Observing With Webb

Observing With Webb

By Rob WebbNatural Sciences
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Observing With Webb episodes

  • June 2019

    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. 

    June will be warmer, with shorter nights, but still some good events. Watch for Mercury and Mars in a conjunction mid-month, Jupiter up all night long, and some good lunar close encounters.

     

    Naked-eye PLANETS...

    • Around Sunset – Mars (W) until 10:30pm – 9:30pm, Mercury (W) until 10pm
  • Throughout the night – Jupiter (SEàSàSW), Saturn (SEàSW)
  • Morning – Saturn (SW), Jupiter (SW)

    • Mercury

    • Makes something of an appearance this month, by starting out low on the Western horizon after sunset, setting itself around 10pm but getting a little higher each night until the last week. Make sure you have a clear horizon to the WNW, where Mars will also be making an appearance, with both planets closest together on the 18th.

    Venus

    • Not really visible. You MIGHT catch it if you have binoculars pointing ENE an hour before sunrise, low on the horizon.

    Mars

    • Mars is already in the W around sunset and setting a little after 10:30pm in the beginning of the month, getting lower each day until it sets around 9:30 at the end of the month. Mars will pass right by Mercury on the 18th. Bring some binoculars to help, but your naked eye should be sufficient to catch both of the planets in West after sunset until the last week of June.

    Jupiter

    • Will be reaching opposition this month, meaning it’s off in the SE after sunset, passes by the South after midnight, and sets in the SW right around sunrise. Great time to get the telescope out to see the cloud bands and Galilean moons.

    Saturn

    • Rising between 11pm and 9pm, Saturn will be about 30˚ to the left of Jupiter all month, hanging out in the top left of Sagittarius. If you’re up early, it’s a good time to observe its highly tilted rings, as it’s still above the horizon in the SW before sunrise.

     

    EVENTS...

    New Moon – 3rd (darkest skies)

    First Quarter Moon – 10th (Visible until midnight)

    Full Moon – 17th (Visible all night)

    Last Quarter Moon – 25th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

    4th/5th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars, Mercury – A VERY very thin crescent Moon will be technically visible just 5˚ to the left of Mercury and VERY low on the horizon, but you’ll probably need binoculars to catch either of them. The next night on the 5th, the Moon will be higher and a tad thicker and now 5˚ up and to the left of Mars, making a nice string of objects – Moon, Mars, Mercury.

    16th – 19th – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter, Saturn – Get out after sunset on the 16th to find the Moon only 4˚ down and to the left of Jupiter.  Watch them travel together throughout the night to the West by sunrise. The next night, the Moon will move to be almost directly in the middle between Jupiter and Saturn. The 18th is when the Moon visits Saturn, only 1˚ below, starting around 10pm. Lastly, the Moon finishes off the left side of a Moon-Saturn-Jupiter lineup on the 19th.

    16th – 19th – Conjunction – Mars, Mercury – Get out right after sunset with a pair of binoculars. Look W and a tiny bit to the right to find Mars and Mercury less than 1˚ apart, with Mars on the left and Mercury on the right before the 18th. Then, on the 18th, Mercury is directly above Mars. Then they switch positions and Mercury is moving to the left of Mars.

    21st – Summer Solstice – This is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.  There’s a bit of explanation as to why here.

     

     

    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.

    Don’t forget to check out my Podbean page, YouTube Channel, and Twitter feed, or get my podcast feed on Stitcher, or iTunes.

     

    17 min
  • May 2019

    WATCH this on YouTube

    LISTEN as a podcast on Podbean, Stitcher, or iTunes

     

             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.  Don’t forget to check out my Podbean page, YouTube Channel, and Twitter feed, or get my podcast feed on Stitcher, or iTunes.

    May is looking to be a great month for catching up on constellations, enjoying the warm air, and checking out the Moon getting close to the planets.

     

    Naked-eye PLANETS...

    • Around Sunset – Mars (W) until 10:30pm
  • Throughout the night – None
  • Morning – Venus (E), Saturn (S), Jupiter (SW)

    •  

    Mercury

    • Not easily visible this month.

