Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association

What’s Up in the Sky – April, 2008
By Peter Burkey

This month marks the anniversary of an event not well known outside the astronomical community. On April 20, 1920, the Shapley-Curtis debate was held at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. The topic was the nature of “spiral nebulae” which astronomers had observed since the 1840’s. On one side was Harlow Shapley from the Mount Wilson Observatory, who argued the spiral nebulae were relatively small objects located in our own galaxy. Opposing him was Heber D. Curtis of the University of California’s Lick Observatory and a proponent of the “island universe” theory that each nebula is a rotating star system similar to the Milky Way and located far beyond its boundaries.

The problem was neither side could produce conclusive evidence to determine the distances to the spiral nebulae. A young man then studying astronomy at the Yerkes Observatory near Chicago would finally make such a determination four years later. That young student was Edwin Hubble.

It may seem strange, but distances in astronomy are very difficult to measure. The problem is that in order to know how far away something is you have to know how bright it is really (its intrinsic brightness).

Assisted by Milton Humason, Hubble observed a certain type of pulsating star, called a Cepheid variable, whose intrinsic brightness is related to its rate of pulsation. Their measurements enabled them to calculate the star’s actual brightness - 10,000 time that of the sun! In order for it to appear as dim as it did in their photographs it had to be very far away - 2.5 million light years -well beyond the confines of the Milky Way. The Shapley-Curtis “debate” was settled.

Today astronomers still expend great energy and build amazing instruments to measure stellar and galactic distances with ever increasing accuracy. These data have unveiled mysteries of the universe long sought by humans. In addition to its size and structure, the history, evolution, and future of the universe can now be studied. All this is possible through the careful measurements of what’s up in the sky.

This month in history:
April 5: Pioneer 11 launched - 1973
April 11: Apollo 13 launched - 1970
April 12: Yuri Gagarin becomes first human in space - 1961
April 12: Columbia is first space shuttle to be launched - 1981
April 17: Apollo 13 returns to Earth - 1970
April 20: Shapley-Curtis debate - 1920
April 24: China is fifth nation to launch satellite - 1970

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:
Planets this month: After sunset Saturn is in SE, left (east) of the star Regulus and Mars is in the SW, just below the twins Castor and Pollux. Mercury becomes visible near western horizon at month’s end. Jupiter dominates predawn southern sky.

April 4: Thin crescent Moon near Venus just before sunrise - challenging.
April 5: New Moon.
April 8: Watch crescent Moon pass in front of Plieades - spectacular.
April 12: First quarter Moon.
April 20: Full Moon.
April 28: Last quarter Moon.

What’s Up in the Sky – March, 2008
By Peter Burkey

A parade of planets dominates the sky this month and my two favorite constellations are both easily visible.

If you face south, Mars is nearly overhead. Saturn follows close behind below the constellation Leo, the Lion, just east of the star Regulus. For the other three naked-eye planets, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter, you have to wait until the hour before sunrise. Jupiter will be the brightest object in the southeast. In the east Venus is even brighter but much lower and harder to spot as the month progresses. Much dimmer Mercury is just to the right of Venus. They are joined by a thin crescent moon on the 5th. Use binoculars for that one.

On the few clear nights we have had in February you probably saw Orion, the Hunter, standing tall in the southwest but you may have missed the Big Dipper which was lower and less conspicuous in the northeast. This month they can still be found on opposite sides of the sky but now the Big Dipper, standing upright on its handle, is also about halfway up and easier to pick out.

Technically the Big Dipper is not a constellation but a star pattern that is part of a larger constellation, in this case Ursa Major. But comparisons between it and Orion are interesting. Both contain seven main stars with distinctive three-star patterns within - the belt of Orion and the handle of the Big Dipper. Also, the majority of stars that form each are themselves members of the same cluster with those in the Dipper about 80 light years (LY) away while Orion’s stars average 1000 to 1500 LY.

One major difference between the two is their neighbors. The Big Dipper sits alone, far from other bright constellations, while Orion traverses the sky surrounded by friends.

Orion’s departure to the west and the Big Dipper’s ascent in the northeast usher in the constellations of spring, soon to be up in the sky.

This month in history:
March 1: George O. Abell born - 1927
March 5: Voyager 1 makes closest approach to Jupiter - 1979
March 13: Uranus discovered by William Herschel - 1781
March 16: Carolyn Herschel born - 1750
March 18: Soviet rocket explosion at launch pad kills 48 workers - 1980
March 22: Comet Hale-Bopp passes closest to Earth - 1997
March 23: Russian space station, Mir, reenters atmosphere -2001
March 29: First fly-by of Mercury made by Mariner 10 - 1974

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Venus and Mercury form a close pair near the eastern horizon 30 minutes before sunrise, best viewed early in the month. Saturn remains close to the star Regulus. Mars is just west of the stars Castor and Pollux. Jupiter shines brightly in the SE at dawn.

March 5: Use binoculars to see thin crescent Moon close to Venus and Mercury very low in the east just before dawn
March 7: New Moon
March 14: First quarter Moon.
March 20: Spring begins at 1:48 a.m. EDT when the Sun reaches vernal equinox.
March 21: Full Moon.
March 29: Last quarter Moon.

by Peter Burkey
February 21, 2008

Mother Nature provided us with a magnificent spectacle last Wednesday night in the form of a marvelous total eclipse of the moon accompanied by sparkling snow on the ground and clear skies up above.

Tuesday night, as I watched the almost - full moon appear between the passing clouds, I was reminded of the upcoming eclipse, but I was not holding my breath because the weather forecast was for more snow and clouds.

Surprise! Wednesday was sunny, but a bank of clouds hung ominously over the western horizon. How many times have I seen this happen? Sure enough, by dinner time the clouds had moved in and I pretty much wrote off any chance of seeing the eclipse. In fact, my wife and I watched a movie and I didn’t give much more thought to it. It’s a good thing the video was due back that night because when I went out to return it I was greeted by the aforementioned spectacle.

In addition to the weather several factors combined to make this eclipse special. One was the position of the Moon between the planet Saturn and the star Regulus. Similar in color and brightness, the two formed a lovely trio along with the golden-red moon during totality. Such a gathering would have had great significance to ancient astrologers.

What made this even more interesting was the fact that the star and planet were barely visible earlier in the glare of the uneclipsed full moon. It reminded me of the total solar eclipse I witnessed in 1998 when the planet Mercury could be seen high in the sky next to the eclipsed sun.

A second factor was the timing of the event. Unlike the last two eclipses visible from our area that occurred in the twilight of dawn or dusk, this one happened at 10:00 p.m., when the sky was dark.

And, although I took a few very amateur photos with my little digital camera this was an astronomical event of great beauty and rarity that required no special equipment or skills to enjoy, just your eyes and your interest.

Caption: Moon just leaving Earth’s shadow. Note Saturn (lower left) and Regulus (above Moon).

What’s Up in the Sky – February, 2008
By Peter Burkey

February offers three opportunities for viewing rare and exciting close encounters and a well timed eclipse.

The “star” of this month’s show is the total lunar eclipse on the night of February 20-21. During a lunar eclipse, the Moon’s motion around Earth carries it through our shadow so that sunlight is blocked from falling on the Moon’s surface. This causes the Moon to glow a deep red or orange. The redness is caused by the light from all the sunrises and sunsets happening on Earth. Imagine if you were standing on the Moon you would see the Sun blocked out by a black Earth rimmed in red. This red glow is what illuminates the Moon’s surface during totality.

The last two lunar eclipses visible from our area have occurred with the eclipsed Moon either rising or setting. This time, however, it will happen at a convenient time and the Moon will have two bright partners close by.

To observe the eclipse, you will need a clear view toward the southeast. Start watching around 9:30 p.m. and check it out every 10 minutes or so until 10:00 p.m. when totality begins. Notice that the eclipsed Moon is right between the star Regulus (above) and the planet Saturn (below and to the left). Note the color of the eclipsed Moon. This is a great photo op if you use a tripod and a 15-30 sec. exposure. Keep watching every so often until 10:52 p.m. when totality ends.

The other two treats this month involve Venus in the eastern predawn sky. On February 1 look near the southern horizon for the crescent Moon. To its left, in the southeast, you will see Venus and Jupiter separated by about one Moon diameter, a rare sight! Then, on February 27, look in the same area to see Venus joined by the elusive Mercury. Look an hour before sunrise each time.

Here’s hoping for some luck with the clouds to let us see what’s up in the sky.

This month in history:
Feb. 1: Seven astronauts killed as Shuttle Columbia burns up during reentry - 2003
Feb. 6: Alan Shepard hits first golf balls on Moon - 1971
Feb. 12: NEAR spacecraft lands on asteroid - 2001
Feb. 15: Galileo Galilei born - 1564
Feb. 18: Pluto discovered - 1930
Feb. 23: Supernova 1987a first observed - 1987
Feb. 24: Announcement of Jocelyn Bell’s 1967 discovery of first pulsar - 1968

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Venus is low in SE before sunrise. Jupiter very close to Venus Feb. 1. Mercury also visible before dawn late in the month. Saturn, near the star Regulus, visible all night.

Feb. 1: Spectacular conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in predawn sky.
Feb. 6: New Moon.
Feb. 13: First quarter Moon.
Feb. 20: Full Moon - total lunar eclipse begins at 10 pm.
Feb. 25-27: Mercury is very close to Venus low in southeast just before dawn.
Feb. 28: Last quarter Moon.

“As the clouds parted briefly a few nights ago I was reminded of the beauty of the winter constellations, especially Orion, with his distinctive belt and bright stars Betelgeuse and Rigel, Taurus, with red giant Antares and the lovely Pleiades cluster, and Canis Major, one of Orion’s hunting dogs with the star Sirius, the brightest in our night sky.” -P. Burkey

by Peter Burkey
January 25, 2008

One of the most famous objects in the sky is the Hubble Space Telescope. Besides being the source of many astounding discoveries, it has also provided us with views of the universe that are unparalleled in their beauty.

Now West Michigan residents may enjoy 30 of the finest Hubble photographs at the Muskegon Museum of Art (http://www.muskegonartmuseum.org/exhibitions.htm) in an exhibit called “Heavens Above: Photographs of the Universe from the Hubble Space Telescope”. The exhibit runs through March 16.

In fact, you may experience a little bit of time travel while viewing these pictures. Mark Voit, Professor of Astronomy at Michigan State University, explained how during a presentation he made for the opening of the exhibit. Since the light travels at a fixed speed, it takes time for it to make the trip between the object being photographed and Earth. Although the speed of light is very fast ( 8 times around the Earth in one second) the objects in the pictures are very far away so light that takes less than a millionth of a second to travel the length of a football field would take almost an hour and a half to get to Saturn, over four years to the nearest star, and 1500 years to the Orion Nebula. That means we are seeing these things as they appeared that long ago. Not much changes in a millionth of a second, but when we view distant galaxies, we see them as they were billions of years ago, when they were quite young and quite different.

