Beginning January 2008, SAAA meetings are held at Macatawa Bay School Planetarium, located at 3700 140th Avenue, Holland, Michigan on the second Friday of the month.

Visitors are always welcome!

Astronomical League	Int’l Dark Sky Assoc	Night Sky Network

News Highlights from Space.com

Vivekananda Clear Sky Forecast

Solar X-rays
Geomagnetic Field

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.

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.

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).

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

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.

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.

Many of the world’s religions, both current and historical, have connections with things astronomical. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the earth’s ancient people all observed the same sky full of awe inspiring objects. It is no wonder,then, that stars play an important role in many religions and to Christians the Star of Bethlehem is the best known example.

Although we have very little historical information about the Star (only two sentences in the Book of Matthew refer to it) hundreds if not thousands of books and articles have been written on possible astronomical interpretations of the event. In fact, the December issue of Sky and Telescope magazine contained an article by an astronomy student at Michigan State University, Aaron Adair, that summarizes nicely the various theories. His conclusions may surprise you.

Some proposed explanations, such as ball lightning or meteors, never gained acceptance. More popular theories include comets, novae (stars that “flare up”), or planetary alignments, but Adair argues “a closer examination finds severe weaknesses in all of these”.

The comet hypothesis does not seem plausible because comets were most often regarded as omens of evil. A nova or supernova could have been bright enough and lasted long enough to guide the Magi to Jerusalem. But a nova or supernovae would have been recorded by observers in the Far East and no such reports have been found. Also, it is difficult to imagine a comet or supernova behaving as described in the Scriptures.

One of the most popular explanations involves what is known as a planetary conjunction, a gathering of two or more planets in the same area of the sky. With modern planetarium software we can easily recreate these events at the exact time and position in which they occurred. One such example is the very close conjunction of Venus and Jupiter near the star Regulus in the constellation Leo on June 17, 2 BC. This explanation assumes Leo is the constellation representing Judea at that time, but scholars do not agree on this point.
Planetary conjunctions, however, usually had astrological meanings and Adair makes a good argument that Jesus’ Jewish followers probably would not have heeded the warnings of astrologers.

Another recent “explanation” was put forth by Michael Molnar in his 1999 book The Star of Bethlehem. On April 17, 6 BC, the Moon occulted (passed in front of) the planet Jupiter. He argues this could have been interpreted as a good sign that later became the Star. Unfortunately, evidence suggests an occultation such as this would have predicted a King’s death! Equally unfortunate is the fact that the occultation took place in the daytime and would not have been visible to the Magi.

Adair, who is also a show presenter at the Abrams Planetarium at MSU, offers an alternate viewpoint at the end of his article. Since all of the astronomical “explanations” have serious flaws, perhaps we should rely on faith in this case. To read comments on the article go to SkyandTelescope.com/starofbethlehem.

Now, if we could just see some stars around here once, it would be a brighter Holiday Season.

Here is the Oct/Nov/Dec installment of the Shoreline Observer newsletter.

Reminder. Christmas Party on December 20th.

-Jim Reier, Editor

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