FOG Blog
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)
0 Comments
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) Sky Report by Ted Gruber
Evening Sky Jupiter (magnitude -2.7) and Saturn (0.2) both rise in the southeast before sunset. Other than the moon, Jupiter will be the first object visible in the evening twilight. Saturn then becomes visible east of Jupiter and slightly lower to the horizon as the sky darkens. Jupiter now sets about 3:00am, with Saturn following about 45 minutes later. On the evening of August 28, and continuing into the early morning hours of August 29, the moon sits just below Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter appears west of the moon, and Saturn appears just east of it. Mars (-1.5) rises in the east about 10:30pm, and almost two hours earlier by mid-September. The red planet remains visible until fading into the morning light. On September 5, Mars rises about 9:30pm. That evening, and continuing into the early morning hours of September 6, the moon appears just 0.03° north of Mars. Morning Sky Venus (-4.3) currently rises in the east-northeast about 2:30am, and about 30 minutes later by mid-September. In the early morning hours of September 14, Venus appears 4° south of the crescent moon, and 2.5° south of the Beehive Cluster (M44). Perseids Meteor Shower The Perseids meteor shower remains active until August 24. The shower peaked the night of August 11 into the pre-dawn hours of August 12. Moon Phases First (8/25), full (9/2), last (9/10), new (9/17), first (9/23). 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. 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. 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). 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. 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. Sky Report by Ted Gruber
Evening Sky Jupiter (magnitude -2.5) is visible in the southern sky as darkness falls until it sets in the southwest just before 3:00am. The largest planet will be the brightest object in the night sky other than the moon. By mid-August, you’ll find Jupiter slightly more southwest and setting about two hours earlier. On the evening of August 9, the moon passes 2° north of Jupiter. Saturn (magnitude 0.1) is visible in the southeastern sky in mid-July, again as darkness falls. The ringed planet remains visible until setting in the southwest around 5:00am, and about two hours earlier by mid-August. The moon passes less than 0.1° south of Saturn around midnight on the evening of August 11-12. Morning Sky Mercury (magnitude 1.8) rises in the east-northeast about an hour before sunrise starting the last week in July. It rises a bit earlier each day through August 10, when it rises about 90 minutes before sunrise. Mercury then begins rising a bit later each day, but it is still visible each morning through the third week in August. Perseids Meteor Shower The annual Perseids meteor shower is active from July 17 through August 24, peaking the night of August 13. Unfortunately, a nearly full moon will drown out all but the brightest meteors this year. Still, a good number of Perseids can typically be seen starting about a week before the peak until a couple days after. The meteors are called Perseids because they appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus in the east-northeast sky. Moon Phases Last (7/24), new (7/31), first (8/7), full (8/15), last (8/23), new (8/30). Messier of the Month – M29 M29 is a magnitude 6.6 to 7.1 open cluster in the constellation Cygnus. The cluster contains about 50 stars and has an estimated age of 10 million years. Its estimated distance ranges from 3,700 to 7,200 light years. Through binoculars, M29 appears as a tiny group of stars that look like a small box. Any size telescope resolves the cluster’s individual stars. M29 is best viewed at lower magnifications. |
Friends of Galileo
We are astronomy enthusiasts who love to learn and to share our wonder at the amazing sights right overhead. Archives
February 2024
Categories
All
|