At the opening, Dr. Voit took the audience on a journey trough time beginning with Hubble photos of the solar system. In one extraordinary picture could be seen a volcano erupting on one of the moons of Jupiter.

We then entered the realm of the stars, clusters and nebulae. We saw them as they were hundreds to thousands of years ago.

Our final stop was the distant galaxies mentioned earlier. Some were so far away they appeared to us as they were before the Earth was formed 4.5 billion years ago. The exhibit also includes time lapse photos of a star that exploded and computer simulations of colliding galaxies which I found to be extremely interesting.

After his presentation, I asked Dr. Voit how any one astronomer is able to use the telescope for his or her research. Each year a call for proposals goes out to the astronomical community. Of the more than 1000 submissions, about 200 are accepted and observing times are then assigned.

I also learned that his most interesting Hubble observation involved images formed by gravitational lensing, and the most memorable event he has witnessed as an amateur astronomer was a display of the Aurora Borealis right here in Michigan. My last question concerned the direction of future astronomical research which Dr. Voit feels will be the search for and study of planets around other stars.

I highly recommend this wonderful exhibit and encourage you to take the time to see it. In this way the Hubble Space Telescope will be completing one of its most important functions - making the wonders of the universe available to us all.

By Peter Burkey

The weather this time of year is usually bad but every now and then we get nice, crisp, clear nights and early mornings. That’s why it is helpful to know ahead of time what interesting objects or events may be visible at that time. This month offers a variety of opportunities.

The constellation Orion is easily recognized in the southeast around 10:00 p.m. He is surrounded by a number of bright stars including Sirius to the lower left and Aldebaran to the upper right. But this year he is joined by the planet Mars, shining as brightly as Sirius but high above Orion.

Another planet, Saturn, can be found near the eastern horizon just below the star Regulus.

The first week of January offers an opportunity to view a lovely predawn gathering. On Friday, January 4th, look near the eastern horizon for dazzling Venus. To its right will be a thin crescent moon and directly below the planet will be the star Antares.

On the 9th and 10th, 45 minutes after sunset, scan the southwest horizon with binoculars to see Mercury just below the thin crescent moon.

During the third week of January you may spot Jupiter in the morning to the lower left of Venus. The two move closer together as the month progresses until February 1 when the separation will be less than the diameter of a full moon! Don’t miss that one.

Just before sunset on the 19th, face east and use binoculars to look for Mars immediately to the right of the Moon. You may be able to see Mars with the unaided eye in the daytime, something to tell your friends.

Finally, on Friday, January 24, look for Saturn and the Moon rising side by side in the east around 10:00 p.m.

We may only get a few opportunities to observe, but at least this month offers a variety to see up in the sky.

This month in history:
Jan. 5: Pluto/Planet debate begins after discovery of UB313(Eris) - 2005
Jan. 8: Stephen Hawking born - 1942
Jan. 13: Galileo discovers Jupiter’s moon Ganymede - 1610
Jan. 14: Huygens spacecraft lands on Saturn’s moon Titan - 2005
Jan. 27: Apollo 1 astronauts Chaffee, White and Grissom die in fire in capsule-1967
Jan. 28: Seven astronauts killed when Space Shuttle Challenger explodes during launch - 1986
Jan. 31: Apollo 14 launched - 1971

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:
Planets this month: Venus is low in SE before sunrise. Jupiter becomes visible at mid-month, joining Venus in spectacular conjunction Feb. 1. Mars can be found directly above Orion and is visible all night. Saturn is farther East below Leo, rising around 9 pm at mid month.
Jan. 4: Moon-Venus-Antares form predawn triangle.
Jan. 8: New Moon.
Jan. 15: First quarter Moon.
Jan. 19: Use binocs to see Mars very close to Moon just before sunset.
Jan. 22: Full Moon.
Jan. 30: Last quarter Moon.
Jan. 31: Venus/Jupiter 1.2 degrees apart.

What’s Up in the Sky – December, 2007
By Peter Burkey

While researching the history for this month, I noticed that several “stars” of astronomy were born in December. Here is some background information on these folks, all of whom made major contributions to the field and have birthdays next month.

Gerard Kuiper’s name has been in the news recently in connection with the status of Pluto as a planet. Pluto is actually a member of a family of icy objects that orbit the sun just beyond Neptune. Kuiper was the first to theorize their existence. Recent discoveries of several additional objects have confirmed what is now known as the Kuiper Belt.

Annie Jump Cannon was one of the women “computers” at the Harvard College Observatory during the late 1800’s who performed the long, tedious calculations necessary to classify stellar spectra. She personally classified over 500,000 spectra and established the system of classifying stars by their spectra that is still in use today - OBAFGKM.

E. E. Barnard was another famous astronomer of that time period. He discovered Amalthea, the fifth known moon of Jupiter. He also pioneered photographic studies of the structure of the Milky Way and discovered the star, now known as Barnard’s Star, that changes its position over the years by the greatest amount.

It is interesting that Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and Isaac Newton all share the same birth month. Tycho’s comprehensive observations and accurate record keeping enabled Kepler to determine the true nature of planetary orbits. And, using one of Kepler’s discoveries, Newton was able to describe mathematically how gravity works.

Sergie Korolev can be described as the father of the Soviet space program, comparable to Wernher Von Braun in the US. After surviving Stalin’s concentration camps he was sent to Germany to study captured rocket technology. He later went on to become the “Chief Designer” or head rocket engineer for the Soviet Union during the space race.

All of these individuals influenced our understanding of what’s up in the sky.

This month in history:
Dec. 2: Pioneer 11 spacecraft makes closest approach to Jupiter - 1974
Dec. 7: Gerard Kuiper born - 1905
Dec. 11: Annie Jump Cannon born - 1863
Dec. 14: Tycho Brahe born - 1546
Dec. 16: Last two Saturn V moon rockets are donated to museums
Dec 16: E. E. Barnard born - 1857
Dec. 25: Isaac Newton born - 1642
Dec. 27: Johannes Kepler born - 1571
Dec. 30: Sergei Korolev born - 1906

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:
Planets this month: Jupiter sinks low in WSW as month progresses - gone by the 22nd. Venus continues to dominate the predawn sky where she is joined by Mars and Saturn.
Dec. 1: Last Quarter Moon
Dec. 5: Look for crescent Moon and Venus - 90 min. before sunrise.
Dec. 9: New Moon
Dec. 13-14: Geminid meteors peak.
Dec. 17: First Quarter Moon.
Dec. 22: Winter solstice - first day of winter - 1:08 a.m.
Dec. 23: Look for Mars just below Full Moon.
Dec. 31: Last Quarter Moon

What’s Up in the Sky – October, 2007
By Peter Burkey

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, an event of tremendous implications at the time. And this year marks the 30th anniversary of an event overlooked by many, yet vastly more important in terms of our understanding of the solar system - the launch of Voyagers 1 and 2.

The twin interplanetary probes, launched in the late summer of 1977, were supposed to last five years and explore only Jupiter and Saturn. Due to a rare alignment of the outer planets and marvelous work by NASA engineers, Voyager 2 was able to continue on to Uranus and Neptune and scientists continue to receive data from both spacecraft today.

They have enough thruster fuel and electrical power to last until 2020. Both are headed toward the outer boundary of the solar system, known as the heliopause, the limit of the sun’s magnetic field and solar wind. Their current mission is known as the VIM, Voyager Interstellar Mission, to study the interstellar and interplanetary media, and continue doing ultraviolet Astronomy.

The two spacecraft are currently the most distant human-made objects, with Voyager 1 holding the record at almost 10 billion miles. That is more than twice as far as Pluto. The round trip time for a radio signal is over 24 hours.

Yet we are still receiving radio transmissions from both spacecraft. Each is operating at a power level below 300 watts and transmit data at only a few watts so the signal received on Earth is miniscule - billions of times smaller than the power output of a digital watch. In fact, improved technology at the receiving end, the Deep Space Network, is one important factor that has allowed the mission to continue.

Also memorable is the Golden Record, conceived and recorded by Carl Sagan and attached to each spacecraft. The record contained 115 images and a variety of natural sounds and spoken greetings along with an eclectic sampling of music including Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”. As Dr. Sagan said, “. . .the launching of this bottle into the cosmic ocean says something very hopeful about life on this planet.”

This month in history:
Oct. 1: First observations with 300-foot radio telescope at Green Bank, WV - 1962
Oct. 4: Sputnik 1, first artificial satellite, launched - 1957
Oct. 9: Johannes Kepler observes supernova - 1604
Oct. 13: M51 (the Whirlpool Galaxy) observed by Charles Messier - 1773
Oct. 19: Subramanyan Chandrasekhar born - 1910
Oct. 22: First recorded solar eclipse - 2136 BC
Oct. 31: Two new moons of Pluto discovered by Hubble Space Telescope - 2005

Planets this month:
- Jupiter is still bright, but sinking low in the SW.
- Mars between Orion and Gemini in predawn hours.
- Venus and Saturn dominate eastern horizon before dawn (see Oct. 7).

Oct. 3: Last-quarter Moon.
Oct. 7: Lovely gathering of Venus, Saturn, Regulus, and crescent Moon in the east 90 min. before sunrise.
Oct. 11: New Moon.
Oct. 18: First quarter Moon.
Oct. 21-22: Peak of Orionid meteors.
Oct. 25: Full Moon (the closest of the year - 221,676 miles from Earth)

What’s Up in the Sky – September, 2007
By Peter Burkey

This month ushers in a new season of observing, the autumn constellations being some of my favorites. Overhead Cygnus, Lyra, and Aquila contain the stars, Deneb, Vega, and Altair, which form the summer triangle, Sagittarius (also known as the “Teapot”) dominates the south, and the Great Square of Pegasus can be seen high in the east. Skimming the treetops in the northwest is Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) which can be used as a guidepost to the constellations Bootes in the west and Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper) in the north.

Find the three stars in the handle of the Big Dipper and “follow the arc to Arcturus”, the bright star low in the west. In fact, Arcturus is the brightest object in the sky after Jupiter. Arcturus lies at the bottom of the kite-shaped constellation Bootes.

Return to the Big Dipper and find the two stars forming the right-hand side of the bowl. These are the “pointer stars” Merak and Dubhe. Follow a line drawn between them up and to the right and you will come to Polaris, the “North Star”.

Polaris is probably one of the most famous stars in the sky, although there are almost 50 others that appear brighter. Its fame stems from its location. If you extend the Earth’s axis straight up from the north pole, that line will point almost directly at Polaris. Thus, all the other stars appear to travel in circles around the North Star due to the Earth’s rotation. The next time you’re on a playground merry-go-round look up at the trees and you will see the same sort of motion.

