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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.
A short video compilation of some highlights from this annual event. Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
 Hi everyone. Want to help spread the word about the 2019 Solstice Lantern Walk? Forward the attached poster. Cheers! Roy
Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
  During the equinox, day and night are of equal length. We are halfway between the longest day, on the summer solstice, and the shortest day, on the winter solstice.
We're starting the planning process for Longview's second annual Solstice Lantern Walk Through the Solar System. We hope to see you there! Hey, why not become part of Longview's history and help us out as a sponsor or as a volunteer? And in the meanwhile, join us for Sidewalk Astronomy on October 4 (check calendar for changes and weather info) or for our next club meeting on October 16. Cheers! Roy Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Venus (magnitude -3.9) and Mercury (magnitude -0.6) are visible in the west-southwest twilight for about 30 minutes after sunset. Both planets will be very low to the horizon, so you’ll need a clear line of sight to see them. Once you find Venus, look for fainter Mercury to the south of Venus and just slightly higher. Jupiter (magnitude -2.2) and Saturn (magnitude 0.4) are much easier to spot. Jupiter becomes visible in the south-southwest sky as darkness falls. Jupiter dims slightly over the course of the month, but it will still be the brightest object in the night sky other than the moon. Saturn becomes visible about 30° east of Jupiter once the sky darkens more. On the evening of October 3, the moon appears about 2° east of Jupiter. Orionid Meteor Shower The Orionid meteor shower is active from October 2 through November 7, peaking the night of October 21-22. The Orionids typically produce a maximum of 20 meteors/hour at the peak, but the last quarter moon will drown out the fainter meteors once it rises around 12:30am. The Orionids appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Orion and result from the debris trail left by Halley’s Comet on its countless passes through the inner solar system. Moon Phases Last (9/21), new (9/28), first (10/5), full (10/13), last (10/21), new (10/27). Messier of the Month – M30 M30 is a magnitude 7.7 globular cluster in the constellation Capricornus. The cluster contains an estimated 150,000 stars and has an estimated age of 12.9 billion years. Its estimated distance is about 27,000 light years. Through binoculars, M30 appears as a hazy patch of light, slightly elongated east-west. Smaller telescopes will resolve the brightest individual stars, while 8” or larger scopes will resolve more stars and reveal the cluster’s bright small core and larger halo.
Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
 Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
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Friends of Galileo
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