This summertime weekly summary for planetary, satellite, constellation, and other observing opportunities covers the third full week of August. The countdown of weeks and days will soon turn to hours as the early afternoon of Monday, August 21st approaches. As reported recently on nyup.com, our coverage for upstate NY will be between 70 and 75 percent – not enough to significantly darken the sky, but enough to drop the temperature a degree or two. With luck, the one thing not blocking the sun will be clouds, with the current forecast calling for good reported conditions on Monday.
Many local libraries have already obtained solar-safe glasses for the eclipse, and I encourage you to check with your local branch to see when they'll be made available.
Reminder:In last week's article, we discussed solar safety and the presence of unsafe solar glasses in the market. If you bought or were given a pair, please read the NASA News press release on how to know your glasses are safe to use. In a nutshell: If you doubt – throw them out.
Below is a list of scheduled lecture and observing opportunities around Upstate New York for the eclipse. If looking for a place to enjoy the eclipse with others, your best bet is to contact your local library and see what their or neighboring library plans are for that afternoon.
Solar Eclipse Calendar
Organizer
Location
Event
Date
Time
Contact Info
Albany Area Amateur Astronomers & Dudley Observatory
Lectures And Observing Opportunities In Upstate/Central New York
New York has a number of astronomers, astronomy clubs, and observatories that host public sessions throughout the year. Announced sessions from several respondent NY astronomy organizations are provided from the fourth week to the end of August so you can plan accordingly. As wind and cloud cover are always factors when observing, please check the provided contact information and/or email the groups a day-or-so before an announced session, as some groups will also schedule weather-alternate dates. Also use the contact info for directions and to check on any applicable event or parking fees.
Satellite flyovers are commonplace, with several bright passes easily visible per hour in the nighttime sky, yet a thrill to new observers of all ages. Few flyovers compare in brightness or interest to the International Space Station. The flyovers of the football field-sized craft with its massive solar panel arrays can be predicted to within several seconds and take several minutes to complete.
This is a rare week for New York this year, as there are no visible flyovers of the ISS for us. The ISS returns prominently for early September.
Lunar Phases
New:
First Quarter:
Full:
Third Quarter:
Aug. 21, 2:30 PM
Aug. 29, 4:12 AM
Sept. 6, 3:02 AM
Sept. 13, 2:24 AM
The Moon's increasing brightness as Full Moon approaches washes out fainter stars, random meteors, and other celestial objects – this is bad for most observing, but excellent for new observers, as only the brightest stars (those that mark the major constellations) and planets remain visible for your easy identification. If you've never tried it, the Moon is a wonderful binocular object. The labeled image identifies features easily found with low-power binoculars.
Lunar features prominent in low-power binoculars.
Observing Guides
Items and events listed below assume you're outside and observing most anywhere in New York state. The longer you're outside and away from indoor or bright lights, the better your dark adaption will be. If you have to use your smartphone, find a red light app or piece of red acetate, else set your brightness as low as possible.
The sky at 9 p.m. from Aug. 18 to 25, accurate all week except for the changing Moon position.
Evening Skies: The two most prominent shapes in the sky are the Big Dipper and the Summer Triangle, with the Sagittarius Teapot highlighted in several previous articles. Whether or not you can see the Teapot, another very distinctive shape is as high as it will get in the southern sky right now just to the west. The body of Scorpius, easily identified by the bright red-orange star Antares and now residing below Saturn in the nighttime sky, hooks down and back up around the southern tree line at our latitude in a shape that nearly every civilization has recorded as being a celestial scorpion. Like the Teapot, the Scorpion tail is between us and the galactic center – a scan with binoculars will reveal a number of objects that do not come into focus like their surrounding stars.
The Big Dipper is a bright and easy guide for finding Polaris, the north star. From its handle, you can "arc" down to Arcturus. Jupiter, which stands out soon after sunset, is close to the bright star Spica in Virgo and to the southwest of bright Arcturus in Bootes. Saturn is also visible soon after dusk, rising soon after the bright orange star Antares in Scorpius.
The sky at 4 a.m. from Aug. 18 to 25, accurate all week except for the changing Moon position.
Morning Skies: Venus has left the crowded best-of-winter constellations and is heading towards Mars and Mercury in the pre-sunrise sky. The entire body of Orion the Hunter rises in the morning sky before sunrise. When it clears the horizon in its entirety, it might jump out to you as a massive bow tie with the bright Rigel and Betelgeuse marking the brightest corners. It is very likely that you won't need this asterism to identify Orion – the three aligned stars of the belt tend to jump out to everyone on first viewing.
Planetary Viewing
Mercury: Mercury rises just after the sun right now in the morning sky but peaks above the horizon before the sun on the 26th, after which we'll begin to have opportunities to observe it and Mars.
