Monthly Night Sky Report: May 2024

               Introduction

     April was a decent month to get back out under the stars. Of course, the highlight was the eclipse. If you missed my post about my experience and a few images, be sure to check it out! I also captured several images of the Moon, Sun, galaxies, and nebula with my new telescope. The best images will be shared soon! April ended with a few cloudy and stormy days. 

    May will be an excellent month for individuals who must get up early in the morning. Most planets can be found in the morning sky shortly before sunrise. May will also bring the return of the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower. The shower will peak under favorable conditions this year and should be worth checking out. Now that the May flowers are out and the April showers are over, stargazers should have plenty of opportunities to gaze skyward at the universe's wonders. 

         

             

Mercury

    Mercury was recently in conjunction with the Sun but will return to the morning sky on the 6th. It will be accompanied by a thin crescent Moon. The pair will be found slightly above the eastern horizon before sunrise. This tiny planet will be the last to rise in a planetary lineup that occurs this month. On the 6th, Mercury can be found trailing behind Mars, Neptune, and Saturn in the morning sky. Mercury will reach its greatest western elongation on the 9th, but the innermost planet will still be found close to the horizon and may be hard to pick out in the morning glare of the rising Sun. Mercury will brighten in magnitude as the month progresses but will not gain much if any, altitude. The best chance of viewing the innermost planet will come on the 28th, when Mercury is shining its brightest for the month, but viewing this planet will require a clear view of the eastern horizon.         

  

Venus

    The Earth's evil twin sister, Venus, will be lost from view during May as it lies too close to the Sun. Venus will return to the sky as the "Evening Star" near the end of June and beginning of July.    

    

Mars

    Mars rises before the Sun and Mercury throughout the month. The Red Planet will be third in the planetary lineup in May, trailing behind Neptune and Saturn in the morning sky. A thin crescent Moon will join Mars in the sky on the 4th. Mars is too tiny and far away to offer much detail to telescope users this month. The Red Planet will also be dim but will reach its brightest magnitude for the month on the 31st. 

Jupiter

Saturn

    Jupiter will be the only planet visible in the evening sky this month, but even that will be short-lived. On the first evening of May, Jupiter will set about an hour after the Sun. With each passing day, Jupiter will set even earlier and will reach conjunction with the Sun on the 18th. Being this low in the sky, Jupiter will not offer much cloud band detail. Interested observers should still be able to spot the four Galilean Moons.  Jupiter will join the the morning planets in June.     

   Saturn is the first planet to rise in the morning sky. This ringed planet will rise about 90 minutes before the Sun on the 1st and will continue to rise earlier each morning. As the first planet to rise, it will be the first planet in the planetary lineup this month, outpacing the other three. A slender Moon will join Saturn on the 3rd and again on the 31st. For observers in the southern hemisphere, the Moon will occult Saturn, temporarily hiding this planet from view. This year is a great year to view Saturn as its rings will "disappear" next year due to the Earth and Saturn being aligned in such a way that the rings will be hard to observe. The rings of Saturn on what is known as the "ring-plane" will be nearly edge-on for Earthbound observers.   

   

       

Neptune

Uranus

    

    Uranus reaches conjunction with the Sun on the 13th and will be lost from view. This distant planet will return to view in the morning sky near the end of June.   

 
    Neptune is the fourth planet, but second to rise, in the morning planetary lineup, which also features Saturn, Mars, and Mercury. Neptune will be the most difficult to spot due to its distance and dimness, as observed from the Earth. On the 1st, Mars will be less than 2° to the lower left of Neptune. A pair of binoculars or a low-power eyepiece in a telescope should show both planets nicely. The reddish-orange Mars will contrast with the deep blue of Neptune. As May continues, so does the separation between these two planets. Mars will appear to move eastward in the sky as Neptune attempts to escape the glow of the morning Sun. A slim crescent Moon will join Neptune in the sky on the 4th. By the end of the month, the most distant planet will be over 15° high an hour before sunrise.      

