Observing With Webb

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.

Mars at opposition, four planets at sunset, Venus shining bright, and a lunar eclipse for the other half of the globe. All these make July a pretty great month this year.

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Around Sunset – Mercury (W), Venus (W), Jupiter (S), Saturn (SE)

Throughout the night – Jupiter (SàW), Saturn (EàSW), Mars (SEàSSW)

Morning – Saturn (SW), Mars (SSW)

 

Mercury

You might catch it about an hour after sunset, low in the West, down and to the right of Venus, but only the first two weeks of July.

Venus

Venus continues its beautiful apparition this month. Look West and find the brightest source of light in that direction, more than two fist-widths above the horizon, that lasts almost 2.5 hours before it sets. If you have a telescope, you can notice Venus getting bigger and less round throughout the month, almost to the point of looking like a half Moon.

Mars

July and August are the months for Mars! Why? Mars reaches opposition on the night of July 26th and is closest the Earth in its orbit on the 30-31st. Why? Because Earth is on the inside lane in the big race track of the solar system, and we’re lapping Mars.  This makes it bigger (in telescopes) than it usually is, becoming about as big as Saturn and Jupiter. If you want to get a good view of the surface of Mars, now is the time, as Mars will be half its size at opposition by October (you’ll need a telescope either way, don’t pay attention to memes saying Mars will be as big as the Full Moon). Mars rises in the SE around 11pm in the beginning of the month, and right around sunset at the end of the month. Look South-ish around midnight for the red point of light, or look SW around sunrise and find the red object about 30˚ above the horizon in Capricorn.

Jupiter

Up in the SSW around sunset and moves across the sky throughout the night, hanging out in Libra, setting right around 1am in the WSW.

Saturn

Already up around sunset. Look about 25˚ above the SSE horizon in evening or low in the SW before 3am. Rings are close to maximum tilt.

 

EVENTS...

Last Quarter Moon – 6th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

9th - Close Encounter – Venus, Regulus – See something bright and close to Venus? That’s Regulus, Leo’s brightest star. Wait until about 9:30 or later to see the rest of the constellation

New Moon – 12th (darkest skies) 

14th – 15th - Close Encounter – Moon, Mercury, Venus – If you have a very clear view of the horizon in the West, you can catch a VERY thin and dim crescent Moon only 1˚ from Mercury on the 14th. Binoculars are probably necessary.  The easier encounter will be the next night on the 15th, when the Moon will be about 2.5˚ to the right of Venus, with Regulus to the right of the Moon.

First Quarter Moon – 19th (Visible until midnight)

20th – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter – Find the Moon around sunset and you’ll also find Jupiter about 3.5˚ below. They’ll move across the sky together until they set in the West around 1am.

24th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Find the Moon after sunset and you’ll also find Saturn only 2˚below and to the left. A great chance to see two really bright objects right near each other.

26th–27th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars, Eclipse (sort of) – Find the Moon after sunset and you’ll also find Mars about 10˚ down and to the left on 26th, and 7˚ down and to the right on the 27th.  Remember this is right around opposition and closest approach, so get out there with your telescopes! Also happening is a total lunar eclipse, but only those in Europe, Africa, and Asia. North America is on the opposite side of the Earth during the eclipse this time.

Full Moon – 27th (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) – Bootes, Corona Borealis, and Hercules.  Bootes is known as the shepherd, kite, or ice cream cone.  You can follow the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle to get to its brightest star Arcturus.   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

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 west after sunrise), it’s now summer!  More details below in the “General Constellation Finding Tips”  Extra Challenge! Look for M57, the Ring Nebula in between two of Lyra’s stars.  It is 2,300 light years away, which means we’re seeing what it looked like 2,300 years ago.  The shell that you see is the remnants of the central star that blew up some 20,000 years ago.  It has a donut-like appearance through a telescope.  It’ll be easy to find, but tough to see in binoculars, so get the scope out.

Early Morning – Pegasus, Andromeda

GENERAL CONSTELLATION FINDING TIPS: 

Summer Constellations: Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila, Delphinus

Look to the east 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.

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.

June is more exciting than normal, by providing us a chance to see all the naked eye planets by month’s end, lunar close encounters with all but Mercury, and an especially close one with Saturn (only 1˚!), with most planets visible for long periods of the night. So get out your scope and try to find all the planets in one night!

 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Around Sunset – Venus (W), Jupiter (SE), Mercury (W – Late June)

Throughout the night – Jupiter (SàW), Saturn (EàW)

Morning – Saturn (S), Mars (S)

 

Mercury

You might catch it about an hour after sunset, low in the West, down and to the right of Venus, but only after mid-June, as it is getting higher and higher each day.

Venus

Venus is looking fantastic AGAIN this month! Look West and find the brightest source of light in that direction, more than two fist-widths above the horizon, that lasts almost 2.5 hours before it sets. If you have a telescope, you can notice Venus getting bigger and less round throughout the month.

