Monthly Night Sky Report: December 2016

Hopefully you were able to enjoy a few of the items that I mentioned in the Monthly Night Sky Report for November.  The Super Moon was spectacular!  I was able to take a couple of pictures with my cell phone that turned out better than I expected.  I also had someone share a picture they took with me that I will share at the end of this post.

December is usually a busy time of year for most people.  With the much colder weather and the chance of storms being greater, not many people have the chance to look at the night sky.  If there is a clear night, it is usually much too cold to venture outside for very long.  If you do get the chance, be sure to bundle up in warm clothes, coats, gloves, etc.  

To start the month off, Mercury will be visible on the first night paired with a young moon.   When you find the moon in the west just after sunset, look down about 10 degrees to see Mercury.  It may be hard to see in the evening twilight, but still worth a look.  By the 10th, Mercury reaches it's highest point in the sky.  It may still be hard to see, but you can use Venus to help find it.  Venus will be the brightest object in the evening sky.  Just follow the path the planets appear to make in the sky (ecliptic) to find Mercury.  Mercury will start to dim after the 10th, but will still be visible to the naked eye for another week or so.

Venus, the second closest planet to the Sun, should be very easy to find.  It will be found in the southwest.  On December 2nd, the moon will help you find Venus (if you need it), much like it did for Mercury the night before.  If you can find the moon, just look to the left and you will see Venus.  Towards month end, Venus will be found nearly 25 degrees high in the sky.  With it so high, it will be easier to see the phase of Venus through a telescope or even a pair of binoculars.

Mars will also still be visible in the night sky as it edges closer and closer to the western horizon.  Venus and Mars will be found relatively close in the evening sky with the gap closing as the month progresses.  By New Years Eve, Mars will lie less than a degree away, from our perspective, from Neptune.  You will need a telescope or a pair of binoculars and a dark sky to see Neptune.

Jupiter will continue to be visible in the early morning hours before sunrise.  It will be the brightest object in the sky if you look east.  Once again, if you feel brave enough to venture out into the cold mornings with a pair of binoculars or larger equipment, you will be able to see the Galilean moons of Jupiter.

Saturn will also be found in the east just before sunrise.  The ringed world won't be visible until the end of the month however.  The morning light may be too bright to find Saturn with the naked eye, but if you take a pair of binoculars and scan the southeastern horizon, you may be able to spot it.  It will be found roughly 5 degrees up.

Uranus will be bright enough to see with the naked eye if you can get to a dark sky site.  After nightfall, it will be found high in the southeast.  Using a pair of binoculars will enhance the view and make it easier to locate.  It will be at roughly 17 degrees in the sky.  Uranus will set in the west at about the same time Jupiter rises in the early morning sky.

Finally, Neptune will be found close to Mars all month, with New Years Eve being the closest they have been in over 700 years.  As mentioned, you will need binoculars or a telescope to see Neptune.  A telescope will greatly enhance your view on New Years Eve, making Neptune appear to be a moon of Mars.

This month also brings along another couple of meteor showers.  The first, peaking on the night of the 13th.  These are known as the Geminids.  Typically this meteor shower can produce up to 120 meteors per hour, but with this months full moon falling on the same night, it will likely wash out all the faint meteors.  If you are interested in trying to catch a glimpse of this shower, it will appear to originate from the constellation of Gemini.  If you can find Orion (which is where the full moon will be), move one constellation to the east and that will be Gemini.

The other meteor shower, the Ursids, will peak on December 21st.  Typically this meteor shower pales in comparison to the Geminids, but because of the full moon, you may see more meteors from this shower.  Usually you can see approximately 10 meteors per hour from the Ursids.  To view this shower, look north to find Ursa Minor (aka, The Little Dipper) and focus on that region of sky.

Here is your break down for the month of December:

December 3: Moon passes just 6 degrees of Venus.
December 5: Moon passes just 3 degrees of Mars.
December 10: Mercury at its furthest point from the Sun, from our perspective.
December 13: Full Moon.  Peak of the Geminid Meteor Shower found in the constellation of Gemini.
December 21: Winter Solstice.  This is the day with the least amount of sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere.
December 22: Peak of the Ursid Meteor Shower found close to Ursa Minor (aka, The Little Dipper). The Moon passes just 2 degrees of Jupiter.
December 27: Moon passes just 4 degrees of Saturn.
December 29: New Moon.
December 31: Conjunction between Mars and Neptune.