Eta Aquariids and Comet Olbers

    This year is a great year to view the Eta Aquariids! The Moon will be in its waning crescent phase and will not reflect as much of the Sun's light to interfere with this shower. The Aquariids will peak on the 5th, but it should be worth watching the sky a day or two before the peak date. This shower is produced from debris left by Halley's Comet. This year, the Earth will be much closer to one of these debris trails, meaning there will potentially be more and brighter meteors. The best time to view meteor showers is in the early morning hours before sunrise. Aquarius, where this shower will appear to radiate from, will rise above the eastern horizon around 3:30, about an hour before Saturn. Typically, the Aquariids have a maximum rate of 50 meteors per hour, but this number may be larger this year. Grab a comfortable chair and warm blanket to enjoy this shower! It might also be worth using a camera to take long exposures of the sky around Aquarius to capture some images of these meteors. 

    Comet Pons-Brooks has moved on for Northern Hemisphere observers, while Comet Olbers will take center stage. This comet was discovered in 1815 by the same man who asked, "Why is the sky dark?" I'll talk more about this in a future post. For now, let's focus on the comet he discovered. Beginning on the 1st, Olbers can be found passing through Taurus above the western horizon after sunset. With each passing evening, this comet will be found at roughly the same altitude but will move into the Auriga constellation. Olbers will require a pair of binoculars or a telescope, a dark sky, and a clear view of the western horizon after sunset. A long exposure image should show the green color of this comet. 

Monthly Breakdown

May 01: Last Quarter Moon🌗
May 03: Moon passes within 1° of Saturn 
May 04: Moon passes within 1° of Mars
May 04: Moon passes within 1° of Neptune  
May 05: Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower Peaks
May 06: Moon passes within 4° of Mercury
May 07: New Moon 🌑
May 09: Mercury reaches greatest Western Elongation

May 13: Uranus and Sun conjunction

May 15: First Quarter Moon 🌓

May 18: Jupiter and Sun conjunction 

May 23: Full Moon 🌕

May 23: Moon passes within 1° of Antares

May 30: Last Quarter Moon🌗

May 31: Moon passes within 1° of Saturn

May 31: Moon passes within 1° of Neptune

         

Now get outside and look up!

Planet images were taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos image was taken by Jeff Greenland.

The Milky Way and Trees image was taken by Andrew Greenland.

Orion, Taurus, and Pleiades image was taken by Andrew Greenland.

                

Total Solar Eclipse: April 2024

          There's no experience quite like a total solar eclipse. The sky grows darker with each passing minute, and the temperature drops ever so slightly. Even the animals know something is going on. The daytime creatures become quiet during totality, and the nocturnal ones wake up. Of course, this time is short-lived. The time of totality varies with the location along the eclipse path, but it’s typically only a few minutes.

    I was fortunate enough to experience my second total solar eclipse with my wife, her first total solar eclipse, on the 8th of April. Despite foreboding weather forecasts, we traveled to Dallas, Texas, hoping for clear skies to watch the Moon pass between the Earth and the Sun. In the weeks leading up to the eclipse, I constantly checked the weather for Dallas and was pleasantly greeted by clear, sunny skies for eclipse day. As the date rapidly approached, the weather forecast became cloudy with rain and thunderstorms. There were even some weather reports that were predicting tornados in the area. We decided to take the risk despite talks of canceling the trip altogether due to the unfavorable weather reports.

    We left Utah early Sunday morning with only a small hiccup going through TSA. In my excitement and nervousness about traveling with a new telescope and not knowing if it would pass through TSA, I forgot to empty my pockets of all my belongings before going through the metal detector. It seems my wife was suffering the same thoughts as she forgot to remove a full water bottle from her purse. After a slight scolding by the TSA officers and a brief pat down, we were clear to board the jet. We arrived in Dallas shortly before noon, greeted by nearly perfect weather with clear skies and warm temperatures. My wife and I prefer the cold, so anything above 70° F is a little too warm. The airport, shuttle to pick a rental car, and the rental car place were crowded due to individuals coming to town for the eclipse. The rental car establishment seemed busier than the airport, with customers trying to get a car without having reservations. My wife and, to some extent, myself are planners. We had everything booked months in advance, with several phone calls leading up to our trip to confirm our reservations. 

