Observing With Webb

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Social Media: @mrwebbpv on Twitter and Instagram

@pvplanetarium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

August is good for two things in the sky: bright planets and bright meteors.  Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter reign supreme this month, with the annual Perseid Meteor Shower heating things up with spectacular observing conditions for mid-month.

         Welcome to Observing With Webb, where a high school astronomy teacher tells you what you’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what you should check out later this month…at night. 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Sunset – Venus

• Venus (W) – Staying about 15˚ above the horizon all month, Venus is a glorious sight for those looking West after sunset.

Throughout the night – Saturn, Jupiter

• Saturn, Jupiter – Throughout August, Saturn rises around 8pm, and Jupiter just after 9pm, both in the SE. Both gas planets rise and move southward.  In the beginning of August, they get drowned out by the dawn light in the SW in the morning.  But by the end of the month, Saturn sets at 4am, with Jupiter trailing at 5:30am.

Morning – Saturn, Jupiter

• Saturn, Jupiter – This is the last month of seeing Jupiter and Saturn in the dawn sky. You’ll notice that they are quite visible in the SW before sunrise, but they will be lower and lower each morning,  with Saturn disappearing in the beginning of the month, and Jupiter dipping out before the last week.

EVENTS...

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 8th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)

First Quarter Moon – 15th (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full Moon – 22nd (Visible all night)

Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)

Last Quarter Moon – 30th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

August 10th – 11th – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus – Get out there and watch the sunset (8:07pm) and hang out until you see bright Venus with a thin crescent Moon directly to the right of it on the 10th.  The following night, the Moon will move to the left and up from Venus.

August 11th – 12th – Perseid Meteor Shower – An EXCELLENT year for the Perseids!  In decent skies, you can watch 60 meteors per hour, and you should be able to see some very bright ones here and there the week before and after. Remember, you’re seeing the bits of dust left over from Comet Swift-Tuttle burning up as they crash into the atmosphere at 37 miles per second.

Some advice for watching:

    Find a dark location and lie down in a reclining chair or hammock

    Look toward Perseus (In the NE, rises throughout the night until sunrise where it will be almost directly above.)  That is where the radiant is - where the meteors will appear to be coming from.

    The strategy to observe this year is to get out there whenever you can, but the later you stay up, the more you’ll see, since the radiant will be higher.  The shower is usually technically active from mid-July to late August, so you may see some Perseids in the days leading up to and after the peak as well. 

Check the weather to see if the skies will be clear

Adapt your eyes to the dark by staying away from light sources or using a red light if you need to look at a star chart or not trip over something. 

If you’re feeling extra nerdy, do a scientific meteor count (S&T and IMO)

19th – 22nd – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn, Jupiter – Anytime after 9pm, get out there and look SE to find the Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter.  On the 19th, they line up with Jupiter on the left, Saturn in the middle, and the Moon on the right.  After this, the Moon passes by the two gas planets, being just below Saturn on the 20th, down and to the right of Jupiter on the 21st, and to the left of both planets on the 22nd.  All three move westward throughout each night, setting between 4am and 6am.

CONSTELLATIONS...

Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.

After Dinner, Before Bed:

Spring Constellations: Big Dipper, Bootes, Virgo, Corona Borealis, Hercules – Gaze almost vertically as you face the NW, and you’ll easily find the Big Dipper: seven very bright stars that form a spoon shape. Now if you take the handle of the Dipper, follow its curve to the next bright star you see, about 30˚ away, which is Arcturus. “Follow the arc to Arcturus.” That’s the brightest star in Bootes, which looks like a kite. Take that same curve, and follow it about another 20˚ to “speed on to Spica”, the brightest star in Virgo, one of my favorite constellations, since it reminds me of the Dickinson Mermaid.  Now go back to Bootes, and just to the left of Bootes are seven stars that form the northern crown Corona Borealis, which looks more like a small bowl or a “C” in the sky. Continue a little further to the left and you’ll find the keystone asterism which is part of the constellation Hercules. Extra Challenge! Look for M13, the Hercules Cluster in between two of Hercules’ “keystone” stars.  It known as the best globular cluster in the northern skies.  It will be a fuzzy spot in binoculars and will be even cooler through a telescope

Summer Constellations: Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila – Look pretty much straight above you, and find the brightest star up there. You’ll notice a parallelogram attached to it. This is the brightest star Vega, part of the constellation Lyra, the harp. Directly above you will be Cygnus the Swan, with its brightest star Deneb. It will look like a large cross, or if you look out a little further, a swan flying above you. Below Cygnus and Lyra is the third constellation of the Summer Triangle, Aquila the Eagle, with its brightest star Altair. The three bright stars in this one can be easily confused for Orion’s belt, given their similar size, however they are not in line as straight, and are part of a bigger diamond shape.  Use a star chart to find small Delphinus and Sagitta in the area as well.

Before Work:

Pegasus, Andromeda – Look directly south and most of the way up the sky and you’ll find the very big and almost perfect square of Pegasus, the winged horse. Now if you look to the top left of the square, you’ll see three pairs of stars creating a neat double curve to the left and up from that corner star. That is Andromeda. If you have a little extra time, find the middle pair of stars, connect them with a line, and move toward the inside of the curve about the same distance as those stars are apart. There you’ll find the Andromeda Galaxy, which will be just a small faint fuzzy with your naked eye. The cool part is that you are looking at billions of stars that are 2.9 million light years away, that spread out about 150,000 light years across

Don’t forget this podcast is found on my Podbean page, Stitcher, and iTunes.  There’s also a video version on my YouTube Channel and I can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @mrwebbpv. The Pequea Valley Planetarium and its events and updates are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @pvplanetarium.

         Like fireworks, July is mostly quiet and dull, but the noisy and bright events really make it worthwhile.  We have two pairs of planets, visible during opposite times in opposite places, and surreptitious visits from the Moon.

         Welcome to Observing With Webb, where a high school astronomy teacher tells you what you’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what you should check out later this month…at night. 

Naked-eye PLANETS

Sunset – Mars, Venus

• Mars (W) – This is your last month to see Mars for a couple more months, as Earth flies around the Sun opposite of Mars in August. Just look West after sunset but before 9:30pm.  You might have some help from Venus and the Moon midmonth.   