As promised, here are a couple of the better pictures that I took with my cell phone and the one shared with me of the Super Moon.  For the best results, you may need to view these images on a computer instead of a cell phone or tablet.  Enjoy!

Taken from my cell phone.

Also taken from my cell phone.

Taken by a neighbor of my sister-in-law, Casey.

As always, please be sure to share what you see!  

Monthly Night Sky Report: November 2016

November is here!  Typically, that means it's time to bundle up in warm clothes, hats, gloves, and even a blanket if you want to spend the night or even the first few hours of darkness stargazing.  This cold weather can play havoc on binoculars, telescopes, cameras, and eyepieces.  It will also take longer for your equipment to acclimatize to the cooler weather when leaving the warm shelter of your home.  Without the proper accessories for this equipment, if left outside for too long, they can also get coated in a layer of frost which can be detrimental to the electronics and optics.  So be careful if using any of this type of equipment!

Starting November off, we will be able to see a show put on by Venus, Saturn, and the Moon, as well as Antares.  All four objects will be found towards the west-southwest after sunset.  The Moon will be the brightest, followed by Venus, Saturn, and Antares.

Mars is also still visible during November.  It will be found high in the southern sky after the Sun sinks below the horizon.  It will appear to make its way towards the west as the night progresses. Mars still won't be as impressive as it was earlier this year through a telescope or binoculars.  I still think it is an enjoyable target with its red glow in the night sky.

There is another meteor shower visible this month.  This shower is called the Leonid's and will appear to originate from the constellation of Leo the Lion.  Leo is found to the right of the Great Bear (aka Ursa Major; The Big Dipper).  This shower peaks on November 17 before dawn (look east).  The best time to start watching is around 3 or so in the morning.  However, the Moon will add quite a bit of light pollution on this night.  So be sure to check it out before and after the peak date to hopefully catch some shooting stars.

Late in the month, Mercury will again be visible.  Towards the end of October, Mercury moved behind the Sun from our point of view, and will return to our view on November 30.  You will be able to see it in the west after the Sun sets.

Uranus and Neptune will best be viewed after midnight this month.  Uranus will be found in the southwest while Neptune will be west.  As mentioned in earlier posts, you will need a pair of binoculars or a telescope to see these outer planets.

Jupiter will continue to be found in the morning sky before sunrise.  It will be the brightest "star" found in the east.  With a pair of binoculars, you can easily see the 4 Galilean moons, as long as they are not behind or in front of the gas giant.  The moons will appear as "stars" next to the large, bright disk of Jupiter.  If you have a large enough telescope and want to brave the brisk mornings, you might be able to see the shadow of one of the moons passing in front of Jupiter.  The best mornings to view this would be on the 5th, 8th, 14th, 21st, 22nd, and the 24th.

The full moon this month is also special.  It will be a Super Moon!  This means that it lies closer to Earth in its orbit than normal.  Since the moon is closer, it will appear larger in the sky, but not that much larger.  This will be its closest approach to the Earth since the late 1940's.  So be sure to check it out!  The moon always appears larger while it is rising or setting.  This is because your mind is playing a trick on you!  When the moon is close to the horizon, the objects in the foreground (trees, houses, buildings, etc.) look tiny.  If you don't believe me, hold your thumb out at arms length while the moon is high in the sky and again when it is low on the horizon.  Your thumb is just big enough to block out the moon!

Here is the break down for the month of November:

November 2:  Saturn, Venus, and the Moon have an after sunset rendezvous.
November 14: Full Moon as well as a Super Moon
November 17: The Leonid's Meteor Shower peak.
November 29: New Moon.
November 30: Mercury returns to view after sunset

As always, there are all kinds of fascinating objects to see in the night sky, from the stars and planets to aircraft and satellites, including the ISS.  You may also catch a glimpse of a shooting star.  You never know what you will see unless you get outside to look!

Feel free to leave comments about this post or what you see throughout the month.  You can also ask questions if you have any!