    After securing our rental car and loading it up, it only took about 20 minutes to get to our hotel. We were too early for the check-in time, so we explored a bit and realized we were within walking distance of several sporting arenas and Six Flags. We checked into our hotel and scoped out a good area to set up for the eclipse the following day. After returning to our room, we checked the weather one last time: mostly cloudy skies and rain.

    Eclipse day arrived. We woke up and looked out the window; the cloudy sky forecast was correct! We decided to continue our eclipse plans as if no clouds were in the sky. We scouted other possible areas to set up our gear for the eclipse before the start time. We settled on our first choice; the middle of a parking lot with no overhead trees or power lines. We returned to our room, collected our gear and other necessities, like water, and made our way to the preselected spot despite the cloudy sky. We bumped into several other eclipse chasers along our way. 

    As we began setting up the telescope and getting situated, we noticed the clouds beginning to burn off a bit. The cloudy sky consisted mostly of high, thin clouds with a few patches of thicker and heavier rain clouds. I installed the solar filter on the telescope and aligned it to the Sun about five minutes before first contact, when the Moon’s shadow first touches the Sun. I selected the timelapse setting and began capturing the entire eclipse from first to fourth contact when the shadow of the Moon leaves the Sun. I mistakenly did not change the telescope’s default setting of one image per second.   

    The Sun was in plain view with no clouds to obscure first contact. The Sun had a few sunspots that appeared nicely in the images on this particular day. Clouds occasionally passed in front of the Sun, which were mainly thin so the eclipse could still be viewed. As the Moon continued its march across the sky, patches of dense grey clouds would pass in front of the sun. I captured several images of nothingness during this time. In the minutes leading up to totality, thick clouds covered the Sun. A small group decided to walk/run to the south, hoping to escape the clouds. Luckily for us, the clouds dispersed, and we could experience totality. The images below, from left to right, show the first few moments after first contact, the Moon about halfway across the Sun, and the brief moment before totality. The top images are in color, straight from the telescope, and the bottom images are converted to monochrome to help enhance the detail.

    I removed the solar filter from the telescope to capture the Sun’s corona, which is larger than the camera sensor of the telescope. I was also able to capture a few images with my phone. Still, I was more interested in experiencing totality with my own eyes and seeing my wife react during her first total solar eclipse. We could easily see Jupiter to the left and Venus to the right of the Sun. We could not see any other planets, comets, or stars, likely due to the clouds in the area.  I captured a few solar prominences seconds after the third contact and before replacing the solar filter on the telescope. The timelapse continued with one image per second. From left to right, the images below show the totality, the "diamond ring" and solar prominences, and the moment right before replacing the solar filter. The top row is in color, straight from the telescope, while the bottom row shows the same monochrome image to reveal the details.

    The clouds continued to pass in front of the Sun as the Moon continued its trek across the sky. The group returned, and we overheard them saying they had missed part of the totality due to the clouds. As the eclipse waned, I got a picture, seen below, of the eclipse being projected on the ground through tree leaves.

  

    The clouds continued to roll in, but we were able to capture the end of the eclipse. We packed up our gear and dropped everything off back in our room. I have to say that I have never met more genuinely nice individuals than I have at science-related events. Most individuals seem to look out for each other instead of being concerned with themselves. A fellow eclipse chaser from Virginia offered us water multiple times and was more than happy to talk to us after the eclipse. The small group this fellow chaser was with also seemed like like-minded individuals. The images below show the Moon leaving the Sun and the Sun after the eclipse. The top images are in color, straight from the telescope, while the bottom images have been converted to monochrome to help enhance the detail.