Throughout the night – Saturn, Jupiter

• Saturn, Jupiter – I might be jumping the gun here a little bit, but sometimes we stay up late in the Summer. Saturn rises around 10:30pm, with Jupiter rising about an hour later.  Look low in the ESE around this time and you’ll see bright Jupiter down and to the left of bright, but less so, Saturn.  Now that’s in the beginning of the month, and they rise earlier and earlier each day.  By the end of July, Saturn and Jupiter rise around 8:15pm and 9:15pm, respectively, during dusk.  Of course, this means it’s a great time for checking out Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s moons through your telescopes, but you’ll probably want to stay up until, or get up early in, the morning, when they are higher in the sky, and thus clearer in the telescope.

Morning – Saturn, Jupiter

• Saturn, Jupiter – Speaking of staying up to observe Saturn and Jupiter, where are they around Sunrise? In the beginning of July, before 5am, look S or SE almost half-way up the sky, and Saturn will be to the right and little down from the very bright Jupiter.  But at the end of July, both will be close to setting in the SW during the 5:30am dawn, with Jupiter about 15˚ higher than Saturn. 

EVENTS

Last Quarter Moon – 1st (Visible from midnight into the morning)

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 9th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)

First Quarter Moon – 17th (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full Moon – 23rd (Visible all night)

Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)

Last Quarter Moon – 30th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

July 11th – 14th – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus, Mars – Not only are Mars and Venus getting less than a degree from each other on the 12th, the Moon is joining the party!  Get out there after sunset, but before 9:30 and look West.  The easiest to find will likely be the bright beacon known as Venus.  On the 11th, Mars will be only a pinky-width to the left, but very dim, while a 2 day old crescent Moon hangs out about 3 finger-widths to the right at about the same height.  The best night is likely the 12th, when Mars and Venus are half as far apart as the previous night, and the Moon is thicker and easier to find just 6˚ up and to the left, with Leo the lion right above the Moon.  Over the next two nights, the Moon leaves the party, through Leo, and Mars and Venus separate, but are still in the same area.  Get out those binoculars and telescopes! Find a good horizon!  You’ll be looking at the three closest worlds to earth all in one view!

22nd – 26th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn, Jupiter – After 10:30pm look SE, or before dawn look SW to find the Moon, with bright Jupiter and Saturn nearby.  The Moon is far to the right of Saturn on the nights of the 22nd and 23rd.  On the 24th the Moon moves in between the planets, and closes in below Jupiter on the 25th, and leaves this party on the 26th.

CONSTELLATIONS...

Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.

After Dinner, Before Bed:

Spring Constellations: Big Dipper, Bootes, Virgo, Corona Borealis, Hercules – Gaze almost vertically as you face the NW, and you’ll easily find the Big Dipper: seven very bright stars that form a spoon shape. Now if you take the handle of the Dipper, follow its curve to the next bright star you see, about 20˚ away, which is Arcturus. “Follow the arc to Arcturus.” That’s the brightest star in Bootes, which looks like a kite. Take that same curve, and follow it about another 20˚ to “speed on to Spica”, the brightest star in Virgo, one of my favorite constellations, since it reminds me of the Dickinson Mermaid.  Now go back to Bootes, and just to the left of Bootes are seven stars that form the northern crown Corona Borealis, which looks more like a small bowl or a “C” in the sky. Continue a little further to the left and you’ll find the keystone asterism which is part of the constellation Hercules. Extra Challenge! Look for M13, the Hercules Cluster in between two of Hercules’ “keystone” stars.  It known as the best globular cluster in the northern skies.  It will be a fuzzy spot in binoculars and will be even cooler through a telescope

Summer Constellations: Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila – Look pretty much straight above you, and find the brightest star up there. You’ll notice a parallelogram attached to it. This is the brightest star Vega, part of the constellation Lyra, the harp. Directly above you will be Cygnus the Swan, with its brightest star Deneb. It will look like a large cross, or if you look out a little further, a swan flying above you. Below Cygnus and Lyra is the third constellation of the Summer Triangle, Aquila the Eagle, with its brightest star Altair. The three bright stars in this one can be easily confused for Orion’s belt, given their similar size, however they are not in line as straight, and are part of a bigger diamond shape.  Use a star chart to find small Delphinus and Sagitta in the area as well.

Before Work:

Pegasus, Andromeda – Look directly south and most of the way up the sky and you’ll find the very big and almost perfect square of Pegasus, the winged horse. Now if you look to the top left of the square, you’ll see three pairs of stars creating a neat double curve to the left and up from that corner star. That is Andromeda. If you have a little extra time, find the middle pair of stars, connect them with a line, and move toward the inside of the curve about the same distance as those stars are apart. There you’ll find the Andromeda Galaxy, which will be just a small faint fuzzy with your naked eye. The cool part is that you are looking at billions of stars that are 2.9 million light years away, that spread out about 150,000 light years across.

Don’t forget this podcast is found on my Podbean page, Stitcher, and iTunes.  There’s also a video version on my YouTube Channel and I can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @mrwebbpv. The Pequea Valley Planetarium and its events and updates are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @pvplanetarium.

WATCH this on YouTube

Social Media: @mrwebbpv on Twitter and Instagram

@pvplanetarium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

TWO eclipses, a great apparition of Mercury, Mars passing through an open cluster, and all the naked-eye planets visible make May and June of 2021 an action-packed pair of months.

         Welcome to Observing With Webb, where a high school astronomy teacher tells you what you’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what you should check out later this month…at night. 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Sunset – Mars, Mercury, Venus

• Mars (W) – Look W after sunset to find the non-twinkling reddish-orange dot, much brighter than everything around it. Mars will move up through Gemini in May and through Cancer in June. It starts off about halfway up the sky in May, and ends only about 15˚ above the horizon at the end of June. 

Throughout the night – None at the moment

Morning – Saturn, Jupiter

• Saturn, Jupiter – The two gas giants are in the SE, getting higher and rising earlier each day. Look SE in the morning (after 3am in the beginning of the month, after 12:30am by the end of June).  Jupiter will be on the left, with Saturn to the right about 15˚. 