Mars

Rises between 12:30am and 11pm. Look S around sunrise and find the red object about 30˚ above the horizon in Capricorn.

Saturn

Rises between 10:45pm at the beginning of the month and 9pm at the end. Look about 20˚ above the SE horizon in evening, and SW in the morning, at the top of Sagittarius.

Jupiter

Up in the SSE around sunset and moves across the sky throughout the night, hanging out in Libra, setting right around 3am.

 

EVENTS...

 

1st - 4th  – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn, Mars – On the morning of June 1st, find Saturn not far from the Moon. Then, on the morning of the 2nd, the Moon will be right in between Mars and Saturn in the Southern sky. The next morning, on the 3rd, find the Moon only 3˚ above Mars, and then find them all lined up, with the Moon all the way to the left, on the morning of June 4th.

Last Quarter Moon – 6th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

New Moon – 13th (darkest skies) 

15th – 16th - Close Encounter – Moon, Venus – A wonderful pair this month. Look West on the 15th after sunset for bright Venus with a very thin crescent Moon just 8˚ below.  Then, on the 16th, the Moon will have moved to just about 7˚ to the left of Venus, and will be a little bit thicker.

First Quarter Moon – 20th (Visible until midnight)

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.

23rd – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter – Find the Moon around sunset and you’ll also find Jupiter about 4˚ down and to the right. They’ll move across the sky together until they set in the West around 2:30am.

27th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Find the Moon after sunset and you’ll also find Saturn only 1˚below. A great chance to see two really bright objects right near each other.

Full Moon – 28th (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...

After Sunset (sunset is around 8:30pm) – Bootes (The shepherd, kite, or ice cream cone).  You can follow the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle to get to its brightest star Arcturus.

Midnight – 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

Early Morning – Lyra, Cygnus, Lacerta – These are the Summer constellations, and since they are starting to rise in the morning now, that means that summer is on its way. Extra Challenge! Look for M57, the Ring Nebula in between two of Lyra’s stars.  It is 2,300 light years away, which means we’re seeing what it looked like 2,300 years ago.  The shell that you see is the remnants of the central star that blew up some 20,000 years ago.  It has a donut-like appearance through a telescope.  It’ll be easy to find, but tough to see in binoculars, so get the scope out for this one.

 

GENERAL CONSTELLATION FINDING TIPS: 

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.

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 will be a month for 4 out of the 5 naked eye planets, with Venus and Jupiter visible early each night and Mars and Saturn visible in the mornings, along with close encounters between each of these and the Moon.

 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Around Sunset – Venus (W)

Throughout the night – Jupiter (EàW)

Morning – Saturn (E) , Mars (E), Jupiter (W)

Mercury

Not visible this month

Venus

Venus is looking fantastic this month! Look West and find the brightest source of light in that direction, about two fist-widths above the horizon.

Mars

Rises between 12am and 1am. Look SSE around sunrise and find the red object near Saturn, in Capricorn.

Saturn

Rises around 1am at the beginning of the month and 11pm at the end. Look about 20˚ above the SSE horizon, up and to the right of Mars and at the top of Sagittarius.

Jupiter

Up in the SE around sunset and moves across the sky throughout the night, hanging out in Libra, setting right around sunrise.

EVENTS...

 4th - 7th  – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn, Mars – After 2am, the Moon lines up just 6˚ to the right of Saturn on the 4th, with Mars 15˚ to the left of Saturn on the 4th. On the 5th, the Moon is almost perfectly in between Mars and Saturn, and then travels to within 2˚ of Mars on the morning of the 6th.  The next morning, find the Last Quarter Moon VERY low on the horizon, with Mars and Saturn lining up to the right.

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

Jupiter reaches opposition – 8th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

New Moon – 15th (darkest skies) 

17th - Close Encounter – Moon, Venus – A wonderful pair this month. Look West after sunset for bright Venus with a very thin crescent Moon just 5˚ to the left.

19th – 20th - Rocket Launch – NASA will be sending another cargo resupply to the International Space Station on an Antares rocket from Wallops Island in VA

First Quarter Moon – 21st (Visible until midnight)

27th – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter – Find the Moon after sunset and you’ll also find Jupiter about 5˚ down and to the right, both within Libra.

Full Moon – 29th (Visible all night)

31st – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Find the Moon after 11pm and you’ll also find Saturn about 2˚ down and to the right, both within Sagittarius.

 

CONSTELLATIONS... (see sky map link at the bottom for a SkyMap for this month – or ask Mr. Webb)    Look straight up and you'll see...

After Sunset (sunset is between 8:00pm and 8:30pm) – Ursa Major’s legs, Leo, Leo Minor

Midnight – Bootes – find the Big Dipper’s handle, and starting from the inside of the handle, follow the arc that those four stars make past the last star in the handle about 30˚ or three fist-widths to the next very bright star you find which is Arcturus, the base of the constellation Boötes.  Hence astronomers use the phrase “Follow the Arc to Arcturus”

Early Morning – Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus – These are the Summer constellations, and since they are starting to rise in the morning now, that means that summer is on its way.