    A storm rolled in that night, bringing heavy rain and a good lightning show. The best-isolated image we captured is below. Due to the storms, our flight and several others were delayed. When we arrived at the airport, we were conscious of not repeating our mistakes with TSA as in Salt Lake City. Aside from getting "randomly selected" to be searched, we made it home without incident!

    

    I will have some videos to share, including that of this eclipse, in the coming weeks. Please check back near the end of the month for May's Monthly Night Sky Report. Take advantage of this nice weather to get outside and look up!

Now get outside and look up!

Midmonth Check-In: April 2024 and Saturn

  

  Introduction and Monthly Reminders   

    April has been a great month for stargazing and other astronomy events. Partly cloudy skies hovered over Utah on the 8th for the eclipse, interfering with the views. However, the mainly clear skies have been good for viewing Messier objects and other DSOs, planets, meteors, the Moon, and the Sun with proper eye protection! I was able to travel to the path of totality to experience the full total solar eclipse. I plan on a short post detailing this experience, including images, in the coming days. 

    While, in my opinion, the astronomy highlight of April has passed, there are still some sights to see during the remainder of the month. There are still three planetary conjunctions this month; Mercury and Venus on the 18th, Jupiter and Uranus on the 20th, and Mars and Neptune on the 28th. Observers will also be able to view the Lyrid Meteor Shower, which peaks on the 22nd, but due to a Full Moon, it will be best to catch these meteors the week before or after the peak date. Don't forget that the Sun and Moon are also delightful to observe when using the proper filters. Many DSOs can also be viewed as the temperatures warm up.     

Saturn

    Like the rest of the solar system, Saturn is estimated to have formed about 4.5 billion years ago. About 4 billion years ago, Saturn settled into its current orbit, approximately 9.5 Astronomical Units (AU) from the Sun. Saturn was the furthest known planet to exist before the use of telescopes. This planet gets its name from Jupiter's father, the Roman god of agriculture and wealth.

    Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the solar system, after Jupiter. Just over nine Earth-sized planets would span the diameter of Saturn. If the rings are included, it would take over 21 Earth-sized planets to fill the distance. Like the Sun and Jupiter. Saturn is mostly made up of hydrogen and helium. Unlike Jupiter and the Sun, Saturn is less dense than water, meaning that if a swimming pool was large enough, Saturn would float on top like a beach ball!  

    All the gas giants have a ring system, but none are as impressive as Saturn's. A large pair of astronomy (giant) binoculars or a small telescope can easily reveal the rings of this majestic planet. The rings span 175,000 miles but only vary in height by about 30 feet. The rings are mostly made up of chunks of rock and ice varying in size from small pebbles to mountains. It is theorized that the rings were created by small moons crashing into each other and ice volcanoes on the surface of existing moons spewing out material. The exact age of the rings is unknown, but they are expected to have formed a few million years ago. The gaps that can be seen between the rings through a telescope or in pictures are created by the moons' orbits. There are several distinct rings of Saturn, which are named, moving outward from the planet, D, C, B, A, F, G, and E. The A, B, and C rings are the main rings of Saturn. The famous Cassini Division, a dark area between the rings, is between the A and B rings.      

    As of June 2023, Saturn has 146 known moons, more than any other planet in the solar system. Titan is the largest moon, greater in size than Pluto and Mercury. It also has an atmosphere and is the only other body in the solar system with liquid on its surface. The surface of Titan is too cold to have liquid water, but it is just right to have liquid methane and ethane on its surface. It even rains this material and has large lakes made up of it. While there is no liquid water on its surface, there may be a subsurface water ocean. The image below was taken from the Cassini mission and shows the hazy atmosphere of Titan. 

