Now get outside and look up!
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Part 2
I neglected to add a time lapse of the Total Solar Eclipse that my brother was able to take. We accidentally left the flash on, but it shows you how dark it really was during totality. My brother was in a blue-green shirt and I was wearing a red shirt. You may be able to spot us next to the plane peaking through the binoculars and solar glasses.
Monthly Night Sky Report: September 2017
I hope you were all able to see the solar eclipse last month! It was truly an amazing sight to see even for those not interested in astronomy.
September may not seem as exciting compared with August and the Total Solar Eclipse, but it is still nice to get out under the stars before the weather turns too cold.
Mercury can still be found in the morning hours just before the Sun rises. It reaches its highest point in the morning sky on the 12th which should make it easier to spot, especially if you don't have a flat eastern horizon. Mercury lies in the constellation of Leo the Lion.
Venus will also be visible in the morning hours. It will be much easier to spot due to its brightness. After the 10th, it will join Mercury in the constellation of Leo.
Mars will return to the sky this month, however it will be in the morning sky with Mercury and Venus. It will join with the previously mentioned planets in the the constellation of Leo, creating quite the trio of morning planets. If three planets weren't enough, the Moon will join the trio from the 17th until the 18th. Be sure to give the morning sky a look on these dates!
Jupiter will remain in the evening sky but not for much longer. As the month goes on, Jupiter will set earlier and earlier each night. The surface details, such as the cloud bands and the Great Red Spot will be harder to spot since it will lie lower in the sky. With binoculars, you should still be able to see Jupiter's largest four moons.
Saturn will be visible all month but will set by 12:30 a.m. during the first week. By months end, it will set by 11:00 p.m. The rings will be tilted to offer great telescopic views. You should even be able to see a few of its largest moons including Titan.
Uranus will rise a couple of hours after sunset during September. You can see this distant planet with the naked eye if you can get away from light pollution. It also shows up nicely in a pair of binoculars.
Finally, Neptune will reach opposition this month, which means it will rise in the East as the Sun sets in the West. It will reach opposition on the 4th but competes with the full Moon on this night. However, Neptune will still still shine at the same magnitude all month. You will need a pair of binoculars or a telescope to spot this world.
September will bring the Aurigid Meteor Shower. This isn't as spectacular as the Perseids from last month but will hopefully still be worthwhile to view. It will peak during the first night of the month which offers approximately 6 meteors per hour. Wait until the Moon sets to increase your viewing experience. This shower appears to radiate from the constellation of Auriga which can be found between Orion and Ursa Major.
Comet PANSTARRS (C/2015 ER61) will be visible this month if you have a telescope. It can be found near the Pleiades star cluster which rises in the East around midnight. If you are able to wait a few more hours or if you wake up early in the morning, you will be able to see Orion returning to our skies.
Additionally, there are many great globular clusters, galaxies, and other wonders of the Milky Way that can be viewed. One of my favorite things to do before owing a telescope was to point my binoculars to the Milky Way band. It's amazing how many more stars you can see! If you are able to get to a dark sky, you should even be able to see the Andromeda Galaxy, our closest neighboring galaxy, with your naked eyes. Using a pair of binoculars on this target will enhance your view while a telescope should be able to reveal some of the dust lanes.
Here is the breakdown for September:
September 01: Aurigid Meteor Shower peaks; look between Orion and Ursa Major
September 05: Neptune at opposition
September 06: Full Moon
September 12: Mercury reaches highest point in eastern sky
September 17: Moon lies close to Venus, Mars, and Mercury
September 20: New Moon
The history report for this month will be fairly short. This month was mostly filled with space probes making flybys. On the first, in 1979, the Pioneer 11 probe was the first probe to fly by Saturn. We currently have another mission there named Cassini. Sadly, this mission will come to an end this month on the 15th. The mission started in 2004. For more information and to read about the great discoveries and achievements of Cassini, click here.
On September 3, 1976, Viking 2 landed on Mars. This mission returned many images from the orbit and the surface of Mars. The lander was shut down in 1980 due to failing batteries.
On the 21st in 1974 the Mariner 10 spacecraft completed its second fly by of the planet Mercury Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft that used the gravity from another planet (Venus) to assist it to get to another planet (Mercury). It was also the first spacecraft to visit two planets. It returned the first ever close up images of Venus and Mercury.