 

GENERAL CONSTELLATION FINDING TIPS: 

 

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.

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.

April brings us plenty of Jupiter time, a close encounter between Mars and Saturn, and a potentially decent Lyrid meteor shower. And MAYBE some better weather.

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Around Sunset – Venus (W)

Throughout the night – Jupiter (EàW)

Morning – Satur (E) , Mars (E), Jupiter (W)

Mercury

Not really worth looking for. In between us and the Sun most of the month.

Venus

Venus makes significant progress up the sky this month, getting to about 25˚ by month’s end at sunset. Look West and find the brightest source of light in that direction, about two fist-widths above the horizon.

Mars

Rises between 2am and 3am. Look SSE around sunrise and find the red object near Saturn, in Sagittarius.

Saturn

Rises around 3am at the beginning of the month and 1am at the end. Look about 20˚ above the SSE horizon, to the left and down from Mars and at the top of Sagittarius.

Jupiter

Rises around 11pm in early April, 9pm in late April, in the ESE. Moves across the sky throughout the night, hanging out right in the middle of Libra.

 

EVENTS...

2nd – Close Encounter – Mars & Saturn – Find the teapot of Sagittarius and also find bright caramel-colored Saturn and ruddy red Mars less than 1˚ apart, with Mars below Saturn.

7th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars, Saturn – Find the Moon after 2:30am and you’ll also find Saturn 2˚ below and to the left, and Mars 2˚ below and to the left of that.

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

New Moon – 15th (darkest skies) 

17th - Close Encounter – Moon, Venus – Look West after sunset for bright Venus with a very thin crescent Moon just 5˚ to the left.

22nd – LYRID METEOR SHOWER – Not the strongest shower, at only 10-20 meteors per hour, but the Moon will be a First Quarter, so look North in general after midnight and into the morning. 

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.

First Quarter Moon – 22nd (Visible until midnight)

Full Moon – 29th (Visible all night)

30th – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter – Find the Moon after 9:30pm and you’ll also find Jupiter about 5˚ to the right, both within Libra.

 

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...

After Sunset (sunset is around 7:30-8:00pm) – Cancer, Leo, Lynx, Ursa Major’s legs - Extra Challenge! Find M44 in the middle of Cancer – an open cluster of stars also known as the Beehive Cluster.  You may be able to see it as a small fuzzy patch with your naked eye if you have very dark skies.  However, with a pair of binoculars or a telescope on low power, it will look like a hive of bees in the distance, hence its nickname.

Between Sunset and Midnight – Leo, Leo Minor, Ursa Major’s legs

Midnight – Canes Venatici, Coma Berenices are closer to the Zenith (the point straight above you), but Ursa Major, Leo, and Bootes make a nice but bigger triangle around it.

Early Morning – Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus – These are the Summer constellations, and since they are starting to rise in the morning now, that means that summer is on its way.

GENERAL CONSTELLATION FINDING TIPS: 

Winter constellations:  LAST CHANCE FOR THE WINTER CONSTELLATIONS! Orion is still easy to spot as he is directly in the SW after sunset.  You can use Orion to find many other winter constellations, for the last time until the fall.

Using Orion:  Find Orion by looking for the three stars in a row that make up Orion’s belt in the Southwest.  If you draw a line from the left star to the right star and keep going right about 20 degrees (about 2 fists at arm’s length) until you reach another very bright star, you will have reached the star Aldebaran in Taurus (the V).  Follow that line a little more (about another fist) and you’ll find the Pleiades.

If you start at his belt again, but instead go the opposite way and draw a line from the right star in Orion’s belt to the left star, and keep going left about 20 degrees (2 fists again), you’ll come to the brightest star in the sky – Sirius – part of Canis Major.

Above these three constellations are Gemini and Auriga.  The brightest stars in each of these constellations form a circle in the sky.  Going clockwise - Aldebaron (Taurus) – Rigel (Orion – bottom right foot) – Sirius (Canis Major) – Procyon (Canis Minor) – Castor & Pollux (Gemini) – Capella (Auriga).  It makes for great stargazing in the winter sky.

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

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.

March is mostly uneventful for beginner’s stargazing, but take advantage of the month-long line up of Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter in the mornings in the East, with the Moon stopping by from the 7th to the 13th.  Should make for some good pictures.

 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Around Sunset – Mercury, Venus (W)

Throughout the night – Jupiter (EàS)

Morning – Saturn, Mars, Jupiter (S)

Mercury

Best to look during the 3rd week of March for Mercury, as it is the highest in the sky at this time, about 15˚ above the horizon, and right in the vicinity of Venus in the West right after sunset.

Venus

Venus changes from about 10˚ to 15˚above the Sun this month. Look West after sunset and find the brightest source of light in that direction, only about a fist-width above the horizon.

Mars

Rises by 2:30am. Look South around sunrise and find the red object between Jupiter and Saturn, getting closer to Saturn throughout the month, about 25˚ above the southern horizon.