    Venus

    • Venus is getting harder and harder to see, as it gets closer to the Sun from our perspective. You’ll have to look low on the Eastern horizon about an hour before sunrise up until sunrise. It will be the only or brightest point of light in that direction.

    Mars

    • Mars is already in the W around sunset and setting a little after 10:30 each night, which gives you less time, given the later and later sunset. Moves through Taurus. Dimmer, but still brighter and redder than its surroundings.

    Jupiter

    • Rising between 11:30pm and 10pm, Jupiter will be very bright in the morning, off to the SSW, only about 20˚ high.

    Saturn

    • Rising between 1:30am and 11:30pm, Saturn will be about 25˚ to the left of Jupiter all month, hanging out in the top left of Sagittarius.

     

    EVENTS...

    New Moon – 4th (darkest skies)

    First Quarter Moon – 11th (Visible until midnight)

    Full Moon – 18th (Visible all night)

    Last Quarter Moon – 26th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

    7th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – Get out after dinner, find a very thin crescent Moon in the West, and Mars will be about 4˚ up and to the right of the Moon.

    20th – 23rd – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter, Saturn – Get out after midnight and into the morning on these 4 days to watch a waning gibbous Moon travel by two great gaseous planets. Look South, and on the 20th, the Moon will be about 5˚ to Jupiter’s right, with Saturn on the opposite side of Jupiter, about 20˚ away. The following morning, the Moon will have moved to the other side of Jupiter, and then on the 22nd it will be closer to Saturn than Jupiter, but still on Saturn’s right. On the last day, the 23rd, the Moon will finally be on the left of Saturn by about 5˚.

     

     

    CONSTELLATIONS...

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

    After Dinner, Before Bed:

    Leo, Big Dipper, Bootes – 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. 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.

     

    11 min
  • April 2019
    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.  Don’t forget to check out my Podbean page, YouTube Channel, and Twitter feed, or get my podcast feed on Stitcher, or iTunes.
    April is fairly non-eventful, except for the annual Lyrid meteor shower and some good close encounters between the Moon and Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, and at least one rocket launch.
     
    Naked-eye PLANETS...
    Around Sunset – Mars (W) until 10:30pm
    Throughout the night – None
    Morning –Venus (E), Saturn (S), Jupiter (SSW)
     
    Mercury
    Not easily visible this month.
    Venus
    Venus is getting harder and harder to see, as it gets closer to the Sun from our perspective. You’ll have to look low on the Eastern horizon about an hour before sunrise up until sunrise. It will be the only or brightest point of light in that direction.
    Mars
    Mars is already in the W around sunset and setting a little after 10:30 each night, which gives you less time, given the later and later sunset. Moves through Taurus. Dimmer, but still brighter and redder than its surroundings.
    Jupiter
    Rising between 1am and 11:30pm, Jupiter will be very bright in the morning, off to the SSW, only about 20˚ high.
    Saturn
    Rising between 3:30am and 1:30am, Saturn will be about 25˚ to the left of Jupiter all month, hanging out in the top left of Sagittarius.
     
    EVENTS...
    New Moon – 5th (darkest skies)
    First Quarter Moon – 14th (Visible until midnight)
    Full Moon – 19th (Visible all night)
    Last Quarter Moon – 26th (Visible from midnight into the morning)
    8th & 9th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – Get out after dinner, find the crescent Moon in the West, and Mars will be about 6˚ up and to the right of the Moon on the 8th, and 9˚ down and to the right of the Moon on the 9th. Also note Taurus, Taurus’ brightest star Aldebaran, and the Pleiades hanging out in the mix there.
    17th - Rocket Launch – NASA will be sending another cargo resupply to the International Space Station on an Antares rocket from Wallops Island in V
    22nd – LYRID METEOR SHOWER – Not the best year for not the strongest shower, at only 10-20 meteors per hour, and the Moon will be a waning gibbous (very bright), so look North in general in the morning before dawn. 
    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)
    Or find out if your local astronomy club or museum is holding a viewing party.
    23rd – 24th – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter – Get out after 11pm on the 23rd and into the morning on the 24th to find the Moon only 2˚ up and to the right of Jupiter.
    25th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Get out after 2am and into the morning on the 25th to find the Moon only 3˚ to the right of Saturn. If you live in Eastern Australia, New Zealand, and western South America, you can actually witness the Moon passing in front of Saturn.
     