Venus: Venus remains unmistakable in the early morning and even into sunrise, rising just before 3:45 a.m. all week. With good, steady binoculars, you should be able to see that Venus is currently more than half-lit – and you can follow the changing phases of Venus as it and the Earth make our ways around the Sun. Venus says goodbye to Pollux in Gemini this week en route to Cancer the Crab. On August 19th, the Moon and Venus have their closest pass this month, with the possibility of observers seeing Mars before 6:00 a.m. lower and to the east.
Venus and Moon on the morning of Aug. 19.
Mars: Mars returns to our dawn skies in the very early morning, rising before 6 a.m. all week. You'll have precious little time to enjoy any early sight of it if attempting to do so with equipment, as the sun rises about a half-hour later. We are set for some excellent close approaches in the early-September morning sky with Mars, Mercury, and Regulus.
Jupiter: If you look southwest soon after sunset, Jupiter will be the brightest object you can see. Jupiter is setting earlier every night and will not be with us for easy observing by the end of October, making September an excellent month to take in Jupiter and its moons with binoculars and telescopes either in your backyard or at a local public viewing session. The 25th will see the close approach of the Moon with Jupiter, forming a bright triangle with bright Spica in Virgo. Low power binoculars are excellent for spying the four bright Galilean moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto – and several online guides will even map their orbits for you. Jupiter is to the west of the bright star Spica in Virgo, roughly a full fist-width if you measure with your arm fully-extended.
The Moon, Jupiter, and Spica on August 25th.
Saturn: Still on the western edge of the brightest part of the Milky Way, Saturn is going to spend the next 17 months making its way to the eastern edge above the teapot of Sagittarius, all the while giving us an excellent observing target until next autumn. Saturn will make its own headlines after the August 21st eclipse, as the Cassini Mission will come to a dramatic end on September 15th of this year. Among the many stunning images sent back from the Cassini probe is a fitting one for this week – a shadow cast by Titan on Saturn's surface. An observer at the right position would bear witness to a literally far-out eclipse of their own.
Titan casting a shadow on Saturn's surface, as captured by the Cassini satellite.
As a refresher from the June 30th to July 7th article, those looking in the direction of Saturn with binoculars are treated to a host of Messier ("M") Objects – all residing between ourselves and the center of the Milky Way galaxy above the spout of the Sagittarius teapot. A good star chart and some guide stars will help you determine just which object you're looking at.
A monthly preview of stars you can observe over Upstate NY from Damian Allis, contributing writer
Winter has come again, marking the time when many pack up their equipment and seek indoor lectures over outdoor observing. The situation is even worse for amateur astronomers, as the arrival of the Winter Solstice on the 21st also marks the point at which the days start to get longer – and the observing nights start to get shorter. As for 2017, New York observers saw mixed results in the "with my own eyes" department. The solar eclipse was generally excellent, with random blocks of overcast observing time. Some of the more subtle phenomena, such as lunar occultations and one lunar eclipse, also received mixed reviews for observability. The recent Venus-Jupiter conjunction was a wash for most, and the general consensus for the year was that none of the meteor showers lived up to the attention they received.
Major NASA missions this year did provide focus for many observers and outreach lecturers, with Juno at Jupiter and Cassini at Saturn highlights both in imagery and hard science. The list of major events for 2018 is lengthy, including a number of lunar and solar eclipses. Sadly, New York will only be able to catch a sliver of only one of these – the total lunar eclipse occurring on Jan. 31st. That said, any reason to get outside is a good one – and if you know of any NY astronomy clubs or events that could use some additional promotion, please consider contacting the author with information.
Lectures And Observing Opportunities In Upstate/Central New York
New York has a number of astronomers, astronomy clubs, and observatories that host public sessions throughout the year. Announced sessions from respondent NY astronomy organizations are provided below for December. As wind and cloud cover are always factors when observing, please check the provided contact information and/or email the groups a day-or-so before an announced session, as some groups will also schedule weather-alternate dates. Also use the contact info for directions and to check on any applicable event or parking fees. And bring one more layer of clothing than you think you are going to need!
Astronomy Events Calendar
Organizer
Location
Event
Date
Time
Contact Info
Albany Area Amateur Astronomers & Dudley Observatory
The Moon's increasing brightness as Full Moon approaches washes out fainter stars, random meteors, and other celestial objects – this is bad for most observing, but excellent for new observers, as only the brightest stars (those that mark the major constellations) and planets remain visible for your easy identification. If you've never tried it, the Moon is a wonderful binocular object. The labeled image identifies features easily found with low-power binoculars.
Lunar features prominent in low-power binoculars.
Observing Guides
Items and events listed below assume you're outside and observing most anywhere in New York. The longer you're outside and away from indoor or bright lights, the better your dark adaption will be. If you have to use your smartphone, find a red light app or piece of red acetate, else set your brightness as low as possible.
