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