To end this months history report, on the 23rd in 1846, Neptune was discovered. The discovery of the outer most planets, Uranus, Neptune, and the dwarf planet Pluto, take a couple of weeks or longer. Images or drawings have to be done of the stars in the field of view of the telescope and must be compared to each other over a long period of time. The people that discovered these planets had to be looking in the right place at the right time and be very dedicated.
Now get outside and look up!
September may not seem as exciting compared with August and the Total Solar Eclipse, but it is still nice to get out under the stars before the weather turns too cold.
Mercury can still be found in the morning hours just before the Sun rises. It reaches its highest point in the morning sky on the 12th which should make it easier to spot, especially if you don't have a flat eastern horizon. Mercury lies in the constellation of Leo the Lion.
Venus will also be visible in the morning hours. It will be much easier to spot due to its brightness. After the 10th, it will join Mercury in the constellation of Leo.
Mars will return to the sky this month, however it will be in the morning sky with Mercury and Venus. It will join with the previously mentioned planets in the the constellation of Leo, creating quite the trio of morning planets. If three planets weren't enough, the Moon will join the trio from the 17th until the 18th. Be sure to give the morning sky a look on these dates!
Jupiter will remain in the evening sky but not for much longer. As the month goes on, Jupiter will set earlier and earlier each night. The surface details, such as the cloud bands and the Great Red Spot will be harder to spot since it will lie lower in the sky. With binoculars, you should still be able to see Jupiter's largest four moons.
Saturn will be visible all month but will set by 12:30 a.m. during the first week. By months end, it will set by 11:00 p.m. The rings will be tilted to offer great telescopic views. You should even be able to see a few of its largest moons including Titan.
Uranus will rise a couple of hours after sunset during September. You can see this distant planet with the naked eye if you can get away from light pollution. It also shows up nicely in a pair of binoculars.
Finally, Neptune will reach opposition this month, which means it will rise in the East as the Sun sets in the West. It will reach opposition on the 4th but competes with the full Moon on this night. However, Neptune will still still shine at the same magnitude all month. You will need a pair of binoculars or a telescope to spot this world.
September will bring the Aurigid Meteor Shower. This isn't as spectacular as the Perseids from last month but will hopefully still be worthwhile to view. It will peak during the first night of the month which offers approximately 6 meteors per hour. Wait until the Moon sets to increase your viewing experience. This shower appears to radiate from the constellation of Auriga which can be found between Orion and Ursa Major.
Comet PANSTARRS (C/2015 ER61) will be visible this month if you have a telescope. It can be found near the Pleiades star cluster which rises in the East around midnight. If you are able to wait a few more hours or if you wake up early in the morning, you will be able to see Orion returning to our skies.
Additionally, there are many great globular clusters, galaxies, and other wonders of the Milky Way that can be viewed. One of my favorite things to do before owing a telescope was to point my binoculars to the Milky Way band. It's amazing how many more stars you can see! If you are able to get to a dark sky, you should even be able to see the Andromeda Galaxy, our closest neighboring galaxy, with your naked eyes. Using a pair of binoculars on this target will enhance your view while a telescope should be able to reveal some of the dust lanes.
Here is the breakdown for September:
September 01: Aurigid Meteor Shower peaks; look between Orion and Ursa Major
September 05: Neptune at opposition
September 06: Full Moon
September 12: Mercury reaches highest point in eastern sky
September 17: Moon lies close to Venus, Mars, and Mercury
September 20: New Moon
The history report for this month will be fairly short. This month was mostly filled with space probes making flybys. On the first, in 1979, the Pioneer 11 probe was the first probe to fly by Saturn. We currently have another mission there named Cassini. Sadly, this mission will come to an end this month on the 15th. The mission started in 2004. For more information and to read about the great discoveries and achievements of Cassini, click here.
On September 3, 1976, Viking 2 landed on Mars. This mission returned many images from the orbit and the surface of Mars. The lander was shut down in 1980 due to failing batteries.
On the 21st in 1974 the Mariner 10 spacecraft completed its second fly by of the planet Mercury Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft that used the gravity from another planet (Venus) to assist it to get to another planet (Mercury). It was also the first spacecraft to visit two planets. It returned the first ever close up images of Venus and Mercury.