Saturn

Rises around 4:15am at the beginning of the month and 1:45am at the end. Look about 20˚ above the SSE horizon, to the left and down from Mars and at the top of Sagittarius.

Jupiter

Rises around midnight in early March, 10pm in late March, in the ESE. Reaches about 30˚ above the S horizon at sunrise, hanging out right in the middle of Libra.

 

EVENTS...

 

Full Moon – 2nd (Visible all night)

 

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

 

6th – 12th – Morning Close Encounter Week – Moon, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn – The second month with the Moon making its way through the planets. All week, if you get up after 3:00am, you’ll see all three planets, with the Moon traveling through day to day. Jupiter will consistently be the brightest planet about 30˚ up in the South, with Mars about 30˚ down and to the left, and Saturn about 15˚ down and to the left of that.

       6th – The Waning Gibbous Moon lines up to the right of the planets

7th – The Moon will be about 3˚ above Jupiter

       8th – The Moon will be almost right in the middle between Jupiter and Mars

       9th – A Third Quarter Moon will be about 8˚ up and to the right of Mars

       10th – A Waning Crescent Moon will be almost right in the middle between Mars and Saturn

       11th – A beautiful crescent Moon will be just 4˚ to the left of Saturn

       12th – A very thin crescent Moon will form a nice line of objects, with the Moon visible as early as 4am, with Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter finishing the lineup up and to the right.

 

11th – Daylight Savings Time Begins at 2am

 

New Moon – 17th (darkest skies)  

 

18th - Close Encounter – If you can get a stellar view of the western horizon, and probably some binoculars, you might catch a VERY thin crescent Moon, Venus, and Mercury lining up from left to right in the sunset sky before they set around 7:05pm.

 

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

 

First Quarter Moon – 24th (Visible until midnight)

 

Full Moon – 31st (Visible all night)

 

 

CONSTELLATIONS... STRAIGHT UP

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

If you’re looking straight up above you…

After Sunset (sunset is around 6:30-7:30pm) – Auriga (Taurus is right nearby), Gemini

Between Sunset and Midnight – Cancer, Gemini, Lynx, and Leo later in the month

Midnight – Leo, Leo Minor, Ursa Major’s legs

Early Morning – Corona Borealis, Hercules, Boötes (you can also find the Big Dipper’s handle, and starting from the inside of the handle, follow the arc that those four stars make past the last star in the handle about 30˚ or three fist-widths to the next very bright star you find which is Arcturus, the base of the constellation Boötes. Hence astronomers use the phrase “Follow the Arc to Arcturus”)

 

SEASONAL CONSTELLATIONS: 

Winter: Orion is easy to spot as he is high in the south as the Sun sets.  You can use Orion to find many other winter constellations.

Taurus, Pleiades: Find Orion by looking for the three stars in a row that make up Orion’s belt in the East after sunset.  If you draw a line from the left (bottom) star to the right (top) star and keep going right about 20 degrees (about 2 fists at arm’s length) until you reach another very bright star, you will have reached the star Aldebaron in Taurus (the V).  Follow that line a little more (about another fist) and you’ll find the Pleiades.

Canis Major: Draw a line from the right (top) star in Orion’s belt to the left (bottom) star, and keep going left about 20 degrees (2 fists again), you’ll come to the brightest star in the sky – Sirius – part of Canis Major.

Gemini, Auriga: Above these three constellations are Gemini and Auriga.  The brightest stars in each of these constellations form a circle in the sky.  Going clockwise - Aldebaron (Taurus) – Rigel (Orion – bottom right foot) – Sirius (Canis Major) – Procyon (Canis Minor) – Castor & Pollux (Gemini) – Capella (Auriga).  It makes for great stargazing in the winter sky.

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.

February is a rather uneventful month for beginner’s stargazing, but take advantage of the month-long line up of Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter in the mornings in the East, with the Moon stopping by from the 7th to the 12th.  Should make for some good pictures.

 

Naked-eye PLANETS...

Around Sunset – None

Throughout the night – None

Morning (S) – Saturn, Mars, Jupiter

 

Mercury

Not visible this month

Venus

Not easily visible this month. You might catch it at the end of the month about 10˚ above the setting Sun.

Mars

Rises by 3:30am. Look SE and find the red object to the left of Jupiter and toward the top of Scorpius.

Saturn

Rises around 5:15am at the beginning of the month and 3:45am at the end. Look low on the SE horizon, to the left and down from Mars and at the top of Sagittarius.

Jupiter

Rises around 2am in early February, Midnight in late February, to about 30˚ above the S horizon at sunrise, hanging out right in the middle of Libra.

 

EVENTS...

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

7th – 12th – Morning Close Encounter Week – Moon, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn – All week, if you get up after 5:30am, you’ll see all three planets, with the Moon traveling through day to day. Jupiter will consistently be the brightest planet about 30˚ up in the South, with Mars about 15˚ down and to the left, and Saturn about 25˚ down and to the left of that.

