Category Archives: stargazing

stargazing

What’s That Bright Thing Out There?

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A Star?  A Planet?  What?

Back when I used to work at the planetarium, we’d get phone calls from people — or they’d walk up to the console after a star talk and show — asking about a bright object they saw in the sky one night. Usually, the “thing” turned out to be a planet (if it wasn’t moving during the course of several minutes), or if it wasn’t that — then we’d have a chat about airplanes, helicopters, etc.  They never got confused by the Moon, although there were always questions about things they thought they saw ON the Moon’s surface whilst gazing through binoculars or a telescope.

This was in the days before the International Space Station, but there were still plenty of other satellites — “space birds” — to be seen, and we’d talk about those, too, because people would see them and wonder “Just what is THAT?” Nowadays, we can go online and find a whole listing of space bird sighting opportunities, plus predictions for ISS passes, and using that information, be ready to spot something besides a planet, high-flying jet, or flock of birds.

The view of Spica and Saturn to the west-southwest around 10 p.m. from latitude 40 degrees northin late June, 2011. Click to embiggen. Done using Stellarium.

People are always surprised when I tell them that they can see the ISS from their backyards. No doubt many people HAVE seen ISS and didn’t know that’s what they were looking at.  There’s something pretty cool about stepping outside at the right time (and you can find out when and where in the sky it will next appear over YOUR house by going to Spaceweather.com’s “Flybys” page and plugging in your zip code (if you’re in the U.S. or Canada), or here at www.Heavens-above.com.)

For folks in the northern hemisphere, these summery nights are great times to get out and check out the stars and planets (and flyover spacecraft). Actually, southern hemisphere viewers should bundle up warmly (if it’s cold in the evenings in your locale), and check out the sky, too.

I’ve given you some links to check out possible ISS and satellite passes, and if you need a star chart, check out the website at SkyandTelescope.com or go here to Skymaps.com for either a northern or southern hemisphere star chart).  These nights, Saturn is in the west-southwest after sunset.  That’s definitely a planet. It’s not far from the bright star Spica, and if you look at it through binoculars, you should be able to make out the star Porrima, right next to it.

There’s a lot of stuff out there to find in the sky. Sometimes it’s natural… sometimes it’s a human construct passing by. Whatever it is, get out there and check it out!  The skies provide free entertainment and have for as long as people have been looking up!

astronomy, binoculars, planets, stargazing

Getting up Early?

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Check Out Some Planet Action!

Every day is Astronomy Day, although we officially celebrated it  last weekend. But, any day you can check out the Sun (or the Moon, if it’s up), or any night that you can step out and observe something cool in the sky makes it Astronomy Day.

These four bright planets cluster closely together in predawn skies during May 2011. Courtesy Sky & Telescope.com

We’ve been plagued with snow the past two days (although, as we say here in the West: “We need the moisture”), so haven’t been able to do much observing.  Today, there’s a big bright thing in the sky and it’s making water out of snow as I write this.  So, tonight should be a fairly clear night for some good viewing.

If you have occasion to get up early in the morning and you have a good view to the eastern horizon, you WILL be treated to a nice view of four planets, especially if you bring along your binoculars or happen to have a small backyard-type telescope handy. Hey — there’s got to be some reward for getting up before the crack of dawn, right?

Here’s what’s up:  Venus and Jupiter are visible in the pre-dawn sky, together with — if you can spot it (and here’s where the binos or scope come in handy) — Mercury. Together they make a little triangle in the eastern sky.  Venus and Mercury stay within 1.5 degrees of each other for another week, while Jupiter climbs higher into the predawn sky. By mid-May, you’ll be able to spot Jupiter before Venus despite the fact that it’sless than one-quarter as bright.

A week later, Venus and Mercury create a second planetary triangle with Mars, which is quite faint (just 1/100 as bright as Venus). The triad is tightest, just over 2 degrees wide, on May 21st. Venus and Mars close to within 1 degree of each another on the 23rd, by which time Mercury has begun a slide toward lower left.

To top off the solar system action, look for a thin crescent Moon nearby on May 29-31.

The friendly folks at Sky & Telescope.com have a cool animation of these sky events, so check it out!

While you’re out that early (around 4:30 a.m.), also take some time to check out some gorgeous stellar sights.  First off, the summer triangle is visible — look for bright Vega high in the sky. That also means the Milky Way is arcing across the field of view Arcturus is setting the west, and the Big Dipper is low in the northeast — for all you Northern Hemisphere viewers. If you’re in the southern hemisphere, the constellation Sagittarius should be high overhead and the Milky Way should look gorgeous!  If you need a star chart, go here or here to download Stellarium, a free star chart program.