TAAA and Cochise County Library will be hosting another discussion of the first release images from the James Webb Space Telescope at the Sunizona Alice Woods Library. TAAA will present the images for discussion and Q&A.
Planets of the Month: July – September 2022
By Erich Karkoschka
Saturn is the first planet to rise at night, at 10 pm in early July. By the Opposition on August 14, it rises at sunset.
Jupiter is the second planet to rise, at midnight in early July. By the Opposition on September 26, it rises at sunset.
Mars is the third planet to rise, at 1 am in early July, but already at 10 pm by late September. It moves from Aries into Taurus, passing Aldebaran on September 7. It has brightened to zero magnitude. In a telescope, one can watch its diameter increasing from 7 to 12 arc-seconds.
Venus is the fourth planet to rise, at 3:30 am in early July, but close to 6 am by late September, which is not much before sunrise. This means Venus is leaving the morning sky by the Fall.
Mercury is the last planet to rise at dawn, visible until July 6. From Mercury to Saturn, all planets have been visible at dawn in the order of their distances from the Sun. All August, Mercury is visible low at dusk.
Neptune is visible in binoculars about 10 degrees west of Jupiter.
Uranus is rising at 2 am in early July, but 8 pm by late September. It moves slowly in Aries.
Vesta is an easy binocular object in Aquarius at 6th magnitude. Its Opposition is August 22.
The Moon has two beautiful approaches to Venus, on July 26 to 3 degrees distance, and on August 25 to 5 degrees distance. The latter one is visible only in bright twilight since Venus rises late.
Sunsites Library @ Community Center
Join the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and Cochise County Libraries for an evening of stargazing. We will observe planets, galaxies, stars, star clusters, nebulae, and lots more. Bring a comfortable chair and layers to dress warmly.
James Webb Space Telescope
Join Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) for the release of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images throughout the summer and fall. Our first event is scheduled for Saturday July 23rd at the Sunsites Library in Pearce AZ (210 N Ford St) from 1:30 – 2:30 pm. Keep an eye on our calendar for upcoming events.
James Webb Image Release
Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) will be participating with several events over the summer and fall to highlight and discuss the images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Our first event will be at the Sunsites Library @ 1:30 pm. Stop by and check it out. Here is some additional information about the event.
The earliest science images from the James Webb Space Telescope will be presented, including a discussion of their significance and any questions you may have about them. Learn how infrared energy will be Webb’s window on the Universe!
Event Location:
Sunsites Community Center
1216 Treasure Rd
Pearce, AZ 85625
Saturday July 23rd
1:30 – 2:30 pm
More Information: James Webb Space Telescope
Planets for June 2022
By Erich Karkoschka
Saturn is the first planet to rise at night, first at midnight and almost at 10 pm by the end of June.
Jupiter is the second planet to rise, two hours after Saturn. It is up 45 degrees by sunrise.
Mars is the third planet to rise, only 2 degrees from Jupiter at the beginning of June, increasing to 19 degrees by the end of June.
Venus is the fourth planet to rise at 3:20 am. It displays the same phase as Mars in a telescope but is 50 times brighter.
Mercury is the last planet to rise at 4 am. It is just visible with naked eyes starting on the 11th and better visible between the 20th and the 30th.
Neptune is visible in binoculars about 10 degrees west of Jupiter.
Uranus is too close to the Sun at the beginning of June. On the 11th it can be found 1.5 degrees above Venus.
The Moon occults eta Leonis on June 5th between 8:05 and 9:06 pm. It is a 3rd magnitude star just above Regulus. The moon then passes the five bright planets, Saturn on the 18th, Jupiter on the 21st, Mars on the 22nd, Venus on the 26th, and Mercury on the 27th. Note that the order of the five bright planets is in the same order as their distance from the Sun. On the 23rd, 24th, and 25th, this is valid even if you include the Moon. The only day one cannot see the Moon is the 28th, although a sighting on the 29th around 8 pm is challenging at it is only 24 hours after New Moon.
Vesta is an easy binocular object at 7th magnitude, between Jupiter and Saturn. Thus the morning parade of all planets even extends to the brightest asteroid.
ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – August 2022
Historical Astronomer of the Month:
Giovanni Schiaparelli
Presenter: Connor Justice
This month we are highlighting Giovanni Schiaparelli.
