32 inch Cassegrain Project

Planets of the Month: FEBRUARY

by Erich Karkoschka

  • Mars is the only naked eye evening planet. It transits at sunset more than 72 degrees high and sets past midnight. It moves through Aries and almost reaches the Pleiades by the end of the month.

On the 17th, three planets appear simultaneously in the morning sky. Jupiter is the brightest, but also lowest. Mercury is 4 degrees above Jupiter and Saturn is 4 degrees to the right of Mercury. For the next week, the three planets become easier to see while

maintaining their relative positions. Then, Mercury will be approaching Jupiter faster and faster and pass it very close on March 5th. By February 28, Mercury will be at its best while Jupiter and Saturn continue to become more obvious in March. During February, they all rise during dawn and remain low. The best

time is shortly after 6 am. Remember, those three planets were even closer together in the evening sky around January 10th.

Uranus is still visible in Aries to the lower right of Mars in the evening sky.

Vesta, minor planet number 4, is getting up to 6th magnitude in Leo and might be seen naked eye in March.

On the evening of February 12th, the 1 percent illuminated moon can be found low at dusk just before 7 pm. Last Quarter Moon is on the 4th, New Moon on the 11th, First Quarter Moon on the 19th, and Full Moon on February 27th.

Solar System

Planets of the Month: JANUARY

By Erich Karkoschka

planet-of-the-month-venusVenus. After the start of morning twilight, Venus rises, but does not come up very high before dawn gets too bright. By the end of the month, Venus will appear dim. On the 11th, the think Moon illuminated only 3 percent, will be just 4 degrees from Venus.

planet-of-the-month-jupiterPlanet Parade Evening Sky (Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Moon). Jupiter and Saturn will still be closer than 2 degrees from each other until the 8th. The 7th or 8th is the last day Saturn is visible by naked eye. But don’t neglect these planets the following days! On the 9th, Mercury will be only 1.5 degrees from Saturn. To spot
Mercury, you might also need binoculars, but the close trio is easy to find because of bright Jupiter. The planet-of-the-month-saturn

following evening, Mercury will be closer to Jupiter than to Saturn and probably visible by naked eye. After the 10th, you will see Mercury and Jupiter separating very quickly. On the 13th, the Moon will be next to planet-of-the-month-mercuryJupiter and Mercury, but Saturn will be too low to add to the small configuration. Jupiter will eave the scene at the middle of the month, while Mercury will hold out until the end of the month.

 

planet-of-the-month-marsAfter these three planets have set, Mars remains up until after 1 am It moves from Pisces into Aries in an area without bright stars. With Mars transiting 70 degrees high around 7 pm, it is placed conveniently to be viewed in a telescope. It still shows features at 10 arc-seconds diameter, but not like in October when it was twice as large. On the 21st, Mars passes 1.7 degrees planet-of-the-month-uranusnorth of Uranus, a good opportunity to easily find Uranus in binoculars.

 

 

planet-of-the-month-neptune

Neptune is further west and lower. It is also fainter and more difficult to find.

 

 

Vesta, minor planet number 4, is magnitude 7 in Leo and getting ready for naked eye visibility in February and March.

planet-of-the-month-sunriseDuring January, sunset shifts by 26 minutes. It further shifts for the following five months, but the shift each month will be less than in January. On the other hand, sunrise on the 31st will be only 7 minutes earlier than on the 1st, far eclipsed by the 38 minute shift during March.

 

32 inch Cassegrain Project

Planets of the Month: DECEMBER

by Erich Karkoschka

RARE CONJUNCTION ALERT!!

Jupiter and Saturn will get as close as .1 (1/10 of a degree) from each other on December 21st (Winter Solstice) — they are actually separated by distance as Jupiter is 551 million miles from Earth and planet-of-the-month-jupiterSaturn is abut twice as far at just over 1 Billion miles from Earth . That will be close enough to challenge being able to separate both with just your eyes. If you get a chance, observe them with your eyes, a pair of binoculars, or a telescope (great opportunity planet-of-the-month-saturnto compare both planets at high power in the same field of view). For comparison, the width of your clenched fist held at arms length is about 10 degrees. On the 21st, they set pretty shortly after sunset, so go out about 1/2 hour after sunset to view them (they will set around 7 pm). The last time they got this close together and were both observable was 1226 (794 years ago). The next conjunction that will be this close will be in 2080. The pair starts December about 2 degrees apart. The distance decreases by about .1 degree every day, so observe them every evening and watch them get closer to each other. Look for a small crescent Moon near the pair on the 16th (5 degrees below) & the 17th (10 degrees to the left).

