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FoG will take part in the City of Longview's Earth Day festivities at Hemlock Plaza at Lake Sacajawea on Saturday, April 30, from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Stop by and say hello!  Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Mercury (magnitude -1.1) returns to the evening sky in mid-April. The innermost planet becomes visible low above the west-northwest horizon as darkness falls. Mercury sets about 9:15pm on April 15, just before 10:00pm on April 22, and at 10:15pm on April 30. Morning Sky Venus (magnitude -4.4), Mars (1.2), and Saturn (0.8) are visible in the southeast sky just before dawn. Venus rises first, currently just before 5:30am, followed by Mars just after 5:30am, and Saturn just after 6:00am. This order reverses by mid-April, with Saturn rising just before 4:30am, Mars about 15 minutes later, and Jupiter just past 5:30am. Between now and then, Venus and Saturn dim very slightly, while Mars brightens very slightly. Jupiter (-2.0) returns to the morning sky next week, rising in the east just before sunrise. The giant planet will be easier to see over the next month, rising about 3 minutes sooner each morning. Venus, Mars, and Saturn appear close together during the last week in March, with a crescent moon joining the trio the morning of March 28. That morning the moon appears about 6° below Mars, while Saturn and Venus appear about 2° apart and about 6° above the moon. Jupiter is also visible low on the horizon. The moon appears 4° below Mars the morning of March 27 and about 4° below Saturn and about 7° south of Venus the next morning. Venus appears 2° above Saturn on March 29, and the moon appears 4° below Jupiter the morning of March 30. Mars and Saturn appear about 0.2° apart the morning of April 4, close enough to appear within the same field of view through a telescope. Jupiter and Neptune appear less than 0.1° apart the morning of April 12, but the conjunction will be difficult if not impossible to see so close to sunrise. Moon Phases Full (3/18), last (3/25), new (4/1), first (4/9), full (4/16), last (4/23), new (4/30) Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Jupiter (magnitude -2.0) becomes visible low on the west-southwest horizon at twilight, setting just past 6:30pm. Although bright, the giant planet will be difficult to spot as it sets about three minutes later and closer to sunset each night. Morning Sky Venus (magnitude -4.0) and Mars (1.3) are currently visible in the pre-dawn southeast sky. Brighter Venus currently rises just past 4:30am and about a minute sooner each day over the next month. Mars currently rises about 30 minutes after Venus, and about 15 minutes after Venus by mid-March. The moon passes about 9° south of Venus and about 4° south of Mars the morning of February 27. Venus passes about 4° north of Mars the morning of March 12. Saturn (magnitude 0.8) and Mercury (0.0) return to the morning sky by the end of February. Both planets will initially be very low above the east-southeast horizon just before sunrise. Mercury remains visible each morning through about March 10 when it fades into the morning sunlight, while Saturn rises a few minutes earlier each morning. The moon passes about 4° south of Mercury and about 4° south of Saturn the morning of February 28. Mercury passes less than 1° south of Saturn the morning of March 2. Moon Phases Full (2/16), last (2/23), new (3/2), first (3/10), full (3/18), last (3/25) 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 Jupiter (magnitude -2.1) becomes visible in the southwest sky at dusk and currently sets just before 8:00pm. The bright planet remains visible through mid-February, when it appears low in the west-southwest sky and sets a bit after 6:30pm. A very thin crescent moon passes about 4° south of Jupiter the evening of February 2. Morning Sky Mars (magnitude 1.5) and Venus (-4.4) are visible in the pre-dawn southeast sky. Mars currently rises about 5:45am, with much brighter Venus following about 30 minutes later. Both planets brighten slightly over the next month and rise about 30 minutes sooner by mid-February. The moon passes about 2° south of Mars the morning of January 29. Mars appears just south of Venus in early February; the two planets make their closest apparent approach the morning of February 12 when they appear about 6.5° apart. Mercury (magnitude 1.9) returns to the morning sky by the end of January, rising in the east-southeast about 6:30am. The innermost planet brightens quickly through mid-February, shining at magnitude 0.0 when it reaches greatest western elongation on February 16. Mercury rises about 6:00am on that day. Moon Phases Last (1/25), new (2/1), first (2/8), full (2/16), last (2/23) "The weather turned out to be as good as it could be. Despite leaving Beaverton in the pouring rain, as soon as we approached Longview, the winds died down and the rain diminished to a light drizzle. Happy Solstice and thank you Longview!