    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.
    12 min
  • March 2019
    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.  Don’t forget to check out my Podbean page, YouTube Channel, and Twitter feed, or get my podcast feed on Stitcher, or iTunes.
    A great morning lineup in the beginning of the month, all the naked-eye planets visible at some point in the month, and a great lineup ending the month is making March another great morning planetary astronomy month.
     
    Naked-eye PLANETS...
    Around Sunset – Mars (SW) until 10:30pm, Mercury (W – first week)
    Throughout the night – None
    Morning – Mercury (E – last week), Venus (SE), Saturn (SSE), Jupiter (S)
     
    Mercury
    Should be able to catch it after sunset in the West, less than one fist-width above the horizon, but only for the first week. Then, during the las week of March, Mercury will reappear in the morning sky, but very low on the Eastern horizon. You’ll need binoculars and a very clear view.
    Venus
    Rises between 4:30am and 6am, and is the brightest object in the morning sky, other than the Moon. Is only about one fist-width or 10˚ above the horizon
    Mars
    Mars is already in the SW around sunset, traveling toward the W and setting a little after 10:30 each night. Moves closer to Taurus throughout the month. Dimmer, but still brighter and redder than its surroundings.
    Jupiter
    Rising between 2am and 3am, Jupiter will be very bright in the morning, and the highest planet in the South.
    Saturn
    Hangs out between Venus and Jupiter all month
     
    EVENTS...
    New Moon – 6th (darkest skies)
    First Quarter Moon – 14th (Visible until midnight)
    Full Moon – 20th (Visible all night)
    Last Quarter Moon – 27th (Visible from midnight into the morning)
     
    Feb 26th – March 3rd – Morning Lineup #1 – Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus – Any time after 5am these mornings, you’ll see the three planets lined up (bright Venus is lowest, dimmer Saturn a fist-width to the right and up a little bit, and Jupiter 2.5 fist-widths further from Saturn), with the Moon traveling through. 
                      26th – Moon is up and to the right of Jupiter
                      27th – Crescent Moon is just 2˚ above Jupiter
                      28th – Crescent Moon is in between Jupiter and Saturn
                      3/1 – Crescent Moon is about 3˚ up and to the right of Saturn
                      3/2 – Crescent Moon is about 5˚ to the right of Venus
                      3/3 – VERY THIN crescent Moon 6˚ down and to the left of Venus
    10th – Daylight Savings Time Begins at 2am
    11th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – Get out after dinner, find the crescent Moon, and Mars will be about 6˚ to the right until they set around 11pm EDT. Also note Taurus and the Pleiades just above them.
    20th - Spring Equinox - Astronomically the first day of Spring, even though meteorologically Spring starts in the beginning of March.  Here’s some more info.
    25th – April 2nd – Morning Lineup #2 – Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury? – Any time after 6am these mornings, you’ll see the three (maybe FOUR!) planets lined up (bright Venus is lowest, dimmer Saturn 50˚ to the right and up a little bit, and Jupiter 2.5 fist-widths further from Saturn), with the Moon traveling through.  Mercury is about 10˚ to the left of Venus, and a bit lower, but still technically visible, especially toward the beginning of April.
                      25th – Gibbous Moon is 20˚ up and to the right of Jupiter
                      26th – Gibbous Moon is only 8˚ up and to the right of Jupiter
                      27th – Quarter Moon is just 4˚ to the left of Jupiter
                      28th – Quarter Moon is in between Jupiter and Saturn
                      29th – Crescent Moon is about 3˚ down and to the left of Saturn
                      30th – Crescent Moon is in between Venus and Saturn
                      31st – Thin crescent Moon is in between Venus and Saturn
                      April 1st – Thin crescent Moon is 10˚ to the right of Venus
                      April 2nd – Thin crescent Moon is 4˚ below Venus, with Mercury to the left making an awesome triangle. Bring binoculars.
     