planet-of-the-month-venusVenus rises after 5 am and is still conspicuous during dawn. Venus will be only be 1/6 of a degree from a second magnitude star (Acrab) on the morning of the 18th. This is too close to see next to bright Venus with the naked eyes, but a splendid view in binoculars.

planet-of-the-month-marsMars fades quickly this month, but is still the brightest object aside from Jupiter and Sirius after it rises late evening. Its diameter of 14 arc-seconds is still larger than its opposition diameter during less favorable oppositions, such as in 2027.

planet-of-the-month-uranusUranus is 20 degrees to the upper left of Mars at the beginning of December. It can be easily seen in binoculars but requires some practice to find it. By the end of the year, the separation to Mars is only 10 degrees.

planet-of-the-month-neptuneNeptune is well to the lower right of Mars, best observable right after dusk.

 

planet-of-the-month-moonOn the morning of December 12th, the thin lunar crescent will be only 3 degrees from Venus, most spectacular between 5:30 and 6 am. Very experienced observers may try to find them in the afternoon when the moon will occult Venus at around 2:20 pm. They will be only about 15 degrees high. The moon will definitely not be visible naked eye because it is too slim, but the view in a telescope would be good with the disappearance of Venus taking half a minute.

planet-of-the-month-meteorOn the 14th, part of Chile and Argentina will experience a total solar eclipse. Some of us had plans to observe it, but had to cancel because of travel restrictions. Instead, we can watch the Geminid meteor show the evening before without moonlight and a peak predicted to occur during that evening, the 13th. Best viewing though is the early morning hours of December 14th.

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.

 

 

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.

Solar System

Planets of the Month: AUGUST

by Erich Karkoschka

planet-of-the-month-mercuryMercury is up at dawn far below Venus, but not much longer.  The last naked-eye visibility ends August 7.

 

planet-of-the-month-venusVenus rises at 2:30 am and is more than 40 degrees up at sunrise.  It is at greatest elongation on the 12th, 46 degrees from the sun.  It still is brighter than average and can be seen after sunrise, especially on the 15th when the lunar crescent is nearby.  Of course, this pairing is best observed before sunrise.

planet-of-the-month-moonThe best night to watch the moon move is August 8/9, right next to Mars.  When they rise, they are 1.6 degrees apart, narrowing to 1.3 degrees later and back up to 1.9 degrees at sunrise. A challenging first moon after New Moon will be visible on the 19th, but visible with naked eye only if it is completely clear, shortly after sunset.

planet-of-the-month-marsMars rises around 10 pm and is 60 degrees up at dawn.  By the end of the month, it is even brighter than Sirius.  In a telescope, its 15-19 arc-sec disk shows detail.  During many years, it does not get that big.

The first minor planet Ceres is in opposition in southern
Aquarius, but with magnitude 8 not as bright as at other oppositions.

planet-of-the-month-jupiterJupiter and Saturn are well up all evening, just a few weeks past opposition.  Saturn trails Jupiter by 8 degrees in their diurnal motion and also their current retrograde motion across Sagittarius. Ganymede will cast a shadow onto Jupiter on the 14th until 11 pm.  On the 21st it will transit
planet-of-the-month-saturn8 – 11 pm and then show its shadow after 11:30. Another transit will start at 11:30 pm on the 28th. The night before one can see Callisto transiting 8:30 – 12:30, which will look like a shadow due to its dark surface.

planet-of-the-month-meteorAugust is the best month for watching meteors.  The Perseids show up during the first three weeks, peaking on the night of 11/12. During dusk, the radiant is just rising, creating few meteors, but they can go for several seconds across the whole sky.  By Dawn, we are heading right into the stream with up to 1 meteor per minute, but they only last less than half a second typically. The moon will rise at midnight on the peak night, so the evening will be dark.

General Astronomy, Solar System

Planets of the Month: JULY

by Erich Karkoschka

planet-of-the-month-mercuryMercury is visible at dawn during the second half of the month
to the left of Orion.  On the 19th, it is to the upper right of
the extremely thin lunar crescent that is about as difficult to
see as Mercury.  The following days Mercury becomes easier to spot.

planet-of-the-month-venusVenus is the morning star, with -4.7 magnitude at its brightest.
In early July it moves through the Hyades and then shines only
1 degree north of Aldebaran on the 11th.  This is the closest
approach of a planet to Aldebaran during this century.
Venus is a nice crescent in a telescope and large binoculars,
especially early in the month.  Venus is so bright that it can
be seen during daytime.  The best opportunity to find it is on
the 17th when it is 4 degrees to the right of the thin lunar
crescent after sunrise.