This also means Polaris never rises or sets but remains fixed in the northern sky , acting as a cosmic guidepost. For centuries navigators referred to it as the “Lodestar” or “Steering Star”, seamen called it the “Pivot Star” and voyagers the Latin “Navigatoria”. Authors such as Dante, Wordsworth, Keats, and even Shakespeare make reference to it in their writings. Many ancient temples, such as the Hindu Kandariya Mahadevi Temple in India and the Great Temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, seem to be symbolic representations of ancient legends surrounding Polaris.

So the next time you’re admiring the North Star, think about all the people throughout history who considered it of great importance. It is but one of many cosmic connections to be found up in the sky.

This month in history:
Sept. 3: Last two lunar landings canceled by NASA - 1970
Sept. 8: Genesis spacecraft crash-lands on return to Earth - 2004
Sept. 11: Mars Global Surveyor arrives at Mars - 1997
Sept. 17: First powered flight of X-15 rocket plane - 1959
Sept. 23: Neptune discovered by J. G. Galle - 1846
Sept. 29: First launch of a satellite form Alaska - 2001

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:
Planets this month: Mercury visible before sunrise as August begins. Jupiter continues to dominate the southern sky, seen just above the star Antares in Scorpius. Mars high in ESE in predawn hours.

Sept. 3: Last-quarter Moon
Sept. 11: New Moon.
Sept. 19: First quarter Moon.
Sept. 23: Autumnal equinox - first day of fall in Northern Hemisphere.
Sept. 26: Full Moon (the “Harvest Moon”)

What’s Up in the Sky – August, 2007
By Peter Burkey

This month offers some great observing opportunities, including a meteor shower and a lunar eclipse.

To see the lunar eclipse you will have to get up very early on the morning of August 28. You probably won’t notice any darkening of the Moon’s surface until 5:00 a.m. with totality beginning around 6:00 a.m. As dawn approaches, the moon will set while still engulfed in Earth’s shadow.

On the night of August 12-13 Earth passes through the trail of dust and debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle during its 130-year trip around the Sun in past centuries. Think of the times you’ve driven through a heavy snow storm and encountered snowflakes whizzing past your windshield. They seem to emanate from a single point in front of you - called the “radiant” when applied to meteors. Careful observation of the shower shows that the meteors also emanate from a radiant located in the constellation Perseus, hence the name “Perseids”.

The particles from the comet range in size from sand grains to pebbles and hit the earth’s atmosphere at 37 miles per second. This creates an incandescent trail of hot, glowing air. What you see is this trail, not the tiny meteoroids themselves.

The best way to view a meteor shower is to find a place with a good view of the entire sky far away from the glare of city lights. Bring a lawn chair, bug spray and a sleeping bag or blankets, lie back facing northeast and be patient. The best time to watch is after midnight when you may see as many as 60 to 90 meteors per hour. An added benefit this year is that there will be no moonlight to wash out the dimmer meteors. For more info check out http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors.

While you’re at it, you may want to notice the constellations to the north, such as the Big and Little Dippers. As the night progresses you will notice that stars in this part of the sky neither rise nor set, but circle around the star in the end of the handle of the Little Dipper. This is Polaris, also known as the North Star because Earth’s axis, when extended into space, points in the direction of this star.

Next month I will talk more about Polaris, one of the most famous stars up in the sky.

This month in history:
August 2: First televised liftoff of lunar module - Apollo 15’s “Falcon” - 1971
August 5: Neil Armstrong born - 1930
August 10: Magellan spacecraft orbits Venus - 1990
August 18: Helium discovered in the Sun - 1868
August 20: Voyager 2 launched - 1977
August 24: Voyager 2 flies past Neptune - 1989

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:
Planets this month: Mercury visible before sunrise as August begins. Jupiter continues to dominate the southern sky, seen just above the star Antares in Scorpius. Mars high in ESE in predawn hours.

August 5: Last-quarter Moon
August 12: New Moon.
August 12: Perseid meteor shower.
August 20: First quarter Moon.
August 28: Full Moon.

What’s Up in the Sky – July, 2007
By Peter Burkey

According to Prof. Gareth Wynn-Williams of the University of Hawaii, the history of astronomy can be viewed as having four “ages”, the first being Naked Eye which went from zero to Galileo. From 1600 to 1880 was the age of the Simple Telescope, the kind you had to look through and then sketch what you saw. The age of Spectroscopy and Photography came next, lasting until 1940 after which technological breakthroughs and new telescopes, including many in orbit, ushered in the age of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Astronomers may no longer look through their telescopes, but the telescopes are capable of seeing much more than just visible light.

Electromagnetic radiation includes such things as infrared (heat) radiation, X-rays, gamma rays and radio waves, the distinguishing characteristic being the wavelength. So the difference between visible light and X-rays is the same as the difference between middle C and high C on a piano. Up until the 1940’s astronomers were like concertgoers who could only hear the notes E and F. Now we can hear the whole symphony and radio waves are the bass notes. Their wavelengths are very long so the telescopes have to be very large.

I recently had the privilege of taking a short course through the Chautauqua Institute taught by Dr. Wynn-Williams and held at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank WV. The course was interesting and very informative, but the highlight was that we were able to tour the world’s largest movable radio telescope - simply named the Green Bank Telescope or GBT. Because the telescope was down for repairs, we were able to go all the way to the top, visiting the receiver room and control room on the way.

The following day some of us used a 40 foot dish to observe the galaxy M87, a strong source of radio emissions due to a black hole at its core whose mass appears to be 3 billion suns.

Looking through your telescope is still fun, but by combining observations in many wavelengths we are able to see even more of what’s up in the sky.

This month in history:
July 1: Mt Wilson observatory receives 100 in. mirror - 1917
July 4: Supernova, whose remnant is known as the Crab Nebula, is witnessed - 1054 Mars Pathfinder lands on Mars - 1997
Deep impact collides with comet - 2005
July 6: Newton’s book, Principia is published - 1687
July 20: Humans walk on Moon for the first time - 1969 Viking 1 lands on Mars - 1976
July 30: Apollo 15 fourth mission to land on Moon - 1971

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:
Planets this month: Venus now getting lower in the west at dusk. Use binoculars or a telescope to view crescent. Look at 10:00 p.m. each night to see separation between Saturn and Venus increase. Jupiter shines brightly in the southern sky.

July 1-2: Venus - Saturn form close pair.
July 7: Last-quarter Moon
July 14: New Moon.
July 16: Spectacular gathering of Moon, Venus, Saturn, Regulus.
July 22: First quarter Moon.
July 29: Full Moon.

What’s Up in the Sky – June, 2007

Observation opportunities abound in June

The month of June has a lot to offer. School ends, summer vacation begins, and observing opportunities abound. The only drawback is that it gets dark so late that serious observing takes place mostly after midnight. But this June offers plenty to see without staying up late.

This Friday, June 1, go out around 10 pm to a location with a clear view of the western horizon. Venus will be dazzling as it has been all spring. To the right of Venus, you should see two stars, Castor and Pollux, the three evenly spaced along a straight line. Venus will also be in line with the planets Saturn and Mercury, although the spacing is much greater. Look for Saturn to Venus’ upper left and Mercury to the lower right, near the horizon. Binoculars may help for Mercury.

By the 12th you will see that Venus has moved up and away from the twin stars and binoculars will reveal it to be very close to M44, the Beehive cluster. Watch the planet move past this cluster over the next several nights.

The real fun begins on June 16 when the young crescent moon lines up with Venus, Saturn, and the star Regulus. Over the next three evenings you will witness the moon move toward the upper left, passing close to all three objects. On the 19th, be sure to go out right after sunset (9:25 p.m.), find the crescent moon and, using binoculars or a small telescope, see if you can spot Regulus right above it. You may have to wait for the sky to darken but if you continue to watch you will be able to see the moon passing the star.

During the last week of the month watch each night as Venus closes in on Saturn. On June 30 the two form a spectacular close pair, separated by a little more than one moon diameter. It is the best pairing of two planets all year.

Astronomy doesn’t have to be difficult. None of these observations requires special equipment, a dark sky or long hours. All you need are your eyes and an interest in what’s up in the sky.

This month in history:

June 3: Gemini IV astronaut, Ed White, takes America’s first space walk - 1965
June 10: Mars rover “Spirit” launched - 2003
June 16: Valentina Tereshkova first (and only solo) woman in space - 1963
June 18: Sally Ride becomes first American woman in space - 1983
June 30: Tunguska impact (probably a comet fragment) flattens hundreds of miles of Siberian forrest - 1908

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Venus continues to dazzle western sky at dusk. See it near M44 on the 12th, the crescent moon on the 18th and Saturn on the 30th. Jupiter reaches opposition on June 5th - visible all night. Saturn is to the upper left of Venus, forming a very close pair on the 30th.

June 1-2: Venus in line with Castor and Pollux.
June 8: Last-quarter Moon
June 12: Binoculars show Venus very close to Beehive cluster.
June 14: New Moon.
June 17-19: Watch Moon pass line of objects Venus, Saturn, Regulus.
June 22: First quarter Moon.
June 30: Full Moon; Venus/Saturn form close pair.

Peter Burkey - SAAA Member-At-Large

What’s Up in the Sky – May, 2007

Life In The Universe

I recently conducted two astronomy programs for the public, one for school children in Fennville and the other last Saturday in downtown Holland for National Astronomy Day. In each instance, one of the first questions to come up was, “Are there aliens?” I think people are usually surprised to hear that although UFOs and alien abductions remain in the realm of science fiction, many astronomers hold the belief that life is common, if not abundant, in the universe.

There are a number of reasons for this. First, we see various life forms thriving in the most inhospitable places right here on Earth, such as hot sulfur pools, frozen rocky mountaintops and dark ocean floors. Second, there is abundant evidence for the existence of life supporting ecosystems elsewhere in our own solar system, from ancient rivers and lake beds on Mars to a liquid water ocean on Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter. Third, the number of stars in the universe is enormous, more than all the grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth, and we know that many stars have planets orbiting them. It seems rather unlikely that this is the only place where life arose.

Taking this thought even further, in 1961 astronomer Frank Drake developed an equation that allows us to estimate the number of advanced technological civilizations in our galaxy - “technological” being defined as one capable of radio astronomy. By multiplying the number of stars in the galaxy by several factors the number can be estimated (reference The Drake Equation).

In fact, it is believed that we are much more likely to receive a radio message from an alien civilization than we are to have them visit us. You can even help in the search for a signal with your home computer. Go to http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/ for more info.

Whenever this topic comes up I’m reminded of the movie “Contact” where Jodi Foster tells the kids that the universe is so vast that if we’re it, it seems like an awful waste of space.

