32 inch Cassegrain Project

Planets of the Month: February 2022

Mercury is visible at dawn all month, about 15 degrees to the lower left of Venus.

Venus is at it best during this morning visibility. It rises before 5 am and is well up by the tie dawn starts. It starts the month as a beautiful, large crescent that is easily visible in binoculars. It ends the month as a thick, smaller crescent. It is visible during the daytime if the sky is very clear and you know where to look, for example at 10 am 40 degrees high straight south.

This month has NO New Moon. The Moon can be seen every day of the month, although on the 1st one needs binoculars to see the slim crescent at dusk. The next evening it will be close to Jupiter.

Mars is not far from Venus all month, 9 degrees at the beginning of February and 5 degrees at the end. Even in March it will remain within 6 degrees of Venus. During both months, the planetary pair will move by about 50 degrees next to each other through Sagittarius and Capricornus.

Jupiter leaves the evening sky on the 19th.

Saturn is not visible all month.

Uranus is transiting 70 degrees high around sunset and thus well visible in Aries, perhaps even with naked eyes.

Neptune leaves the evening sky just like Jupiter. Jupiter will pass it on April 12 very narrowly but difficult to observe. This happens once every 13 years.

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – March 2022

Constellation of the Month:

None

Presenter:

We do not have a constellation of the month for this meeting.

Main Presentation:

Uncommon Star Types Like Pulsars

Presenter: ???

Due to a lack of attendees, our main topic from last month has been reschedule to this month. Our discussion will be a continuation of our recent topic on Star classification, and cover uncommon star types like pulsars.

ONLINE – General Meeting – March

6:30 pm – Main Presentation

Title: Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics in the 2020’s: The Astro2020 Decadal Survey

Presentation: Every 10 years Congress charges the National Academy of Sciences with undertaking a survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics over the coming decade. The “Astro2020 Survey”, carried out by a main survey committee and roughly a dozen expert sub-panels, identified the most compelling scientific questions to be addressed, and recommended a comprehensive strategy by the National Science Foundation ( NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to address those objectives. This survey—in which several Arizona astronomers participated—also fully addressed, for the first time, the state of the astronomy profession and its societal impacts. Dr. Kennicutt’s talk will cover some of the highlights from the report (released last November), followed by time for questions and discussion.

Bio: Robert Kennicutt studies observational extragalactic astronomy, and holds part-time faculty positions at Steward Observatory and Texas A&M University. He has worked at the University of Arizona since 1988, with a break in 2005-2017 to serve as the Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, the Royal Astronomical Society, the American Astronomical Society, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Along with Fiona Harrison at Caltech, he co-chaired the Astro2020 Decadal Survey.

Stargazing at Elfrida Library

Join Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) and Cochise County Library for an evening of stargazing under some incredibly dark skies. We will have a couple TAAA telescopes as well as the Library telescope to observe some planets; galaxies far, far, away; star clusters; nebulae to include stellar nurseries; multiple star systems; and lots more. Definitely a FAMILY FRIENDLY event. Follow our Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy for any weather or other updates. Dress warmly as the temperatures can drop quite a bit after sunset.

Stargazing at Sunizona/Ash Creek Library

Stargazing at Historic Canoa Ranch

Join the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) and Pima County Natural Resources Parks and Recreation for some stargazing at Historic Canoa Ranch. We will observe planets, star clusters, multiple star systems, nebulae, galaxies, and lots more.

FREE but REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED: Go to Eventbright and search for stargazing Canoa Ranch. May fill up quickly, so recommend registering as early as possible (event may not show up in Eventbright until about two months before).

Stargazing at Historic Canoa Ranch

32 inch Cassegrain Project

Planets of the Month: January 2022

By Erich Karkoschka

Mercury is visible in the evening sky at dusk and is less than 4 degrees below Saturn from the 9th to the 16th. Around January 16th it switches to the morning sky (about two weeks after Venus) and visible around the 31st.

Venus is visible at early dusk until the 5th. It is larger than one arc-minute in diameter, the largest it can get, and less than two percent illuminated. A spectacular crescent in the telescope. Starting on the 11th, it is the morning “star” with altitudes quickly climbing. By the end of the month it is already well up at the start of dawn.

The Moon comes into the evening sky on the 3rd, when it is about as difficult to see as Mercury and just a little below Mercury. The next evening, the Moon joins Saturn and the following evening, it joins Jupiter.

Iris has a good opposition in Gemini and is brighter than magnitude 8.

Mars is low at dawn. It is close to Antares on the 1st but 20 degrees further east by the end of the month.

Jupiter is still higher than Saturn and keeps going once the other three planets have left the evening sky. By the 31st, it sets within an hour of the end of dusk.

Saturn also switches from evening to morning visibility, but much more slowly. It leave the evening sky on the 19th and will not be visible in the morning until March.

Uranus and Neptune are still higher than Jupiter in the evening sky. Uranus transits just after the end of twilight at 72 degrees altitude.

Comet Leonard could be the best comet of the year during the first week of January, maybe as bright as 3rd magnitude with a nice tail. It is almost stationary 20 degrees to the lower left of Saturn, quite low when dusk ends. Then, it will get even lower and will probably fade, ending its visibility.