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Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Jupiter (magnitude -2.7) and Saturn (0.3) have returned to the late evening sky. Jupiter rises in the southeast a little before 11:00pm, and Saturn a bit past 11:00pm. By mid-July, Jupiter and Saturn rise about two hours earlier. On the evening of July 5, and continuing into the early morning hours of July 6, the full moon, Jupiter, and Saturn form a small triangle when the moon passes about 2° south of the two planets. Morning Sky Mars (magnitude -0.3), Jupiter, and Saturn are visible in the morning sky, with Jupiter and Saturn now rising in the late evening. Mars rises in the eastern sky about 1:30am, and all three planets remain visible until fading into the morning sunlight. By mid-July, Jupiter and Saturn set in the southwest about the same time the sun rises opposite them in the northeast, while Mars rises just after midnight and remains visible until it fades away as dawn breaks. Venus (magnitude -4.2) has returned to the morning sky, rising in the east-northeast about 4:30am and about 90 minutes sooner by mid-July. On the morning of June 19, Venus and the moon appear less than 1° apart. The Pleiades star cluster, also known as M45, appears about 10° above Venus. And by the end of June, Venus will be near the red giant star Aldebaran (magnitude 0.87), the brightest star in the constellation Taurus. Venus moves nearer to Aldebaran each morning until their closest approach on July 12, when the bright planet and the reddish star appear just 1° apart. Mercury returns to the morning sky in early July, rising around 4:30am by mid-month. On the morning of July 19, Mercury will be at magnitude 0.8 and appears just to the right of a crescent moon in the east-northeast sky, which should help you locate the innermost planet. Moon Phases New (6/21), first (6/28), full (7/5), last (7/12), new (7/20), first (7/27).  Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky May offers the last chance to see Venus in the evening sky this year. Venus (magnitude -4.2) sets sooner each evening, about 11:00pm in mid-May and about 90 minutes sooner by the end of the month. Mercury (magnitude -0.6) and Venus appear just 1° apart in the west-northwest sky the evening of May 21. Venus will appear first in the evening twilight, with Mercury becoming visible as the western sky darkens. Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation on June 4, when the planet sets about two hours after sunset. Jupiter and Saturn return to the late evening sky in mid-June. On June 15, Jupiter rises in the southeast a little before 11:00pm, with Saturn following a bit past 11:00pm. The two planets rise a few minutes earlier each night over the summer. Morning Sky Mars (magnitude 0.1), Jupiter (-2.5), and Saturn (0.5) are in the southeast morning sky. Jupiter rises first, just past 1:00am in mid-May. Saturn follows about 15 minutes later, and Mars just before 3:00am. By mid-June, Jupiter and Saturn rise around 11:00pm, and Mars about 1:30am. All three planets remain visible until fading into morning sunlight. The moon passes just south of Mars the morning of June 12. Mars passes less than 2° south of Neptune that same morning. Venus returns to the morning sky in mid-June, rising in the east-northeast about 4:30am on June 15. The moon and Venus appear less than 1° apart the morning of June 19. Moon Phases New (5/22), first (5/29), full (6/5), last (6/13), new (6/21), first (6/28). Messier of the Month – M10 M10 is a magnitude 6.4 globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus. The cluster contains about 100,000 stars, with about 14% of the stars in the core are binary stars. M10 is about 83 light years in diameter, about 14,300 light years distant, and has an estimated age of 11.4 billion years. Through binoculars, M10 appears as a fuzzy ball of light. A 6” scope will resolve the core and stars in the outer regions, while larger scopes will resolve more core detail and more stars.
Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter. 
 Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
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.
Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
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). |
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