This month in history:

May 5: Alan Shepard becomes first American in space - 1961
May 11: Launch of first geostationary weather satellite - 1974
May 14: Skylab launched - 1973
May 25: President Kennedy gives speech challenging nation to land astronaut on Moon before the end of the decade - 1961
May 29: First experimental test of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity performed during total solar eclipse - 1919

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Venus continues to dominate the western sky at dusk. Mercury becomes visible by mid month. Look for it next to very thin crescent moon near WNW horizon at 9:30 p.m. on the 17th. Jupiter shines brightly in the southern predawn sky. Saturn lies just west of Regulus in Leo.

May 2: Full Moon.
May 9: Venus close to star cluster M35 in Gemini.
May 10: Last-quarter Moon
May 16: New Moon.
May 19: Look for Venus very close to crescent Moon.
May 23: First quarter Moon.
May 31: Full Moon (the second full moon of the month is sometimes called a Blue Moon).

Peter Burkey - SAAA Member-At-Large

What’s Up in the Sky – April, 2007

Constellation Leo

I was in the Holland Peanut Store recently talking to my good friend Paula Fabiano who delighted me with the story of her trip home from vacation. She was on an airplane flying north at sunset when she looked out the right-hand window and saw the rising moon in full eclipse. She was so excited she grabbed her camera to snap some photos. I asked her if she looked out the window on the opposite side to see the sun setting simultaneously, thus witnessing the syzygy about which I wrote last month. But, alas, the movie was just starting and the passengers on that side had pulled the shades. Apparently the pilot missed last month’s column and was not aware of what the passengers were missing.

This month one of the most famous constellations dominates the southern sky. Go out around 10:00 p.m. About two thirds of the way up from the southern horizon you should see bright Saturn and to the east (left) of Saturn is the constellation Leo, the Lion. Leo faces the viewer’s right (west). Look for a backwards question mark or sickle pattern of stars - that’s his head and mane - facing Saturn. To the left is a triangle of stars representing his hind quarters.

At the bottom of the sickle is the star Regulus, “The Little King”. Although many ancient civilizations had names for this star that were similar in meaning - Malikiyy, “the Kingly One” in Arabia, and Regia, “The Star of the King” in ancient Greece, for example - the modern name, Regulus, was given by Copernicus.

Leo’s image appears on coins from ancient Greece and Babylon and observations of Regulus are recorded on Babylonian tablets that date from about 2100 BC.

It is in this constellation that the point from which the famous Leonid meteors appear to radiate is located. The displays were particularly spectacular in 1833, 1866, and 1966, just after the comet that leaves the meteor-causing debris had passed by. Witnesses reported up to 150,000 meteors per hour and said they had a sensation of the earth’s motion through space.

The star Wolf 359 is located in Leo. This extremely faint red dwarf is the third nearest star and one of the least luminous stars known. Another interesting star is Algeiba, the brightest star in the curve of the sickle. It is one of the finest double stars in the sky and a good test for a small telescope.

Leo is home to a fine pair of spiral galaxies, M65 and M66, which can be seen together through a low-power telescope. M95 and M96 are another interesting pair. For more information on how to view these and other objects in Leo, consult a field guide or periodical such as Sky and Telescope or Astronomy magazines, or on the web at http://www.seds.org/Maps/Stars_en/Fig/leo.html.

This month in history:

Apr. 2: First photograph of the Sun - 1845
Apr. 7: Deployment of Compton Gamma Ray Observatory - 1991
Apr. 9: Original seven Mercury astronauts selected by NASA - 1959
Apr. 12: Yuri Gagarin becomes first human in space - 1961
Apr. 12: Columbia is first space shuttle to be launched - 1981
Apr. 16: First captured V2 rocket launched from White Sands, NM - 1946
Apr. 20: Apollo 16 lands on the Moon - 1972
Apr. 25: Deployment of Hubble Space Telescope - 1990
Apr. 28: Eugene Shoemaker born - 1928

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Venus shines brightly in western sky at dusk, setting more than 3 hours after sunset. Jupiter rises after midnight and dominates he southern predawn sky. Saturn just west of Leo; rings well placed for viewing with telescope.

Apr. 2: Full Moon.
Apr. 10: Last-quarter Moon.
Apr. 17: New Moon.
Apr. 19: See crescent Moon between Venus and Plieades.
Apr. 24: First quarter Moon near Saturn.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – March, 2007

Vernal Equinox and Total Lunar Eclipse

March is usually notable as being the month during which the Sun crosses the vernal equinox marking the first day of spring for those of us in the northern hemisphere.
This year March should also be notable to fans of word puzzles because we will be able to witness syzygy - the alignment of three celestial bodies. The three are the Sun, Earth, and Moon and it happens at sunset this Saturday, March 3. For observers in West Michigan the rising Moon will be engulfed in the Earth’s shadow at that time, an event known as a total lunar eclipse.

Although lunar eclipses occur on average every 1.2 years, this will be the first one since October 28, 2004. And although we will miss the beginning phases of the eclipse which occur before the Moon rises, there are still some unique aspects we may be able to see.

One interesting observation you may want to attempt is to observe the rising eclipsed Moon and the setting Sun at the same time. This may seem impossible due to the perfect syzygy alignment but because light from each object is bent by our atmosphere we are actually able to see the Sun for several minutes after it has set and the Moon several minutes before it rises. Of course, you will need cloudless skies and a clear view of each horizon. Start your search for the rising Moon on the eastern horizon right at 6:30 p.m. Binoculars will help, depending on how clear it is. Being up high will help also - like on Mt. Baldy in Saugatuck. Good luck.

A somewhat easier, but no less unique, observation may also be possible for those viewing with a small telescope or a good pair of binoculars. Beginning at 7:10 p.m., train your scope on the upper right-hand portion of the Moon and watch carefully. By 7:15 you should see a dim star appear from behind the Moon. Normally a star like this would be completely washed out by the bright, full Moon but since the Moon is in the Earth’s shadow, we may be able to witness its appearance - a rare event indeed.

I am very interested to know if any readers successfully observe either of these events. Please email me at pburkey@comcast.net if you do.

This month in history:

Mar. 1: Venera 13 relays first color photos from surface of Venus - 1982
Mar. 8: Voyager 1 discovers first active extraterrestrial volcanoes (on Jupiter’s moon Io) - 1979
Mar. 10: Rings of Uranus discovered - 1977
Mar. 14: Albert Einstein born - 1879
Mar. 16: First liquid fuel rocket successfully launched by Robert Goddard - 1926
Mar. 18: World’s first spacewalk made by Alexei Leonov - 1965
Mar. 23: First photograph of Moon - 1840
Mar. 25 Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, discovered by Christiaan Huygens - 1655

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Brilliant Venus continues to climb higher in western sky at sunset during March. Jupiter shines brightly in the south before sunrise. Saturn in ESE at dusk; look for it next to gibbous Moon on the 1st.
Mar. 3: Full Moon; Moon rises during total phase of lunar eclipse.
Mar. 11: Last-quarter Moon.
Mar. 18: New Moon.
Mar. 20: Spring begins at 8:07 p.m. EDT when the Sun reaches vernal equinox.
Mar. 20-21 See crescent Moon near Venus 1 hour after sunset.
Mar. 25: First quarter Moon.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – February, 2007

Sirus, The Dog Star

I normally do not joke around when people ask me about the stars, especially when they ask about the star Sirius.

Sirius, also known as the “Scorching One” or the “Dog Star”, is prominent in the southern sky at this time of year. Just look to the lower left of Orion and you can’t miss it shining brighter than any other star. It is so bright that some have even observed it in the daytime through a small telescope.

At 8.6 light years, Sirius is the 5th nearest star known. Among naked-eye stars, only Alpha Centauri is closer. It has more than double the sun’s mass and diameter and, if it were as near as the sun, it would shine over 26 times brighter.

Being the most brilliant of the fixed stars throughout history, Sirius has been an object of wonder to all ancient peoples. Similarities in the Greek, Roman, Arabic, and Egyptian names suggest a common origin from an earlier language, possibly Sanskrit.

The ancient Egyptian calendar was based on Sirius’ annual first appearance in the predawn sky, announcing the coming rise of the Nile.

References to the star can be found in the writings of Homer, Plutarch, and Virgil as well as in Hindu, Persian, Babylonian, and Chinese records. It is no wonder then that many myths and legends surround the star, some of which are not so old.

In the early 1800’s, observations of Sirius indicated it had an unseen companion orbiting every 50 years or so. Lost in the glare of its parent star, the companion, Sirius B, eluded observation until 1862 when it was discovered near its predicted location by Alvan G. Clark. The 18.5 inch refracting telescope he used is still in service at the Dearborn Observatory of Northwestern University.

Despite some “ancient astronaut” legends surrounding the African Dogon tribe’s unusual knowledge of this invisible companion, it is an intriguing object to modern astronomers. Sirius B is a white dwarf (the first to be discovered), a star with a mass about equal to that of the sun but a diameter some 40 or 50 times smaller. Thus it is incredibly dense, a cubic inch of its matter weighing over 2 tons! It also attracts material from Sirius which builds up and causes the white dwarf to heat up and eventually collapse. This triggers a new chain of nuclear reactions ending with the star exploding in what is known as a Type I supernova. Such an event, occurring so close and releasing massive amounts of radiation could have dire consequences for us. However, this probably won’t happen for a million years.

So enjoy this beautiful beacon of light up in the sky, before it gets serious.

This month in history:

Feb. 1: Shuttle Columbia breaks apart during reentry killing all 7 astronauts - 2003
Feb. 4: Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh born - 1906
Feb. 5: Alan Shepard hits golf balls on Moon - 1971 *
Feb. 15: Galileo Galilei born - 1564
Feb. 18: Pluto discovered - 1930
Feb. 19: Nicholas Copernicus born - 1473
Feb. 20: John Glenn is first American to orbit Earth - 1962
Feb. 24: Detection of first pulsar (by Jocelyn Bell in 1967) is announced - 1968

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Venus, in SW at dusk, climbs higher in the sky as month progresses. Mercury may be visible near Venus as month begins. Jupiter is visible before sunrise in SE. Saturn rises in the east at dusk and is visible all night.
Feb. 2: Full Moon
Feb. 10: Last-quarter Moon.
Feb. 11-12: View crescent Moon, Antares, and Jupiter close together in SSE one hour before dawn.
Feb. 17: New Moon.
Feb. 19: Venus close to crescent Moon in WSW 40 minutes after sunset.
Feb. 24: First quarter Moon.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – January, 2007

Winter Sky

Except for the weather, this is the start of a great observing season, mainly because there are so many bright stars and constellations visible.

Many folks have a favorite constellation and often it is Orion. The Hunter can be found high in the southeast in the early night sky. He is easily distinguished by the three stars in a line that form his belt and three smaller stars in his sword. The middle “star” is actually the Great Orion Nebula, a giant cloud of gas and dust out of which new stars are forming. Also known as M42, it is an interesting object for a small telescope.

