General Astronomy, Solar System

Planets of the Month: NOVEMBER

by Erich Karkoschka

planet-of-the-month-mercuryBrillant Venus outshines all the stars in the morning sky, passing Spica on the 16th.  Far below Venus is Mercury, next to Spica on the 2nd.  By the 10th at greatest elongation, it is as

 

easy to see as it can be seen planet-of-the-month-venusfrom our latitude.  It disappears at the end of the month.

 

planet-of-the-month-moonThe crescent moon stands between Mercury and Venus on the morning of the 13th, near Jupiter and Saturn on the 18th and 19th, and finally just below Mars on the 25th.

 

planet-of-the-month-marsMars is conspicuous since it is bright orange and high in the sky all evening.  It is still 20 arc-sec in diameter so that telescopes show fine detail.  However, it is receeding fast.  By the end of the
month, it is less than half as bright and only 15 arc-sec in diameter. Nevertheless, this is still better than the maximum in some oppositions.

Minor planet Flora No. 8 can be found with binoculars as magnitude 8 in Cetus, well placed in the evening sky.  It is its best showing between 1980 and 2060.

planet-of-the-month-jupiterJupiter and Saturn are well up during the early evening, transiting
just before sunset.  Saturn is 5 degrees east of Jupiter during early
November, closing to 2 degrees by the end.  We are not far from their closest

 

conjunction in centuries, on planet-of-the-month-saturnDecember 21.  On the 2nd, a telescope shows Callisto in transit as a dark spot.  On the 8th, the dark spot is the shadow of Ganymede, and on the 15th after 7pm, it is Ganymede itself.  Finally, on the 19th until 6:40 pm, it is Callisto again.

planet-of-the-month-uranusUranus and Neptune are also well up in the evening.  Neptune transits earlier than Mars.  Uranus transits at midnight in early November since it came into opposition October 31st.

 

planet-of-the-month-neptune

plutoPluto is easy to find on the 14th since it is only 41 arc-min south of Jupiter.  But it still is a challenge to identify it among hundreds
of other stars of similar magnitude, 14 mag.

 

planet-of-the-month-lunar-eclipseOn the morning of the 30th, there will be a penumbral lunar eclipse with a maximum at 2:43 am.  Since 85 % of the moon will be inside the penumbra, it will be noticeable with the northern edge significantly darkened.

 

 

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – December 2020

Constellation of the Month:

None

Presenter:  none

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

Main Presentation:

Open Floor Discussion

Presenter:  none

This month, instead of presentations, we will be doing an open floor discussion on topics brought up by attendees.

ONLINE – General Meeting – December 2020

TAAA’s first Friday monthly meeting will be held online. The December meeting will have a 6:30 P.M. Main Presentation open to the General Public. This will be followed at approximately 7:15 P.M. by a Members-only meeting, at which TAAA’s David Rossetter will present proposed Constitution and Bylaw changes. To view the next meeting,  please visit                                  https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy

6:30 pm – Main Presentation

Title:  Fun with Fermi AGN – A Quick Stroll Through a Lethal Photon Field

Speaker Bio:  Paul Smith was born in Rochester, NY, during the year Sputnik circled the planet, and numerous atmospheric nuclear tests were conducted, as the two dominant global powers rattled sabers. Dr. Smith muses it might have been the high tensions of the era, or the elevated radiation levels that pulled him into science, particularly astronomy, by grade 4. He earned a B.S. in physics from Saint Louis University, and a Ph.D. in the same field from the University of New Mexico, before moving to Tucson in 1986.  For most of the past 35 years, Dr. Smith has been at Steward Observatory, and has been successively involved with the Hubble, Spitzer, and Fermi space observatories.  His main research interest is the polarized light emitted from quasars and other types of active galactic nuclei (AGN).

Presentation:  Dr. Smith’s presentation centers around NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the decade-long effort to support this important science mission by using telescopes in the Tucson area to observe the most active quasars. While extremely active quasars, or blazars, represents a small percentage of the population of known active galactic nuclei (AGN), it makes up over 70% of the objects detected by Fermi in the high-energy gamma-ray sky. Blazars are highly variable in brightness and polarization on short time scales (less than a day), enabling us to study relatively small regions that produce enormous amounts of energy. Many observations at different wavelengths are needed to understand the physics of these systems. Dr. Smith’s presentation will take us to the cutting edge of science.

7:15 pm (Approx) – Second Presentation

Title:  Members-only Meeting – Constitution and Bylaw changes

Speaker:  David Rossetter

The main presentation will be followed by a members-only meeting, at which David Rossetter will present proposed Constitution and Bylaw changes.

Virtual Solar Observing

We will be doing a Virtual Solar Observing session with the Lunar & Planetary Laboratory. To view the event, register at:  https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/art/2020.

 

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – November 2020

Constellation of the Month:

None

Presenter:  none

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

Main Presentation:

Venus

Presenter:  Doug Smith

Our only presentation this month will be Doug Smith discussing the planet Venus .