Monthly Night Sky Report: October 2016

September has come and almost gone, and with it, the warmer Summer nights which are ideal for stargazing comfort.  To stargaze now will require at least a light jacket.  However, with the cooler temperatures comes longer nights and our winter constellations such as Orion the Hunter, the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, and an awesome binocular target, the Pleiades.  Currently, these will be visible in the early morning hours, but as winter gets closer, these objects will rise earlier and earlier.

To start the October nights off, look west after sunset to see brilliant Venus.  During October, Venus will be the "evening star" instead of the "morning star".  Towards the end of October, Venus will be found near Antares in the constellation Scorpius.  Remember the past few months how Mars and Saturn were in Scorpius and close to Antares, making up the triangle I photographed last month?  Now it's Venus' turn to enjoy the company of Antares! Leading up to this pairing, Venus will travel through two other constellations, Libra and Ophiuchus.

You may have noticed Saturn moving away from Mars during September.  This will continue during the month of October.  Towards the end of the month, Saturn and Venus will create a nice pair during the early evening.  Saturn has also lost much of its appeal this month as it has fallen low on the horizon where the atmosphere interferes with the views through a telescope or binoculars.

Mars will be found in our southwestern sky and passing through the constellation Sagittarius.  Mars will also be low on the horizon and will not give up much detail through a telescope due to atmospheric interference.  It should be easy to spot with the naked eye due to its bright red color.  Mars will be visible all month in the early evening hours.

Pluto will also be found in Sagittarius this month.  However, as mentioned before, you will need a telescope to see it.  If you do have a telescope, you will likely have to view over several nights to see it move against the background stars.

Neptune will also be visible during the month.  It will be found in our southern sky in the constellation Aquarius.  You will need binoculars or a higher powered instrument to see Neptune.  It will appear as a blueish-gray "star".

Uranus will be visible with the naked eye if you can get to a dark sky site.  It will be found in the constellation Pisces in the east after sunset during the month. It will appear a blue-green color when viewed through a telescope or binoculars.

To finish our planet sightings off for the month, Mercury and Jupiter will be found in the morning sky, just before sunrise.  Jupiter won't be visible until the 10th but Mercury will be visible nearly all month.  Just look east!

There will also be a couple of meteor showers this month.  But like the meteor showers of September, they won't be as impressive as the Perseids of August.  The first shower, called the Southern Taurid shower will peak on the night of the 10th.  The moon will only be at first quarter so its light shouldn't wash out too many of these "shooting stars".  You might be able to see up to 5 meteors per hour during this night.  Just find Taurus the Bull (in the East around 10 pm) and watch that area of the sky!  The next meteor shower won't peak until the 21st.  This is the Orionid meteor shower.  These meteors will appear to originate from the constellation of Orion the Hunter.  The moon will be close to a last quarter on that night.  You could see up to 15 meteors per hour on the peak night.

Here are the highlights for October:

October 10: Southern Taurid meteor shower peaks.
October 15: Uranus is at opposition.
October 16: Full Moon
October 21: Orionid meteor shower peaks.
October 30: New Moon

I wasn't able to take any night sky pictures during the early part of September to share with you.  I was able to get out and at least look at the sky though.  I was impressed by how much the triangle formed by Saturn, Mars, and Antares changed.  The view of the full moon during the middle of the month was spectacular.  I also enjoyed looking at Orion in the early morning hours, joined by Sirius.  And, as always, watching the ISS fly across the sky is satisfying to me.  Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures to share with you in the next Monthly Sky Report!

Monthly Night Sky Report: September 2016

September has almost arrived! I hope that you were able to see the Perseids throughout August.  Hopefully you were able to view the planets as well since Jupiter will fall from our view during the month of September.  

September also brings a couple of meteor showers. While neither of them are as major as the Perseids of August, it will still be worth going out to view them.  The first shower, the Aurigids will peak on the night of August 31 and morning of September 1.  It is expected to produce an average of 6 meteors per hour. That's extremely low compared to the Perseids last month! The next shower is called the Epsilon Perseids. This meteor shower also appears to originate from the constellation Perseus like the Perseids of August.  However this shower will only produce an average of 5 meteors per hour.  This shower peaks on the night of September 8. The best time to view both of these meteor showers will be on the peak night and after the moon sets. However, there will still be an increase in"shooting stars"on the dates leading up to and after the peak date.