EVENTS...

May

Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)

Last Quarter Moon – 3rd (Visible from midnight into the morning)

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 11th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)

First Quarter Moon – 19th (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full Moon – 26th (Visible all night)

June

Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)

Last Quarter Moon – 2nd (Visible from midnight into the morning)

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 10th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)

First Quarter Moon – 18th (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full Moon – 24th (Visible all night)

May 3rd – 5th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn, Jupiter – Before sunrise in the SE, between 3:30am and 6am EDT on these mornings, a beautiful crescent Moon will be passing by our two biggest gas planets.  On the 3rd, the Moon will be down and to the right of Saturn. On the next morning (the 4th) the Moon will be under and between Jupiter and Saturn, making a great triangle.  Then on the 5th, the crescent Moon hangs out just 7˚ below and to the left of Jupiter.

May 12th – 16th – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars – Each of the solar system’s terrestrial planets get a nice visual close encounter with our Moon this week.  Every night, get out there right after sunset and find yourself a good clear view of the WNW horizon. Each night, Venus will be the lowest and brightest planet, with Mercury just 8˚ above it, and dim, and Mars about 35˚ above the horizon in Gemini. On the

           12th: An extremely thin and barely visible crescent Moon will be less than 1˚ away from bright Venus, both VERY low on the horizon.

           13th: A slightly thicker Moon will now be just 3˚ to the left of Mercury, and considerably higher above the horizon.

           14th: A thicker and higher Moon will be directly between Mercury and Mars

           15th: The Moon will be 3˚ down and to the right of Mars

           16th: The Moon will be above Mars.

May 26th – TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE – Missed it by THAT much!  East coasters will not really be able to see anything, however, the further West you are, the more likely you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of the partial portions of the eclipse.  If you want the best view, either go to the middle of the Pacific Ocean, or head to eastern Australia. More info here.

May 30th – June 3rd – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn, Jupiter – After 2am but before sunrise, go out and look SE for the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn.  Each day, Jupiter will be the brightest point of light, with Saturn almost two fist-widths to the right.  The Moon creeps up to them from the right on May 30th, is closest to Saturn on the 31st, and then closest to Jupiter on June 1st.  The Moon then moves to the left of Jupiter for the 2nd and 3rd.

June 10th – ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE – (Viewing changes by location. More info can be found here or by using Stellarium for your location. I will focus on Southeastern Pennsylvania.)  This type of eclipse only happens every couple of years, and even less frequently at each particular location.  This will be quite a sight, especially given its unique timing and location. 

So what’s happening?  The Moon is passing in front of the Sun from Earth’s perspective, casting a dark shadow near the North Pole, and a lighter shadow on parts of the Northern Hemisphere.  One big difference between this eclipse and the eclipse of 2017 is that the Moon is a little further away in its orbit.  This makes it appear a little bit smaller, and hence not quite big enough to block the ENTIRE surface of the Sun.  This means that if you are in the path of the eclipse, you will see a ring of the Sun’s surface instead of complete darkness and the Corona. 

So what does that mean for those of us in the Eastern US? This will be a sunrise eclipse, meaning that you need to get a nice view of the Northeast horizon, and get out there to watch the sun rise as a portion of its formal self.  For example, here in Lancaster County, PA, sunrise is 5:34am, which is pretty close to the time of maximum eclipse.  At that moment, the sun will rise in the NNE, looking like a crescent Moon, but much brighter.  Yes, you’ll need to protect your vision just like you would for a typical solar eclipse.  More information here.  Over the next hour, as the Sun rises up about 15˚, the Moon will shift to the left and uncover more and more of the Sun’s surface until about 6:30am, which is last contact. 

12th – 14th – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus, Mars – On the 12th of June, get out right after sunset, look West, and find a VERY thin crescent Moon right in between Mars and bright but low Venus.  On the following night (the 13th), the Moon will be less than 3˚ above Mars.  Then on the 14th, the three make a nice line, almost evenly spaced.

20th – Summer Solstice – This is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.  There’s a bit of explanation as to why here.

22nd – 24th – Mars and Beehive Cluster – In a somewhat rare occurrence, Mars appears to become one of many stars in the Beehive Cluster in Cancer, especially on the 23rd.  This is definitely worth a look through your telescope or binoculars, though you might see the cluster with your naked eye if your skies are especially dark. This cluster is thousands of stars, 500 light years away, in our Milky Way galaxy.  Mars will be much brighter than the cluster stars.

26th – 30th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn, Jupiter – After midnight look SE, or in the morning look South to find the Moon, with bright Jupiter and Saturn nearby.  The Moon is closest to Saturn on the morning of the 27th, in between on the 28th, and closest to Jupiter on the 29th.

CONSTELLATIONS...

Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.

After Dinner, Before Bed:

Big Dipper, Bootes, Virgo, Corona Borealis, Hercules – Gaze almost vertically as you face the NW, and you’ll easily find the Big Dipper: seven very bright stars that form a spoon shape. Now if you take the handle of the Dipper, follow its curve to the next bright star you see, about 30˚ away, which is Arcturus. “Follow the arc to Arcturus.” That’s the brightest star in Bootes, which looks like a kite. Take that same curve, and follow it about another 20˚ to “speed on to Spica”, the brightest star in Virgo, one of my favorite constellations, since it reminds me of the Dickinson Mermaid.  Now go back to Bootes, and just to the left of Bootes are seven stars that form the northern crown Corona Borealis, which looks more like a small bowl or a “C” in the sky. Continue a little further to the left and you’ll find the keystone asterism which is part of the constellation Hercules. Extra Challenge! Look for M13, the Hercules Cluster in between two of Hercules’ “keystone” stars.  It known as the best globular cluster in the northern skies.  It will be a fuzzy spot in binoculars and will be even cooler through a telescope

Before Work:

Summer Triangle – Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila – Look pretty much straight above you, and find the brightest star up there. You’ll notice a parallelogram attached to it. This is the brightest star Vega, part of the constellation Lyra, the harp. Directly above you will be Cygnus the Swan, with its brightest star Deneb. It will look like a large cross, or if you look out a little further, a swan flying above you. Below Cygnus and Lyra is the third constellation of the Summer Triangle, Aquila the Eagle, with its brightest star Altair. The three bright stars in this one can be easily confused for Orion’s belt, given their similar size, however they are not in line as straight, and are part of a bigger diamond shape.  Use a star chart to find small Delphinus and Sagitta in the area as well.

