Planets of the Month: September & October 2023

By Erich Karkoschka

Saturn is 45 degrees high during the late evening. Rings are almost half open, the last time for several years.

Jupiter rises at 10 pm during early September, but close to sunset by late October. Its magnitude reaches -2.9, which is as high as it ever gets. Jupiter transits 73 degrees high during the morning hours.

Uranus is 10 degrees east of Jupiter at magnitude 5.7, getting closer to the Pleiades.

Neptune is between Jupiter and Saturn at magnitude 7.8. It reaches opposition on September 19.

Venus rises at 4 am, but later already at 3 am. It is high up by sunrise and is a large crescent in September, reaching half phase in late October. It is brightest in mid-September, and at -4.8, it is really bright. One could find it during daytime, for example around 9:30 am 65 degrees high in the south, or close to the moon September 11-12 and October 10.

Mercury is a morning object from September 15 to October 6, rising at 5 am below Regulus, which is below Venus.

The moon passes Jupiter on September 4, October 1 and 28. It is close to Pollux on the morning of October 7.

Arizona gets its second and last annular solar eclipse on October 14 with a maximum around 9:35 am. Tucson gets a good partial eclipse, while Four Corners (and parts of New Mexico) get the annular phase. A great event to watch, especially with a filtered telescope. Always use an approved SOLAR FILTER for observing Partial and Annular Eclipses.

You're Invited!

Classes and Workshops

TAAA hosts numerous classes and workshops for Members Only throughout the year.

Practical Astronomy – Workshop 1 – Star Hopping

Open for Enrollment

Place: TIMPA Date/Time: Thursday, October 19, 2023, 5:45 PM until completed

Synopsis: This is the first workshop in the practical astronomy workshop series. It will teach Star Hopping. The students will be taught the proper star hopping technique and equipment usage. Each student will use the supplied equipment to locate at least 2 targets (maybe more if time permits). By the end of the workshop the student will know what equipment to use and how to use it in order to locate targets using star hopping.

Practical Astronomy Workshop 2 – Constellation Locating and Identification – open for enrollment

Place: TIMPA Date: Tuesday, December 5th, 2023 Time: 6:30 PM until completed

Synopsis: This is the second workshop in the practical astronomy workshop series. It will teach how to locate and identify constellations. The students will be taught how to locate and identify the constellations without having to memorize the night sky. Each student will use the supplied equipment to locate several constellations. Students will learn how to use a planisphere and star atlas to locate constellations without memorizing the sky. This program provides the methodology for the observing requirements of the Astronomical League Northern Constellation Observing Award.

If interested you can register Below or contact the instructor Douglas Smith at: alcor@tucsonastronomy.org

PLEASE NOTE: due to equipment limitations there is a strict limit of 20 students for this workshop.

TAAA hosts numerous classes and workshops for Members Only throughout the year.

Upcoming Workshops Open for Pre-enrollment

Several workshops are being planned for the fall 2023/winter 2024 time frame.

• A Sketching/Logging workshop will be offered.

• A Constellation identification/locating workshop will be offered. Dates/Times are still TBD. They will be announced in the bulletin as soon as they are set.

If you are interested in enrolling in any of these workshops or would like additional information contact the TAAA Astronomical League Correspondent (ALCOR) at the information listed below.

TAAA ALCOR – Douglas Smith; Phone: 520-396-3233; E-mail: alcor@emergency

ENROLL BELOW

Star Hopping Workshop – Oct 19

It will teach Star Hopping. The students will be taught the proper star hopping technique and equipment usage. Each student will use the supplied equipment to locate at least 2 targets (maybe more if time permits). By the end of the workshop the student will know what equipment to use and how to use it in order to locate targets using star hopping.

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – December 2023

Main Presentation: Eyepieces and their essentials

Presenter: Stephen Ferris

Stephen Ferris will be giving a presentation on Eyepieces and their essentials, which should help out anyone that is looking for some holiday gift ideas.

Second Presentation: Solar Observing

Presenter: Doug Smith

Doug Smith will be giving our second topic on Solar Observing.

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – November 2023

Astronomer of the Month: George Hale

Presenter: Pete Hermes

Pete Hermes will be providing the astronomer of the month on George Hale.

He conceived and developed the world’s largest telescopes four times in succession — Yerkes Observatory (40-inch refractor), Mount Wilson Observatory (60-inch reflector, 100-inch reflector) and Palomar Observatory (200-inch reflector). https://www.mtwilson.edu/george-ellery-hale/#:~:text=The%20sound%2Dbite%20description%20of,(200%2Dinch%20reflector).

