), they added s'mores and a warming tent! Both were very welcome at that point in the walk. This year, the Boy Scouts upped their game. Our long-term goal is to line the whole route - 1.64 miles - with luminarias to mark the path. The Boy Scouts themselves covered 0.6 miles, more than one third the route. With the other planets, we covered more than half the distance from Sun to Pluto. We did this in our second year, and mostly due to the Boy Scouts. Wow! cpcbsa.org Sacajawea - Amtgard, Shire of Mithril Hills, is another new sponsor. Amtgard is a LARP, a live-action role playing group. Swords, shields, spells - come watch them practice or better yet, join in! They practice at noon on Sundays in Lexington Park. Amtgard Mithril Hills Neptune - Even with TWO astronomy clubs involved in this event, the Mount St. Helens Hiking Club was the only one to bring along a telescope - two years in a row. Plus, they gave out some amazing taffy this year. mtsthelensclub.org Comet Swift-Tuttle - New sponsor Columbia River Reader brightened up the outer solar system, and handed out very cool fidget spinners. crreader.com Pluto - Rose City Astronomers came all the way from Portland to set up at the far end of the solar system. Check out their calendar of events next time you're in Portland. rosecityastronomers.net Two Space Shuttles! This year we had not one but two space shuttles driving between the Sun and Pluto for those unable to walk the round trip. Phil Sari of Columbia Ford generously loaned us the vans. Thank you, Phil, and thank you drivers Ron and Kevin! colford.net Thank you also... Thank you, Emiley for loaning us canopies from Youth and Family Link, for the space shuttles and for some of our sponsors. linkprogram.org Thank you, Joe Hotai, for permission to use your photos. It was great to meet you! Kazumi Hotai Judging the planets Our judges Marin, Ava and Noel walked the whole route and judged each planet on these criteria:
We will announce the winner of the Out of This World Award and the People's Choice Award (thank you, online voters) at our next club meeting (details below). * * * * * Most of all, thank you everyone who came out for the event! You got a chance to meet some of the terrific people here in Longview and to learn about local clubs. Do you want another Solstice Lantern Walk in 2020? Come to the next meeting of Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club and help make it happen. Next meeting: 7:00 PM, Wednesday, January 15, 2020 Mark Morris High School Large Group Instructional Center (enter west side) Directions and map on our About page Happy New Year! Roy Gawlick Solstice Coordinator Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club  Great news, Longview!
At last year's event, we arranged for clear skies and a full moon. This year, we have upped our game. We have a new destination in the Solar System - Planet Taco! La Familia will have a food truck between Mars and Jupiter, on Nichols Blvd at 17th. Be like the astronauts! Explore the Solar System with a taco! Other tips
 Woo hoo!
Thank you to Pat and Michelle at Copies Today / Speedy Litho. They donated passports for Longview's second annual Solstice Lantern Walk Through the Solar System. The passports look great - and they're collectible! Get yours at the Sun (south end of Lake Sacajawea, this Saturday, Dec. 21 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm) and get a stamp at each planet on your way to Pluto (north end of the lake). Meet the great people behind some of Longview's community groups. Celebrate the return of longer days and bring light and cheer to the longest night of the year! Latest event info, as always, on our Solstice page. See you there! Roy Gawlick Solstice Coordinator Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Jupiter (magnitude -1.9), Venus (-3.9), and Saturn (0.6) are all visible in the early evening as the southwest sky darkens. Venus appears a little higher in the sky with each passing night, while Jupiter and Saturn appear lower each night. In early December, Venus and Saturn appear to get closer to each other each night. They make their closest apparent approach the evening of December 10, when Venus appears just below the ringed planet. That night Venus and Saturn form a small triangle with Pluto appearing just to their east, but you’ll need a large telescope and dark skies to see that distant world. After the 10th, Venus and Saturn appear to move farther apart each night. Morning Sky Mercury (magnitude 0.5) and Mars (1.7) are visible in the southeast sky just before sunrise. Reddish Mars rises around 5:00am, followed by Mercury about an hour later. Meteor Showers The Geminids meteor shower is active from December 4-17, peaking the night of December 13-14. The Geminids are often one of the strongest showers of the year, but unfortunately this year the nearly full moon will significantly reduce the number of meteors visible during the peak. The meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini high in the eastern sky (almost directly above). Moon Phases New (11/26), first (12/4), full (12/12), last (12/18), new (12/26). Messier of the Month – M39 M39 is a magnitude 5.5 open cluster in the constellation Cygnus. It contains 30 confirmed stars and an estimated age of 200 to 300 million years. The cluster is about 825 light years distant. M39 spans an area larger than the full moon, so it is best observed through binoculars or a small telescope at low power.
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Friends of Galileo
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