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Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter. 
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Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
Sky Report by Ted Gruber
Evening Sky Saturn (magnitude 0.4) becomes visible in the southeast sky as darkness falls and dims slightly to magnitude 0.6 over the next month. Jupiter (magnitude -2.9) now rises in the east just before 7:30pm. By mid-October the bright planet rises before sunset, becoming visible in the eastern twilight. Mars (magnitude -0.4) currently rises in the east-northeast just before 10:30pm. The red planet rises about an hour earlier and brightens to magnitude -0.9 by mid-October. The moon passes about 4° south of Saturn the night of October 5-6 and about 2° south of Jupiter three nights later. On the night of October 14-15, the moon passes less than 4° north of Mars. The moon occults Uranus (magnitude 5.7) the night of October 11-12. From our area, Uranus disappears behind the illuminated side of the moon at 10:03pm and reappears from the unilluminated side at 11:05pm. The moon is 94% illuminated that night. Morning Sky Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars rise in the evening but remain visible into the early morning hours. Saturn currently sets in the west-southwest about 3:30am, with Jupiter setting in the west about 30 minutes before sunrise. By mid-October, Saturn sets just before 2:00am and Jupiter just past 5:30am. Mars remains visible until fading into the morning sunlight. Venus (magnitude -3.9) currently rises in the east about 45 minutes before sunrise, and about 30 minutes before sunrise by early October. Mercury returns to the morning sky in early October. On October 1, Mercury rises in the east a little more than an hour before sunrise but shines at a rather faint magnitude 1.2. Over the next two weeks, Mercury rises about the same time, but sunrise is earlier. The innermost planet brightens each morning, reaching magnitude -0.9 on October 15. Orionids Meteor Shower The Orionids meteor shower is active from September 26 to November 22, peaking the night of October 20-21, typically producing 10-20 meteors per hour at the peak. The moon is favorable at the peak this year, rising just after 3:00am and about 17% illuminated the morning of October 21. The shower is called the Orionids because the meteors appear to emanate from a point in the constellation Orion, but they can be seen across the night sky. The Orionids are one of two annual showers resulting from the Earth passing through the debris trail left by Halley’s comet (the Eta Aquriids in May are the other). Moon Phases New (9/25), first (10/3), full (10/9), last (10/17), new (10/25)  Our day and night are of equal length today, as we find our selves between the longest and shortest days of the year.
The solstices and the equinoxes have been vital astronomical events for millennia, in cultures around the world. Here in Longview, the fall equinox marks the start to planning our Solstice Lantern Walk in December. We're getting ready for our fourth one already! Check out the event. Or volunteer. Or sponsor a planet. Bring some light and cheer to the longest night of the year! Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Mercury (magnitude 0.1) is visible very low above the western horizon just after sunset through the end of August, slightly dimming and appearing a bit farther south with each passing evening. The moon appears about 6° east of Mercury just before sunset on August 29. Saturn (magnitude 0.3) currently rises about 8:00pm and becomes visible in the southeast sky as darkness falls. The ringed planet rises about four minutes sooner each night over the next month. Jupiter (magnitude -2.8) now rises in the east about 9:45pm, and about 7:30pm by mid-September. The moon passes about 4° south of Saturn the night of September 7-8 and less than 2° south of Jupiter three nights later. Mars (magnitude 0.0) returns to the evening sky this month, rising in the east-northeast just before midnight. The red planet brightens to magnitude -0.3 and rises about an hour earlier by mid-September. Morning Sky Venus (magnitude -3.9) currently rises in the east-northeast just past 4:30am. By mid-September, the bright planet rises in the east about 90 minutes later, but less than an hour before sunrise. Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars rise in the evening but remain visible into the overnight hours. Saturn currently sets in the west-southwest about 6:00am and about two hours earlier by mid-September. Jupiter and Mars remain visible until fading into the morning sunlight. The moon passes about 3° north of Mars in the early morning hours of August 19, and does so again the night of September 16-17. The moon appears about 4° west of Venus just before sunrise on August 25. Perseids Meteor Shower The Perseids meteor shower peaked the night of August 11-12 but remains active until August 24. The shower is called the Perseids because the meteors appear to emanate from a point in the constellation Perseus in the northeast sky. Moon Phases Last (8/18), new (8/27), first (9/3), full (9/10), last (9/17), new (9/25) Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Saturn (magnitude 0.6) returns to the evening sky in late June. The ringed planet rises in the east-southeast about 11:30pm on June 30, and about an hour earlier by mid-July. Morning Sky Seven planets, eight if you include Pluto, are visible in the early morning sky from now through early July. Looking from southwest to northeast, Pluto (magnitude 14.3), Saturn (0.6), Neptune (7.9), Jupiter (-2.5), Mars (0.5), Uranus (5.8), Venus (-3.9), and Mercury (-0.6) form the line of planets. Saturn currently rises just past midnight, Jupiter about 1:45am, Mars just after 2:00am, Venus a little after 3:30am, and Mercury around 4:15am. By mid-July, Saturn and Jupiter rise an hour and 45 minutes earlier, Mars an hour earlier, and Venus around the same time. Mercury vanishes into the early morning sunlight by the first week of July. The moon passes 3° south of Jupiter the morning of June 21, less than 1° south of Mars the next morning, and 3° north of Venus on June 26. On June 27, a crescent moon passes 4° north of Mercury, but this will be difficult to see from Longview as the pair will only appear about 6° above the horizon at dawn. Just before midnight on July 15 and into the early morning hours of July 16, the moon appears 4° south of Saturn. The moon and Jupiter rise about 2° apart just past midnight on July 19 and remain together into the early morning hours. Moon Phases Last (6/20), new (6/28), first (7/6), full (7/13), last (7/20), new (7/28). |
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