    Enceladus, another enticing moon of Saturn, has ice volcanoes that spew liquid water and ice far above its surface. Like Titan, this moon has no liquid water on its surface but a large, perhaps global, subsurface ocean of liquid water. On the universe timeline, the surface of Enceladus changes rapidly due to the ice volcanoes resurfacing areas like a stationary Zamboni. Below is an image taken by the Cassini mission of Enceladus. 

    Saturn is also home to Mimas, a moon with a large crater, making it look like the Death Star from Star Wars. Several of the moons of Saturn are not round but are instead shaped like potatoes. The following images were taken by the Cassini mission. The top image is Mimas. Notice the large crater on the right. The lower image is of Hyperion, an oddly shaped and cratered moon of Saturn.

    Saturn spins quickly about its axis, taking only 10.7 hours to complete one full rotation. Some individuals have work days longer than this! It takes Saturn about 29.5 Earth years to complete a trip around the Sun. Instead of straight up and down, Saturn's vertical axis is tipped about 26° (Earth is 23.5°), creating seasons on the ringed world. Like Jupiter, the atmosphere of Saturn experiences giant storms, but unfortunately for Earth-bound observers, the storms are hard to detect due to the uniformity in color of Saturn. The pressure below the cloud tops of Saturn is so great that any object would be crushed, melted, and vaporized, much like the fate of the Cassini mission. 

    In September 1979, Pioneer 11 arrived at Saturn, discovering a new moon and the F ring. This was the first spacecraft to arrive at this planet. Voyager 1 flew by Saturn the following year, providing more information about the rings. In 1981, Voyager 2 passed close by Saturn and sent back information about how thin some of the rings were. Finally, in June of 2004, Cassini arrived at Saturn and was the first to orbit the ringed planet. Huygens from the European Space Agency (ESA) accompanied Cassini. Huygens landed on the surface of Titan, taking measurements of its atmosphere and surface temperatures. It also took pictures of the surface during its descent and landing. Cassini spent 13 years orbiting Saturn, sending back invaluable data on the planet, rings system, and moons. On 15 September 2017, Cassini was sent through the atmosphere of Saturn to be destroyed so it would not contaminate the surface of any of the moons, allowing for the future study and search for potential life.  

    Currently, there is only one future mission scheduled to return to Saturn. Dragonfly is expected to launch in 2028 and visit Titan. This spacecraft is a larger version of Ingenuity, the drone-sized helicopter of Mars. Having eight blades, Dragonfly will be a quadcopter and will be able to make short flights around the surface of Titan. This moon of Saturn is being targeted by scientists because its atmosphere is similar to Earth's atmosphere 3.5 billion years ago. Dragonfly will help scientists understand the possible starting ingredients for life to exist on a planet similar to the Earth. I hope there will be more missions to Saturn, and I can't wait for all the exciting new discoveries to be made!    

    Check back soon for my next post!

   

 

    

Now get outside and look up!

   

Monthly Night Sky Report: April 2024

              Introduction

     March was a so-so month to get out and enjoy the stars. The first half of the month was decent, with a few cloudy days, but Utahns mostly saw rising temperatures to welcome spring season. Unfortunately for stargazers, the second half of the month brought rain, snow, and cooler temperatures. I could not commit the time for a Messier Marathon but I have already set up plans for 2025. I purchased a new telescope capable of taking amazing photos of the Sun, Moon, and deep sky objects. I hope to be able to use this telescope more as the temperatures improve and share them here.

    "April showers bring May flowers," as the saying goes, but for my fellow stargazers, we hope for warm temperatures and clear skies during April. This month will bring the return of the Lyrid Meteor Shower. There will also be several planetary conjunctions this month, which will include all of the planets (not at the same time!), excluding the Earth. Comet Pons-Brooks may also reach unaided-eye visibility this month and should be looked at every evening. Even with all of these great events, I feel that the total solar eclipse that occurs this month will dwarf them all.    