 

ONLINE – General Meeting – November 2020

 TAAA’s first Friday monthly meeting will be held online. The November meeting will have a 6:30 P.M. presentation open to the general public. This will be followed at approximately 7:15 P.M. by a members-only meeting. To view the next meeting,  please visit                                  https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy

6:30 pm – Main Presentation

Title:  From Tucson to Tokyo: Building a Global Movement for Dark Sky Protection

Speaker:  Ruskin Hartley joined the International Dark-Sky Association in February 2019. He brings 20 years of conservation experience to IDA’s work to protect the night from light pollution. Ruskin’s passion is protecting precious natural resources. He served as Executive Director of Save the Redwoods League, a non-profit dedicated to protecting and restoring the redwood forest; as CEO of Heal the Bay in Los Angeles; and as Vice President of Resource Development at Fair Trade USA.  Originally from the United Kingdom, Ruskin holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cambridge and a master’s degree from the University of East Anglia. Ruskin loves to head out on the trail with his wife and kids or cook-out under the stars..

On October 23, 1987, two Tucson Doctors—one M.D. and one PH.D.—incorporated the International Dark-Sky Association devoted to the “protection and restoration of dark nighttime skies through application and promotion of proper lighting practices.” What started as an astronomical-driven venture in Tucson is now a broad movement active on all continents. While light pollution has increased in the intervening years, Tucson continues to lead the way and show what is possible. Ruskin will explore emerging themes in dark sky conservation, discuss the global perspective, and share IDA’s strategy for accelerating dark sky protection worldwide.

7:15 pm (Approx) – Second Presentation

Title:  Members-only Meeting

Speaker:  none

The main presentation will be followed by a members-only meeting.

ONLINE – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – October 2020

Constellation of the Month:

Aries

Presenter:  Connor Justice

Connor Justice will be opening the meeting with a presentation on the northern constellation Aries.

Main Presentation:

Mars

Presenter:  Stephen Ferris

Afterwards, Stephen Ferris will discuss the planet Mars, which is approaching Opposition later this month.

ONLINE – General Meeting – October 2020

TAAA’s first Friday monthly meeting will be held online on Friday, Oct. 2.  We will have two presentations, starting at 6:30 P.M. and open to the general public. To view the meeting, please visit   https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy

6:30 pm – Main Presentation

Title:  Highlights in the Next Quarter Century of Solar Eclipses

Speaker:  Michael E. Bakich was Senior Editor of Astronomy magazine for 17 years before retiring in 2019. He and his wife, Holley, then realized their lifelong dream and moved to Tucson. Michael continues work for the magazine as Contributing Editor. He has authored eight books on astronomy, including Atlas of Solar Eclipses: 2020-2045.

No less than 56 solar eclipses will occur in the next 25 years. But which ones should an eclipse chaser target? The longest? The closest? In this illustrated talk, former Astronomy magazine Senior Editor Michael Bakich will describe highlights to expect from the next quarter-century run of nature’s most fantastic spectacle.

7:15 pm (Approx) – Second Presentation

Title:  Fall Night Sky Objects

Speaker:  Mary Turner, PhD, TAAA’s appointed Chief Observer.

Dr. Turner  takes us on a tour of the fall night sky. Her use of astronomical data, images, and mythology will bring seasonal changes in the sky to life, as always in her popular quarterly talks.

General Astronomy, Solar System

Planets of the Month: SEPTEMBER

by Erich Karkoschka

planet-of-the-month-mercuryDuring early dusk, Mercury can be spotted in the southwest after the 12th, but only if you are experienced in finding it.  On the 21st, Spica is only 1 degree from Mercury, seen in binoculars.

 

planet-of-the-month-venusVenus is brilliant and rises before 3 am so that it is 40 degrees
high by sunrise.  It races through Gemini, Cancer, and Leo, as the winter constellations take the stage nearby.

 

planet-of-the-month-moonFinally, there is a special occultation of Acrab by the moon on
the 21st.  Tucson is located in the middle of the visibility area.
Is it special because Acrab is a bright star, second magnitude and it is a binary separated by 14 arc-seconds.  So in a telescope one can watch the events for both components happening within seconds. Disappearance will be at 6:20 pm local Tucson, which is at sunset, when Acrab is easily visible in a telescope.  Reappearance will be at7:36 pm.

Full Moon: September (1); Last Quarter (10); New (17); and First Quarter (23).

planet-of-the-month-marsMars rises at 9 pm at the beginning of the month but already at
7 pm at the end, when it is even brighter than Jupiter.  It is even
more outstanding considering that no other bright star is anywhere close to Mars.  At mid month it becomes stationary and starts its opposition retrograde motion.  Its diameter increases from 19″ to 22″, perfect for viewing in a telescope.  After October, we will have to wait 15 years before it gets such good again. On the 5th, the moon will pass within half a degrees of Mars around 9pm.

planet-of-the-month-jupiterJupiter and Saturn are well up all evening, still setting aftermidnight.  Saturn is 8 degrees east of Jupiter all month.
They are stationary mid month.  Saturn’s ring is 23 degrees open this month, the last time it is so open that far for the next 10 years. Callisto’s shadow transits over Jupiter’s disk on the 13th after 11pm. Ganymede’s shadow does the same planet-of-the-month-saturnon the 26th from 7:30 to 11pm.

 

 

planet-of-the-month-uranus

planet-of-the-month-neptuneNeptune comes into opposition on the 11th.  So it can be seen all night through binoculars in Aquarius.  Uranus rises further east around 9pm.