Neptune will be at opposition this month.  Again, this means that Neptune will be opposite the Sun from our perspective, and will appear brighter in your binoculars/telescope.  Unfortunately, you will not be able to see Neptune without a pair of binoculars or larger instrument.

As briefly mentioned in the opening of this post, Jupiter will fall from view towards the end of September.  Leading up to Jupiter's demise, Venus and the king of planets will make a great pairing in evening twilight.  Just look west after sunset.  If you look early enough in the month, you might even catch Mercury with these two planets.  By the 22nd, Mercury will be visible in the morning sky instead of the evening sky.

Mars and Saturn also make a great pair during the month.  The two planets and the star Antares will form a nice triangle that will change nightly as Mars and Saturn move through the sky.  This will be found in the southern sky.   

Here are the dates of a few of the more exciting events this month:

September 1: New Moon. Aurigids Meteor Shower peak.

September 2: Neptune at opposition.

September 9: Epsilon Perseids Meteor Shower peak.  

September 16: Full Moon.

September 22: Autumn Equinox

September 28: Mercury will be at it's highest point of the year before dawn.

September 30: New Moon

I would really love to hear about your experiences under the night sky and what you saw!  Don't forget that you can also look for the ISS and other satellites.

Here are a few pictures that I took during the month of August to let you know what I saw!

Sunset at Area 62

Sunset at Area 62

First Quarter Moon

ISS (Streak) and Ursa Major (Big Dipper)

ISS and Ursa Major

Cassiopeia

Small Perseid Meteor

Ursa Major and Minor

Moon and triangle formed by Mars (lower right), Saturn (top), and Antares (lower left)

Perseid Meteor

Cassiopeia and people enjoying the night sky

Monthly Night Sky Report: August 2016

Another month has come and almost gone. I hope that you were able to get outside to look at the stars for at least one evening.  Maybe you will be able to see a couple of the eight planets that will still be visible towards the end of July.  Leave me a comment and let me know what you've been able to see.  

The month of August will still have warm nights and should have relatively clear skies.  The eight planets will again be visible for the first two weeks of the month.  By the end of the month, Jupiter will have slipped below our horizon and will no longer be seen from our location. Mars and Saturn will still dominate the southern sky. In fact, if you view Mars throughout the month, it will appear to move backwards in the sky. This is called a retrograde motion.  You can also see this happen nearly every day closer to home.  If you are out driving on the freeway and pass a car, if you watch the wheels on the other car, they will be going forward and then appear to go backwards and then forward again as you pass. Mars is the car that is being passed, in this example, and Earth is the car you are driving.  

August also brings arguably the best meteor shower of the year; The Perseids.  This shower has been known to produce over 100 meteors per hour (perhaps up to 150 this year)!  This shower is caused by the Earth passing through the trail of dust left behind by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.  The exceptional meteor shower this year is provided by the gravitational force of Jupiter slightly altering the debris trail of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle closer to Earths orbit.  So be sure to watch for the Perseids!

Here is the breakdown for the month of August:

August 2: New Moon

August 12: Special Observing Night: This is the night of the Perseid Meteor Shower. You should be able to see between 100-150 meteors per hour.  Look to the northeast anytime after the moon sets (around 1 a.m.).

August 18: Full Moon

August 23: Mars is only about 2° north of Antares in Scorpius.  To tell the difference between the two, remember that stars "twinkle" in the sky while planets will be a constant light.  Antares means "not Mars" or "anti-Mars" in Greek.

August 25: Mars will pass just 4° south of Saturn.

The distances between objects in the night sky are measured by degrees, from our point of view on the surface of Earth.  This makes it somewhat easier to tell your friends which object you are looking at or finding an object in the sky.  As it should be, it's dark outside when you are enjoying the stars, so if you point and tell your friend to look at a particular star, they won't be able to see which one you are pointing at!

Here is how to make those measurements with just your hands!  By holding your hand out at arms length:
1° = the width of your little finger.
5° = the width of your three middle fingers combined (pointer, middle, and ring finger).
10° = width of your fist.
15° = span between your index and little finger.
25° = span between your thumb and little finger stretched apart as far as you can.