       7th – The First Quarter Moon will be 6˚ up and to the right of Jupiter

       8th – The Moon will be almost right in the middle between Jupiter and Mars

       9th – A thinner Moon will be just 4˚ up and to the left of Mars

       10th – The Moon will be almost right in the middle between Mars and Saturn

       11th – A beautiful crescent Moon will be just 2˚ above Saturn

       12th – A very thin crescent Moon will form a nice line of objects, with the Moon visible as early as 5:15am, with Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter finishing the line up and to the right.

New Moon – 15th (darkest skies) 

First Quarter Moon – 23rd (Visible until midnight)

 

CONSTELLATIONS... STRAIGHT UP

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

If you’re looking straight up above you…

After Sunset (sunset is around 5:00-5:30pm) – Perseus, Taurus, Auriga – Extra Challenge! Right in the middle of Perseus is an open cluster called Mel 20. If you take binoculars and look around Perseus, you’ll see plenty of stars, but right in the middle where Mel 20 is, there are a lot more than you can see anywhere else in Perseus, hence they call it a cluster of stars.

Between Sunset and Midnight – Auriga (Taurus is right nearby), Gemini

Midnight – Cancer, Gemini, Lynx, and Leo later in the month

Early Morning – Corona Borealis, Hercules, Boötes (you can also find the Big Dipper’s handle, and starting from the inside of the handle, follow the arc that those four stars make past the last star in the handle about 30˚ or three fist-widths to the next very bright star you find which is Arcturus, the base of the constellation Boötes. Hence astronomers use the phrase “Follow the Arc to Arcturus”)

SEASONAL CONSTELLATIONS: 

Winter: Orion is easy to spot as he already high the South after sunset.  You can use Orion to find many other winter constellations.

Taurus, Pleiades: Find Orion by looking for the three stars in a row that make up Orion’s belt in the East after sunset.  If you draw a line from the left (bottom) star to the right (top) star and keep going right about 20 degrees (about 2 fists at arm’s length) until you reach another very bright star, you will have reached the star Aldebaron in Taurus (the V).  Follow that line a little more (about another fist) and you’ll find the Pleiades.

Canis Major: Draw a line from the right (top) star in Orion’s belt to the left (bottom) star, and keep going left about 20 degrees (2 fists again), you’ll come to the brightest star in the sky – Sirius – part of Canis Major.

Gemini, Auriga: Above these three constellations are Gemini and Auriga.  The brightest stars in each of these constellations form a circle in the sky.  Going clockwise - Aldebaron (Taurus) – Rigel (Orion – bottom right foot) – Sirius (Canis Major) – Procyon (Canis Minor) – Castor & Pollux (Gemini) – Capella (Auriga).  It makes for great stargazing in the winter sky.

WATCH this on YouTubeLISTEN to this 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.

The holidays are upon us, and we have some non-magical awesomeness happening in the skies this December, including a great Geminid Meteor Shower, the winter constellations appearing, 2 or 3 morning planets, and a year-end occultation of Aldebaran by the Moon.

 

PLANETS...well, the ones visible with your naked eye

Planets you can see around Sunset – None

Planets you can see throughout the night – None

Planets you can see in the Morning – Venus (SE – 1st week), Jupiter (SE), Mars (SE)

Mercury – Not visible this month.

Venus – You MIGHT be able to catch it very low on the horizon the first week as it rises about 30-45 minutes before the Sun does around 7am.

Mars – Dim, but 30˚ high in the sky by 7am, rising around 4am. Look SE and find the red object near Jupiter and bright Spica, Virgo’s brightest star.

Saturn – Not visible this month.

Jupiter – Rises around 5am in early December, getting higher and higher in the sky every morning until it rises at 4am to about 30˚ above the SE horizon on December 30th at sunrise, right below Mars.

 

EVENTS...

Full Moon – 3rd (Visible all night)

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

13th, 14th – Geminid Meteor Shower – A good year for the Geminids, given the moon will be a thin waning crescent rising very late in the morning, giving us a shot at around 100 meteors per hour, 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.

12th – 15th – Close Encounter – Moon, Spica, Mars, Jupiter – Every morning, Jupiter will be super bright, with dimmer red Mars about 10˚ up and to the right, and bright Spica (Virgo’s brightest star) 8˚ up and to the right of Mars and a little brighter.  The Waning Gibbous Moon moves through this collection throughout the 4 days.  On the 12th, the Moon is above Spica, while on the 13th it will make a nice triangle with Spica and Mars.  The next morning, the 14th, the Moon will be about 4˚ above Jupiter, and on the 15th it will move to about 10˚ down and to the left of Jupiter, creating a great 4 object lineup in the morning sky visible after 5am.

New Moon – 18th (darkest skies) 

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

First Quarter Moon – 26th (Visible until midnight)

30th – Occultation – Moon, Aldebaran – Find the Moon with bright Aldebaran right nearby. Witness the motion of the Moon by watching Aldebaran get covered up by it. In my area, the star will disappear at right about 6:20pm behind the dark portion of the Moon, then reappear from the lit portion of the Moon at 7:12pm. Your times will vary, but you can find times here.