To end this months history report, on the 23rd in 1846, Neptune was discovered. The discovery of the outer most planets, Uranus, Neptune, and the dwarf planet Pluto, take a couple of weeks or longer. Images or drawings have to be done of the stars in the field of view of the telescope and must be compared to each other over a long period of time. The people that discovered these planets had to be looking in the right place at the right time and be very dedicated.
Now get outside and look up!
Monday, August 28, 2017
August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
Millions of people watched the Total Solar Eclipse on the 21st. Many more people saw just a partial solar eclipse, which is still fascinating to see.
As you probably know by now, a Total Solar Eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow over a small part of the Earth. They only happen about once every 100 years if you stay in the same place. Many people will travel around the world to see as many Total Solar Eclipses as possible.
As mentioned in an earlier post, I was able to travel to witness totality. My brother was kind enough to fly me to a little farming town in Idaho called Mud Lake. They have a very small airport there, which is basically a large field with a runway, mainly used for crop dusting. The radio was abuzz with other pilots and air traffic controllers for the whole trip there, which was approximately an hour and a half. It seemed that others had the same idea to skip the traffic of driving and fly. With the airport being so small, I was getting nervous that we would not be able to land and park the plane to watch the eclipse. We didn't arrive until shortly after the eclipse had begun but the air traffic controller for Mud Lake, an older man standing at the end of the runway, let us land and directed us to a parking area.
As you probably know by now, a Total Solar Eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow over a small part of the Earth. They only happen about once every 100 years if you stay in the same place. Many people will travel around the world to see as many Total Solar Eclipses as possible.
As mentioned in an earlier post, I was able to travel to witness totality. My brother was kind enough to fly me to a little farming town in Idaho called Mud Lake. They have a very small airport there, which is basically a large field with a runway, mainly used for crop dusting. The radio was abuzz with other pilots and air traffic controllers for the whole trip there, which was approximately an hour and a half. It seemed that others had the same idea to skip the traffic of driving and fly. With the airport being so small, I was getting nervous that we would not be able to land and park the plane to watch the eclipse. We didn't arrive until shortly after the eclipse had begun but the air traffic controller for Mud Lake, an older man standing at the end of the runway, let us land and directed us to a parking area.
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| The plane, binoculars, and camera. |
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| The plane with others in the background. |
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| Planes and people. |
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| Panorama with my brother and the Moon's shadow approaching. |
I'm estimating that there was over 50 airplanes and other types of aircraft that had landed. There was a row of airplanes facing the runway with another row behind them which were backed in so that the tail of the craft was between the wings of two others. My brother and I quickly set up our gear, two cameras and my binoculars with solar filters as well as two chairs, that didn't get used much. My pictures taken with my camera on a tripod did not turn out, but my brother was able to do a time lapse that I hope turned out well. I also tried taking pictures with my smartphone through my binoculars which also were disappointing, but I will share one or two of those. Surprisingly, my best pictures came during totality.
This was my first Total Solar Eclipse and I was not left disappointed. After setting up all of our gear, and after letting a few nearby people take a look through the binoculars, the temperature and the daytime brightness started to drop. We were even able to seen sunspots through the binoculars. By the time totality arrived, it felt like the temperature had dropped at least 15 degrees. The landscape went completely dark and I could even see Venus and Sirius in the sky, as well as other bright stars. Totality looked just like the pictures that many people have seen with the corona of the Sun easily visible. This felt like the shortest two minutes of my life! After the Moon moved away from the Sun, I had to wear eye protection again because it was too bright with just 1% of the Sun shining down on Earth. At this time, I noticed a couple of evening birds flying for cover that must have come out while the shadow of the Moon was over us. The airport landing lights automatically came on during this time as well.
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| View through binoculars just before totality. |
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| Totality with smartphone, auto mode. |
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| Totality with smartphone, manual mode. |
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| This is called the Diamond Ring. |
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| View through binoculars after totality. |
I felt astonished and privileged to have been able to witness this event. It completely took my breath away perhaps in the same way as people feel when first visiting the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, or any other National Park.
If you have never witnessed a total solar eclipse, you need to make a point of seeing one. You will likely have to travel to see it, but it is totally worth it.
Now get outside and look up!
Now get outside and look up!
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