As mentioned, you will be able to see all of the planets this month.  Here is where they will be located throughout the night:

After Sunset:
Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter in the west.
Mars and Saturn in the south.
Neptune in the east.

Midnight:
Mars and Saturn will be found in the southwest.
Neptune in the southeast.
Uranus in the east.

Before Sunrise:
Neptune in the southwest.
Uranus in the south.

I would really like to hear from you and what you saw during the month!  Please leave me a comment!

Now get outside and look at the stars!

Monthly Night Sky Report (July 2016)

Once again, it's time for your monthly night sky report!  July will again have nice warm nights so that staying out late and enjoying the night sky will be more pleasant.  Like June, in my opinion there won't be anything too exciting happening this month, unless an undiscovered comet or asteroid comes perilously close to Earth!  

A few of the highlights this month are:

Venus and Mercury will once again be visible.

Dwarf planet Pluto will also be visible but you will need a midsize or larger telescope to see it.

Towards the end of the month, all seven planets (eight if you want to look down at Earth) as well as dwarf planet Pluto will be visible during the night. Shortly after sunset, look to the west to catch a glimpse of Venus and Mercury before they fall below the horizon. Jupiter starts the month high in the western sky but towards the end, will only be visible for a short time before falling below the horizon. Mars and Saturn will be high in the sky after sunset with Neptune and Uranus rising in the east about an hour to two hours, respectfully, after sunset. Neptune will appear blue-gray while Uranus will be blue-green.  You will need at least a pair of binoculars to see these two planets.  

July 4: New Moon

July 7: Pluto is at opposition. The nights leading up to, and about a week after this date Pluto will appear slightly brighter.  Pluto's opposition doesn't change much because it's so far away so it will appear to move slowly.  To see Pluto, you will need a 6 inch or larger telescope and you may need to view Pluto over a few nights to actually see it.  You will want to watch for a point of light that has changed position over a few nights.  

July 19: Full Moon

July 29: Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor shower peaks on this night.  You should be able to see approximately 16 meteors per hour.  The best time to look is after midnight until about 4 in the morning.  

Now get outside and look at the stars!

June 4th: Night Under the Stars

On June 4th, I was able to travel out to Area 62 for a fun night under the stars.  I packed up Hercules (my telescope) and my camera.  I left earlier than I needed to, or perhaps I drove really fast, or a combination of both, and arrived with still an hour and a half of sunlight left, and then another 30 minutes until it was dark enough to align Hercules with a two star alignment.  I also bought an adapter to attach a green laser pointer to Hercules to use as a type of finder scope instead of the original one that came with it.  I am very pleased with this small and inexpensive modification.

As I pulled up to my site, I noticed a truck out there with a tent set up.  I was a little nervous at first, but shortly after arriving and starting to unpack the car, the couple drove over (did they really need to drive??) and talked to me for a few minutes.  He told me they had a nice telescope set up with a camera that would project the image to a TV.  He also had a 3D converter box to convert the image to 3D (with special glasses of course).  He said I should come over and have a look later, sadly, I never made it over there.

I continued to put Hercules together, which was taking longer than normal due to the large amounts of bugs!  Just FYI, bug spray that you use to keep mosquitoes away didn't work against these pests! After I finished assembly, another car came out which kicked up quite a bit of dust.  Thankfully, I was smart enough to leave the dust covers over the mirrors on Hercules.  The car drove past and over to the gentleman's campsite.  Shortly after, he walked back over and apologized for the dust and that the rest of his party would be more considerate when they arrived.  He also looked over Hercules and admired my equipment before telling me about a large 22 inch (mirror size) telescope that he had quite a few years ago.  He even said he had to rent a trailer to haul his telescope in.  That sounds like my kind of telescope!  He also said that the mirror alone for his old telescope was worth over $10,000.  A 22 inch mirror is almost twice the size of my little Hercules.  Maybe someday I can find a big brother/sister for him.

Back to my night out!  After the gentleman left for the second time, I sat down and waited for the darkness to finally arrive.  I took a couple of pictures, watched a couple of antelope run by, walked around for a bit, but mostly swatted at bugs.  When darkness finally did arrive, I powered on Hercules and put in my coordinates, date and time, and then aligned him (as mentioned before) to Polaris and Spica,  In between this time, two more cars drove by (a lot more slowly than the first) filled with people to join the campsite about 100 meters away.