The sky at 9:00 p.m. on December 15th, accurate all month except for the changing Moon position.
Evening Skies: The Summer Triangle has finally become a Summer Line, with only Deneb and bright Vega visible in the evenings this month. A new triangle takes up the slack, itself engulfed in a much larger geometric shape. The Winter Triangle – Sirius in Canis Major, Procyon in Canis Minor, and Betelgeuse in Orion, shares an edge with the much larger Winter Hexagon – Sirius, Procyon, Pollux in Gemini, Capella in Auriga, Aldebaran in Taurus, and Rigel in Orion.
With Orion and its cohort all above the horizon before midnight, learning eight constellations at once is as easy as following some lines within Orion's bowtie asterism.
Orion can guide you around its neighborhood. Red = belt stars to Sirius and Canis Major; Orange = Rigel and belt center to Castor and Pollux in Gemini; Yellow = Bellatrix and Betelgeuse to Canis Major; Green = Belt stars to Aldebaran and Taurus; Blue = Saiph and Orion's head to Capella in Auriga.
Morning Skies: There are no massive asterisms on the scale of the Winter Hexagon in the morning skies right now, but prominent and familiar shapes do abound. Moving from the Little Dipper to the Big Dipper, continue nearly the same distance to reach the hind end of Leo the Lion – look to the west for the backwards question mark that is its mane. In the same neck of the woods as the two Dippers is the Keystone asterism, marking the torso of the constellation Hercules.
The sky at 5:00 a.m. on December 15th, accurate all month except for the changing Moon position.
Planetary Viewing
Mercury: Mercury will be difficult to catch at the beginning and end of the month, then impossible to see directly for the rest of it. Mercury will slip below the western horizon soon after sunset on the 1st and 2nd, then rise before the morning sun after the 18th. It will be easiest to see Mercury on the 28th, when it rises at its earliest – close to 6 a.m.
Mercury low on the horizon on Dec. 28, with Jupiter and Mars still easy targets higher above.
Venus: If you want to see Venus before the end of the year, you have the first two mornings in December to do it. Just off of an impressive mid-November conjunction with Jupiter that many in New York couldn't see directly due to cloud cover, Venus is set to rise in the east soon before the morning Sun after Dec. 3. Those with a low horizon will have the 1st and 2nd, but that will end safe and easy Venus observations until 2018, when it becomes an exceptional target in February.
Venus low on the horizon on Dec. 1 and 2, with Jupiter and Mars still easy targets higher above.
Mars: Mars rises around 4 a.m. all month long, making it a quality target for early morning observers. With Jupiter rising earlier each morning, Mars will find itself being out-observed by binocular and telescope users mid-month. This situation will change after the 23rd, when Mars and Jupiter will share the field of view of 10×50 binoculars. Those planning ahead should set an alarm for the mornings of Jan. 6th and 7th, when the two planets will be exceptionally close to one another.
Both the 13th and 14th see the Moon, Mars and Jupiter in close proximity in the morning sky – a pleasant sight to end a long night of Geminid hunting.
Mars, Jupiter, and the Moon on the mornings of the 13th and 14th.
Jupiter: Jupiter is visible in the morning for all of December and will be an observing target at some point in the night until October of next year. Those with even poor-quality binoculars are able to see its four bright satellites – known as the "Galilean Moons" for their first observer – and the appearance of Jupiter as a disc of light instead of a simple pinpoint like all stars. Many websites, including the Jupiter's Moons webapp at Sky & Telescope, can provide you with the real-time and future positions of the fast-moving moons for any viewing opportunity you get this and every month.
When the weather doesn't cooperate, the NASA Juno mission (tw,fb) continues to impress with hard science and beautiful images.
Saturn: You have only a few days at the beginning of the month to observe Saturn low in the western sky, and those sessions must start very soon after sunset to do so. Saturn ends its time as an evening target well before mid-month even to those with very low and clear horizons. Observing Saturn after the first week will be very difficult due to the amount of sunlight still in the sky. Very close to the new year, Saturn will just begin to clear the horizon before the rising sun, likely still too difficult a target until mid-January, when it rises in the morning with time and dark skies to spare.
ISS And Other Bright Satellites
Satellite flyovers are commonplace, with several bright passes easily visible per hour in the nighttime sky, yet a thrill to new observers of all ages. Few flyovers compare in brightness or interest to the International Space Station. The flyovers of the football field-sized craft with its massive solar panel arrays and six current occupants can be predicted to within several seconds and take several minutes to complete.
December is excellent for ISS observing. From the 1st to the 18th, all flyovers are between 5 and 7:30 p.m., with many of them very bright and some of them occurring twice in an evening. Generally speaking, the first of the double flyovers will be significantly brighter than the second, giving you a 90 minute wait to compare and contrast. The ISS goes off our radar from the 18th to the 24th, after which it becomes a bright morning target into early 2018.