    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.
    16 min
  • February 2019
    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.  Don’t forget to check out my Podbean page, YouTube Channel, and Twitter feed, or get my podcast feed on Stitcher, or iTunes.
    A great morning lineup in the beginning of the month, a conjunction mid-month, all the naked-eye planets visible at some point in the month, winter constellations, and a great lineup ending the month is making February look like a GREAT month for naked eye astronomy.
     
    Naked-eye PLANETS...
    Around Sunset – Mars (SW) until 11pm, Mercury (W – last two weeks)
    Throughout the night – None
    Morning – Saturn (SE), Venus (SE), Jupiter (SE)
    Mercury
    Should be able to catch it after sunset in the West, less than one fist-width above the horizon, but only for the last two weeks.
    Venus
    Rises around 4:00am, and is the brightest object in the morning sky, other than the Moon, and trails Jupiter by about one fist-width at the beginning of the month, and 3.5 fist-widths by the end of the month. Close to Saturn on the 18th.
    Mars
    Mars is already in the SW around sunset, traveling toward the W and setting a little after 11pm each night. Moves into Aries throughout the month. Dimmer, but still brighter than its surroundings.
    Jupiter
    Rising around 3am, Jupiter will be very bright in the morning, and the highest one in the SE.
    Saturn
    In the beginning of the month, Saturn rises in the SE around 6am, after and below Venus, but rises earlier each day. By the end of the month, it rises at 4am and is on the opposite side of Venus. It will pass, and be closet to, Venus on the 18th.
     
    EVENTS...
    New Moon – 4th (darkest skies)
    First Quarter Moon – 12th (Visible until midnight)
    Full Moon – 19th (Visible all night)
    Last Quarter Moon – 26th (Visible from midnight into the morning)
    Jan 30th – Feb 2nd – Morning Lineup #1 – Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, and the Moon will all be lined up in the SSE these four mornings.  Jupiter will be the highest planet, rising after 4am, with the brightest planet Venus trailing only 8˚ behind.  Saturn will be the hardest to find, very low on the horizon around 6:30am, and 20˚ down and to the left of Venus. Where does the Moon come in? On the 30th, it’s above Jupiter, and on the very next day it travels to within 2˚ to the right of Venus. Feb 1st it will be directly in between Venus and Saturn. February 2nd will be a challenge, but binoculars will help you find Saturn and an extremely thin crescent Moon down and to the left.
    10th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – Get out after sunset, find the crescent Moon, and Mars will be about 6˚ up to the right until they set around 11pm.
    18th – Conjunction – Saturn, Venus – Get out in the morning after 5am but before 6:30ish and look low in the SE for Saturn and Venus less than 1˚ apart. Venus will be MUCH brighter and only a pinky’s width away from Saturn.  Don’t forget to check this out on the couple of days before and after, as the planets will still be close together.
    26th – March 3rd – Morning Lineup #2 – Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus – Any time after 5am these mornings, you’ll see the three planets lined up (bright Venus is lowest, dimmer Saturn a fist-width to the right and up a little bit, and Jupiter 2.5 fist-widths further from Saturn), with the Moon traveling through. 
                      26th – Moon is up and to the right of Jupiter
                      27th – Crescent Moon is just 2˚ above Jupiter
                      28th – Crescent Moon is in between Jupiter and Saturn
                      3/1 – Crescent Moon is about 3˚ up and to the right of Saturn
                               3/2 – Crescent Moon is about 5˚ to the right of Venus
                               3/3 – VERY THIN crescent Moon 6˚ down and to the left of Venus
     
     
    CONSTELLATIONS...
    (see sky map link at the bottom for a Star Map for this month)   
    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.
    Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.
    15 min
  • December 2018
    Apologies for the delay this month. Backstage passes to rocket launches apparently take up a lot of time. More to come on another episode about that...
     
    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.  Don’t forget to check out my Podbean page, YouTube Channel, and Twitter feed, or get my podcast feed on Stitcher, or iTunes.
    Geminid meteors, lunar close encounters, and even a conjunction all make December of 2018 a pretty active month, along with the longest nights of the year to give you plenty of time to get out there and see something stellar.
     