The first object I had Hercules locate was the king of the planets, Jupiter.  He purposefully rotated and aligned perfectly on Jupiter with the soft hum of the motors.  I took a peak through the eyepiece and was instantly filled with joy at the sight!  I could easily see the four largest moons.  Three were on the left and one to the far right, as seen through Hercules' eyepiece.  While I was looking, I could easily hear the sounds of footsteps (many foot steps) approaching from the campsite.  It's very quiet at Area 62, which I absolutely love.  There are no sounds of cars, ticking clocks, any kind of machinery except for Hercules.  Which also means you can hear every little noise, including these footsteps.  When I looked up, there were probably 10 to 12 people walking towards me.  The gentleman in charge, the one I had talked to earlier, asked which planet I was looking at and wanted to know if they could all take a look.  After replying that I was looking at Jupiter, he walked over and took a peak through the eyepiece and was impressed.  A few members of his party introduced themselves to me.  I was elated by the sounds of "oohs" and "Wow!" while the party members peered through the eyepiece of Hercules.  While the others looked at Jupiter, the leader reminded me that I should come take a look at what they had set up.  He also wanted to know if I was staying out long enough to look at Mars while it was at its "sweet spot".  I told him I probably would and he wanted me to call over to them so they could come take a look.  I did stay long enough, but never did call to them to come look.  I was feeling highly outnumbered and since I'm a fairly shy person, that just wasn't my style.

After they had their fill of Jupiter and walked back to their campsite, I had Hercules locate Saturn. That was also a majestic sight!  The rings were almost vertical and the cloud bands (like on Jupiter) were easily visible.  Shortly after locating Saturn (and failed attempts of taking pictures through the eyepiece with my cell phone) I instructed Hercules to move on to Mars.  Mars was still low in the eastern sky, much like Saturn, so I couldn't see much detail.  I've been told that I should be able to see the polar caps of Mars, so I left Hercules positioned on Mars and waited for about an hour.  I took some pictures with my camera (not cell phone) to help pass the time. 

After the time had passed, I looked again at Mars (still centered in the eyepiece! Thanks Hercules!) but it still looked mostly the same. I was a little disappointed but it was still relatively low in the sky so I hadn't expected much.  I looked again at Jupiter and Saturn for a few minutes each. They still looked amazing through the telescope.

At this point, it was really dark out with the Milky Way easily visible across the eastern sky.  I decided it was time to put Hercules to work and view some deep sky objects (DSO).  I simply used a function called "Deep Sky Tour”. 

The first object in the list for this night, was the Beehive Cluster.  Hercules had no trouble moving to its location in the sky.  I had my lowest power eyepiece installed at this time as that is usually the best choice for DSO's because of their large size. These often span a distance equal to or greater than the full moon!  The Beehive Cluster looked great!  I have seen this object before but from a light polluted sky. I was amazed but not surprised at the difference.  

My next target was M39 which is an open cluster.  Sometimes stars appear to be grouped tightly together and other times they are more spread out, creating an open cluster.  As with the Beehive Cluster, this one looked best through my lowest power eyepiece.  

After M39, I had Hercules target M4 and then M5.  Both of these are called a globular cluster, which like the open cluster, consists of hundreds of stars.  Unlike an open cluster, these stars are grouped tightly together with many stars at the center and then they start to spread out towards the edges. Both of these were absolutely stunning!  I wish I had some pictures through the eyepiece to share, but unfortunately I do not.  Hopefully some day in the future!  

I enjoyed looking at these two targets for quite a while before I decided it was time to move on.  I, of course, had to look at the Hercules Cluster since I named my telescope after it.  I was very impressed with this group of stars every time I've looked it.  This night was no exception.  It actually looked a lot better at Area 62 because of the lack of light pollution.  I am always blown away by this target.

I looked at the Hercules Cluster for approximately 15 minutes before I moved on.  Hercules next target was Bode's Nebula.  I have tried looking at this nebula before from a light polluted sky and could not see anything.  Away from the light pollution, I was able to see a small, fuzzy blob of space dust.  While that might not be very exciting to most people, it excites me to see these DSO's with my own eyes.  To know that I'm looking at an object close to 12 million light years away is amazing to me. 