Meteor Showers: Geminids, Peaking On The 13th/14th, and the Ursids, Peaking On The 21st/22nd
Meteor showers are the result of the Earth passing through the debris field of a comet or asteroid. As these objects approach the warming sun in their orbits, they leave tiny bits behind, usually no larger than grains of sand. The Earth plows through the swarm of these tiny particles at up-to 12 miles-per-second. High in the upper atmosphere, these particles burn up due to friction and ionize the air around them, producing the long light trails we see. We can predict the peak observing nights for a meteor shower because we know when and where in Earth's orbit we'll pass through the same part of the Solar System – this yearly periodicity is what let us identity and name meteor showers well before we ever had evidence of what caused them.
Gemini resides inside the Winter Hexagon, standing on Orion's Club. Once you've found the Little Dipper, you've found the Ursid radiant.
December features two showers active enough to mention. The first and most significant is the Geminids, a shower that originates from asteroid 3200 Phaethon – a rarity among the major showers, which largely originate from comets. The Geminids peak this year on the 13th/14th within a window that spans the 9th to the 16th. The Geminids benefit from a late-arriving waning crescent Moon at the peak, meaning observers should have plenty of dark sky for their searches. Statistically speaking, the shower may produce 120 meteors/hour at its peak. Those who've kept diligent watch of meteor showers from New York this year may take this value with an asteroid-sized grain of salt, as none of the major showers have lived up to their potentials.
The second, and much less prominent, meteor shower this December is the Ursids, originating from Comet 8P/Tuttle. The peak comes just a week after the Geminid peak, has only one-tenth the usual activity, and peaks when most are still frantically trying to get shopping done – all factors which make the Ursids an often overlooked conclusion to the year's meteor shower festivities.
How to observe: To optimize your experience, lie flat on the ground with your feet pointed towards the radiant and your head elevated – meteors will then appear to fly right over and around you.
Those interested in seeing a full list should check out the American Meteor Society meteor shower calendar.
Learn A Constellation: Auriga
Auriga and its Messiers, with nearest neighbors shown in the inset.
Auriga is one of the surviving 48 constellations from antiquity that fits right into modern times. Specifically, it is one of the few constellations to undergo a significant change in its professional career – not quite fast enough for the modern gig economy, but certainly changing with the times. Auriga, or its brightest star Capella, goes back in the written record to Mesopotamia, where the arrangement of stars was seen as a shepherd's stick, or crook. Other groups of the time associated Auriga with goats and herding, a theme that made its way to ancient Greek times before Auriga took on a second career as a charioteer. Many of the representations of Auriga beyond the Roman Empire and into modern times even show Auriga with chariot reins in one hand and two small goats in another – a reminder to perspective hires to always have one's resume in hand.
The stars of Capella, with the Sun (Sol) for size comparison. Image from wikipedia.
While Auriga itself may be diminished in significance by its proximity to Orion and Taurus, its bright Capella is prominent enough to explain the shepherd association. This shepherd star is not working alone, however – this bright pinpoint is the combined light of four stars in total. Two of the stars, Aa and aB, are both massive and in close proximity – their separation is only 75% that of the Sun-Earth distance – while a more distant pair of dimmer stars orbit these two much farther out.
Generally speaking, Auriga is represented as a lopsided hexagon. If your star chart differs from that, it is likely due to the inclusion of stars in the small triangle next to Capella in the overall shape. The triangle of Almaaz, Haedus, and Saclateni is prominent by itself, but is made more so by being so close to Capella. Some of the flock refuse to stray.
Binocular observers are treated to three identifiable open star clusters that resolve reasonably well in telescopes at low magnification. M36, M37, and M38 all sit about 4,000 light years away and contain fewer than 150 stars. They are made easy to find because the region of the Milky Way in the direction of the Winter skies is away from the galactic center. There's enough material to make finding galaxies more difficult, but not enough to obstruct the views of close objects in our neighborhood – a perfect vantage point for keeping track of such a distinguished herd.
Upstate NY Stargazing In March: Messier Marathon and the Lunar Occultation of Aldebaran
M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, and its satellite galaxies M32 (a hazy star just above-left of M31's center) and M110 (the oval structure below-left of M31's center). Photograph taken at Kopernik Observatory & Science Center by Kopernik Astronomical Society member George Normandin. Click for a larger view.
When someone refers to an astronomical object as "M" and a number, just what do they mean?
Once upon a time in astronomy, we didn't much know anything. Our classification throughout most of human history divided the nighttime sky into (1) pinpoints of light that didn't move with respect to each other (stars), (2) points of light that did move (planets), (3) random streaks of light that moved very quickly and disappeared (meteors), (4) the very rare pinpoints of light that grew bright and then disappeared completely (nova, supernova) and (5) the Moon.