WATCH this on YouTube

Social Media: @mrwebbpv on Twitter and Instagram

@pvplanetarium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

April of 2021 delivers a few mornings and a few evenings of lunar close encounters, as well as a meteor shower, as we stay up later to get those dark skies.

         Welcome to Observing With Webb, where a high school astronomy teacher tells you what you’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what you should check out later this month…at night. 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Sunset – Mars

• Mars (SW-->W) – Look SW and two-thirds of the way up the sky after sunset to find the non-twinkling reddish-orange dot, much brighter than everything around it, above Taurus in the beginning of the month and above Orion toward the end. Sets around midnight in the WNW.

Throughout the night – None at the moment

Morning – Saturn, Jupiter

• Saturn, Jupiter – The two gas giants are low in the SE, getting higher and rising earlier each day. Look SE in the morning (after 5am in the beginning of the month, after 3am by the end).  Jupiter will be on the left, with Saturn up and to the right about 15˚. 

EVENTS...

Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)

Last Quarter Moon – 4th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 11th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)

First Quarter Moon – 20th (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full Moon – 26th (Visible all night)

5th – 7th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn, Jupiter – Before sunrise in the SE, between 5am and 6am EDT on these mornings, a beautiful crescent Moon will be passing by our two biggest gas planets.  On the 5th, the Moon will be about 13˚ to the right of Saturn. On the next morning (the 6th) the Moon will be just 4˚ under Saturn.  Then on the 7th, our crescent Moon hangs out just 5˚ below Jupiter.

15th – 17th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars, Pleiades, Taurus – Get out there between sunset and midnight to find the crescent Moon in the West right next to Taurus, with the Pleiades on the opposite side, and Mars far above.  On the 16th the Moon moves closer to Mars, leaving Taurus and the Pleiades behind.  Finally, on the 17th, the Moon is just 5˚above Mars.

22nd – LYRID METEOR SHOWER – 2021 is a decent year for the Lyrids, if you’re willing to get up in the morning to watch.  At only 10-20 meteors per hour, it is a minor shower, and we have a Moon just past its 1st quarter, so it won’t get drowned out by moonlight…after 4am.  You’ll still be able to see SOME meteors at night, but it’ll be better without the Moon’s light pollution.  So look North in general in the morning before dawn.  The shower is greatest on the 22nd, but you might see some on the 21st and 23rd as well.  Just remember each meteor is piece of debris left over from a comet, and we’re crashing into it at over 100,000 miles per hour, which crushes the atmosphere it hits, heating it up and causing the bright flash.

Some advice for watching:

Find a dark location and lie down in a reclining chair or something that insulates you from the ground.

Check the weather to see if the skies will be clear

Adapt your eyes to the dark by staying away from light sources or using a red light if you need to look at a star chart or not trip over something. 

If you’re feeling extra nerdy, do a scientific meteor count (S&T and IMO)

CONSTELLATIONS...

Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.

After Dinner:

Leo, Orion & his winter companions – Leo will be high in the South, almost straight above you. It has a backward question mark with a right triangle to the left of the question mark. Also, take a moment to get your last glimpse Orion, Taurus, the Pleiades, Gemini, Auriga, and Canis Major off in the West.

Before Bed:

Big Dipper, Bootes – If you look above Leo, behind you and high in the sky, you should find the Big Dipper: seven very bright stars that form a spoon shape. Now if you take the handle of the Dipper, follow its curve to the next bright star you see, about 30˚ away, which is Arcturus. “Follow the arc to Arcturus.” That’s the brightest star in Bootes, which looks like a kite. Take that same curve, and follow it about another 20˚ to “speed on to Spica”, the brightest star in Virgo, one of my favorite constellations, since it reminds me of the Dickinson Mermaid.

Before Work:

Lyra, Hercules, Hercules Cluster – Look pretty much straight above you, and find the brightest star up there. You’ll notice a parallelogram attached to it. This is the brightest star Vega, part of the constellation Lyra, the harp. Next to that is a keystone shaped constellation called Hercules. On the right side of the keystone is a small cluster of stars known at the Hercules Cluster, which is a collection of hundreds of stars on the outskirts of our galaxy. Given how high it is in the sky right now, you might catch its faint fuzziness with your naked eye, but a set of binoculars or a small telescope will really help you see it.

WATCH this on YouTube

Social Media: @mrwebbpv on Twitter and Instagram

@pvplanetarium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

The sunshine is coming!  March may be bringing some shorter nights and daylight savings time, but the sunshine and warmth during the daytime is very much appreciated! This month Mars dominates the evening sky with Taurus and the Pleiades, and Saturn, Jupiter, and Mercury dance in the morning twilight.

         Welcome to Observing With Webb, where a high school astronomy teacher tells you what you’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what you should check out later this month…at night. 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Sunset – Mars

• Mars (SW-->W) – Look SW and two-thirds of the way up the sky after sunset to find the non-twinkling reddish-orange dot, much brighter than everything around it, in between the Pleiades and Taurus in the beginning of the month, moving up throughout. Sets around midnight in the WNW.

Throughout the night – None at the moment

Morning – Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury

• Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury (SE) – The two gas giants have just started their morning appearances after their conjunction with the Sun in January, so they will be very close to the Sun in the mornings, getting higher and rising earlier each day, but difficult to see without a clear horizon. Look SE well before sunrise (about 6:30am EST in beginning, 6:50am EDT at the end of the month). Jupiter will be the lower and brighter one, with Saturn up and to the right about 10˚.  Mercury joins them as well, appearing right in between Jupiter and Saturn, but dives below and to the left of Jupiter on the 6th, getting further away and harder to spot every day.

EVENTS...

Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)

Last Quarter Moon – 3rd (Visible from midnight into the morning)

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 13th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)

First Quarter Moon – 21st (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full Moon – 28th (Visible all night)

8th – 10th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury – Before sunrise in the SE on these mornings, a beautiful crescent Moon will be passing by three of our planets.  On the 8th, the Moon will be about 20˚ (two fist-widths) to the right of Saturn. On the next morning (the 9th) the Moon will advance close to Saturn, only 7˚ away.  All the while, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn line up from left to right, with slight upward incline.  Finally, most spectacularly and most difficult to see, on the 10th the Moon will be directly below these three planets, forming a neat triangle mimicking Capricornus.  Definitely worth a shot to see, but make sure your horizon is clear.

14th – Daylight Savings Time Begins at 2am

18th – 19th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars, Pleiades, Taurus – Get out there between sunset and midnight to find the crescent Moon in the West with red, ruddy Mars close and bright just 4˚ above it.  On the 18th, make sure to notice the Pleiades to the right and Taurus to the left, making a wonderful sight.  Even better, on the 19th watch the Moon pass very close to Mars, with the Pleiades and Taurus still nearby.

20th – Spring Equinox - Astronomically the first day of Spring, even though meteorologically Spring starts in the beginning of March.  Here’s some more info.

CONSTELLATIONS...

Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.

After Dinner:

Orion & his winter companions – By 7pm, Orion is about as high as it will get for the night about halfway up the southern sky, tempting us to tour the winter constellations. Begin by finding Orion by looking for three stars in almost a straight line and close to each other, Orion’s Belt, which is surrounded by a bigger, vertical, almost rectangle of stars. Orion will be our guidepost for the other winter constellations. Start at the left belt star and draw a straight line connecting them, then continue that line far past the last belt star about 20˚ or two fist-widths held at arm’s length. There you’ll find the V constellation Taurus, with bright red Aldebaran at the top left of the V. Taurus is part of a big cluster of stars known as the Hyades.  Remember that line you just made? Follow it just 10˚ further (one fist-width) and you’ll find a mini-mini-dipper of stars call the Pleiades, which is another open cluster of stars within our Milky Way Galaxy. Let’s go back to the belt, but draw the connecting line from right to left, and continue about 20˚ past the belt, where you’ll find the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. Perhaps you can also see the constellation Canis Major, known as the big dog. We’ll stop there for this month, and pick up next month with Gemini, Auriga, and Canis Minor.

Before Bed:

Auriga, Gemini – Look almost straight up, and you’ll find a pentagon shaped constellation which is the Charioteer Auriga, with its brightest star Capella. Gemini, the twins, will be to the left of Auriga, with bright Castor and Pollux heading them up. For reference, Orion will be below both of them.

Before Work:

Big Dipper, Bootes, Virgo – The Big Dipper should be easy to find in the NW. Follow the curve of his tail or handle to the next bright star you see, about 30˚ away, which is Arcturus. “Follow the arc to Arcturus.” That’s the brightest star in Bootes, which looks like a kite. Take that same curve, and follow it about another 20˚ to “speed on to Spica”, the brightest star in Virgo, one of my favorite constellations, since it reminds me of the Dickinson Mermaid.

Don’t forget this podcast is found on my Podbean page, Stitcher, and iTunes.  There’s also a video version on my YouTube Channel and I can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @mrwebbpv. The Pequea Valley Planetarium and its events and updates are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @pvplanetarium.

Observing With Webb February 2021

WATCH this on YouTube

Social Media: @mrwebbpv on Twitter and Instagram

@pvplanetarium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

February only gets exciting in the last week with a 3-planet conjunction, although the still very long nights and the dominating presence of Orion make it a good opportunity for constellation hunting.

         Welcome to Observing With Webb, where a high school astronomy teacher tells you what you’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what you should check out later this month…at night. 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Sunset – Mars

• Mars (S-->W) – Look S and two-thirds of the way up the sky after sunset to find the non-twinkling reddish-orange dot, much brighter than everything around it. Sets around midnight in the WNW.

Throughout the night – None at the moment

Morning – Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury

• Venus (SE) – You might be able to catch a last glimpse of Venus this first week, however, it dives toward the Sun and stays close to the Sun until April.

EVENTS...

Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)

Last Quarter Moon – 4th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 11th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)

First Quarter Moon – 19th (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full Moon – 27th (Visible all night)

18th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – Get out there between sunset and midnight to find the 1st Quarter Moon in the SW with red, ruddy Mars close and bright just 4˚ above it. 

Last week of February – Close Encounter – Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury – Quite a rare sighting!  Get out there after 6am, before sunrise, and look very, very low on the SE horizon.  With a clear view and clear skies, you should be able to find Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn forming a flat triangle.  Jupiter is the lower and brighter one, with Saturn up and to the right, with Mercury in between the two. 

CONSTELLATIONS...

Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.

After Dinner:

Orion & his winter companions – By 7pm, Orion is about as high as it will get for the night about halfway up the southern sky, tempting us to tour the winter constellations. Begin by finding Orion by looking for three stars in almost a straight line and close to each other, Orion’s Belt, which is surrounded by a bigger, vertical, almost rectangle of stars. Orion will be our guidepost for the other winter constellations. Start at the left belt star and draw a straight line connecting them, then continue that line far past the last belt star about 20˚ or two fist-widths held at arm’s length. There you’ll find the V constellation Taurus, with bright red Aldebaran at the top left of the V. Taurus is part of a big cluster of stars known as the Hyades.  Remember that line you just made? Follow it just 10˚ further (one fist-width) and you’ll find a mini-mini-dipper of stars call the Pleiades, which is another open cluster of stars within our Milky Way Galaxy. Let’s go back to the belt, but draw the connecting line from right to left, and continue about 20˚ past the belt, where you’ll find the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. Perhaps you can also see the constellation Canis Major, known as the big dog. We’ll stop there for this month, and pick up next month with Gemini, Auriga, and Canis Minor.

Before Bed:

Auriga, Gemini – Look almost straight up, and you’ll find a pentagon shaped constellation which is the Charioteer Auriga, with its brightest star Capella. Gemini, the twins, will be to the left of Auriga, with bright Castor and Pollux heading them up. For reference, Orion will be below both of them.