Main Presentation: Meade GOTO System

Presenter: Jim Knoll and Bob Rose

Jim Knoll and Bob Rose will be presenting the main topic on using the Meade GOTO system.

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – October 2023

TBD

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – September 2023

Astronomer of the Month: Maria Mitchell

Presenter: Connor Justice

Connor Justice will be presenting on Maria Mitchell for our ongoing astronomer of the month series.

Main Presentation: James Webb Space Telescope

Presenter: Stephen Ferris

Stephen Ferris will be presenting on the James Webb Space Telescope for our main topic.

HYBRID – General Meeting – December 2023

Presentation: Researching Dark Matter and Dark Energy with the Euclid Space Telescope

On July 1st, the Euclid space mission launched from Cape Canaveral on a Falcon 9 rocket. Euclid is the first space telescope designed to study the still-mysterious accelerated expansion of the Universe. A broad community of scientists from around the world eagerly anticipates the insights Euclid will ultimately yield on the nature of that acceleration, and the dark energy that presumably powers it. In his talk, Dr. Eric Huff will discuss the recent public release of the first science images, and explain how the Euclid mission will go about making measurements of dark energy and dark matter over the next few years.

Biography: Dr. Eric Huff was raised in Bullhead City, Arizona, and followed an early passion for physics to college in Tucson and a PhD at Berkeley. He’s done original work on a variety of topics, ranging from observational cosmology to tidal modeling of surface features on Jovian moons. Dr Huff is currently a Staff Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Lab and will be giving his presentation remotely.

Picture Caption: One of Euclid’s first images: the Perseus cluster of galaxies

HYBRID – General Meeting – November 2023

TAAA’s next general member meeting will be held on Friday, November 3, 2023. The Main Presentation will start at 6:30 P.M. This will be a hybrid meeting (both in person and on social media). TAAA members will receive a Zoom link should they wish to attend remotely. The public may attend in person or public streaming is available at: https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/. It will be posted to YouTube afterwards.

Presentation: The Chinese/Japanese Supernova of 1181 AD Is Weird!

In 1181 A.D., Chinese and Japanese observers reported a bright Guest Star in the constellation Cassiopeia that was unmoving and visible for 185 days. What was it? If confirmed as a supernova, it would be the fifth historical supernova to be known. In 2013, amateur astronomer Dana Patchick discovered a unique nebula surrounding a unique star, named Pa30, that was possibly the supernova remnant (SNR) of the Supernova (SN) 1181. Dr. Bradley Schaefer will talk about his research, using historical evidence, and current astronomical tools to connect SN1181 and PA30.

Bio: Dr. Bradley Schaefer received his Ph.D in 1983 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Louisiana State University. His wide range of interests include many areas of astrophysics, as well as many aspects of astronomical events in history (e.g. the Crucifixion and the Star of Bethlehem) and in literature. Dr. Schaefer was a member of the Supernova Cosmology Project which led to the discovery of Dark Energy. The paper for the project won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for its leader, Saul Perlmutter. And, as one of the prize-winning paper’s co-authors, Dr. Schaefer received a share of the 2007 Gruber Cosmology Prize, and the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.

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Photo: Is nebula PA30 a remnant of SN 1181?
Credit: Astronomer Ron Fessen (observing at MDM on Kitt Peak)

HYBRID – General Meeting – October 2023

Title: Observing The Fall Sky

Mary Turner presents her popular seasonal talk about what to see in the night sky from October to December, as well as fascinating myths and facts about each object. Included is the Oct. 14th annular eclipse; perhaps the highlight of the next three months. Learn about bright planets, meteor showers, and all else accessible, to the naked eye, binoculars, and/or telescopes.

Bio: Mary Turner received her Ph.D in Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona (UA). She is currently the Technical Fellow in Optical Design for Edmund Optics, where she designs custom optical systems for a wide variety of applications, including camera systems, machine vision applications, free-space communications and other laser systems. Additionally. Dr. Turner is a lecturer for the University of California-Irvine, teaching courses in optical design. She also lectures at UA in aspects of optical design, including tolerance analysis, polarization devices and stray light analysis. Throughout her career, Dr. Turner has taught optical design fundamentals to more than 5000 students around the world. She has also authored chapters in several technical references relating to the field of optical design.