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Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Mars (magnitude 0.7) becomes visible high in the western sky as darkness falls and remains visible until setting around 1:00am and about 15 minutes earlier by mid-March. The moon passes 4° south of (below) Mars and just southwest of the Pleiades star cluster (M45) on the evening of February 18. Mars continues to get closer to M45 with each passing night, making its closest approach during the first week of March. Morning Sky Mercury and Saturn currently rise in the east-southeast just after 6:00am, with Jupiter following about 20 minutes later. The three planets form a triangle and rise a few minutes earlier each morning. On March 20, Mercury shines at magnitude 0.9 and gets slightly brighter each morning, reaching magnitude 0.0 by mid-March. Saturn and Jupiter remain at magnitudes 0.7 and -2.0 respectively during this period. On the morning of March 4, Mercury appears about 1° west of Jupiter, and 0.3° north of (above) Jupiter the following morning. The moon passes 4° south of Saturn the morning of March 9, and 4° south of Jupiter and Mercury on March 10. Moon Phases First (2/19), full (2/27), last (3/5), new (3/13), first (3/21), full (3/28) 
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Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Mercury (magnitude -0.7) is now visible low in the south-southwest sky soon after sunset. Through January 31, the innermost planet sets about 6:30pm, but by then it dims almost two full magnitudes to 1.1. Mercury remains visible through the first few days of February, but it will be a tough target as it quickly becomes dimmer and sets earlier each evening. Mars (magnitude 0.2) becomes visible high in the southern sky as darkness falls. The red planet currently sets about 1:30am, and about 30 minutes earlier by mid-February. 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. Morning Sky Venus (magnitude -3.9) currently rises about 7:00am and remains visible until fading into the morning sunlight. Jupiter (-2.0), Saturn (0.7), and Mercury (1.9) cluster together with Venus in south-southeastern morning sky just before sunrise starting in early February, but all but Jupiter and Venus will be difficult to see in the brightening sky. Late February will offer better viewing of the morning planets. Moon Phases First (1/20), full (1/28), last (2/4), new (2/11), first (2/19), full (2/27). Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
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.
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Friends of Galileo
We are astronomy enthusiasts who love to learn and to share our wonder at the amazing sights right overhead. Archives
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