Before Work:

Leo, Big Dipper – Leo will be more to the West than before, but the Big Dipper will be super big and bright above Leo’s backward question mark.

Don’t forget this podcast is found on my Podbean page, Stitcher, and iTunes.  There’s also a video version on my YouTube Channel and I can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @mrwebbpv. The Pequea Valley Planetarium and its events and updates are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @pvplanetarium.

CONJUNCTION MONTH! If there’s nothing else you do this month, mark your calendar, get your warm clothes set aside, and get ready for a very, very rare conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn on the 21st.  More details to come.  If you do more than that one thing, we also have another meteor shower and some good close encounters between the Moon and the planets.

         Welcome to Observing With Webb, where a high school astronomy teacher tells you what you’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what you should check out later this month…at night. 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Sunset – Saturn, Jupiter

• Saturn, Jupiter (S) – Jupiter and Saturn bow out for the year with a glorious finale. By the end of the month, these two will set just after sunset, but until then, just look Southwest after sunset, but before 8pm and find the two really bright points of light fairly close together. Jupiter will be the brighter one.  KEEP WATCHING day after day, and you’ll notice them getting noticeably closer every day, until the 21st when they are 1/10th of one degree apart. This is a very rare event and something that everyone needs to go out and see.  Watch the sunset, look southwest, and enjoy the view. More on this in the events section.

Throughout the night – Mars

• Mars (SEàSàW) – Look SE after sunset to find the non-twinkling reddish-orange dot, much brighter than everything around it. Sets around 2 or 3am in the West.

Morning – Venus

• Venus (E) – Venus rises in the East after 5am on Dec 1st, and after 6am on the 31st. Bright, brilliant, and gorgeous. Get your looks in now, since it dives closer and closer to the Sun through December, and stays close to the Sun until Summer of 2021.

EVENTS...

Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)

Last Quarter Moon – 7th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 14th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)

First Quarter Moon – 21st (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full Moon – 30th (Visible all night)

12th – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus – Get up early on Saturday morning and make sure you have a nice view of the SE horizon between 5:30am and 7:00am.  Venus and the Moon should be easy to spot, with Venus being VERY bright, and the Moon being a thin beautiful crescent. 

13th, 14th – Geminid Meteor Shower – This is a VERY good year for the Geminids. We have no Moon in the sky and the peak will occur during the evening hours on Sunday the 13th.  So get out there after dinner and take advantage of the possible 150 meteors per hour!  But be well prepared…

When? The peak is the night of December 13th, 2am local time

Where do I go? Dark area, away from lights, comfortable chair, pool float, hammock.

Where do I look? The whole sky, but note Gemini is where the radiant is - where the meteors will appear to be coming from. Gemini will be in the East after sunset, South after midnight, West in the morning.

Check the weather to see if the skies will be clear

BUNDLE UP! Far more layers than you think.

Adapt your eyes to the dark by staying away from light sources for 20 minutes or using a red light if you need to look at a star chart or not trip over something. 

If you’re feeling extra nerdy, do a scientific meteor count (S&T and IMO)

14th – You might hear some things about a total solar eclipse, but it’s in Chile and Argentina.

21st – CONJUNCTION OF JUPITER AND SATURN – This only happens every, say, couple hundred years.  Jupiter and Saturn will be within 1/10th of 1˚ of each other!  This is the event of the month, perhaps even the year.  They will be close to each other for most of the month, but they will be closest on the night of the 21st.  How do you see it?  

Get dressed VERY warmly, and head outside after sunset (4:42pm)

Look SW, where the sun just set.  Jupiter and Saturn should appear fairly quickly as the first two objects you see in the night sky just 15˚ (1.5 fist-widths) above the horizon. 

Don’t waste your time getting out there, though.  The pair sets below the horizon before 7pm, leaving you not more than an hour and half of viewing time, if your horizon is fairly flat and unobstructed. 

Definitely bring binoculars, but enjoy the entire sky.

If you have a telescope, you can get both the planets in the same eyepiece view!

21st – Winter Solstice - The longest night and shortest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. More info here: http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/december-solstice.html

23rd – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – Get out there after sunset but before 2am and find the waxing Gibbous Moon in the SE with red, ruddy Mars close and bright just 5˚ above it. 

CONSTELLATIONS...

Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.

After Dinner:

Cassiopeia, Andromeda, & Perseus - Look pretty much straight up you’ll be able to see Andromeda curving off of one corner of Pegasus. If your skies are decently dark, you might catch the faint fuzz that is the Andromeda Galaxy.  Cassiopeia will be relatively easy to find as the “W” in the sky, whose right angle points right to Andromeda and her galaxy.  Perseus is the other cornucopia-shaped constellation, but opposite of Andromeda, with its curves emptying out toward the Pleiades

Before Bed:

Taurus & the Pleiades – Look almost straight up, but down toward the South a little bit and you’ll find the lovely cluster of stars known as the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, Subaru, or the mini-mini-dipper. You can easily see 5 or 6 of them with the unaided eye, and perhaps a 7th, depending on light pollution and your eyes.  To the left about 5˚ will be the V constellation of Taurus the bull, with bright red Aldebaran as its brightest, and one eye of the bull. Oh, and if you follow a line connecting these two to the left about 10˚, you’ll find Orion.

Before Work:

Leo – Look South, halfway up the sky, to find the backward question mark and right triangle that is Leo the Lion.

Don’t forget this podcast is found on my Podbean page, Stitcher, and iTunes.  There’s also a video version on my YouTube Channel and I can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @mrwebbpv. The Pequea Valley Planetarium and its events and updates are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @pvplanetarium.

WATCH this on YouTube

Social Media: @mrwebbpv on Twitter and Instagram

@pvplanetarium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

         November this year is quite the month of change.  We have an election, daylight savings time ends, and the nights quickly get longer and longer.  All five naked-eye planets are easily visible at different parts of the night, the Leonids will grace the mid-month skies, and the Moon makes its monthly visits in line with the planets.