 

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...

After Sunset (sunset is around 5:00pm) – 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.

Between Sunset and Midnight – Perseus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia

Midnight – Auriga, Taurus, Gemini

Early Morning – Ursa Major’s legs, Leo Minor

GENERAL CONSTELLATION FINDING TIPS: 

Fall Constellations: Andromeda, Pegasus

If you can find the Summer Triangle and Delphinus in the West, about 40˚ to the East (leftish – pretty much straight above you) will be the Great Square of the fall constellation Pegasus.  Perhaps you’ll even see the two curves of Andromeda off of one side, with the Andromeda Galaxy as a small, faint fuzzy nearby (you’ll need dark skies to see it).  A sky map will help you tremendously in finding these. 

Winter constellations:  Orion is easy to spot as he is rising in the East around 7:30pm.  You can use Orion to find many other winter constellations.

Using Orion:  Find Orion by looking for the three stars in a row that make up Orion’s belt in the East around 7:30pm.  If you draw a line from the left (bottom) star to the right (top) star and keep going right about 20 degrees (about 2 fists at arm’s length) until you reach another very bright star, you will have reached the star Aldebaron in Taurus (the V).  Follow that line a little more (about another fist) and you’ll find the Pleiades.

Draw a line from the right (top) star in Orion’s belt to the left (bottom) star, and keep going left about 20 degrees (2 fists again), you’ll come to the brightest star in the sky – Sirius – part of Canis Major.

Above these three constellations are Gemini and Auriga.  The brightest stars in each of these constellations form a circle in the sky.  Going clockwise - Aldebaron (Taurus) – Rigel (Orion – bottom right foot) – Sirius (Canis Major) – Procyon (Canis Minor) – Castor & Pollux (Gemini) – Capella (Auriga).  It makes for great stargazing in the winter sky.

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

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.

November brings us earlier nights, all the naked-eye planets visible at some point near dusk or dawn, and a couple of close encounters between them. You might catch some Leonid meteors or a lineup of Venus, Jupiter, and Mars in the mornings.

 

PLANETS...well, the ones visible with your naked eye

Planets you can see around Sunset – Saturn (SW), Mercury (SW, last week)

Planets you can see throughout the night – None

Planets you can see in the Morning – Mars (SE), Venus (SE), Jupiter (SE)

 

Mercury – You might be able to catch Mercury the last week of November, pretty low in the sky after sunset, and setting only an hour after the Sun.  Look SW, find Saturn, then find Mercury down and to the right.

Venus – Venus will be just 10˚ above the horizon at 6am at the beginning of the month, and drops lower every day.  It doesn’t drop completely out of sight, but harder and harder to see every morning.

 

Mars – Dim, but 30˚ high in the sky by 6am, rising around 4am. Look ESE and find the red object above bright Spica, Virgo’s brightest star.

Saturn – Look SW after sunset and find the brightest light only about 10˚ above the horizon. It will set around 7:30pm EST in early November and just after sunset by month’s end.

Jupiter – Makes its transition to morning planet this month. It seems to switch places with Venus, getting higher and higher in the sky every morning until it’s about 20˚ above the SE horizon on November 30th at sunrise.

EVENTS...

Full Moon – 4th (Visible all night)

5th – Daylight Savings Time Ends

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

13th – Close Encounter – Venus, Jupiter – Get out after 6am on the morning of the 13th and look ESE toward the horizon.  You’ll find VERY bright Venus about a quarter of a degree away from Jupiter, making this a great time to get both of them in a picture in a telescope, along with all four Galilean Moons.  But get out there as close to 6am as possible, as the Sun will rise at about 6:45, ruining your view even by 6:25.

14th – 17th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus – An interesting 4 days.  Jupiter and Venus are close together low on the ESE horizon in the morning, with Mars over 20˚ up and to the right.  The Moon joins in on the 14th, being about 7˚ above Mars.  The next morning, the Moon will be down and to the left of Mars, but still far from Jupiter and Venus.  The 16th brings the Moon closer to Jupiter and Venus, much thinner, but still above them.  Lastly, and most difficult, on the 17th the Moon is incredibly thin, and hanging out to the left of Venus, with Jupiter nearby.  You’ll have to get out at 6am or shortly thereafter to witness this, as it is very low on the horizon.

 

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.

New Moon – 18th (darkest skies) 

20th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn, Mercury – Look SW after sunset (4:45pm EST) but before 6:15pm EST to see Saturn 3˚ to the left of the thin crescent Moon, with Mercury (if you can spot it) 7˚ below the Moon.

23rd – Thanksgiving – Saturn/Mercury in the SW after sunset, a nice crescent Moon until 8:30pm, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus in the morning.

First Quarter Moon – 26th (Visible until midnight)

28th – Close Encounter – Saturn, Mercury – Look SW after the Sun sets, and you MIGHT be able to catch Saturn and Mercury only 3˚ apart very low on the horizon. Binoculars will certainly help.