         

             

Mercury

    Mercury may be elusive during April. During the first few days of the month, this innermost planet can be found hovering close to the western horizon after sunset. It will reach inferior conjunction with the Sun on April 11th but will return to the morning sky. On the 18th, Mercury and Venus can be found just 2° apart. A high elevation and clear view of the eastern horizon will be required to view this planetary conjunction. By the 30th, Mercury will fare a little better, but a clear view of the eastern horizon before sunrise will still be necessary.     

  

Venus

    Venus will be a difficult target for Utahns over the next few months. The best chance of viewing this planet will come in early April when Venus lies further from the Sun and rises earlier in the morning sky. A thin crescent Moon can be found close to Venus on the 7th when the pair is less than 1° apart. Mercury and Venus will also have a planetary conjunction on the 18th. Venus will soon disappear from the sky but will return later in the year.   

    

Mars

    Mars will rise about 30 minutes before the Sun as the month begins. Early morning observers will also notice Saturn rising shortly after the Red Planet. With each passing morning, the pair of planets will appear to close in on each other until the 10th, when the pair can be found less than 1° apart. A thin crescent Moon will join the pair of planets in the sky on the 6th. After the planetary conjunction, Mars will appear to rise straight above the eastern horizon as Saturn pulls away, heading towards the southwest. The Red Planet will be hard to spot in the morning glow of the Sun but does brighten slightly throughout April. At the end of the month, Neptune will pair up with Mars, being less than 0.1° apart. This pair will be quite striking with Mars' red color and Neptune's blue. A pair of binoculars or telescope and a clear eastern horizon will be necessary to see this conjunction.  

Jupiter

Saturn

    Jupiter will be an easy target during April as it shines brightly after sunset. The Pleiades can be found directly above this gas giant throughout the month. While residing between Jupiter and the Pleiades, observers can spot Uranus, which is a short distance away from Jupiter. The pair of planets can be found less than 1° apart by the 20th. A nearly New Moon can be found within 4° of this pair of planets on the 10th. Comet Pons-brooks can be found close to Jupiter during the first few weeks of the month.     

   Saturn will be hard to spot during the first few days of April but will rise earlier with each passing morning. On the 6th, the Moon will be less than 2° away from this ringed world. Saturn will be trailing Mars in the morning sky until the 10th when the pair will be less than 1° apart. With each passing morning, Saturn will rapidly pull away from Mars, ending the month about 12° away. 

   

       

Neptune

Uranus

    

    Uranus can be found a short distance above Jupiter as April starts out. Almost directly above Uranus, observers should be able to spot the Pleiades. I can see this faint cluster of stars from my Bortle Scale 7 home outside of Salt Lake City. By the 12th and 13th of April, Comet Pons-Brooks can be found just below Uranus and Jupiter in the evening sky. A dark sky will likely be required to view this comet with a pair of binoculars. On the 20th, these two planets will meet up in the night sky for the 3rd planetary conjunction of April. Jupiter will be easy to spot, but a pair of binoculars or a telescope will be needed to view Uranus. On the 10th, a thin crescent Moon will pass above these two planets as they converge. 

 
    Neptune recently reached conjunction with the Sun and will be hard to spot during April. The best chance will come near the 28th when this most distant planet can be found near Mars. A steady morning sky and a pair of binoculars or telescope will be required to view Neptune in the morning twilight.     

Pons-Brooks, Lyrid Meteor Shower, and Eclipse

    April brings many events that should interest both serious and casual stargazers. With temperatures warming up, more individuals will find themselves outdoors. This makes for the perfect time to enjoy the night sky as well. One of the first objects a stargazer should try to see is Pons-Brooks, a periodic comet discovered in the early 1800s. The best time to view this comet is in early April when it can be found in the evening sky near Jupiter. On the 12th and 13th of the month, Pons-Brooks can be found just below bright Jupiter and dim Uranus in the evening sky. If observers are trying to view this comet earlier in the month, it can be found to the north (right) of these two planets. If viewing later than this date, then it can be found to the left until it meets up with the Sun and becomes lost from view. A dark sky site and a clear view of the western horizon will be required. Depending on how bright Pons-Brooks becomes, a pair of binoculars, a telescope, and/or a camera may also be required. 