There was also a rare sixth kind of object – comets. Comets grew bright over time before disappearing again, moved with respect to the backdrop of stars, looked like a hazy ball of light instead of a sharp pinpoint, and some were even known to come back around our way every certain number of years – a true hybrid of properties. Perhaps the most famous comet is the 75-ish year period Halley's Comet. Literary buffs will know that Mark Twain was born in 1835, the year of a Halley fly-by, and died in 1909, the year of the next Halley pass. He was even quoted as saying "It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet."
European history buffs may know that the 1066 fly-by of Halley's Comet was seen as an omen – albeit an eventually poor one for Harold II of England, who suffered death and defeat at the swords and stirrups of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. The Bayeux Tapestry, which records the events leading up to this famed battle, even includes the sighting of the at-that-time-unnamed Halley's Comet.
Now we zoom in on the "M" – as it happens, many deep sky objects, including globular star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae, can look a bit comet-ish when magnified. This is especially true in poor quality equipment, where bad optics make everything unresolvable, adding a hazy glow to further confuse the issue. The "street cred" that came with the discovery of and naming rights for comets instigated many to push the limits of scope building and observing after Galileo's first foray into telescope observing, as better optics and higher magnification meant catching sight sooner than anyone else. Fortunately for methodical comet hunters, many of the hazy deep sky objects in their sights did not move in the sky with respect to the stars around them – meaning, to borrow from another space adventure, "these aren't the comets you're looking for."
Enter the "M" – Charles Messier, the famed French comet hunter whose observing prowess gave him a near-monopoly on comet discoveries between 1760 and 1785. In an effort to keep track of stationary stellar fuzz balls, and to pre-empt the erroneous reporting of new comets by others, Messier marked the locations of 17 comet-like objects in the sky that did not move, added 28 other fixed objects discovered previously, and published all 45 in 1774 in what became the first Messier Catalogue. The final catalogue published by Messier and his assistant Pierre Mechain in 1781 included 103 objects. The list was further expanded to 110 by later astronomers who saw evidence for the observations of M104 to M110 in M+M's observing logs, with M110 added just in 1967. The Messier Catalogue accounts for nearly all of the deep sky objects you can see with a decent pair of binoculars in the Northern Hemisphere.
For those keeping track, the irony of the whole situation is that Messier, famed comet hunter, is remembered for making a catalogue of those things which are, in fact, not comets.
All 110 Messier Objects – and most will not look this good in your binoculars Click for a larger view.
The entire Messier Catalogue, spread throughout the sky as it is, can be observed in its entirety under clear, dark skies very near the New Moon between mid-March and early April. Amateur astronomers the world over engage in what is known as the "Messier Marathon," one of the great yearly tests of an observer's equipment, eyesight, and patience. You have to start *very* soon after sunset to catch the earliest setters, then can enjoy a more leisurely tour of the nighttime sky, sneaking in an occasional nap or big cup of coffee before catching the last few objects *very* soon before sunrise. These marathons are not easy! Observers with several years of experience may have trouble seeing the dimmest members of the list, but even new observers with good binoculars and simple star charts can find the brightest members of the catalogue in what are often called "Messier Sprints." A web search for "Messier Marathon" will provide numerous useful links, including maps to these objects, recording logs for each object, and even the most efficient search order to find and record your observations.
March lectures and observing opportunities
New York has a number of evenly-spaced astronomers, astronomy clubs, and observatories that host public sessions throughout the year. Many of these sessions are close to the New Moon, when skies are darkest and the chances for seeing deep, distant objects are best. These observers and facilities are the very best places to see the month's best objects using some of the best equipment, all while having very knowledgeable observers at your side to answer questions and guide discussion. Many of these organizations also hold monthly meetings, where seasoned amateurs can learn about recent discoveries from guest lecturers, and brand new observers are encouraged to join and begin the path towards seasoned amateur status.
Announced public sessions from several respondent NY astronomy organizations are provided below for March. As wind and cloud cover are always factors when observing, please check the provided contact information and/or email the groups a day-or-so before an announced session. Also use the contact info for directions and to check on any applicable event or parking fees, Some groups will schedule weather-alternate dates for some sessions.
For those still smitten with the NASA discovery of seven Earth-sized planets around TRAPPIST-1, attendees in the Cazenovia area are invited to the free lecture "Distant Worlds: What We Know About Extra-Solar Planets And Their Potential For Habitability" on March 1st in Hubbard Hall at Cazenovia College, given by Dr. Leslie Hebb from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and co-sponsored by the Cazenovia College Science Cafe Committee and CNY Observers. For additional information, please send an email to lecture@cnyo.org.
