VIRTUAL Star Party

M3 is a spectacular globular, and one of the largest, with 500,000 members. It is located in Canes Venatici. This cluster is nearly as old as the universe itself. Note the young blue stars, Blue Stragglers, embedded in the cluster. NASA image/ Teuwen — M3 is a spectacular globular, and one of the largest, with 500,000 members. It is located in Canes Venatici. This cluster is nearly as old as the universe itself. Note the young blue stars, Blue Stragglers, embedded in the cluster.
NASA image/ Teuwen

TAAA will host a VIRTUAL star party coming to you from Tucson, AZ. We will explore about 12 objects for an hour and a half. This will be a Facebook Live event and is accessible from our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/. The event will be accessible from the Videos section and can be replayed after the event as well. The TAAA Facebook page is a public page and does not require any login to view. If you want any real-time updates, weather advisories, or other information leading up to the event, you can follow the Facebook event. The star party will go from 8:30 – 10 pm Tucson, AZ (Pacific Daylight). Tucson is GMT – 7.

32 inch Cassegrain Project

International Dark Sky Week Virtual Activities (April 19-26, 2020)

By Jim Knoll

Often referred to as one of the most brilliant and beautiful winter open clusters, M37--my saltshaker cluster--is the brightest of the Auriga clusters (M36, M37,M38) NASA Image — Often referred to as one of the most brilliant and beautiful winter open clusters, M37–my saltshaker cluster–is the brightest of the Auriga clusters (M36, M37,M38)
NASA Image

A few virtual events happening this week (April 19 – 26, 2020) in support of International Dark Sky Week on Facebook Live & You Tube. The Facebook pages below are public pages, so you do not need to have a Facebook account to view them. If you miss any live events, they will probably be available under Facebook Video’s.

Tuesday April 21. 11:30 am Arizona Time (GMT-7 or Pacific Timezone) on the Grand Canyon Conservancy Association (GRCA) Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/grandcanyonconservancy/). Ranger Rader Lane will discuss GRCAs journey to become an International Dark Sky Park.

Tuesday April 21. 8:00 pm Arizona Time (GMT-7 or Pacific Timezone) on our TAAA Facebook Page, we will be doing a Virtual Star Party, observing about 12 objects for an hour and half. TAAA Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/. The live event may be located under the Videos section.

Thursday April 23. 12 pm (Noon) Arizona Time on the GRCA Facebook Page. Dean Regas will do a Live Virtual Tour of the Universe. If you don’t immediately see the live video when you go to the Facebook page at the appointed time, look under the Live or Video section of the page.

Friday April 24. 7 – 8:15 pm Arizona Time on the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. A nation-wide livestream Star Party. it will be presented on You Tube. The Whipple webpage is: https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/event-view.cfm?Event_ID=112413

All Week. Log into the International Dark Sky Association International Dark Sky Week page for a schedule of presentations all week long. Many are specific for children and would be good for kids or grandkids. The link to the webpage is: idsw.darksky.org. Once there select schedule.

Solar System

Planets of the Month: APRIL

by Erich Karkoschka

Venus is 40 degrees high at sunset and close to its brightest possible (Magnitude -4.5). After its passage through the Pleiades on the 3rd and 4th, it moves toward Alnath in Taurus. It is visible late into the evening and sets around 10:30 pm. By the end of the month, it is relatively large (39 arch seconds) and 25 % illuminated.

On April 15, the Last Quarter Moon joins the three morning planets in the predawn sky. On April 26, it is closest to brilliant Venus in the evening sky. First Quarter Moon is April 1 and 30, Full Moon April 7, Last Quarter April 14, and New Moon April 22.

Mars is the third planet to rise in the morning sky, following very close to Saturn at the beginning of April but sepertated by about 20 degrees by the end of the month. Mars is at Magnitude +1.

Jupiter rises at 2 am, dominating the morning sky at a magnitude of -2.

Saturn follows Jupiter and is 5 degrees to the east in the morning sky abut the same brightness as Mars at a magnitude of +1.

VIRTUAL Star Party

The nebulosity associated with M45 is not the progenitor of the cluster. Instead, it is a nebula through which M45 is passing. NASA Image, Robert Gendler — The nebulosity associated with M45 is not the progenitor of the cluster. Instead, it is a nebula through which M45 is passing.
NASA Image, Robert Gendler

TAAA will host our first ever VIRTUAL star party coming to you from Tucson, AZ. We will explore about 12 objects for an hour and a half. This will be a Facebook Live event and is accessible from our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/. The event will be accessible from the Videos section and can be replayed after the event as well. The TAAA Facebook page is a public page and does not require any login to view. If you want any real-time updates, weather advisories, or other information leading up to the event, you can follow the Facebook event.