    The next, and probably most exciting, event of the month is a total solar eclipse on the 8th. Unfortunately, potential observers in Utah will not see the eclipse but will instead have to travel to the path of totality. An interactive eclipse map can be found at Time and Date.  This website, along with NASA, will have live video. I am fortunate enough to be able to travel to Texas in an attempt to view this eclipse. I also traveled to view the total solar eclipse of 2017 and can certainly understand why "eclipse chasers" exist in the world! A total solar eclipse is a must-see for anyone, regardless of their astronomy interest level. During totality, observers should easily see Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Mercury. The brightest stars will also be easy to spot. If Pons-Brooks has an outburst around the 8th, it should also be visible.  Perhaps one of the most interesting events is when the daytime animals stop their calls and nocturnal ones begin theirs. Anyone viewing this eclipse should remember to wear proper solar glasses and use solar filters on any equipment aimed at the Sun.

 
    The Lyrid meteor shower occurs on the 22nd, but unfortunately, the Full Moon phase is on the 23rd, obscuring all but the brightest meteors. Observers should still travel to a dark sky site the week before or after the peak date to view the Lyrids. These meteors will appear to radiate from Lyra. Individuals unsure where this constellation lies in the night sky should look towards the Summer Triangle, an asterism made up of the three bright stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair. A camera may also help observers capture these meteors. Using a widefield lens or setting, aim the camera toward this constellation and take several long exposure images.     

Monthly Breakdown

April 01: Last Quarter Moon🌗
April 05: Moon passes within 2° of Mars 
April 06: Moon passes within 2° of Saturn
April 07: Moon passes within 1° of Neptune  
April 07: Moon passes within 1° of Venus
April 08: New Moon 🌑
April 08: Total Solar Eclipse
April 10: Moon passes within 4° of Uranus

April 10: Moon passes within 4° of Jupiter

April 10: Mars and Saturn conjunction

April 11: Mercury reaches inferior conjunction 

April 15: First Quarter Moon 🌓

April 18: Mercury and Venus conjunction

April 20: Jupiter and Uranus conjunction

April 22: Lyrid Meteor Shower Peaks

April 23: Full Moon 🌕

April 26: Moon passes within 1° of Antares

April 28: Mars and Neptune conjunction

         

Now get outside and look up!

Planet images were taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos image was taken by Jeff Greenland.

The Milky Way and Trees image was taken by Andrew Greenland.

Orion, Taurus, and Pleiades image was taken by Andrew Greenland.

                

Midmonth Check-In: March 2024 and Jupiter

 

  Introduction and Monthly Reminders   

    March has been a mix of clear skies, rain storms, snow storms, wind, and just plain clouds. The temperatures have also fluctuated a bit, but overall it has been a decent month for stargazers to dust off their equipment and get back out under the stars. I have been able to enjoy a few quick nights of stargazing during the first half of March and hope to spend more time out as the weather clears.

    March will still offer observers the chance to view a planetary conjunction between Venus and Saturn on the 21st. Observers may still also view the zodiacal light and comet Pons-Brooks from a dark sky location. The ideal date for attempting to view all 110 objects of the Messier Marathon has passed, but most of the objects can still be viewed during the remaining days of the month and into April.   

Jupiter

   Jupiter formed about 4.5 billion years ago with the rest of the solar system. Based on computer simulations, it is thought that this giant planet settled into its current orbit, about 5.2 Astronomical Units (AU) from the Sun about 4 billion years ago. This planet has earned its name from the Roman king of gods, Jupiter. Several of its moons are also named after mythological characters related to the Roman god or the Greek god, Zeus.  