    Naked-eye PLANETS...
    Around Sunset – Saturn (SW-1st half), Mars (S)
    Throughout the night – Mars (S-->W)
    Morning – Venus (SE), Mercury (ESE-2nd half), Jupiter (SE-2nd half)
     
    Mercury
    Should be able to catch it low in the ESE by the 8th and every morning after 6am for the rest of the month. Gets really close to Jupiter on the 21st. About 25˚ down and to the left of super bright Venus.
    Venus
    This is the highlight of every morning. As a crescent (in binoculars) in the beginning of the month, it is VERY bright, and easily visible about 30˚ above SE horizon all month. It rises as early as 4:00am. If you have binoculars or a telescope, you should easily see it transform from a crescent to a half phase throughout the month, about the size of Jupiter in your view.
    Mars
    Mars is already in the S around sunset, traveling toward the W and setting a little after 11pm each night. Moves from Aquarius to Pisces throughout the month. Absolutely gorgeous and bright and red right now, but not so breathtaking in a telescope. However, if you’re looking at it on the evening of the 6th, Neptune is right nearby (telescope needed).
    Jupiter
    Wait for the second half of the month, when Jupiter starts rising up out of the SE and catches up to Mercury on the 21st, passing it for the rest of the month.
    Saturn
    Your last chance for a little while is the first two weeks in December. It’s only about 10˚ above the SW horizon, and sets less than an hour after sunset.
     
    EVENTS...
    New Moon – 7th (darkest skies)
    First Quarter Moon – 15th (Visible until midnight)
    Full Moon – 22nd (Visible all night)
    Last Quarter Moon – 29th (Visible from midnight into the morning)
     
    3rd – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus – Anytime between 3:40am and 7:08am sunrise, look SE to find a beautiful thin crescent Moon just 5˚ above the beacon that is Venus.
    5th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mercury – If you get out after 6:15am with a clear view of your SE horizon, an even thinner crescent Moon will be about 5˚ above Mercury, until dawn washes out the smallest planet.
    6th – 7th – Close Encounter – Mars, Neptune – You’ll absolutely need a telescope for this, but check out Neptune being less than 1˚ away from Mars. Use online star charts for specific directions, or just look for the blue-ish dot near red Mars in your scope.
    8th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Find a VERY thin crescent Moon off in the SW after sunset and you’ll see Saturn only 4˚ up and to the left. Make sure you have a clear horizon.
    13th, 14th – Geminid Meteor Shower – A decent year for the Geminids, given the moon will be just shy of first-quarter (less than half-lit and setting after 11pm), giving us a shot at over 100 meteors per hour later in the night, depending on your light pollution levels.
    Some advice for watching:
    Find a dark location and lie down in a reclining chair or swimming pool floaty
    Look at 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
    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)
    Or find out if your local astronomy club or museum is holding a viewing party.
    14th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – An almost half-lit Moon will get to within 4˚ below Mars tonight.
    21st – Conjunction – Jupiter, Mercury – Get out in the morning after 6:20am but before 7ish and look very low in the SE for Jupiter and Mercury side-by-side less than 1˚ apart. Mercury will be on the left and dimmer than Jupiter.
    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
    31st – Morning Lineup – Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and the Moon will all be lined up and almost equidistant apart. Just get out there before dawn.
     
    CONSTELLATIONS...
    (see sky map link at the bottom for a Star Map for this month)   
    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:
    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.
    Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.
    16 min
  • November 2018
    WATCH this on YouTubeLISTEN as a podcast on Podbean, Stitcher, or iTunes
             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.  Don’t forget to check out my Podbean page, YouTube Channel, and Twitter feed, or get my podcast feed on Stitcher, or iTunes.
    Venus switches over to a morning star, and a brilliant morning star at that, Mars dominates the evening sky, Saturn tries to stay visible for another month, the Leonids try to break through the gibbous moonlight, and the Moon passes by Mars and Saturn.
     