 

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...

After Sunset (sunset is around 5:00pm after Nov. 2nd) – Lacerta, Pegasus (the Great Square)

Between Sunset and Midnight – 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.

Midnight – Perseus, Taurus

Early Morning – Lynx, Cancer, Gemini - Extra Challenge!  Using binoculars, find the bright and open cluster M35.  Find Gemini, look at the rightmost leg, go down to the foot, and move 2-3 degrees to the right (W).  

 

GENERAL CONSTELLATION FINDING TIPS: 

Summer Constellations: Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila, Delphinus

Look to the West after sunset until about 9pm and you’ll still be able to see Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila, (and Delphinus.)  These three constellations have the three brightest stars of the summer constellations (Vega, Deneb, Altair – respectively.)  Those bright stars create the summer triangle.  Being summer constellations and it being fall right now, they are setting and are visible for a shorter period of time.  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.

Fall Constellations: Andromeda, Pegasus

If you can find the Summer Triangle and Delphinus, about 40˚ to the East (leftish) will be the Great Square of the fall constellation Pegasus.  Perhaps you’ll even see the two curves of Andromeda off of one side, with the Andromeda Galaxy as a small, faint fuzzy nearby (you’ll need dark skies to see it).  A sky map will help you tremendously in finding these.  You’ll see these in the East after sunset, straight above you around midnight, and in the West in the morning.

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

WATCH this on YouTubeLISTEN to this as a podcast on Podbean, Stitcher, or iTunes

Looking at my notes from last year for October, I was reminded that this was the month where all of you came together to vote for the Pequea Valley Planetarium to get a $100,000 Farmers Insurance Thank America’s Teachers Grant. It’s a year after voting, and things are progressing.  We’re at a standstill right now, but only because the room is gutted and ready to have everything installed while we wait for the new projection dome inside, which won’t be manufactured until February.  I’ll be posting a more detailed update on the Facebook page sometime soon, but we are moving forward.

We lose a couple planets in October, but Saturn and Venus continue to shine, with Mars getting brighter and higher in the morning. Morning seems to be the theme of the month, as we also get some nice close encounters involving Mars and Venus, an occultation of Regulus, and the Orionid Meteor shower, all happening before sunrise.

 

PLANETS...well, the ones visible with your naked eye

Planets you can see around Sunset – Saturn (SW)

Planets you can see throughout the night – None

Planets you can see in the Morning – Mars (E), Venus (E)

 

Mercury – Not visible

Venus – This is the descent of Venus as a morning star this year.  Watch every day as Venus gets lower in the morning sky toward the East until it will be just visible in the dawn by the 31st.

Mars – Pretty dim, but it’s there in the eastern sky, passing Venus on the morning of the 5th, and getting higher each day, but still difficult to see, with being so dim and far away.

SATURN – Look SW after sunset and find the bright light above and between Scorpius and Sagittarius. It will set around 10pm in early October and 8:30pm in late October.

Jupiter – Not visible anymore as it is on the opposite side of the Sun for the month.

EVENTS...

Full Moon – 5th (Visible all night)

5th – Close Encounter – Venus, Mars – Look East after 5:44am, and you’ll easily find Venus. Look only ¼˙ down and to the right and you’ll find dim, red Mars.  Binoculars would certainly help.  Also, be sure to go out as early as possible, since the dawn will start drowning out Mars pretty quickly.

Last Quarter Moon – 12th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

15th – Morning Occultation of Regulus – The Moon will pass in front of Leo’s brightest star Regulus this morning.  Times vary, and can be found at http://lunar-occultations.com/iota/bstar/bstar.htm, but for Lancaster County, PA, the lit portion of the crescent Moon will cover up Regulus right around 5:40am.  Regulus will then reappear at right about 6:41am from the dark portion of the Moon.

16th – 18th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars, Venus – These three days the Moon will visit and pass Mars and Venus. Each morning, get up after 6am and look for the Moon. On the 16th, the trio will make a nice line, with Mars in between Venus and the Moon, but a little closer to Venus than the Moon. The next morning, the Moon will be directly next to Mars, just about 1˚ to the left, making it easier to find Mars than the rest of the month.  On the 18th, it will be a challenge, but you can find a VERY thin crescent Moon 5˚ below Venus, with Mars 8˚ above Venus.

New Moon – 19th (darkest skies) 

20th – 22nd – Orionid Meteor Shower – You’ll have to get up early in the morning for this one, as the meteors appear to radiate from the radiant, which is in the club of Orion.  I usually don’t say much about this one, since it usually produces only 10-15 meteors per hour, but the Moon will be non-visible, therefore you’ll get really good skies

23rd – 24th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Look SW after sunset but before 8:30pm to see Saturn 7˚ to the left of the then crescent Moon on the 23rd.  On the next night, the Moon will have moved to be about 5˚ above and to the left of Saturn.

First Quarter Moon – 27th (Visible until midnight)

Halloween – A nice waxing gibbous Moon in the SE with Saturn in the SW

 

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 7:30pm) – Lyra the Harp, Cygnus the Swan

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.