Lunar Phases
New:
First Quarter:
Full:
Third Quarter:
New:
Feb. 26, 9:58 AM
Mar. 5, 6:32 AM
Mar. 12, 10:53 AM
Mar. 20, 11:58 AM
Mar. 27, 10:57 PM
The Moon's increasing brightness as Full Moon approaches washes out fainter stars, random meteors, and other celestial objects – this is bad for most observing, but excellent for new observers, as only the brightest stars (those that mark the major constellations) and planets remain visible for your easy identification. If you've never tried it, the Moon is a wonderful binocular object.
The grazing lunar occultation of Aldebaran. Click for a larger view.
Observers throughout Central and Southern New York are in for an observational treat on the evening of March 4th, when the Moon will occult the bright star Aldebaran, bright eye of the constellation Taurus the Bull. While the Moon occults, or blocks the light from, various stars and occasional planets all the time, the Aldebaran occultation is noteworthy because many observers will see Aldebaran just graze the Moon's edge. The luckiest observers may even see Aldebaran blink several times over the course of the occultation – this is huge! With no atmosphere to speak of, the blinking of Aldebaran you might see is, in fact, the star slipping behind large lunar geological features, such as high hills and the walls of impact craters. With enough observers and enough recorded data, astronomers can even make an elevation map of the grazed region of the Moon.
For those interested in all of the details, including the best ways to observe the event and how you can record data yourself for submission to the International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA), check out their official website.
Evening And Nighttime Guide
Items and events listed below assume you're outside and observing most anywhere in New York state. The longer you're outside and away from indoor or bright lights, the better your dark adaption will be. If you have to use your smartphone, find a red light app or piece of red acetate, else set your brightness as low as possible.
The view looking southwest at 9 p.m. on March 15 (except for the changing Moon position, this mid-month view is accurate for all of March). Click for a larger view.
Southern Sights: Orion, Taurus, and Canis Major are now primed for nighttime observing. High above them lies the twins Gemini – two very bright stars above Betelgeuse, the bright shoulder of Orion, will help orient you to find the stars that make up their bodies. These real beauties of winter skies will be nearly gone by the end of April, after which observers will have to wake up very early in August to see them again.
The view looking north at 9 p.m. on March 15. The Big Dipper is marked in green, including an arrow guide to finding Polaris, the North Star. Click for a larger view.
Northern Sights: Observers out during the late-evening hours are treated to a prominent Big Dipper standing upright in the northeastern sky and a prominent "E" shape in the northwest – the constellation Cassiopeia. The ancient king Cepheus sits near the horizon before midnight, looking like a dilapidated old barn. Once you've found the Big Dipper, take the two stars at the end of the bowl and guide your way to a moderately bright star surrounded by a mostly empty, dark piece of sky – this is the north star and tip of the Little Dipper handle, Polaris.
Planetary Viewing
Mercury starts the night above Venus on the 20th with Mars and a dim Uranus to the south. Click for a larger view.
Mercury: Mercury will be a bright pinpoint of light that will appear and then set just after sunset on March 11th. For the rest of the month, Mercury rises higher and sets later each night, falling behind Venus on the 20th and rising still higher in the sky through the end of March and early April. The 20th also offers a perfect time to catch four planets – Mars, Uranus, Mercury, and Venus – in the same part of the sky. On March 31, Mercury sets just after 9 p.m. EDT after crossing the Pisces-Aries border.
Venus on March 1st, off to the north of a tight grouping of the Moon, Mars, and Uranus. Click for a larger view.
Venus: Everyone's favorite misidentified UFO is going to zip along rather quickly from our view and through Pisces this month. Venus will set close to 8:30 p.m. on March 1st, a good 40 minutes or more before the crescent Moon and Mars do. On March 19th, Venus will set just after Mercury, newly arrived to the early-evening skies. On March 25th, Venus will set with the Sun and won't return to our evening skies until January of 2018. That said, Venus goes from being a bright evening object to a bright morning object instead! Between the 23rd and 25th, you have a decent chance of seeing Venus at sunset and at sunrise, after which Venus increasingly becomes a pre-dawn observing target until well into December of this year.
Mars: Mars will pair with the Moon this month in Pisces on March 1st and, once again, these two objects can guide you to finding the second-farthest planet in the Solar System. With luck and decent magnification, Uranus will appear as a green/blue point of light below Mars. If the Moon is too bright for easy scanning, simply wait until after the 1st for the Moon to make a little distance from Mars before trying for Uranus again. Mars will set very close to 9:20 p.m. EST / 10:20 EDT the entire month thanks to our mutual motions around the Sun, crossing the border from Pisces to Aries on March 8.
Jupiter and Moon close to Spica in Virgo on March 14. Click for a larger view.