    Naked-eye PLANETS...
    Around Sunset – Saturn (SW), Mars (S)
    Throughout the night – Mars (SàW)
    Morning – Venus (E)
     
    Mercury
    Lost in the glare of the Sun this month
    Venus
    Becomes a brilliant morning star for the next half year or so. Even as a very thin crescent in the beginning of the month, it is VERY bright, and easily visible just above the ESE horizon starting late the first week of the month. It’ll get up to about 30˚ above the horizon by the end of November, and visible as early as 4:30am. If you have binoculars or a telescope, you should easily see it transform from a very thin crescent to a smaller but thicker crescent throughout the month, about the size of Jupiter in your view.
    Mars
    Mars is already in the S around sunset, traveling toward the W and setting around 11:30pm each night. Moves from Capricornus to Aquarius throughout the month. Absolutely gorgeous and bright and red right now, but not so breathtaking in a telescope.
    Jupiter
    Lost in the glare of the Sun this month, and probably next
    Saturn
    Starts to dive lower in the sky quickly this month. Already up around sunset. Look about 20˚ above the SW horizon in evening above Sagittarius. Sets around 8pm in the beginning of the month, and 6pm at the end of the month. Get binoculars or a telescope out to check out the rings.
     
    EVENTS...
    4th – Daylight Savings Time Ends
    New Moon – 7th (darkest skies)
    11th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Find a thin crescent Moon off in the SW after sunset and you’ll see Saturn only 3˚ off to the right and down a little bit, both just above the teapot of Sagittarius.
    First Quarter Moon – 15th (Visible until midnight)
    15th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – A half-lit Moon will get to within 3˚ of Mars tonight.
    17th – Leonid Meteor Shower – You might just catch a couple meteors coming from Leo, if you get out early in the morning and look at the whole sky in general, like other meteor showers.  However, this meteor shower is losing steam throughout the years, but still producing about 15 per hour. The Gibbous Moon will make it hard to see many of the fainter meteors in the early evening.
    Full Moon – 23rd (Visible all night)
    Last Quarter Moon – 30th (Visible from midnight into the morning)
     
    CONSTELLATIONS...
    (see sky map link at the bottom for a Star Map for this month)   
    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.
    Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.
    12 min
  • October 2018
    Apologies for the audio quality on this episode.
     
    Get your last look at Jupiter while Saturn is staying up shorter and shorter amounts of time, and take most of the night to appreciate Mars. October also brings us the annual Orionid Meteor Shower and this year Halloween will have moonless skies.
     
    Naked-eye PLANETS...
    Around Sunset – Jupiter (SW), Saturn (SSW), Mars (ESE)
    Throughout the night – Mars (SE--SW)
    Morning – None
     
    Mercury
    Not visible.
    Venus
    Passes in front of the Sun (inferior conjunction), not visible.
    Mars
    Mars is already in the SSE around sunset, right in the middle of Capricorn, traveling toward the SW and setting around 1am.
    Jupiter
    Technically up in the SW around sunset, but the dusk will make it a bit difficult to see, as it’s only 10˚ above the horizon. The earlier in the month you look, the better. If you want good views, you’ll have to wait a couple of months and get up early
    Saturn
    Already up around sunset. Look about 20˚ above the SSW horizon in evening above Sagittarius. Sets around 10:30pm.
     
    EVENTS...
    Last Quarter Moon – 2nd (Visible from midnight into the morning)
    New Moon – 8th (darkest skies)
    11th – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter – Get out your binoculars and go to a spot with a very clear view of the SW horizon. Try finding the very thin crescent Moon after 6:30pm, but before 7:45pm and you’ll also find Jupiter down and to the left about 3˚
    14th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Find the Moon and you’ll see Saturn off to the left only 2˚, both just above the teapot of Sagittarius.
    First Quarter Moon – 16th (Visible until midnight)
    17th & 18th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – Looking for Mars? Well, it’s the slightly red and fairly bright red spot in the sky.  Need a reference point? Find the Moon! On the 17th, Mars will be about 6˚ to the left of the Moon. Overnight, the Moon will move to the opposite side of Mars (from our perspective) and they will again be separated by only 6˚.
    20th – 22nd – Orionid Meteor Shower – I usually don’t say much about this one, since it usually produces only 10-15 meteors per hour. But that doesn’t mean you should give up hope. Your best bet is likely to look toward the north, away from the Moon, and especially after 4:30am when the Moon sets and stops polluting the skies with light.
    Full Moon – 24th (Visible all night)
    Halloween: Last Quarter Moon – 31st (Visible from midnight into the morning) – Get your telescope out for trick-or-treating! It’ll be a moonless night during the event.
     