Surrounding the sword and belt is a rectangle of stars representing Orion’s shoulders and knees. Compare the upper left and lower right stars. The former, Betelgeuse, is a red giant and the latter, Rigel, is a blue-white giant.

Follow the line of stars in the belt to the left and you can’t miss Sirius, the brightest star visible in our night sky all year.

Above and to the right of Orion look for a small V of stars (Taurus, the Bull) and farther over find the Pleiades - the Seven Sisters. It looks like a tiny dipper - not to be confused with the real Little Dipper on the opposite side of the sky.

Above Orion and close to the star that represents the tip of one of the Bull’s horns lies a very interesting object indeed. It is called M1 or the Crab Nebula. Unfortunately, it is not easily visible unless you are at a dark site with a decent telescope, but it is famous nonetheless.

First discovered in 1731, it was found independently by Charles Messier 27 years later when he was searching for a comet. Since it appeared as a faint, fuzzy blur in his telescope (just like a distant comet), Messier decided to make a list of such objects so other comet hunters would not be similarly fooled, hence the designation M1, the first on his list.

The crab nebula is actually a supernova remnant, the remaining cloud of rapidly expanding gasses left over from a star that exploded. In fact, records from medieval China contain an intriguing account of a “guest star” in Taurus that was visible in the daytime for 23 days. Most astronomers believe this was the supernova explosion whose remnant we now can observe.

Often you can find connections to history up in the sky.

This month in history:

Jan. 1: asteroid Ceres discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi - 1801
Jan. 7: Galileo discovers Callisto, Europa, and Io, moons of Jupiter - 1610
Jan. 13: First women astronauts selected by NASA - 1978
Jan. 24: Voyager 2 flies past Uranus - 1986
Jan. 27: Apollo 1 astronauts Chaffee, White and Grissom die in fire in capsule-1967
Jan 28: Seven astronauts killed when Space Shuttle Challenger explodes during launch - 1986
Jan 31: Explorer 1, first US satellite, launched - 1958

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Venus is low in SW at dusk, moving higher in the sky as month progresses. Mercury may be visible near Venus at month’s end. Jupiter and Mars are morning “stars” in SE. Saturn rises over three hours after sunset on Jan. 1, but by the 30th it’s only 45 min.
Jan. 3: Full Moon; Earth at closest point in orbit around sun - 91.4 million miles.
Jan. 11: Last-quarter Moon.
Jan. 15: Look for crescent Moon, Antares, and Jupiter in SE 90 min. before dawn.
Jan. 18: New Moon.
Jan. 20: Use binoculars to see Venus, two stars, and crescent Moon in WSW one hour after sunset.
Jan. 25: First quarter Moon.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – December, 2006

Fellowship of Astronomers

My attempt to view the transit of Mercury on Nov. 8 turned into a typical observing fiasco. The day started out clear, but by 3:00 p.m. clouds had moved in, leaving those of us gathered on Hope’s campus for the public viewing looking through our solar telescopes at nothing. All we wanted was a glimpse through a break in the clouds but no such luck.

So we packed up and departed and as soon as I pulled into my driveway (four blocks away) it was sunny! Unable to regroup, I set up and watched the transit by myself (my next door neighbor had a look but left to hunt for his dog) until finally I had to drag my wife out of the house so I would have someone with whom to share what I considered to be an extremely memorable event.

That’s happened before, in 1998, when I took her to Aruba to watch a total eclipse of the sun with a couple hundred other folks. In fact, almost all of my best observations have been in the company of others. I’ve seen a meteor shower with a group of math and science teachers and a lunar eclipse with my softball team. Friends and I have shared views of comets, aurora, transits, and occultations. I’ve risen before dawn to observe with students and stayed up all night to observe with astronomy club friends.

In April, 1979, while driving to a party at a friend’s house in Allegan, I watched the crescent moon approach the bright star Aldebaran. Upon arrival, I told everyone to come out and see this extraordinary event - a bright star covered by the unlit side of a crescent moon! One person joined me. The others missed the significance of how rare an opportunity this was - I have never seen another occultation anywhere near as spectacular. I’m sure my lone companion remembers that night as vividly as I do.

If you have an interest in astronomy, but don’t know how to pursue it, consider our local astronomy club, the Shoreline Amateur Astronomers. We offer camaraderie, resources of information, and the opportunity to observe in a safe, dark location. It’s more fun and more interesting when you can get together with friends to enjoy what’s up in the sky.

This month in history:

Dec. 4: Mars Pathfinder launched - 1996
Dec. 14: Gene Cernan, Apollo 17 astronaut, becomes last person to walk on Moon - 1972
Dec. 15: Venera 7 becomes first spacecraft to land on Venus - 1970
Dec. 24: Apollo 8 sends Seasons’ greetings from lunar orbit - 1968
Dec. 25: Isaac Newton born - 1642
Dec. 27: Johannes Kepler born - 1571

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Saturn is high in the southwest before dawn. Binoculars will help you see Jupiter, Mars and Mercury near the SE horizon 40 min. before sunrise. Don’t miss close gathering on the 10th and 11th.
Dec. 4: Full Moon
Dec. 10: Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury very close together in SE 40 min. before dawn.
Dec. 12: Last-quarter Moon.
Dec. 13-14: Geminid meteors peak.
Dec. 20: New Moon.
Dec. 21: Winter solstice - first day of winter.
Dec. 27: First quarter Moon.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – November, 2006

Transit of Mercury

What do the following things have in common: a certain automobile, your local florist, a record label, a 1932 dime, and November 8, 2006? The answer: the planet Mercury (that’s him on the FTD symbol). The connection with Wednesday of next week is on that date Mercury, the Sun and the earth will all line up with Mercury directly between us and the Sun. From our vantage point the planet will pass across the solar disk, appearing as a tiny black dot against the bright background of the sun’s surface.

I use the word “appearing” loosely because, unless you have the proper equipment (like a safe solar filter over the front of your telescope) and know what you are doing, you won’t see it. I recommend a webcast such as that to be found at http://www.exploratorium.edu/transit/ . For information on safe viewing, go to http://www.transitofvenus.org/safety.htm . For those of you in Holland, observation of the transit will be open to the public and will take place on November 8th at 3:00 p.m. in the courtyard between the new Science Center and Vanderwerf Hall on the campus of Hope College.

You may recall on June 8, 2004, Venus crossed the Sun appearing as a small black dot. This time Mercury will be tiny, only one sixth as large as Venus appeared in ‘04. But, unlike the dawn Venus transit, it will happen at a convenient time of day, beginning in the early afternoon and continuing until sunset from West Michigan.

Past transits on Mercury have played an important role in the development of science. On November 7, 1631, the French astronomer Pierre Gassendi observed the planet crossing the sun just as Johannes Kepler had predicted a few years earlier - a first. This was an early confirmation of Kepler’s new theory of planetary motion.

These early sightings puzzled folks because the planet appeared so tiny - an early hint at the true scale of planet sizes and distances.

The only other noteworthy action among the planets this month involves Saturn, high in the southern sky before dawn. The angle between us, the Sun and Saturn makes for very favorable viewing of the planet’s ring system. Viewed through a telescope, the shadow cast by the planet on the rings may even be visible.

Of course, November does not have a reputation for clear skies, but with a little luck on November 8th we may be able to briefly enjoy what’s up in the sky.

This month in history:

Nov. 3: Russian dog, Laika, first living creature to orbit earth - in Sputnik 2 - 1957
Nov. 6: Tycho Brahe observes supernova in Cassiopeia - 1572
Nov. 12: Voyager 1 flies past Saturn - 1980
Nov. 16: Arecibo radio telescope broadcasts interstellar radio message - 1974
Nov. 29: Australia is the fourth nation to launch a satellite - 1967
Nov. 30: Ten-pound meteorite bruises Alabama resident Elizabeth Hodges - 1954

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Saturn is high in the south before dawn. Around mid month Mercury emerges in the morning twilight reaching its best appearance of the year on the 25th.
Nov. 5: Full Moon
Nov. 8: Mercury transits the sun.
Nov. 12: Last-quarter Moon.
Nov. 17: Leonid meteors peak.
Nov. 20: New Moon.
Nov. 25: Mercury reaches greatest western elongation - 20° from the sun. See it in the ESE one hour before sunrise.
Nov. 28: First quarter Moon.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – October, 2006

The Andromeda Galaxy

One of the best parts of teaching astronomy occurs when students observe really cool stuff for the first time. Craters on the Moon, Saturn’s rings and the moons of Jupiter are always favorites, but whenever I had students out at this time of year, I made sure we observed M31, the Andromeda Galaxy.

Currently, the Andromeda Galaxy is conveniently located high in the eastern sky. To find it, go out an hour or two after sunset to a dark location, away from city lights, face east and look for the Great Square of Pegasus, four stars in the shape of a square standing on one corner. It’s large - as wide as two fists held at arm’s length - and over halfway between the horizon and overhead. Starting at the left-hand corner, count over two stars to the left and then two stars up and look for a small, fuzzy patch of light. To aid your efforts, I recommend you use a star chart such as those found in Astronomy or Sky and Telescope magazines. Charts can also be found online. Simply go online and type the following URL, “http://www.mmsd.org/planetarium”.

There are a number of things which make this object unique. For most people, it is the only naked-eye object that is not part of our own Milky Way galaxy, making it by far the most distant object visible without a telescope. It is about 2.5 million light years away, so when you observe it your eyes are responding to some very old photons of light since they’ve been traveling through space for 2.5 million years.

Galaxies like M31 can be thought of as giant rotating pinwheels of several hundred billion stars. Our own Milky Way galaxy is a spiral about 100,000 light years across. Put two paper plates on either side of the living room and you get a rough idea of the relative size and separation of these two. They are members of the “Local Group” of about 20 nearby galaxies.

The Andromeda Galaxy has been observed since 905 A.D. and was on Persian star charts as the “Little Cloud” long before the invention of the telescope.

It was in M31 that Edwin Hubble, in 1923, discovered a certain type of star, called a Cepheid variable, which enabled him to determine its distance. This revolutionized how astronomers view the universe and was the beginning of modern cosmology.

Andromeda may play a large role in the future of our own galaxy as the two are approaching each other at roughly 120 km (75 mi.) per second. That means in about 3 billion years, there will be a collision of galactic proportions. Actually, individual stars will not collide but rather the galaxies will pass right through each other, both becoming deformed by the other’s gravity. A few million years before that, imagine how cool it will look, quite large up in the sky.