Main Presentation:
Man and the Universe
Presenter: Doug Smith
For our main topic, Doug Smith will be trying something new for this, with a topic he has titled “Man and the Universe”.
HYBRID – General Meeting – August 2022
6:30 pm – Main Presentation
TITLE: Sun Daggers and Simple Noontime Sun Observations; From the Hohokam and Ptolemy to Kepler and Einstein
PRESENTATION: All cultures have specialists and laypeople observing the Sun, for purposes ranging from calendars (for planting and ritual days) and timekeeping, to astronomy research (e.g., sunspot counts, Earth’s orbit, and the gravitational bending of light). For TAAA, Dr. Schaefer will share two sets of his research with naked-eye observations of the Sun from the Tucson area that are of interest to amateur astronomers, professional astronomers, and historians of astronomy. One set of research concerns the many sun daggers—dagger-shaped gaps in shadow created by sunlight steaming through crevices in rocks—etched onto rocks by the Hohokam Indians (c. 1000 AD) as markers for solstices and equinoxes for ritual purposes. His research (with Jim Stamm) on sun daggers from spiral petroglyphs at Picture Rocks, Signal Hill, and Cerro Prieto prove the solstitial alignments were intentional.
Another local observing program has been to accurately measure the Sun’s analemma; a diagram that shows the position of the Sun as viewed from a fixed position on Earth over the course of a year. With these observations for the Astronomical League Observing Award on the Analemma, he can define Earth’s orbit, and derive Tucson’s latitude, the obliquity of the ecliptic, the dates of solstice and equinox, the eccentricity of the Earth’s orbit, and the date of perihelion. This is a modern empirical test of the ancient Greek discoveries that led them to introduce epicycles. Dr. Schaefer’s modern data can also be used to test and prove the three Kepler Laws. And all this, he says, is possible “by making quick naked-eye observations, with simple and cheap equipment, from my front yard.”
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. For his work on the Supernova Cosmology Project which led to the discovery of dark energy and for which its leader, Saul Perlmutter won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics, Dr. Schaefer received a share of the 2007 Gruber Cosmology Prize, and the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.
7:15 pm – Seasonal Star Information
Presented by Mary Turner.
ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – July 2022
Main Presentation:
Biography of Edwin Hubble
Presenter: Connor Justice
Our only presentation this month will be a biography of Edwin Hubble, name bearer of the Hubble space telescope.
HYBRID – General Meeting – July 2022
TITLE: Space Domain Awareness for Sustainable Orbital Space
PRESENTATION: The orbital space around the Earth is congested, contested and competitive. Over the last decade, the number of operational satellites has increased >250% and the number of orbital debris has doubled. With the impending launch of commercial mega constellations, the sustainable use of orbital space is questioned. As humans expand their footprint beyond near-Earth environment into cislunar space (between Earth and the moon), there is a critical need to detect, track, and characterize space objects not only for space traffic management but to avoid strategic surprises. Dr. Reddy’s talk will be a primer on space domain awareness, including a synopsis of the current situation, highlighting key challenges ahead and the application of planetary science techniques to resolve some of them.
BIO: Dr. Vishnu Reddy is a planetary scientist and an infrared spectroscopist researching connections between asteroids and meteorites to understand Solar System formation and evolution. His research also focuses on space objects in cislunar space for the US Air Force. He received his doctorate from the University of North Dakota (UND) in Earth System Science and Policy (2009) and was a post-doctoral researcher at Observatório Nacional, Brazil (2010). While a Research Assistant Professor at UND (2010-2013) he worked with the Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany on NASA’s Dawn mission to asteroid (4) Vesta. He subsequently worked at the Planetary Science Institute (2013-2016) before moving to the University of Arizona (2016-present) where he is an Associate Professor in the Lunar and Planetary Lab. He served as the investigation team lead (2015-2020) on NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor Mission to discover 90% of near-Earth objects (NEOs) larger than 140 meters. Currently, as Director of UA’s Biosphere 2 Space Domain Awareness Observatory Complex, he oversees all ground-based optical/infrared and passive radio frequency space surveillance assets. Asteroid 1981 EQ28 has been named (8068) vishnureddy by the International Astronomical Union in recognition of his contribution to planetary science.