    CONSTELLATIONS...
    (see sky map link at the bottom for a Star Map for this month)   
    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.
    Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.
    8 min
  • September 2018
    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.  Don’t forget to check out my Podbean page, YouTube Channel, and Twitter feed, or get my podcast feed on Stitcher, or iTunes.
    Looking for Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, or Mars? This is your last good month to see all of them at the same time. Also, get ready for some longer nights, the astronomical start of Fall, and a shallow dive into Sagittarius, the Summer Triangle, and Cassiopeia.
     
    Naked-eye PLANETS...
    Around Sunset – Venus (WSW), Jupiter (SW), Saturn (S), Mars (SSE)
    Throughout the night – Saturn (SW), Mars (SEàSW)
    Morning – None
     
    Mercury
    Get your binoculars out the first week of September around 5:30am – 6am to look east in search of Mercury.
    Venus
    Venus enters the final phase of its half-year-or-so long appearance this month. Look West  and find the brightest source of light in that direction, about a fist-width above the horizon. If you have a telescope, you can watch Venus go from half phase to a beautiful big crescent.
    Mars
    Mars is already in the SSE around sunset, left of Sagittarius, traveling toward the SW and setting around 2am.
    Jupiter
    Up in the SW around sunset, hanging out in Libra, setting right around 9pm in the WSW.
    Saturn
    Already up around sunset. Look about 25˚ above the S horizon in evening or low in the SW before midnight, at the top of Sagittarius. Rings are close to maximum tilt.
     
    EVENTS...
    Last Quarter Moon – 2nd (Visible from midnight into the morning)
    New Moon – 9th (darkest skies)
    12th – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus – If you have a clear view of the horizon in the West, you can catch a thin crescent Moon 10˚ above Venus.
    13th – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter – Find the Moon around sunset and you’ll also find Jupiter about 5˚ below and to the left, with dimmer Zubenelgenubi (Libra’s brightest star), directly below the Moon.
    15th – Close Encounter – Saturn, Moon, Jupiter, Antares – Find the Moon and you’ll see Saturn off to the left about 20˚, Jupiter to the right about the same distance, and Scorpio’s brightest star Antares below the Moon.
    First Quarter Moon – 16th (Visible until midnight)
    17th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Find the Moon after sunset and you’ll also find Saturn only 4˚ to the right. A great chance to see two really bright objects right near each other, with the teapot of Sagittarius right below.
    19th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – Looking for Mars? If you’re out on the 19th, find the Moon and then look about 3 finger-widths below for the red dot that is Mars. It’ll now be getting smaller and dimmer as the months pass by.
    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.
    Full Moon – 24th (Visible all night)
     
    CONSTELLATIONS...
    (see sky map link at the bottom for a Star Map for this month)   
    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.
    Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.
    15 min
  • August 2018
    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.  Don’t forget to check out my Podbean page, YouTube Channel, and Twitter feed, or get my podcast feed on Stitcher, or iTunes.
    August, even with very short nights, will be a great month for watching the four brightest naked-eye planets at sunset, the usual close encounters, and the annual Perseid Meteor Shower.
     
    Naked-eye PLANETS...
    Around Sunset – Venus (W), Jupiter (SW), Saturn (S), Mars (SE)
    Throughout the night – Saturn (SWàSW), Mars (SEàSW)
    Morning – Mars (SW, beg of month), Mercury (E, last week)
    Mercury
    Get your binoculars out the last week of August around 5:30am – 6am to look east in search of Mercury.
    Venus
    Still shining bright, but on its way out, getting lower each day. Look West  and find the brightest source of light in that direction, less than two fist-widths above the horizon. If you have a telescope, you can notice Venus is in a half phase this month.
    Mars
    Again, find Mars sometime in the first week or two in August in your telescope to find it bigger than normal during its opposition. Mars rises in the SE around sunset in the beginning of the month, and is already up in the SE at the end of the month. Look South-ish around 1am for the red point of light.
    Jupiter
    Up in the SW around sunset, hanging out less than 1˚ from Zubenelgenubi in Libra, setting right around 11pm in the WSW.
    Saturn
    Already up around sunset. Look about 25˚ above the S horizon in evening or low in the SW before 2am. Rings are close to maximum tilt.
     