This month in history:

Oct. 1: Yerkes Observatory dedicates 40 inch refractor - 1897
Oct. 1: NASA founded - 1958
Oct. 4: Space begins with launch of Sputnik 1 - 1957
Oct. 5: E. Hubble discovers variable stars in M31 - 1923
Oct. 12: First 3-person space mission, Voskhod 1, launched - 1964
Oct. 14: Chuck Yeager breaks sound barrier - 1947
Oct. 22: First record of solar eclipse - 2136 BC
Oct. 24: Final flight of X-15 rocket plane - 1968
Oct. 30: First launch of Saturn rocket - 1961

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Most of the planets are not easily visible this month, the exception being Saturn, which can be found in the southeast before sunrise.
Oct. 6: Full Moon
Oct. 9-10: Gibbous Moon occults Pleiades
Oct. 13: Last-quarter Moon.
Oct. 20: Orionid meteors peak.
Oct. 22: New Moon.
Oct. 24: Use binoculars to see Moon, Jupiter, and Mercury on SW horizon 35 min. after sunset.
Oct. 29: First quarter Moon.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – September, 2006 (Extra)

How Celestial Objects Are Named

Amid all the “Pluto is no longer a planet” hubbub, some friends recently asked me about how things like planets and stars get named. After a brief explanation with a couple of examples, I became intrigued by some of the more subtle details in this story.

The Sun, Moon, and visible planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) were all named by the ancients who believed them to be mythological gods. The astronomers who first identified Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto continued that tradition. Constellations such as Hercules, Perseus, and Andromeda also take their names from ancient mythology, although several visible only in the southern hemisphere have names like Antila (the Air Pump) and Telescopium because they were named by European explorers who first sailed southern seas.

Other categories of objects follow different rules of naming. Satellites of planets go through a process where they first receive a number indicating the year of discovery, then are assigned a Roman numeral, and then may receive a name from mythology. So when Voyager 2 found a bunch of new moons around Neptune in 1989 they were first designated, for example, S/1989 N 1 which later became Neptune VIII and finally Proteus. The moons of Uranus are the exception to the mythology rule - they are named by their discoverers after characters from the writings of Shakespeare and Pope such as Caliban and Puck.

Asteroids are also given a provisional number at first, but when their orbits are understood well enough for us to be able to predict their positions, they receive a permanent number and name. Therefore, 253 Mathilde is the 253rd asteroid to be numbered but not necessarily the 253rd to be discovered. Asteroid discoverers are afforded much more latitude in their choice of names. Asteroids can be named for almost anything so we have 2309 Mr. Spock, 3834 Zappafrank and 8749 Beatles.

Comets are generally named for the person or persons (up to three) who first discover them. Comet Halley is probably the most familiar example, named after famed English scientist and astronomer Edmund Halley. He was not the first to observe the comet, records of its appearance date back to ancient China, but he was the first to understand its nature and predict its return. More recent examples include comets Hale-Bopp, Hyakutake and Shoemaker-Levy 9 (the 9th one found by Carolyn and Gene Shoemaker and David Levy).

Surface features like craters or mountains on asteroids, planets, or moons follow complicated rules set by the International Astronomical Union Nomenclature Committee. Basically they are named after noteworthy places, things, or individuals who are no longer be living nor political or religious figures from the last 200 years. Examples include lunar craters Tycho, Copernicus, and Scobee; valleys on Mercury such as Arecibo and Goldstone (named after radio telescopes); and the Amsterdam crater on Mars. These features also take their names from the places and stories of Norse, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Hawaiian, Native American and Aboriginal mythology.

There is one group of objects that no longer receive “names” other than catalogue numbers: the stars. The brightest stars, like Sirius or Betelgeuse, retain their names from antiquity, but astronomers use several systems for naming stars so Sirius is also known as Alpha Canis Majoris, 9 Canis Majoris, HR 2491, HD 48915, BD-16 1591 and the “Dog Star”. Stars, however, cannot be officially named after you, nor can you “buy” a star. Those names exist only in the book the company sells you.

It’s all in the name and it’s all up in the sky.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – September, 2006

Autumn Constellations

I always look forward to this time of year (at least now that I’m retired from teaching) because the conditions for backyard observing are good. Cool nights, clear skies, and a variety of interesting objects often combine for a fun night of sky watching. And, since the planets are not well-placed for viewing, we can concentrate on some other things

I often tell people that a good place to begin in amateur astronomy is to identify the major constellations just using the naked eye. Go out about an hour after sunset, when the brightest stars are beginning to appear. Face south and look straight up. You will see the bright star Vega (VEE ga) which is in the constellation Lyra and is one of the stars in the Summer Triangle. At 27 light years (LY) distant it is one of the closest bright stars.

To the left and a little above Vega is Deneb (DEN ebb), the tail of Cygnus, the swan. Deneb is one of the most luminous stars known, 60,000 times brighter than the sun. If it were as close to us as Alpha Centauri (our nearest stellar neighbor at 4.4 LY) we could read by its light. It is the second star in the Summer Triangle.

Directly below these two stars is the third member of the Summer Triangle, Altair, in the constellation Aquila, the eagle. According to legend, Aquila belonged to Zeus, the king of the gods, who rewarded the bird for all his years of faithful service with a place among the stars.

Continue down to the southern horizon and look for Sagittarius. This constellation resembles a teapot with its spout pointing to the right (west) and tipped down. On a dark, moonless night you can see the Milky Way rising from the teapot’s spout and arching overhead.

Turn now toward the northwest and look for the Big Dipper just over the treetops. Its handle arches to the left (west) and the bowl is on the right (north). Follow the two northernmost bowl stars up to Polaris, the North Star, which is the end star in the handle of the Little Dipper. Returning to the handle, look closely at the middle star, Mizar, and see if you can spot its faint companion, Alcor.

Follow the arc formed by the three stars down and left to Arcturus, the bright star near the western horizon. Arcturus is at the bottom of the constellation Bootes, the herdsman, which looks like a tall, slanted house or kite extending up from the horizon.

It will be helpful to identify these stars and constellations if you use a star chart which can easily be found online or in several popular astronomy magazines. This will aid your exploration of all the cool things up in the sky.

This month in history:

Sept. 1: Pioneer 11 first spacecraft to fly past Saturn - 1979
Sept. 3: Viking 2 lands on Mars - 1976
Sept. 5: Voyager 1 launched - 1977
Sept. 8: “Star Trek” premiers - 1966
Sept. 12: Gemini 11 launched - 1966
Sept. 15: “Lost in Space” premiers - 1965
Sept. 22: Pioneer 10 leaves the solar system - 1990
Sept. 23: “The Jetsons” premiers - 1962
Sept. 30: Daily communication with Pioneer 11 ends - 1995

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Jupiter is very low in the SW evening sky. Venus close to horizon in ENE before dawn - look 45 min. before sunrise. Saturn can be found 10° to the upper right of Venus.
Sept. 4: Uranus is at opposition.
Sept. 6: Venus less than 1° from the star Regulus.
Sept. 7: Closest Full Moon (222,000 mi.)of the year.
Sept. 11-12: Binoculars show Jupiter about one moon diameter from the star Zubenelgenubi.
Sept. 14: Last-quarter Moon.
Sept. 22: New Moon.
Sept. 23: Autumnal Equinox - 12:03 a.m.
Sept. 30: First quarter Moon.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – August, 2006

A Tribute to the Instruments of Space Exploration?

Do you remember the Top-40 single that was named after a satellite? I was reminded of it when I saw the Space Shuttle on the news recently. Remember when we knew the names of satellites and spacecraft because they were in the news?

The most famous satellite is probably Sputnik 1 because it was the first human-made object to orbit the earth. Other spacecraft, such as Mercury, Apollo, Voyager, and the Hubble Space Telescope are fairly well known, but lately a bevy of less familiar spacecraft have been making some amazing discoveries.

For example, the Galileo spacecraft studied the planet Jupiter and its moons for over 14 years, making many discoveries. Ulysses studied the polar regions of the sun and was the first spacecraft sent out of the plane of the earth’s orbit. The Mars Global Surveyor has studied the entire surface of Mars and has sent back more data about the red planet than all other previous missions combined. Mars is also currently being studied by the 2001 Mars Odyssey and the two tremendously successful Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. These two workhorses have all but confirmed the theory that ancient surface water once flowed on the planet.

Cassini-Huygens, with a record number of twelve instruments, has been studying Saturn since June 2004. Discoveries include ice geysers on one of Saturn’s moons, and details of the atmosphere of Titan, its largest moon, on which the Huygens probe successfully landed. Even distant Pluto will soon (2015) be visited by the New Horizons probe.

The Stardust spacecraft rendezvoused with comet Wild-2, passed through the comet’s coma where it collected cometary dust, and returned the sample last January, an amazing accomplishment! We’ve even landed a spacecraft (NEAR Shoemaker) on an asteroid (Eros).

The aforementioned Hubble Space Telescope has been joined by the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Spitzer Space telescope, and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Known as NASA’s Great Observatories Program, the instruments are designed to cover the majority of the electromagnetic spectrum.

All of these instruments, and more, have contributed greatly to our understanding of everything from the formation of planets to the fate of the universe. We’ve learned quite a bit since Telstar.

I recently wrote about observing phenomena involving the moons of Jupiter. On the evening of Sunday, August 6, start observing Jupiter (low in the southwest) as soon as it gets dark. Three of its moons are easily visible, but a fourth one, Europa, is probably not visible because it is in front of Jupiter and lost in its glare. A little after 11:00 p.m. it emerges into view along the left-hand side of the planet (as viewed in most telescopes) just as its shadow is entering the planet’s disc from the lower right. Meanwhile, Io, the lone moon on the right side of the planet, moves closer and closer until it, too, crosses in front. You will need a good telescope and a clear view of the horizon to do this observation.

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Jupiter is still visible in the SW evening sky. Venus low in ENE before dawn, lower at end of month. Venus is joined first by Mercury, then by Saturn in the predawn sky.

August 2: First-quarter Moon.
August 2: Venus is 5.5° above Mercury - look near the eastern horizon one hour before sunrise.
August 9: Full Moon.
August 10: Mercury now only 2° below Venus.
August 12: Waning gibbous moon spoils peak of Perseid meteor shower.
August 15: Last-quarter Moon.
August 22: Use binoculars to see Mercury, Saturn, and Venus next to thin crescent moon 30 minutes before sunrise.
August 23: New Moon.
August 26: Venus and Saturn separated by about one full moon diameter.
August 31: First quarter Moon just below star Antares, low in SSW one
hour after sunset.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – July, 2006

The Milky Way Galaxy

This is the season of the summer vacation. Many of us are probably planning a camping trip up north, a beach vacation, or perhaps a tour of western national parks. Whatever your destination, some moonless night you may want to take a side trip to a dark location far from the glare of city lights where you can enjoy one of the most spectacular objects in the night sky, our own galaxy, the Milky Way.

Our sun, along with about 200 billion other stars, is a member of this galaxy, a giant spinning pinwheel of stars, gas, and dust. In fact, every star we can see is a member of the Milky Way. We see the Milky Way edge-on from the inside, so it appears as a faint band of diffuse light which, at this time of year, stretches from Sagittarius and Scorpius in the south high across the eastern sky to Cassiopeia in the north.