planet-of-the-month-moonThe moon celebrates our national holiday with a penumbral eclipse.
At 10:30pm, the upper left part of its disk is 1/3 less illuminated
than the rest of the disk.  This is not noticeable since features
on the moon have larger contrasts.  Despite the eclipse, this
Full Moon is brighter than most others.

planet-of-the-month-mars

Mars rises just before midnight and is 60 degrees high up at dawn.
It reaches -1 magnitude and 15 arc-sec diameter, rising toward
its good October opposition.

planet-of-the-month-jupiterJupiter and Saturn come in Opposition in July and are visible
all night.  Their opposition dates (Jupiter on the 14th and
Saturn on the 20th) are only six days apart, which means that
they are only six degrees apart in the sky.  Since their distance
is larger during all other oppositions between 1981 and 2059, it
may be called a once-in-a-lifetime event.  Jupiter is magnitude
-2.8, almost its maximum possible, Saturn 0.1.  In a telescope
planet-of-the-month-saturnthey show their largest disks, Jupiter 48 arc-sec and Saturn
19 arc-sec, although its rings show up 42 arc-sec wide.
Saturn’s rings brighten significantly for several days around
opposition.  This time they brighten up exceptionally because
the opposition is a perfect lineup as the Earth would be visible
transiting the disk of the sun as seen from Saturn, which happens
once every 15 years.
In the night of July 8 after 1am, Callisto and its shadow will
be visible on Jupiter’s disk, and the same happens for Ganymede
after midnight the following night.  You can also catch the end
of a Callisto shadow transit on the 25th before 9:45pm.

planet-of-the-month-uranus

Uranus and Neptune are up before dawn and will soon be back in
the evening sky.

planet-of-the-month-neptune

32 inch Cassegrain Project

Virtual 2020 Grand Canyon Star Party

Schedule/Information  2020  Virtual GCSP
·M42 (Messier 42), the Great Orion Nebula is a prolific star producing region with 700 known stars, 150 of which have protoplanetary disks. M43 is on the upper right. Hubble Image

Below is the News Release and Grand Canyon Star Party Facebook Event with schedule (the schedule is also listed below). The event will be through Facebook Live starting Saturday June 13 through Saturday June 20, 2020. Each night a talk will be given at 6 pm (Arizona/PDT) and a virtual star party at 7 pm (Arizona/PDT).

Grand Canyon National Park
https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/newsreleases.htm/

Grand Canyon’s 2020 Star Party will be Hosted Virtually

[A night sky with red lighting in the forefront highlights telescopes looking at the sky. The words          “Welcome to the Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party 2020!” are superimposed over the image.]
    The 30th annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held virtually June 13-20, 2020. While the on-      site event at Grand Canyon National Park has been cancelled on both rims due to concerns over
COVID-19 this year, the park hopes to bring the wonders of the night sky into the virtual realm
through a series of video premieres on Grand Canyon’s official Facebook account.

https://www.facebook.com/events/252511419184647/

           Go to Facebook to participate in event. Or go to Facebook and set up a personal reminder.

JUN 13 AT 6 PM – JUN 20 AT 8:30 PM
Online Event
Public  · Hosted by
Grand Canyon National Park
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party 2020

   Welcome to the Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party 2020!
Grand Canyon National Park and the Grand Canyon Conservancy invite       you to the Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party 2020, June 13-20…

     https://www.facebook.com/GrandCanyonNationalPark/

   Schedule
    Saturday, June 13, 2020
    6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Dark Skies in Isolation: Why Protecting the Night Sky is More Important Than Ever by         Dr. John Barentine
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 1 by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy
Association

 Sunday, June 14, 2020
     6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Lions, Vultures, and a Scorpion, Oh My! A Summer Jaunt through Arabian Skies by             Dr.Danielle Adams
7:00PM – 8:30PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 2 by Focus Astronomy

 Monday, June 15, 2020
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
A Tour Through the Universe by Dean Regas
 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 3 by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy
Association

Tuesday, June 16, 2020
         6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Infant Galaxies to Alien Atmospheres: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope by Dr.              Amber Straughn
        7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 4 by Focus Astronomy

         Wednesday, June 17, 2020
          6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
The Art of Photographing Dark Skies by Shreenivasan Manievannan
          7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 5 by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy
Association

Thursday, June 18, 2020
           6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
One Giant Leap: Apollo Astronaut Training in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Schindler
           7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 6 by Focus Astronomy