    EVENTS...
    Last Quarter Moon – 4th (Visible from midnight into the morning)
    New Moon – 11th (darkest skies) – Partial Solar Eclipse (but only for Greenland, northern Europe, northeast Asia)
    12th – 13th – Perseid Meteor Shower – This definitely a great year for the Perseids, given the just-past-new Moon phase.  In dark skies there will be about 60 meteors per hour. 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 swimming pool floaty
        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 it’s dark, but your best bet is after midnight and before dawn.  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)
    Or find out if your local astronomy club or museum is holding a viewing party.
    14th – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus – If you have a clear view of the horizon in the West, you can catch a thin crescent Moon only 5˚ from Venus on the 14th. Last month, this encounter was particularly breathtaking, as they were closer together, and many people were sharing their sighting on social media.
    17th – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter – Find the Moon around sunset and you’ll also find Jupiter about 3.5˚ below, with dimmer Zubenelgenubi (Libra’s brightest star), just 0.5˚ below Jupiter.
    First Quarter Moon – 18th (Visible until midnight)
    21st – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Find the Moon after sunset and you’ll also find Saturn only 3˚ to the right. A great chance to see two really bright objects right near each other, with the teapot of Sagittarius right below.
    23rd – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – Find the Moon after sunset and you’ll also find Mars about 6˚ below.
    Full Moon – 26th (Visible all night)
     
    CONSTELLATIONS... (see sky map link at the bottom for a Star Map for this month – or ask Mr. Webb)    Look straight up and you'll see...
    Just after Sunset (around 8:30pm) – Hercules.  Hercules has an 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
    Extra Challenge! Use binoculars (or even a telescope) and a star chart to scan through the southern constellation of Sagittarius.  There are at least 7 easily visible clusters and nebulas up and to the right of the “teapot” of Sagittarius.
    Midnight – Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila (a little to the south) – These are the Summer constellations, and since they are visible right above us around midnight (and to the east after sunset), it’s now summer!  More details below in the “General Constellation Finding Tips” 
    Early Morning – Pegasus, Andromeda Extra Challenge!  Using your naked eye (dark-adapted and in a dark area) or binoculars under normal conditions and a star chart, try finding our neighboring Andromeda Galaxy.  It’ll be a faint, but bigger, fuzzy in the constellation Andromeda
    Summer Constellations: Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila, Delphinus
    Look to the southeast after sunset or straight up around midnight 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. 
    Spring Constellations:  Bootes, Virgo, Leo, Corona Borealis, Hercules. 
    First find the Big Dipper in the North (a North Circumpolar Asterism that never sets) and look at the handle.  Starting at the star closest to the “cup” part, follow the rest of the stars in the handle and follow the arc to Arcturus.  Arcturus is the brightest star in Bootes the Shepherd.  Some say he looks more like a kite, others say more like an ice cream cone. 
    Then, following the same “arc”, speed on to Spica.  Spica is the brightest star in Virgo.  Virgo’s a dimmer constellation, so you’ll be rewarded when you find her. 
    To the left of Bootes is Corona Borealis.  This is a small collection of stars that make a crown, cup, or U shape in the sky. 
    To the left of Corona Borealis is the great constellation of Hercules.  Hercules is the Hero of the sky and has a central “keystone” asterism, in which lies M13, the Hercules Cluster. 
    Lastly, Leo is a constellation consisting of a backward question mark (or sickle) and a right triangle to the left.  Use the two Big Dipper “cup” stars that are in the middle of the Big Dipper and follow the line they make to the bright star Regulus, the brightest star in Leo.
    Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out
    15 min

About Observing With Webb

From the publisher's feed

A monthly look at the night sky from your favorite Astronomy teacher at Pequea Valley High School