Its name dates back to antiquity, long before its true nature was known, and is purely descriptive. In fact, the word “galaxy” comes from the Greek “gala”, which means “milk”. It is associated with many ancient legends and has been described over the centuries as a great celestial river, a path to the stars, a giant serpent, and the “backbone of the night”. It wasn’t until the winter of 1609-1610 when Galileo turned his telescope to the sky that this flowing stream of milk was resolved into stars.

The number of stars in the Galaxy is so enormous as to be beyond our comprehension but the following may help. It’s been estimated that a typical box of salt contains about a million grains, so 200,000 boxes contain as many salt grains as there are stars in the Milky Way. If you tried to model the Galaxy by spreading all those grains out over a giant circle, the average distance between grains would be 7 miles!

The Milky Way is about 100,000 light years across, which means it would take a beam of light 100,000 years to traverse its entire diameter. We are located about 30,000 light years from the center, or nucleus, where the concentration of stars is the greatest. If you look toward the constellation Sagittarius (known as the “teapot”), located near the southern horizon, you are looking directly toward the nucleus of the Galaxy. But dense clouds of gas and dust in the plane of the Galaxy obscure our view and create great dark regions seemingly devoid of stars. These dark dust lanes add beauty and structure and are themselves interesting to observe.

The region above the spout of the teapot is one of my favorite parts of the sky. Scan this area with binoculars or a small telescope and you can find many interesting objects including huge clouds of glowing gas, open clusters of stars, and very distant globular clusters. With binoculars or the naked eye, observing the Milky Way is fascinating and fun. It’s easy to imagine the wonder and awe of the ancients and Galileo as they viewed this part of what’s up in the sky.

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:
Planets this month: Saturn and Mars are fading in west at dusk. Jupiter dominates southern evening sky. Venus is brilliant morning “star” in east before dawn.
July 2: Venus is 4° north of the star Aldebaran.
July 3: First-quarter Moon.
July 9: Month’s southernmost moonset in SW before dawn.
July 10: Full Moon.
July 16-22: Use binoculars to see Mars close in on the star Regulus low in west at dusk.
July 17: Last-quarter Moon.
July 20: Crescent moon passes very close to the Pleiades, covering some stars in the cluster in the predawn sky (3-5 am).
July 25: New Moon.
July 28: Peak of Southern Delta Aquarid meteor shower before dawn.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – May, 2006

Large Binocular Telescope (LBT)

We live in amazing times, especially in the world of astronomy. In the past decade astronomers have made discoveries that have led to answers to profound questions humans have been asking since we were first able to ask. Most of these discoveries have been made possible by revolutionary new instruments such as the Chandra X-Ray Telescope and the infrared Spitzer Space Telescope. Soon a new instrument will be operational, one that will have a direct link to Holland via Hope College.

The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), currently being built on Mt. Graham in Arizona, should be fully operational by the end of 2007. This instrument is being funded and operated by an international consortium that includes several American universities, astronomical institutes in Germany and Italy, and Research Corporation, the second oldest foundation in the country and the only one devoted solely to the advancement of science. Our community’s connection is Jim Gentile, Ph.D., President of Research Corporation.

Dr , Gentile (pronounced gen TEEL) received his Ph.D. in molecular toxicology from Illinois State University, then spent two years in postdoctoral studies at Yale School of medicine before coming to Hope College, where he worked and taught for 29 years. As Dean of the department of Natural Sciences, he was instrumental in the design and construction of the college’s new Science Center.

After a long and successful tenure at Hope, he accepted the position at Research Corporation and moved to Arizona to begin his new career. He is now directly involved in funding numerous scientific projects, such as the LBT. Jim is proud of the fact that Research Corporation has a long history of helping young scientists get their start, having funded the work of nearly forty Nobel prize winners since 1912.

The Large Binocular Telescope will consist of two 8.4 meter (331-inch) primary mirrors linked through a system of adaptive optics which cancels out the distorting effects of the earth’s atmosphere. It will have the same light-gathering power as a single 11.8 meter instrument and be able to create images as sharp and clear as a telescope with a single mirror 22.8 meters (465-inches) in diameter. It will be able to see in much more detail than the Hubble Space Telescope, and may even detect planets around other stars. It’s unique binocular configuration will enable astronomers to conduct research in such topics as the nature af dark energy and astrobiology.

Hope College can certainly take pride in the fact that one of their own, Jim Gentile, will be at the forefront of this cutting-edge technology because he has always been fascinated by what’s up in the sky.

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:
Planets this month: Saturn and Mars getting lower in west at dusk as month progresses, passing Beehive cluster; Jupiter rises ESE and is visible all night, reaching year’s maximum brightness this month. Venus continues to dominate morning sky - look east an hour before sunrise. Mercury becomes visible in the WNW after sunset at month’s end.

May 1: Crescent moon near Mars
May 4: First-quarter Moon
May 6: Astronomy Day. Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter all visible.
May 11: Moon next to Jupiter.
May 13: Full Moon
May 20: Last-quarter Moon.
May 24: Crescent Moon just to the left of Venus, one hour before sunrise.
May 27: New Moon
May 30: Mars, Moon, Castor, Pollux, all lie in a straight line.
May 31: Use binoculars to view crescent Moon near Beehive cluster and Saturn.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – April, 2006

Moon Occults Pleiades

As I write this, we have had several clear nights in a row - unusual for late March in West Michigan. Hopefully April will offer more clear nights for there is much to see in this month’s sky.

We start off with a bang next Saturday when the Moon’s motion in its orbit brings it directly between us and the star cluster M45, also known as the Pleiades, blocking the stars from our view as it moves past them.

Astronomers call this an occultation, or we say that the Moon will occult the stars.

Go out around 7:30 p.m., face west and look for a thin crescent Moon, about half way up from the horizon to overhead. You should be able to see the dark side of the Moon illuminated by sunlight reflected off the earth (called “Earthshine”). As the sky darkens, you will see that the Moon is in front of a small cluster of stars, called the Pleiades, the cluster itself being about twice as wide as the Moon.

With binoculars or a small telescope over the next two hours, you will be able to see several stars in the cluster disappear behind the unlit side of the moon and reappear from behind the crescent about an hour later. You will have then actually observed the moon’s motion in space.

I highly recommend that you mark this event on your calendar. In April, 1979, I witnessed the moon occult the star Aldebaran, the bright star just to the left of the Pleiades. As with this month, this happened just after sunset with a thin crescent moon. I was at a gathering in Kalamazoo with about 30 people and I was only able to convince one other person to come outside with me to watch it. A common reaction from many was, “so what, that must happen all the time”.

I have never seen another occultation like that one. I was amazed at how the star just instantly disappeared. And, no, it does not happen very often. The Moon does occult stars periodically, but most of the time it happens when we can’t see it. Either the Moon is below the horizon, or it’s daytime, or the star is too dim, for example. So to have the crescent Moon pass directly in front of a cluster of stars in the evening on a Saturday in April, is a unique opportunity that should not be missed.

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:
Planets this month: Mars is high in the SW to W after sunset, Saturn shines high in the south. Predawn skies are dominated by Jupiter in the SW and Venus in the SE. Mercury is to the lower left of Venus about 30 min. before sunrise, but is difficult to see.

April 1: Crescent moon occults Plieades
April 5: First-quarter Moon
April 6: Saturn right below Moon in SW, Beehive cluster nearby - great viewing opportunity for a small telescope.
April 8: Try to spot Mercury low on the eastern horizon around 6 a.m.
April 18: Use binoculars or a small telescope to find Uranus about one-half moon diameter below Venus in the east at 5 a.m.
April 13: Full Moon
April 14: Moon and Jupiter rise together 2 hours after sunset.
April 15-17: Binoculars or a small telescope offers the best way to see Mars move past the open star cluster M35 in Gemini.
April 20: Last-quarter Moon.
April 24: Crescent Moon just to the right of Venus, one hour before sunrise.
April 27: New Moon

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – March, 2006

The Eyes of the Virgin

Readers from my generation may recall the TV series “That Was The Week That Was”. I recently experienced a very remarkable and memorable week. This paper recently ran an article about a Global Village trip sponsored by Habitat for Humanity International in which a group of 10 volunteers traveled to Nicaragua to build houses. I had the extreme good fortune to participate in that endeavor, but this is an astronomy column so I’ll get to the point.

My compadres convinced me to bring along a telescope (I have an Astroscan 4.5” by Edmund Scientific that fit in my carryon). This turned out to be rewarding and very educational not only for the people in Ojo de Agua, the village in which we worked, but also for the other volunteers and even for myself.

One night I arranged an observing session for our group and the recipient families. Lacking the air and light pollution that permeates the North American night sky, we had outstanding viewing. I had never seen the Milky Way appear so bright in the winter sky. My friends were astounded at the number of stars they could see. We observed Mars, Saturn, the Moon, and the Orion nebula through the telescope and were able to see the Beehive cluster and stars down to fifth magnitude with our naked eyes.

But what I remember most is a story told to me by Regan Downs, volunteer coordinator for Habitat for Humanity Nicaragua, who was our interpreter and escort on this trip and who, through his excellent translation skills, made my observing session possible. He told me of an elderly gentleman friend, “Old Zack”, who told Regan, “I’m going to give you a star. It is called “the eyes of the Virgin” and it is difficult to find, but when you see it you will see two eyes looking down on the earth.” Regan pointed out the star to me. It is right below Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus. He said it took him a while, but he still remembers when he first spotted the “eyes” - two stars close together.

Now, to me this is just your average dim star, but when I found it in the telescope, sure enough, there were two! No way was this visible to my old naked eyes, but I did some research. The star Regan saw is known as Theta Tauri and it is indeed a double star, the two components separated by 5 minutes of arc (one-sixth the Moon’s diameter). Since the human eye can resolve things as small as 1 or 2 arc minutes, it is certainly reasonable that he was seeing them both.

Regan told me later that this was the first celestial object he had ever found and now, whenever he looks at it, he thinks of old Zack. It will be a connection for me also as I think about the bonds I formed by observing what’s up in the sky.

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:
Planets this month: Mars can be easily found near the Plieades cluster high in the southwest. Watch it fade and move past the star Aldebaran as the month progresses. Saturn shines brightly in the southeast - binoculars show it near the Beehive cluster. Predawn skies are dominated by Jupiter in the SW and Venus in the SE.