         Welcome to Observing With Webb, where a high school astronomy teacher tells you what you’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what you should check out later this month…at night. 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Sunset – Saturn, Jupiter

• Saturn, Jupiter (S) – Just look South or Southwest after sunset, but before 10:30pm (8:30pm at the end of the month) and find the two really bright points of light fairly close together. In fact, they start off 5˚ apart (three finger-widths) and end up on November 30th being just 2˚ apart (two pinky-widths).  To find Jupiter, just look for the brightest spot no more than 30˚ above the horizon.  Saturn will be to the left.  These make a great pair for getting your binoculars and telescopes out.  You can see the rings of Saturn and moons of Jupiter fairly easily, and you don’t have to do too much to switch from one planet to the other.  In fact, get your practice in now, because on December 21st, these two planets will have a brilliant conjunction!

Throughout the night – Mars

• Mars (ESE-S-W) – Look East or South East around sunset or South around 10:30pm to find the non-twinkling reddish-orange dot, much brighter than everything around it. If you’re looking in the morning, look West, but make sure you get out there before it sets at 5am at the beginning of the month and 3am at the end of the month.

Morning – Venus, Mercury

• Venus (E) – Venus rises in the East around at 4:30am on Nov 1st, and 5:45am on the 30th. Bright, brilliant, and gorgeous. Get your looks in now, since it dives closer and closer to the Sun through December, and stays close to the Sun until Summer of 2021.

EVENTS...

Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)

Last Quarter Moon – 8th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 15th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)

First Quarter Moon – 22nd (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full Moon – 30th (Visible all night)

11th – 13th – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus, Mercury – Make sure you have a nice view of the Eastern horizon at least 45 minutes before sunrise (6:45am). Venus and the Moon should be easy to spot, with Venus being VERY bright, and the Moon being its big beautiful crescent.  On the 11th, the Moon will be about two fist-widths above Venus, with Mercury below Venus.  On the 12th, the Moon will move to within 6˚ or about three finger-widths above Venus. THE BEST PART is on the morning of Friday the 13th! The Moon will be BETWEEN Venus and Mercury!

17th – Leonid Meteor Shower – This annual, weak (10-15 per hour), meteor shower can have some wonderful years. 2020 appears to be decent. Why? We essentially have a New Moon, so there’s no extra light pollution to interfere with our observing.  This year, you want to get up early in the morning on Thursday the 17th, between 3:00 and 5:30am, and take a nice look at the sky in general, noting that the meteors will appear to go from the radiant in the head of Leo and outward.

18th – 19th – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter, Saturn – Get out after sunset and find the Moon toward the Southwest, low on the horizon, and a thin waxing crescent. On the 18th, the Moon will be down and to the right of Jupiter, the brightest point nearby, with Saturn to the left of Jupiter and also bright.  Then, on the 19th, the Moon moves to the left of Saturn, forming a very flat triangle with Jupiter and Saturn.  Definitely an easy and worthwhile sight, but get out there before 8pm when they set.

25th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – Get out there after sunset and find the waxing Gibbous Moon in the SE with red, ruddy Mars close and bright just 5˚ above it. 

CONSTELLATIONS...

Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.

After Dinner:

Pegasus & Andromeda - Look pretty much straight up you’ll be able to see the Great Square of Pegasus, with Andromeda curving off of one corner. If your skies are decently dark, you might catch the faint fuzz that is the Andromeda Galaxy.

Before Bed:

Andromeda, Perseus, Triangulum, Aries – Find Pegasus off to the West a little bit to find the cornucopia shaped Andromeda again. Keep following the cornucopia shape to find Perseus, which has kind of a similar shape, except opening up toward the southern horizon and the Pleiades.  Below Perseus and Andromeda will be Triangulum, a small thin triangle, and Aries the Ram, which looks more like a curved walking cane on its side.

Before Work:

Orion – Look southwest to find the vertical bow-tie that is Orion the Hunter.

Don’t forget this podcast is found on my Podbean page, Stitcher, and iTunes.  There’s also a video version on my YouTube Channel and I can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @mrwebbpv. The Pequea Valley Planetarium and its events and updates are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @pvplanetarium.

WATCH this on YouTube

Social Media: @mrwebbpv on Twitter and Instagram

@pvplanetarium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Mars Month!  October is pretty awesome this year.  Two Full Moons, one on Halloween, four brilliantly positioned planets, the Orionid Meteor Shower, and the opposition of Mars are making October of 2020 a rich month for getting out there and investigating the night sky

         Welcome to Observing With Webb, where a high school astronomy teacher tells you what you’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what you should check out later this month…at night. 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Sunset – Saturn, Jupiter

• Saturn, Jupiter (S) – Just look South or Southwest before midnight (10:30pm at the end of the month) and find the two really bright points of light fairly close together (less than a fist-width). To find Jupiter, just look for the brightest spot no more than 30˚ above the horizon.  Saturn will be about 5˚ to the left.  These make a great pair for getting your binoculars and telescopes out.  You can see the rings of Saturn and moons of Jupiter fairly easily, and not have to do too much to switch from one planet to the other.  In fact, get your practice in now, because on December 21st, these two planets will have a brilliant conjunction!

Throughout the night – Mars

• Mars (E-S-W) – Look East around sunset, south around midnight, and west in the morning for the non-twinkling reddish-orange dot. Reaches opposition this month, so it’s bigger in our telescopes than normal and a good chance to get a look at it.  More details in the events section.

Morning – Venus, Mars

• Venus (E) – Venus rises around at 4:30am in the East, and is almost 30˚ above the horizon by sunrise. Bright, brilliant, and gorgeous.

EVENTS...

Full Moon – 1st (Visible all night)

Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)

Last Quarter Moon – 9th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 16th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)

First Quarter Moon – 23rd (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full “Blue” Moon – 31st (Visible all night)

2nd – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – Get out there after 9:30pm and find the Moon with red, ruddy Mars close and bright less than 2˚ away. 