Jupiter: March marks the triumphant return of Jupiter to our late-evening and early nighttime skies. On March 1, Jupiter rises in Virgo just after 9:30 p.m. By March 31, Jupiter will just hit the eastern tree line around 8:30 p.m. EDT. Low power binoculars are excellent for spying the four bright Galilean moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto – and you are welcome to reproduce Galileo's observations of their motions around Jupiter. In fact, your generic, big-box store binoculars are a significant improvement over the equipment Galileo had at his disposal when he first began observing the heavens, so your task is all the easier. Several online guides will even map their orbits for you so you can identify their motions nightly or, for the patient observer, even hourly. The near-full Moon and Jupiter will make for a bright grouping with the bright Virgo star Spica in 10×50 binoculars after 10 p.m. EDT on March 14.
Saturn and the Moon on March 20th. Click for a larger view.
Saturn: Saturn continues it slow movement through Sagittarius this month, rising over the southeastern horizon just after 2:15 a.m. on March 1 and around 1:15 a.m. on the 31st. Saturn and the waning crescent Moon make for a close pair on March 20. Messier 23 will make for a small triangle in binoculars. The nebulae M21 and M20 can even be placed within the binocular field of view this night, but they will be very difficult to identify due to the brightness of the Moon.
ISS And Other Bright Flyovers
Satellite flyovers are commonplace, with several bright passes easily visible per hour in the nighttime sky, yet a thrill to new observers of all ages. Few flyovers compare in brightness or interest to the International Space Station. The flyovers of the football field-sized craft with its massive solar panel arrays can be predicted to within several seconds and take several minutes to complete.
The ISS is going to be an morning object until near the end of March. All of the morning sessions, from the 1st to the 23rd, fall into a window between 4:45 a.m. and 6:45 a.m., including double flyovers on the 18th, 20th, and 22nd. The "extremely" bright flyovers will be just that, with several expected to out-compete our late-evening Venus. At the end of the month, the ISS returns to the early evening, including double flyovers on the 29th and 31st. Simply go out a few minutes before the start time, orient yourself, and look for what will at first seem like a distant plane.
ISS fly-bys
Date
Brightness
Approx. Start
Start Direction
Approx. End
End Direction
3/1
moderately
6:05 AM
S/SW
6:11 AM
E/NE
3/3
extremely
5:56 AM
SW
6:03 AM
E/NE
3/4
very
5:05 AM
S/SW
5:10 AM
E/NE
3/5
extremely
5:48 AM
W/SW
5:54 AM
NE
3/6
extremely
4:57 AM
SW
5:01 AM
E/NE
3/7
very
5:39 AM
W
5:45 AM
NE
3/8
extremely
4:49 AM
N/NW
4:52 AM
NE
3/9
moderately
5:31 AM
W/NW
5:36 AM
NE
3/10
moderately
4:40 AM
N/NW
4:43 AM
NE
3/11
somewhat
5:22 AM
NW
5:27 AM
NE
3/12
somewhat
5:32 AM
N
5:34 AM
NE
3/13
somewhat
6:13 AM
NW
6:18 AM
NE
3/14
somewhat
5:23 AM
N
5:25 AM
NE
3/15
somewhat
6:05 AM
NW
6:10 AM
E/NE
3/16
somewhat
5:14 AM
N
5:17 AM
NE
3/17
moderately
5:56 AM
NW
6:01 AM
E
3/18
extremely
6:39 AM
NW
6:45 AM
E/SE
3/18
somewhat
5:05 AM
N
5:08 AM
E/NE
3/19
very
5:47 AM
NW
5:52 AM
E
3/20
extremely
6:30 AM
W/NW
6:36 AM
SE
3/20
moderately
4:56 AM
N/NE
4:59 AM
E
3/21
extremely
5:39 AM
NW
5:43 AM
E/SE
3/22
moderately
6:21 AM
W
6:26 AM
S
3/22
moderately
4:48 AM
E
4:51 AM
E/SE
3/23
extremely
5:31 AM
S/SW
5:34 AM
S/SE
3/26
moderately
9:05 PM
S/SW
9:07 PM
S/SW
3/27
very
8:13 PM
S
8:17 PM
E
3/28
extremely
8:56 PM
W/SW
9:00 PM
NE
3/29
extremely
8:03 PM
SW
8:09 PM
E/NE
3/29
moderately
9:40 PM
W
9:42 PM
N/NW
3/30
very
8:46 PM
W
8:52 PM
NE
3/31
extremely
7:53 PM
W/SW
8:00 PM
NE
3/31
somewhat
9:31 PM
W/NW
9:34 PM
N/NE
Predictions courtesy of heavens-above.com. Times later in the month are subject to change – for the most accurate weekly predictions, check spotthestation.nasa.gov.