March 1: One hour after sunset, try to spot Mercury below a thin crescent moon near western horizon.
March 5: Nice evening gathering of Moon, Mars, Plieades, and Aldebaran
March 6: First-quarter Moon passes nearly overhead at sunset.
March 8-10: Venus-Jupiter-Saturn span 175 degrees in predawn sky.
March 10: Waxing gibbous moon near Saturn
March 14: Full Moon - Penumbral eclipse of the Moon - best seen from Europe and Africa
March 20: Sun at vernal equinox; Spring begins at 1:26 p.m. EST
March 22: Last-quarter Moon.
March 29: New Moon - total solar eclipse visible across Africa, Turkey, Mongolia.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – February, 2006

The excitement of discovering new planets

There has been much in the news lately about the discovery of new planets, both in our own solar system and orbiting other stars. Since Saturday is the birthday of Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto, I thought it would be fun to recap the history of planetary discoveries.

The five brightest planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, were known to ancient people because, unlike the fixed stars that make up the constellations, these objects changed their positions over days and weeks, “wandering” through a narrow band of the sky known as the zodiac. (The word “planet” comes from the Greek for “wanderer”.) Of course, the true nature of these objects was not known until the dawn of the scientific revolution when guys such as Copernicus and Galileo argued that they were objects like the earth, orbiting the sun.

Then, in 1781, William Herschel, an astronomer known at the time to be a skilled comet hunter, discovered Uranus by accident while searching for comets. During the next several decades, discrepancies in its orbit were observed. These could be explained by the gravitational tug of another planet nearby. Through calculations based on gravitational theory, the location of this object was predicted. Based on these predictions, astronomers observed and identified Neptune in 1846.

In February, 1930, Clyde Tombaugh, comparing photographs made the previous month at the Lowell observatory in Arizona, found an object that was soon identified as the planet Pluto.

Things remained unchanged until recently, when several other Pluto-like objects were discovered. The debate over whether we have a tenth planet continues.

Since 1995, about 160 planets have been discovered orbiting other stars. Most of these are giants, but recently an Earth-sized exoplanet has been discovered.

Our view of the planets has certainly changed dramatically from godlike objects to natural results of star-forming activity, common among the stuff we observe up in the sky.

Here are February’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: See three planets at dusk — Mercury low in the west, Mars high in the south, below the Pleiades, Saturn rising in the southwest; Venus shines brilliantly in predawn sky, Jupiter, second in brightness

February 1: One hour before sunrise, Venus-Jupiter-Saturn span 157 degrees, from east to west
February 5: First-quarter Moon (1:29 a.m.)
February 5: Moon, just past first quarter, makes beautiful grouping with Mars and the Pleiades high in south
February 9: Waxing gibbous Moon passes between the stars Castor and Pollux and Saturn
February 12: Full Moon - most distant of year
February 14: Venus and Jupiter bright in morning twilight.
February 21: Third-quarter Moon
February 23: Crescent moon between Venus and Jupiter before sunrise.
February 23: Mercury at greatest separation from sun; look near western horizon around 7:00 p.m.
February 27: New Moon - closest moon of the year

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – December, 2005

Japan Space Program

Japanese automakers have been in the news lately, but I’ve seen little about an incredible spacecraft launched by Japan’s space agency, JAXA, in May of 2003. It is called Hayabusa (which means “falcon” in Japanese) and, as of this writing, it has successfully landed on the asteroid Itokawa becoming the only space probe to land on an asteroid and then take off. However, it failed to collect material for a planned sample-return to Earth so mission controllers decided to try a second time to land, capture a sample, and return to Earth. This second landing took place last Saturday and surface samples were, indeed, collected. When you read this the spacecraft should be safely awaiting its return trip to Earth. If successful, it will be the first time a space probe has returned samples from an asteroid.

Named after Hideo Itokawa, a pioneer of Japanese rocketry, the asteroid is more like a pile of rubble rather than a solid boulder, 1800 feet long and 1000 feet wide. It orbits the sun out as far as Mars.

The spacecraft has until early December before it must begin its 180 million-mile trip back. In June of 2007, if all goes according to plan, it should land in the Australian Outback, hopefully with a sample of the asteroid for scientists to examine. By studying asteroid samples, astronomers hope to gain knowledge about the early stages in the formation of the solar system. This is because, unlike planets and moons, asteroids have surfaces that are believed to be unchanged since they were formed.

Scientists will also try to better understand the potential for using the raw materials from asteroids to build structures in space.

Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Venus is at its highest point in the SW at dusk and sets about three hours later. Mars is bright in east at sunset. Five hours later, Mars is high in S, Saturn is near E horizon. Dec. See Mercury and Jupiter near SE horizon between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m.

December 1: New Moon
December 4: Look for Venus and crescent Moon, SW one hour after sunset.
December 8: First Quarter Moon
December 12: Greatest separation between Mercury and Sun - 21 degrees
December 13: Geminid meteor shower washed out by moonlight.
December 15: Full Moon - very high - up for 16 straight hours!
December 19: Saturn appears extremely close to 7th magnitude star.
December 23: Third Quarter Moon
December 25: Crescent moon close to star Spica before sunrise.
December 30: Second New Moon of month (“Blue Moon”)

Peter Burkey is president of the Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association and has been an amateur astronomer and astrophotographer for 25 years. He also taught astronomy at Fennville High School from 1981 to 2003.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – September 2005

Mars myth is online malarkey

When I was in college I read a book called “Chariots of the Gods,” which claimed that certain religious artifacts and cultural customs were proof that we had been visited by extraterrestrials in UFOs. I remember one example was the Nazca plain in Peru with its patterns of perfectly straight lines and giant drawings that can be recognized only from high above the ground.

Amazing, I thought.

Astounding, I thought.

Why didn’t I ever learn about this stuff in my high school science classes? I thought.

Then, a few years later, I watched a program that “explained” the claims made in the book. It showed an elderly woman on the Nazca plain could create giant patterns and perfectly straight lines by dragging her heel in the dry soil. Every example used in the book was similarly discounted.

Lately I have been asked by a number of people about a story that has been circulating on the Internet. Supposedly, on Aug. 27 Mars looked “as large as the full moon to the naked eye.” The story went on to say this was supposed to be the “closest approach between the two planets in recorded history” and “the next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.”

First, there is no way Mars will ever appear as large as the full moon. It is too far away.

I think I know how such a rumor could get started. If you view Mars through a moderately sized telescope at about 90 power, the image in the telescope will appear as large as the moon looks to the naked eye.

However, even this is misleading. If you compare the size of Mars’ image to the size of your field of view in the telescope, it is not the same as comparing the moon to the entire sky. If you really want to know what Mars will look like, cut about two centimeters off an empty paper towel tube, hold it up to your eye and look at the full moon.

Second, regarding the rarity of this event, Mars was closer to Earth (and therefore appeared larger) on Aug. 27, 2003 — perhaps the source of the date listed in the Web rumor. This year’s closest approach will occur on Oct. 29.

Also, we won’t have to wait too long for another good view. In December 2007 it will appear almost as large. And the next time Mars will get this close is in 2018, not 2287.

So, file this under “don’t believe everything you see on the Internet.” When it comes to astronomy, the truth is always up in the sky.

For more information on this year’s Mars encounter go to skyandtelescope.com and click on “Mars Malarkey.”

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Here are this month’s viewing highlights:

• All month: Watch Venus and Jupiter in the west one hour after sunset. They will be closest on Sept. 1; then Jupiter sinks into the sun’s glare as the month progresses. What’s the last day that you see Jupiter?
• Sept. 1: Moon between Mercury and Saturn in east one hour before sunrise
• Sept. 3: New moon
• Sept. 4: Mercury close to star Regulus in east 45 minutes before sunrise
• Sept. 6: Don’t miss spectacular gathering of Jupiter, Venus, moon and the star Spica
• Sept. 11: First-quarter moon very low in the south at sunset
• Sept. 17: Full moon (harvest moon; rises less than 30 min later next few nights)
• Sept. 21: Moon between Mars and Pleiades; low in east around 11 p.m.
• Sept. 22: first day of Autumn
• Sept. 25: Third-quarter moon; unusually high in sky at sunrise
• Sept. 28: Crescent moon near Saturn in the east, 90 minutes before sunrise

Peter Burkey is president of the Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association and has been an amateur astronomer and astrophotographer for 25 years. He also taught astronomy at Fennville High School from 1981 to 2003.

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – June 2005

June

Summer arrives and we look forward to finally being able to go out and observe the sky without freezing or being clouded out. But, alas, we come to find that we have to wait until 11:00 p.m. before it is dark enough to see anything through our telescopes. That’s why it’s nice that this month’s viewing highlight is a gathering of bright planets that should be visible just after sunset during the last half of the month.

You may recall an earlier column in which I described how 17th century astronomers began to figure out the laws of nature through careful and accurate observations of of the planets, especially Mars. Ancient Greek observers distinguished between the fixed stars, stars that maintained fixed patterns among themselves over many generations, and the wandering stars or planets. The word planet means “wanderer” in Greek. Much of ancient astronomy was devoted to observing and predicting the motions of the planets. This month we get an opportunity to witness the daily wanderings of the planets Mercury, Venus, and Saturn.

Starting in mid-month, look in the west northwest, near the horizon, around 10:00 p.m. (or as soon as the brightest stars start to become visible). Venus will be easily recognized since it is, by far, the brightest object in the sky besides the moon. Below and to the right of Venus will be Mercury, the third brightest object after Venus and Jupiter. Above and to the left of Venus will be Saturn, much dimmer than the others. The three form a straight line.

Keep looking each night and you will notice that soon they do not line up but keep moving closer and closer together. During the last week of the month Saturn passes to the left of the other two planets and then moves below and to their lower right. Meanwhile, Mercury draws closer to Venus, passing under it and moving off to its left by month’s end. On Saturday, June 25, all three planets will fit into a field of view 1.5 degrees across. This is called a trio and the next easily observed trio won’t occur until 2010, so don’t miss it. Then, on Monday, June 27, Venus and Mercury will be separated by less than one-fourth the width of the Moon. Use binoculars to see this close encounter of the two planets and to spot Saturn just below them.

This promises to be a rare and spectacular gathering and should be easily seen since it occurs at a convenient time when chances for clear weather are better than average. It should be a great opportunity to enjoy what’s up in the sky.

Here are this month’s other viewing highlights:

• June 6: New Moon
• June 8: one hour after sunset, look WNW to see Venus below the crescent moon; also look for Saturn and the stars Pollux and Castor above and to the left of Venus
• June 9: a thin crescent moon sits between Saturn and Pollux, above and to the left of Venus
• June 14: First-quarter Moon; earliest sunrise of the year for our latitude
• June 21: summer solstice - summer officially begins at 2:46 a.m. EDT
• June 21-27: watch three planets gather in WNW one hour after sunset each day
• June 22: Full Moon
• June 27: latest sunset of the year for our latitude
• June 28: Last-quarter Moon

Peter Burkey - SAAA President

What’s Up in the Sky – May 2005

History shows a woman’s place is in outer space

Remember the old Beach Boys’ lyric, “And she purrs like a kitten till the lake pipes roar”? They were referring,