    Like our Sun and other stars, Jupiter is mostly made up of hydrogen and helium. It also has ammonia, water, sulfur, and phosphorus in its atmosphere which create the different colored cloud bands. It is unclear if Jupiter has a solid core or is made up entirely of gas, but hopefully, future missions to this planet can answer this question. It is known, however, that the extreme pressure and temperature below the cloud tops are enough to crush, melt, and vaporize a spacecraft.  

    Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system by a wide margin. In fact, this gas giant could fit two of all of the planets in our system inside and still have room to spare. If the Earth were the size of a grape, Jupiter would be about the size of a basketball. Jupiter is also large enough to be home to storms that are larger than other planets in the solar system. For example, the Great Red Spot is a storm that has been raging for hundreds of years and could fit at least two Earth-sized planets inside of it. Observations of the Great Red Spot have detected that this storm has been shrinking for the past century, and could have fit more than three Earth-sized planets inside.

    Jupiter has a tremendous gravity field around it which can suck in smaller bodies. It currently has 95 known moons orbiting with the four largest, known as the Galilean Moons, which can be seen with a pair of binoculars. While Jupiter cannot support life as we know it, its moon, Europa, has a vast ocean beneath its icy crust which may be able to support life. There have been talks of future missions going to Europa, and other moons of Jupiter, to search for signs of life. Jupiter also has a ring system that was only detected 45 years ago by the Voyager 1 mission. The rings are made up of mostly dark particles and do not reflect very much light, making them hard to detect and nearly invisible to Earth-based observations.

    The king of planets rotates about its axis quicker than any other planet in our solar system. It takes less than 10 hours for Jupiter to complete one full rotation. This is beneficial for Jupiter observers so they can view a large part of the surface in a single night when it is in opposition. Being further out from the Sun, Jupiter has a longer year than the inner planets since it has a greater distance to travel. It takes about 12 Earth-years to complete a single trip around the Sun.

    I can recall an astronomy homework assignment that asked me to calculate the amount of sunlight reflected by Jupiter and compare it to the amount of light from observations. It turns out that Jupiter emits more light than it reflects, meaning that this planet produces its own light! Yes, my answer was correct! Due to the mass of Jupiter, it can produce energy through gravitational contraction. This energy is given off as light that can be detected through observations. It was once thought that Jupiter could have been a failed brown dwarf star, but studies have shown that it is not massive enough to achieve an internal temperature and pressure for nuclear fusion, the process required for a star to be born. A small brown dwarf is only about 15% larger than Jupiter but is also 80 times denser. 

    Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 were the first missions to fly by Jupiter in 1973. Pioneer 10 was designed for a 21-month mission but instead lasted until 2003. Pioneer 10 sent back the first images of Ganymede and continued to visit the outer solar system. In 2017, Pioneer 10 was about 120 AU from the Sun, heading towards the red star, Aldebaran. It should reach its destination in about two million years. 

    Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 also flew by Jupiter, sending back images of the giant planet and some of its moons. Voyager 1 was the first to spot volcanoes on Io. Galileo was sent to orbit Jupiter in 1989 and sent back new images and data, including the discovery of an ocean beneath Europa's icy crust. Galileo was sent deep into Jupiter's atmosphere in 2003, destroying the orbiter and protecting the possibility life on Europa. 

    Juno was launched in 2011 and is still orbiting Jupiter today. This mission is studying the atmosphere of Jupiter and trying to answer questions about how this giant planet formed so scientists can better understand other gas giants in the universe. The European Space Agency (ESA) also has a mission en route to Jupiter. Juice, the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, will study the different moons of Jupiter. It launched in April 2023 and is expected to arrive at Jupiter in 2031 after a few gravity-assist maneuvers from the Moon, Venus, and the Earth.

    The next planned mission to Jupiter, the Europa Clipper, is expected to launch in 2030. As its name suggests, it will study Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter. Its intention is to see if the sub-surface ocean has the proper conditions to support life as we know it.                

    Check back soon for my next Monthly Night Sky Report!

   

 

    

Now get outside and look up!