I looked at a few more globular clusters; M3, M92, and M53.  All of which looked amazing, but M3, and M92 surprisingly looked better through my highest power eyepiece.  I was able to break the stars apart even more and see more color instead of just white stars against a black background.  

I then moved on to the Pinwheel Galaxy which I had also tried viewing from a more light polluted area. I wasn't able to see anything the first time I tried, but at Area 62 I could!  Like many DSO's, this appeared mainly as a fuzzy blob only with a hint of a circular structure.  Like Bode's Nebula, most people wouldn't care to look at this target, but again, it's exciting to me to see these types of objects with my own eyes.

I have looked at the Dumbbell Nebula before from light polluted skies and thought it was pretty amazing. It was even more amazing away from the light pollution! I could definitely see more structure and even some color. 

The Cat's Eye Nebula was the last DSO I viewed for the night.  This nebula looked fantastic through my highest power eyepiece.  I could easily see the blue color associated with it.  I had also tried viewing this from light polluted skies but had no luck. 

After ogling the Cat's Eye Nebula for 20 minutes or so, I decided that I should check out the planets one last time.  Jupiter and Saturn still looked amazing but I was still slightly disappointed with Mars. It was just a bright, red disk with no detail visible at all.  I know that a filter designed for looking at Mars will definitely help. This filter will dim the brightness so that I will hopefully see some of the planetary details such as the ice caps and Valles Marineris.  

After observing on this night, I have come to the conclusion that I need more eyepieces and definitely should be viewing from dark sites more often. I also think a barlow (increases the magnification of eyepieces) would be extremely helpful.  In addition, a collection of eyepiece filters would be great! These will help bring out the details of planets and of some nebulae as well.

My last trip to Area 62 I took 200 pictures. This time however, I only took a total of 66 including the ones from my cell phone. Here are my favorites from this night. Enjoy!

Jupiter & 4 moons taken by cell phone through eyepiece.

Hercules awaits the night sky.

Mars - bright red (center of photo).

The ISS approaches.

Stars with sky glow (looking East)

Beehive Cluster Targeted.

Big Dipper (Can you see it?!)

Another Mars and Saturn shot with Milky Way

Jupiter shines brightly!

New Planet!?

Astronomers have possibly discovered a new planet in our solar system!  This was announced earlier this year, so you may have heard the news already.  If not, then I'm glad you heard it from me!  The discovery was made by a team of astronomers at Caltech, which was led by Mike Brown.  He is also a professor of Planetary Astronomy there.

While the planet hasn't been seen directly, based on orbits of many objects in the Kuiper Belt and computer simulations, a large planet is the most likely cause.  The simulations are created using the known values (altered orbits of Kuiper Belt objects) and using unknown variables such as the object that has altered these orbits.  The Kuiper Belt is similar to the Asteroid Belt which lies between Mars and Jupiter, only it is between 30 and 50 AU (Astronomical Units) from the Sun.  Remember, an AU is the average distance between the Sun and the Earth (approximately 93 million miles).  The Kuiper Belt also contains objects much larger than asteroids,  the most popular of which is Pluto.  

Since Pluto is no longer considered a planet, this hypothetical planet has been designated as Planet 9 until a proper name is assigned to it.  The estimated orbital period for this planet is 15,000 Earth years.  The planet would likely have to be slightly smaller than Neptune or 2-4 times the size of Earth to cause the disturbances of the objects in the Kuiper Belt that have been recorded.

The planet hasn't been discovered yet because it likely lies, on average, approximately 700 AU from the Sun and has a highly elliptical orbit. Since the orbit is highly elliptical, the closest approach to the Sun could be around 200 AU while the furthest it could reach away from the Sun is 1,200 AU. The known planets that orbit the Sun, have the Sun at the center of their orbit while this new planet likely will not.  This can be caused by the Sun capturing this planet from a passing star that has planets orbiting it. Perhaps it was a rogue planet that had lost its parent star but has found an adoptive star.  The planet could have also been a member of our solar system all along but had its orbit altered by a passing star.

As you can see, there are a lot of unknowns and as mentioned, it might not be a planet at all. But the planet theory is the best fit based on the data and the computer simulations.  I think it would awesome if a new planet is discovered in our solar system!