6th – 13th – Opposition of Mars – Really, ANY time this month is a great time to see Mars, but opposition is the 13th and closest approach on the 6th.  This is when the Earth is “lapping” Mars on the inside track, which happens about every two years or so.  Because we’re lapping it, we are closer to it, and thus it is bigger in our telescopes.  If all you’ve got is your naked eye, look for the very bright reddish-orange spot.  It’ll be rising in the East after 7pm, high in the South around midnight, and setting in the West around sunrise.  If you have binoculars or a telescope, you might just be able to catch the disk of Mars, which is a little bit smaller than the disk of Jupiter and about the same size as Saturn right now.  If you have some good seeing, you’ll be able to catch the surface markings as well.   

13th – 14th – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus – Make sure you have a nice view of the Eastern horizon after 4:30am when they rise. Venus and the Moon should be easy to spot, with Venus being VERY bright, and the Moon being its big beautiful crescent, above Venus on the 13th, and just 5˚ to the left of Venus on the 14th. 

20th – 22nd – Orionid Meteor Shower – A decent meteor shower, producing around 15 meteors per hour. Your best chance to see them will be in the morning on the 21st.  Get out there between midnight and sunrise, let your eyes get dark adapted (don’t look at your phone), find a nice spot to lie down away from light pollution, be patient, and look at the whole sky, with an understanding that they will be coming from a spot in Orion’s club.

22nd – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter, Saturn– Get out after sunset and find the Moon toward the South. Jupiter will be the brightest point nearby, with Saturn to the left of Jupiter and also bright.

29th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars #2 – Get out there after sunset and find the almost Full Moon in the East with red, ruddy Mars close and bright less than 4˚ above it. 

CONSTELLATIONS...

Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.

After Dinner:

The Summer Triangle: Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila, Delphinus - Look straight up before 8pm and you’ll be able to see Lyra (the Harp), Cygnus (the Swan), Aquila (the Eagle), (and Delphinus the Dolphin.)  These three constellations have the three brightest stars of the summer constellations (Vega, Deneb, Altair – respectively.)  Those bright stars create the summer triangle.  Off to the east of this is the small but beautiful constellation of Delphinus. If you’re under dark skies (away from city lights) you may just catch a glimpse of the Milky Way passing through Cygnus and Aquila. 

Before Bed:

Fall Constellations: Pegasus & Andromeda - Look pretty much straight up before 10pm and you’ll be able to see the Great Square of Pegasus, with Andromeda curving off of one corner. If your skies are decently dark, you might catch the faint fuzz that is the Andromeda Galaxy.

Before Work:

Orion – Look south to find the vertical bow-tie that is Orion the Hunter.

Don’t forget this podcast is found on my Podbean page, Stitcher, and iTunes.  There’s also a video version on my YouTube Channel and I can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @mrwebbpv. The Pequea Valley Planetarium and its events and updates are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @pvplanetarium.

WATCH this on YouTube

Social Media: @mrwebbpv on Twitter and Instagram

@pvplanetarium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

School is starting, the nights are getting longer, and two gas giants are dominating the night skies while two terrestrial planets make morning appearances.

         Welcome to Observing With Webb, where a high school astronomy teacher tells you what you’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what you should check out later this month…at night. 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Sunset – Saturn, Jupiter

• Saturn, Jupiter (S) – Just look South or Southwest before midnight and find the two really bright points of light fairly close together (less than a fist-width). To find Jupiter, just look for the brightest spot no more than 30˚ above the horizon.  Saturn will be about 7˚ to the left.  These make a great pair for getting your binoculars and telescopes out.  You can see the rings of Saturn and moons of Jupiter fairly easily, and not have to do too much to switch from one planet to the other.

Throughout the night – Mars

• Mars (E-S-W) – Look East around sunset, south around midnight, and west in the morning for the non-twinkling reddish-orange dot.

Morning - Venus, Mars

• Venus (E) – Venus rises around at 3:30am in the East, and is about 30˚ above the horizon by sunrise (6:30ish).

EVENTS...

Full Moon – 2nd (Visible all night)

Last Quarter Moon – 10th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

New Moon – 17th (darkest skies)

First Quarter Moon – 23rd (Visible until midnight)

5th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – Get out there after 9:30pm and find the Moon with red, ruddy Mars close and bright nearby. 

14th – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus – Make sure you have a nice view of the Eastern horizon after 3:30am when they rise. Venus and the Moon should be easy to spot, with Venus being VERY bright, and the Moon being its big beautiful crescent, just 4˚ to the left of Venus. 

22nd– Fall Equinox – When all locations on Earth experience a day of almost exactly 12 hours and a night of almost exactly 12 hours.  It is the astronomical first day of fall, even though meteorologically it typically starts in the beginning of September.

24th – 25th – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter, Saturn– Get out after sunset and find the Moon toward the SE. Jupiter will be the brightest point nearby, with Saturn to the left of Jupiter and also bright.

CONSTELLATIONS...

Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.

After Dinner:

Sagittarius – Use binoculars (or even a telescope) and a star chart to scan through the southern constellation of Sagittarius.  Currently the home constellation of Saturn.      There are at least 7 easily visible clusters and nebulas up and to the right of the “teapot” of Sagittarius.

The Summer Triangle: Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila, Delphinus - Look straight up before 10pm and you’ll be able to see Lyra (the Harp), Cygnus (the Swan), Aquila (the Eagle), (and Delphinus the Dolphin.)  These three constellations have the three brightest stars of the summer constellations (Vega, Deneb, Altair – respectively.)  Those bright stars create the summer triangle.  Off to the east of this is the small but beautiful constellation of Delphinus. If you’re under dark skies (away from city lights) you may just catch a glimpse of the Milky Way passing through Cygnus and Aquila.  If you’re looking past 10pm, they’ll be moving toward the West and lower in the sky.

Before Work:

Cassiopeia – Just a few degrees below the zenith, in the North, is the Queen. Just look North and tilt your head almost all the way up, and you’ll see the 5 bright stars that form an M or upside down W in the sky, depending on what font you normally use. The angle on the left will be ALMOST a right angle, with the one on the right being obtuse.

Don’t forget this podcast is found on my Podbean page, Stitcher, and iTunes.  There’s also a video version on my YouTube Channel and I can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @mrwebbpv. The Pequea Valley Planetarium and its events and updates are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @pvplanetarium.