General Astronomy, Star Parties

Celebrate the Night Sky

by Jim Knoll

Since we don’t have any star parties to talk about and many are at home doing projects, this might be a good time to evaluate your home outdoor lighting to help preserve the dark skies. As many of you know, the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) is located right here in Tucson. Their website is: https://www.darksky.org and they have lots of resources to help you out. Here are some tips to evaluate your own lighting.

– Install lighting only when and where it’s needed.

– Use energy saving features such as timers, dimmers, and motion sensors on outdoor lights. Timers work great to get your attention when they come on.

– Make sure your lighting is shielded so light shines down, not up and does not trespass on your neighbor.

– Educate your friends and neighbors about the importance of good lighting for our health, economy, and environment.

— Artificial light at night can interfere with ecological interactions like predator-prey relationships, interrupts habitat connectivity, influences species’ ability to detect seasonality, and interferes with the human circadian rhythm.

International Dark Sky week is April 19-26, 2020. Join IDA for daily virtual celebrations at: idsw.darksky.org.

Please share with your family and friends.

Spiral galaxies, M77 (face-on) and NGC 1055. Nasa image — Spiral galaxies, M77 (face-on) and NGC 1055.
Nasa image

Astronomy Day & International Observe the Moon

VIRTUAL

Join the Lunar & Planetary Laboratory and Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association for a weekend of International Observe the Moon. LPL will be hosting virtual events Friday evening, Saturday afternoon & evening, and Sunday morning & afternoon. TAAA will host some Solar Observing as part of this weekend event on Sunday at 10 am. These events will be streamed via Webinar. To register, go to: https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/art/2020.

CANCELLED – Astronomy Fundamentals Meeting – June 2020

The AFSIG is currently NOT having online meetings.

ONLINE – General Meeting – June 2020

The General Meeting will continue online. See Mae’s member emails for information about topics and how to access the meeting.

At the current time, it is available only to members, but that may change in the future.

Astronomical Events

April Astronomy Observing

by Jim Knoll

April has a lot of interesting astronomy events and they are all visible with just your eyes.

April 2 morning. Mars and Saturn are very close in the morning sky (1.5 degrees) with Jupiter another 6 degrees to the upper right. View around 5 or 5:30 am.

April 3 evening. To the west, Venus (brightest object in the night sky in that area) will have a conjunction (get very close) to the Pleiades or 7 Sisters Cluster. In fact, Venus will be in the cluster. View around 7 or 7:30 pm.

Throughout April in the morning around 5 or 5:30 am. Mars (red), Saturn, and Jupiter form a nice line of planets with Mars closest to the horizon and Jupiter furthest with Saturn in the middle. The Moon joins the group April 14 – 16.

April 21-22. The evening or April 21 or even better the morning of April 22 will be the Lyrid Meteor Shower. Toward the east after 10 pm or early in the morning around 5 am look straight up. The shower radiant will be near the star Vega in the constellation Lyra and in the constellation Hercules right next door. Might see up to about 20 meteors per hour.

Sorry, no TAAA Public star parties in April and May. After the Monsoon, we will start them up again. Check our TAAA Website calendar for more info (tucsonastronomy.org) or follow a particular event here on our Facebook Page.

Clear skies and stay safe.

General Astronomy, Solar System

Planets of the Month: MARCH

by Erich Karkoschka

Mercury is just visible at dawn. Its greatest western elongation is the 23rd.

Venus is 45 degrees high at sunset, its best once every eight years. Greatest elongation from the sun is on the 24th, when it is half illuminated. On April 3 it will be inside the Pleiades (M45). At magnitude -4.5, it can be seen during the day if one can find it. The Moon visits Venus on March 26 & 27. Uranus is only 2 degrees from Venus on March 8 (within a binocular view).

Moon. First Quarter: March 2. Full: 9. Last Quarter: 16. New: 24. The Moon will visit Venus March 26 & 27.

Mars. Rises around 4 am at magnitude +1. Mars rises first early in the month, Jupiter is 5 degrees behind, and Saturn another 8 degrees behind. By the 18th Mars has almost caught up with Jupiter and the Moon is very close to both of them. Between the 20th & 31st, Mars will be between Jupiter and Saturn and within 7 degrees of each other. A Mars/Jupiter conjunction is on the 20th and a Mars/Saturn conjunction is on the 31st. After the 31st, Mars will have passed Saturn and will move on while Jupiter and Saturn stay within 6 degrees of each other.

Jupiter. Rises around 4 am at magnitude -2. See Mars write-up for positioning.

Saturn. Rises around 4 am at magnitude +1. See Mars write-up for positioning.

Uranus. Only 2 degrees from Venus on the 8th.

Neptune. Not visible. Solar Conjunction (in the glare of the Sun) is March 8.

The Vernal (Spring) Equinox is March 19 at 9 pm MST. This is when the Sun crosses the celestial equator (an imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator). This happens on March 19, 20, or 21 every year in the Northern Hemisphere.