Meteor Showers: No Major Showers This Month
As has been discussed in previous articles, meteor showers are the result of the Earth passing through the debris field of a comet or asteroid. While the orbits of scores of these objects bring them close to Earth's orbit, a limited number produce enough debris to produce significant meteor shower activity. February and March mark yearly lulls in major meteor shower activity, with the next prominent shower being the Lryids that occur in April. The astronomy community recognizes many minor showers that are predictable in their timing and are predictably unimpressive. Those interested in seeing a full list should check out the American Meteor Society meteor shower calendar.
Learn A Constellation: Ursa Major
Ursa Major and the Big Dipper, including brightest star labels, the locations of Messier Objects, and an arrow to follow to the north star Polaris. Click for a larger view.
For the first time in this series, we turn our constellation attention to the north. Standing to the northeast and nearly upright on its handle in the late evenings in March is the Big Dipper. In what might be the original instance of "let's take this argument outside," the Big Dipper and Orion have vied for the title of "most famous group of stars" among the amateur astronomy community for as long as people have needed reason to argue. Once pointed out, the Big Dipper is unforgettable, making it an ideal anchor to begin one's hobby as a lifelong star-hopper. As a place to spend the evening observing, the Big Dipper and its surroundings offer a great location to discover a number of interesting astronomical objects.
The Big Dipper, bright and famous as it is, is NOT a constellation. It exists as the torso and tail of the constellation Ursa Major, "The Great Bear." The Big Dipper is one of a handful of widely recognized groups of stars called "asterisms," which one can loosely define as "any group of stars that aren't defined as a constellation." It would be a Herculean task to propose any changes to the 88 modern constellations, but you are welcome to define any group of stars that jump out at you as an asterism – and authors have done so in astronomy books as aids to learning the locations of stars and other objects in the nighttime sky.
The ties that bind Ursa Major to the history of civilizations in the Northern Hemisphere are as much a wonder to behold as the stars themselves. The Romans recognized Ursa Major as a bear, it is one of the few groups of stars with Biblical citation, and tribes and civilizations throughout central and northern Europe up through Scandinavia recognized this star grouping as a bear. Closer to our home, the Iroquois, Algonquian, and Lakota also recognized Ursa Major as a bear early in their star lore. There are compelling arguments that this continental meta-drift is *not* just coincidence, but might be part of a shared oral tradition of nomadic peoples that goes back some 13,000 years to the early population of North America through Beringia, the Bering Strait Land Bridge that existed between Russia and Alaska during the last Ice Age. If true, this would place Ursa Major up there with Orion and Taurus as a *very* old star group.
Like the belt, shoulder, and knee stars of Orion, one can't help but see the trees from the forest by spying the Big Dipper before the dimmer stars of Ursa Major. The three handle stars, Alkaid, Mizar, and Alioth, connect at the dimmer star Megrez to the remaining bowl stars Dubhe, Merak, and Phecda.
Turning our attention to the middle of the handle, a fun game to play at public observing sessions is to ask "How many stars do you see at Mizar?" Those with good vision will see two – Mizar and its dimmer companion Alcor. The history of what follows is not set in stone, but is not really in dispute either – the observation of Mizar and Alcor was used by the Roman Army as an eye test for soldiers. Those who could see both had excellent vision and were candidates for lookouts. Following that logic, those who could only see Mizar were assured never to see a big battle from a safe distance. I suspect that those who couldn't see Mizar either were assured never to see a battle from behind those who could. Alcor and Mizar turn out to be much more complicated than just a simple pair – Mizar is, in fact, a double-double! Magnification reveals Mizar to be a bright pair of stars, while professional equipment reveals each of these stars to themselves be a pair of closely-spaced stars, all bound gravitationally. The dimmer Alcor is itself a binary, making for a combined grouping of six stars.
The seven Messier Objects within Ursa Major, including M40 (from NOAO/AURA/NSF), M82 and M81 (ESA/Hubble), M97 (dam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF), M101 (ESA/NASA), M108 (Hunter Wilson), and M109 (Hunter Wilson). Click for a larger view.
Within the borders of this massive constellation reside seven Messier Objects. M40 is a double star that very clearly doesn't seem to be a fuzzy object. Its identification as a Messier Object has been labeled by some as "Messier's greatest mistake." M81 and M82 are a pair of gravitationally-interacting galaxies beyond the bowl and above the front shoulder of Ursa Major. M97, the Owl Nebula, is well within the field of view of Merak in binoculars – but you will need very dark skies and excellent dark adaptation to ever see this object. The Pinwheel Galaxy, M101, is just at the edge of 10×50 binoculars with Mizar placed at one edge of your field of view, but is bright enough for binoculars. Galaxies M108 and M109 round out the Messier list along the bottom of the bowl. Far from street lights and the Moon, these seven are all possible to see with good dark adaption, but patience and a reduced expectation of their visual quality is key. In all seven cases, you may find that your hands are not steady enough to easily see these wispy objects under magnification. Even for binocular viewing, I recommend a decent tripod and binocular tripod mount to improve your views.