It was our muddiest event yet. A few people wondered if we'd cancel due to the afternoon monsoons. Nope! Who's afraid of a little rain? Our third annual Solstice Lantern Walk through the Solar System was on December 18, 2021. The wind and rain eased off as the event started. We had awesome burritos and tacos from Planet Taco (Tacos and Tortas all the way from Centralia). We brightened the longest night, celebrated the return of longer days, and met great people. Here are some highlights:
Our route followed the Solar System Walk given to the City of Longview by the Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club in 2001. The walk is a series of granite markers showing the relative distances between the Sun and the planets - it's our solar system, scaled down to Lake Sacajawea. The markers follow the path on the west side of Lake Sacajawea, over 1.64 miles. Solar System Walk We had passports for people to take to each planet and get stamped. Thank you to Pat and Michelle at Copies Today/Speedy Litho for donating the printing for our passports - a third time. They looked great! speedylitho.com The planets were lit up in a small way or in a big way. Kids got candy at several planets and people got to know some of the great clubs in our community. * * * * * If you walked the whole Solar System (3.7 billion miles!), you saw: The Sun - Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club started off the event with lanterns and passports and candy for the kids. FoG has monthly meetings, sidewalk astronomy, star parties, and our annual overnight event at Mount St. Helens. friendsofgalileo.com Mercury - Santa and Mrs. Claus! It was a very busy time for them, of course, but they came to start off the walk with Christmas cheer. Venus - The Girl Scouts of Western Washington came out a third time with a big, welcoming tent. They worked with the Boy Scouts to light up the path with luminaria... By the way, it'll be cookie season soon. girlscoutsww.org Earth - Three Rivers Christian School came out a second time to support the Solstice Lantern Walk. What a great turnout they had! https://3riversschool.net Mars - Shinju Dojo Aikido Martial Arts School was our very first planet sponsor in 2018! Learn self-defense and self-confidence in a friendly, low-impact, non-competitive atmosphere right here in Longview. shinjudojo.com Jupiter - Longview Freemasons Lodge #263 - Our most generous donor. Thank you, Masons! Freemasons have been making good men better for centuries. Longview Lodge will celebrate its first century the year after Longview does. Find out more at their Thursday breakfasts (823 7th Ave, Longview, about 8:00 am). longviewlodge.org Saturn - Kelso-Longview Elks, Lodge #1482. The Elks did a great job again. Did you see all the glowing Saturn models? elks #1482 Planet Taco - Thank you, Tacos and Tortas of Centralia, for joining us with your food truck. Their burritos and tacos were great, and helped fortify people during their billion-mile walk. Tacos and Tortas Uranus - The Boy Scouts of America, Cascade Pacific Council didn't just have a good set up and interesting information about their planet ("12 Facts About Uranus!"), they added s'mores and a warming tent! Both were very welcome at that point in the walk. This year, the Boy Scouts worked with the Girl Scouts to cover more of our route with glowing luminaria to mark the path. What a cheerful trail to follow. Wow! cpcbsa.org Sacajawea - Amtgard, Shire of Mithril Hills, is a LARP, a live-action role playing group. Swords, shields, spells - come watch them practice or better yet, join in! They practice at noon on Sundays in Lexington Park. Amtgard Mithril Hills Neptune - Even with TWO astronomy clubs involved in this event, the Mount St. Helens Hiking Club was the only one to bring along a telescope - three years in a row. mtsthelensclub.org Comet Swift-Tuttle - Columbia River Reader brightened up the outer solar system again. Thanks for supporting us with a great description in the CRR! crreader.com Pluto - Rose City Astronomers came all the way from Portland to set up at the far end of the solar system. Check out their calendar of events next time you're in Portland. rosecityastronomers.net Space Shuttle - thank you Ray Zimmerman and the Afifi Shrine for helping our walkers get back to the start. We've already heard great feedback - much appreciated! The Shriners meet to have fun and to support Shriner Hospitals around the world. afifishriners.org Thank you also... Thank you, Emiley Siters for loaning us canopies from Youth and Family Link again. You kept Santa dry! linkprogram.org Thank you, Joe Hotai, for permission to use your photos again (most of the photos above are his). "Joe" Kazumi Hotai * * * * * Which planet won the Out of This World Award? Our team of judges, Comet Me Bro, made their decision. Tiegan and Lucy walked the whole route and judged each planet on these criteria:
The winner will be announced at FoG's next meeting (details below). The prize? An awesome custom-made, astronomy-themed wreath. * * * * * Most of all, thank you everyone who came out for the event! You got a chance to meet some of the terrific people here in Longview and to learn about local clubs. Do you want another Solstice Lantern Walk in 2022? Come to Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club and help make it happen:
Happy New Year! Roy Gawlick Solstice Coordinator Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club  Looks like we get to enjoy a wee bit of rain for the Solstice Lantern Walk.
Don't worry - we won't cancel and you won't melt. Dress for the weather, bring your lanterns and flashlights, and check out the great community groups who will help us bring light and cheer to the longest night of the year! Don't forget to pick up a passport at the Sun (south end of Lake Sacajawea)! |
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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