Between Sunset and 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 sunrise), it’s now summer!  More details below in the “General Constellation Finding Tips” 

Midnight – Lacerta, 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 fuzzy in the constellation Andromeda.

Early Morning – Perseus, Auriga -  Also, if you look to the SE in the morning, you’ll find the winter constellations of Orion, Taurus, Auriga, Gemini, and Canis Major.

 

GENERAL CONSTELLATION FINDING TIPS: 

Summer Constellations: 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.

Fall Constellations: Andromeda, Pegasus

If you can find the Summer Triangle and Delphinus, about 40˚ to the East (leftish) will be the Great Square of the fall constellation Pegasus.  Perhaps you’ll even see the two curves of Andromeda off of one side, with the Andromeda Galaxy as a small, faint fuzzy nearby (you’ll need dark skies to see it).  A sky map will help you tremendously in finding these.  You’ll see these in the East after sunset, straight above you around midnight, and in the West in the morning.

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

WATCH this on YouTubeLISTEN to this as a podcast on Podbean, Stitcher, or iTunes

 

         Welcome to Observing With Webb, where the armchair astronomer figures out what they’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what they should check out next.  Don’t forget to check out my Podbean page, YouTube Channel, and Twitter feed, or get my podcast feed on Stitcher, or iTunes.

WOW! That Total Solar Eclipse was something wonderful! Traveling to Columbia, SC had me worried for a little bit, since they were predicting 55% cloud cover, but the clouds parted, my cameras read the code correctly, my laptop did NOT overheat, and I was lucky to get some awesome pictures.  The best part, though was experiencing it with my family and seeing how excited my son was when it happened and how my wife, who usually comments at how grey and fuzzy things are in the telescope, was amazed by what we could see.  I’ll be putting together a full video of everything, but I’ve been busy putting together STEM videos and starting the school year, so eclipse videos and photoshopping are on the back burner right now.

September is decidedly LESS exciting than August, with 3 naked eye planets, 2 binocular visible, and some typical close encounters betwee the Moon and the planets.  It’s a great month to just get out there and take a look.

 

PLANETS...well, the ones visible with your naked eye

Planets you can see around Sunset – Jupiter (W), Saturn (S)

Planets you can see throughout the night – Saturn (SàSW)

Planets you can see in the Morning – Venus (E)

 

Mercury – Is technically between Venus and the eastern horizon in the morning, but you’ll need binoculars and a sky app to find it.

Venus – Rises around 4:30am.  Bright and visible about 20˚ high in East before sunrise all month, though it is on its way toward the horizon each day, and will stop being visible in October.

Mars – Pretty dim, but it’s there in the eastern sky low on the horizon toward the end of the month when it gets pretty close to Venus.

Saturn – Look S after sunset and find the bright light above and between Scorpius and Sagittarius. It will move toward the SW, setting around midnight in early September and 10pm in late September.

Jupiter – After sunset, you might be able to catch Jupiter about 10˚ up the sky, but after a week or so it’s too close to the Sun from our perspective, so you won’t be able to see it anymore until late November mornings.

EVENTS...

Full Moon – 6th (Visible all night)

Last Quarter Moon – 13th (Visible from midnight into the morning)

17th – 18th – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus – Get up after 5:00am but before sunrise (6:47am) and find a very thin crescent Moon in the East with Venus about 7˚ down and to the left on the morning of the 17th, with Mercury and Mars visible in binoculars about 9-11˚ below Venus and a little to the left.  In the next morning, the Moon will position itself in between Venus and Mars.

New Moon – 20th (darkest skies) 

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.

22nd – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter – Look WSW after sunset to see Jupiter 7˚ down and to the right of the then crescent Moon.  Get out before 8:00pm that night when they set.

26th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Look S after sunset to find a waxing crescent Moon with Saturn 3˚ down and to the left.

First Quarter Moon – 28th (Visible until midnight)

 

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 7:30pm) – Lyra the Harp, Cygnus the Swan

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.

Between Sunset and 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 sunrise), it’s now summer!  More details below in the “General Constellation Finding Tips” 

Midnight – Lacerta, 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 fuzzy in the constellation Andromeda.

Early Morning – Perseus, Auriga -  Also, if you look to the SE in the morning, you’ll find the winter constellations of Orion, Taurus, Auriga, Gemini, and Canis Major.

GENERAL CONSTELLATION FINDING TIPS: 

Summer Constellations: 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.

Fall Constellations: Andromeda, Pegasus

If you can find the Summer Triangle and Delphinus, about 40˚ to the East (leftish) will be the Great Square of the fall constellation Pegasus.  Perhaps you’ll even see the two curves of Andromeda off of one side, with the Andromeda Galaxy as a small, faint fuzzy nearby (you’ll need dark skies to see it).  A sky map will help you tremendously in finding these.  You’ll see these in the East after sunset, straight above you around midnight, and in the West in the morning.

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