Introduction and Monthly Reminders
August has been quite warm. A little too warm for my taste, which discourages me from taking my gear out at night. The smoke has also been a deterrent, but I still spotted Venus in the early evening sky and followed the Moon through its phases. It's currently approaching the New Moon phase to set up a Total Solar Eclipse. During the New Moon phase, the Perseids will also peak, creating a spectacular show for those with cloud-free skies.
I traveled to Fish Lake, Utah during the peak of the Perseids. I wasn't expecting much, since the forecast predicted rainstorms for the entire trip. Fortunately, it was only overcast for one of the three nights! I have not looked at all the pictures I took of the night sky during the two clear nights, but the few I have reviewed look great, and I'm excited to share them and my trip to Fish Lake in my next Midmonth Check-In post!
The remaining days of August will still offer observers a chance to catch some Perseid meteors and the Moon moving against the background stars. On the 28th, Utahns will see a Partial Lunar Eclipse. Several of the planets may also be seen in the early morning sky before sunrise.
The Ecliptic
I often mention the ecliptic and how the planets and Sun seem to follow this imaginary line through our sky, but what is it and why do these celestial objects follow this path?
Approximately 4.6 billion years ago, an event occurred, most likely a distant supernova, which agitated an otherwise peaceful cloud of dust in an otherwise lonely region of space. This agitation caused the cloud of dust to begin spinning and collapsing inward. As the cloud spun faster, it flattened out, much like a pizza maker throws dough in the air and spins it. Over time, the Sun and planets formed from this disk, all of which lie roughly on the same plane, like a pizza pan or dinner plate.
Before the solar system became what we know today, with the planets in their current positions and the moons around them, several collisions or near-collisions occurred. These events caused some planets, like Earth, to tilt on their polar axis. For Earth, this axial tilt allows us to experience seasons.
The path the Sun takes through our daytime sky is known as the ecliptic. This path changes throughout the year because of Earth's axial tilt. Since the planets were formed from the same rotating disc of dust as the Sun, they closely follow the ecliptic as well. In fact, if an observer were standing on another planet in our solar system, they would also experience the Sun and planets following an imaginary line, an ecliptic, in their sky. Think of the swing ride, Turn of the Century, at Lagoon. Everyone on the ride sits on the same plane and follows the same arc as the speed increases. This is the same concept as the arc that the Sun and planets follow in the sky.
Show that you support dark skies, like me, by being one of the first Utahns to get a Dark Sky license plate! Visit Dark Sky Utah to apply for a new license plate for your vehicle.
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| Now get outside and look up! |