For now, astronomers are still running simulations and also focusing large telescopes on the night sky to see if they can detect this planet.  The estimated area of the sky that the planet could be right now is towards the outstretched arm of Orion.  It may take months or even years to detect this planet, if it's out there.  I'm hoping that it is out there, and that it will be found soon!

June 2016

It's already time to tell you what you will be able to see in June!  In my opinion, June won't be as exciting as May.  Although, June will bring warmer weather making it more pleasant to sit out under the stars, which I think is always fun.  Here are the highlights for June:

June 3: Saturn is at opposition.  That means tonight would be a very good night to view Saturn.  It will be opposite of the Sun from our view on Earth, making it appear brighter.

June 4: New Moon.  Great night for viewing the stars, Milky Way, and deep space objects, such as galaxies and star clusters.

June 20: Full Moon.  Not a very good night for stargazing, but still a nice night to look at the Moon. 

June 20 is also the Summer Solstice.  This will mark the longest period of daylight for the year.  If you have solar glasses or a filter, this is a perfect day to view the Sun.

Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars are still visible during the month.  Jupiter will almost be straight above you with Mars and Saturn in the east as the Sun sets.  You can also look for the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, and Cassiopeia in the northern sky.  If you can get away from city lights, you might even be able to see the Milky Way!  Cassiopeia marks the northern-most end.

Now get outside and look at the stars!

May 2016 Night Sky

Since I haven't had a lot of time to create a new post, I thought it would be a good idea to let my few readers know what they can see in the night sky each month.  I will try to do these posts around the 20th of each month, so check back around then if you haven't signed up for notifications. Don't worry!  I will write some interesting posts about various astronomy related topics when I get the chance. But for now, here is what you can see during the month of May.

May 5:  Meteor Shower!  Today, the Eta Aquariid Meteor shower is at it's peak.  Since there is a New Moon on May 6th, tonight would be a great night to see some meteors, weather permitting. These "shooting stars" are the result of Earth passing through Halley's Comet dust trail.  You should be able to see an average of 55 meteors per hour.

May 6: Today is a New Moon!  That means you won't be able to see the moon in the sky tonight which also means you can see a lot more stars, especially if you are able to get away from the city lights or any source of light pollution.

May 9: Special Observing Date!!!  Today, you will be able to see Mercury transit the Sun.  This transit starts around 10:25 AM and goes until about 12:45 PM for viewers near Salt Lake City.  This is what I'm most excited to see this month.  The next occurrence of a similar event won't be until November of 2019.  So be sure to watch!  Buy some solar glasses now!

May 21: Full Moon.  While nights close to a full moon are terrible for looking at the stars or other deep space objects, it is still a nice sight.  If you have a telescope, be sure to use a moon filter!

May 22: Mars is at opposition (opposite of the Sun from our perspective).  It will appear brightest this night, and for the next few nights.  This would be a great time to view Mars through a telescope.

May 30: Mars makes its closest approach to Earth on this day for this year.  No, Mars won't appear as large as a full moon in the sky, it will just appear a little brighter.

Jupiter and Saturn will also be visible all month.  Jupiter will be high in the eastern sky after sunset.  Saturn will appear to follow Mars in the night sky.  Remember, if you're not sure if what you are looking at is a planet or not, just look at it for a few minutes.  If you don't notice any twinkle, then it's a planet!  Jupiter is really bright, so you should be able to pick that one out easily.

Orion will still be visible in the early evening sky.  It will be found in the southwest after sunset.  Remember, if you use the 3 stars of Orion's belt, you can find Sirius, the brightest star in the sky (trace a line to the south through the belt). If you follow the stars in the opposite direction, you can see the Pleiades star cluster. Also known as Subaru, and the Seven Sisters.  You will have to be away from major city lights to see this with your naked eyes.

Don't forget to watch for the International Space Station.  With the warmer weather it might be nice to sit outside to see if you can see it.  There are several apps you can get for your phone to alert you when the next sighting will be.  I have a couple on my phone, but my favorite is the NASA app.  If you choose this app, open it up, tap on Missions, then Sighting Opportunities.  The ISS moves quickly through the sky, like an aircraft.  However, the ISS does not have any blinking lights on it.  Use this information to find it!

Happy viewing and clear skies!