Friday, June 19, 2020
           6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Astrophotography for Beginners by Bettymaya Foott
           7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 7 by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy                     Association

 Saturday, June 20, 2020
 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Planetary Defense: Surveying the Sky for Killer Asteroids by Professor Vishnu
Reddy
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party: Session 8 by Focus Astronomy

Definitely Also SEE Additional Information on NPS Web Page
Including info on 2021 GCSP:

https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/grand-canyon-star-party.htm/
32 inch Cassegrain Project, General Astronomy, Solar System

Planets of the Month: JUNE

by Erich Karkoschka

planet-of-the-month-mercuryMercury is easy to see in the northwest in the evening below Castor and Polux at the beginning of June between 8 and 9 pm. It can be spotted until June 15.

 

planet-of-the-month-venusVenus gets so close to the sun that it occults part of the solar corona on the 3rd, the only time until the 22nd Century. Starting on the 9th, it will be the morning “star”, when it will be only 1% illuminated. A beautiful, large, and thin crescent, visible even in small binoculars. Its illumination increases to 18% by the end of the month when it reaches almost maximum magnitude. A special event will be June 19 when the extremely thin crescent Moon will rise 2 degrees below Venus at 4 am. Venus will be obvious while the Moon will be pale as dawn brightens.

planet-of-the-month-moonA Moon/Venus conjunction will take place the morning of June 19 before dawn. The Moon is full June 5, Last Quarter June 13, New June 21, and First Quarter June 28.

 

planet-of-the-month-marsMars rises later but climbs up higher then Jupiter and Saturn by dawn. Mars is brightening toward its October close opposition. Only Venus and Jupiter are brighter than Mars.

 

planet-of-the-month-jupiterJupiter rises around 10 pm, by 9 pm later in June. Jupiter and Saturn are only 5 degrees apart. Jupiter is three magnitudes brighter than Saturn.

 

planet-of-the-month-saturnSaturn rises around 10 pm, by 9 pm later in June. Jupiter and Saturn are only 5 degrees apart. Saturn is three magnitudes dimmer than Jupiter.

 

planet-of-the-month-uranusUranus rises two hours later than Neptune and is still low when dawn starts.

 

 

planet-of-the-month-neptuneNeptune is 1.6 degrees to the northwest of Mars on the 13th.

 

 

Planet-of-the-Month-Solar-EclipseAsia and Africa will experience a solar eclipse on June 21st. It is an annular eclipse, so not quite total. An annular is when the Moon doesn’t quite cover the Sun and there is a small ring of the Sun around the Moon.

General Astronomy, Solar System

Planets of the Month: MAY

by Erich Karkoschka

planet-of-the-month-mercuryMercury becomes visible below Venus after May 12th. It rapidly moves past venus on the 21st and will be easily observable well into June. May 21st, Venus (-4.4 magnitude) & Mercury (-.6 magnitude) have a conjunction (very close together), visible about 1 hour after sunset. On May 24th a two-day old Moon join the pair.

planet-of-the-month-venusVenus is maximum brightness at the beginning of the month and becomes visible before sunset about 45 degrees high. It can even be seen during the afternoon if you know where to look. For example just before 3 pm, look 86 degrees high, essentially overhead. It reverses its prograde motion on the 13th near Elnath and then moves rapidly toward the Sun until it becomes invisible on the 30th. This month is ideal to watch its large, thin crescent in binoculars. By the end of May, it is only 1 percent illuminated. Venus/Mercury conjunction May 21 (see Mercury).

planet-of-the-month-moonThe Moon passes the morning planets from May 12 to the 14th. It will be most impressive on the 23rd and 24th as a thin crescent during dusk near Mercury and Venus. The Moon is full May 7, Last Quarter May 14, New May 22, and First Quarter May 29.

planet-of-the-month-marsMars brightens to zero magnitude, even brighter than Saturn. It is 15 degrees east of Saturn in early May, rising to 40 degrees by the end of May. Visible in the early morning sky all month.

 

planet-of-the-month-jupiterJupiter rises around midnight, dominating the morning sky. Jupiter & Saturn are close all month. A waning Gibbous Moon joins the pair the morning of May 12th.

 

planet-of-the-month-saturnSaturn follows 5 degrees east of Jupiter all month. This is the closest distance since 2000. They will separate until September and then approach again to .1 degree separation in December. A waning Gibbous Moon joins the pair the morning of May 12th.

planet-of-the-month-cometComet PanSTARRS (C/2017 T2) should peak mid May to maybe magnitude 8 or 9.  It will be within 1/2 degree of the Cigar Galaxy (M82) May 23/24 in the northern sky.