What’s Up in the Sky – August, 2017

THIS IS IT!

In June I wrote about the wonders of witnessing a total solar eclipse like the one coming up on Monday, August 21, and encouraged readers to do some web searches for “information on locations and methods of safe viewing.”  Now, for those traveling to a viewing site along the path of totality, I will describe the eclipse’s “special events”, times during the event that you don’t want to miss.

I first must remind readers that at NO TIME should you ever look at the partially eclipsed Sun.  SOLAR ECLIPSE GLASSES should always be worn when observing the partial phases before and after totality.  Observing with a special solar telescope or one fitted with a proper solar filter is best done with an experienced observer who is familiar with the equipment.  Also be reminded that you have to be located along the path of totality, about an eight or nine hour drive south.

Now, about those “special” sights of interest.  The beginning of the eclipse occurs when the Moon first begins to cover the Sun.  For the next hour and a half the Moon moves slowly in front of the Sun, partially covering its disk.  View this phase best by projecting the image, do not look directly at the partially eclipsed Sun.

Since the timing of the events depends on your location, you will have to use outside resources such as solareclipsetimer.com to accurately predict them.  As the partial phase comes to an end, be aware of your total environment, the wind, the birds and insects, and the color of the sky both above and near the horizon.  As totality nears, be sure to watch through your solar eclipse glasses as the last sliver of the Sun disappears.  Immediately before this happens watch for “Bailey’s Beads” where the Sun still shines through the valleys on the Moon’s limb.  These gradually (in a few seconds) morph into a single, last bead that brightens dramatically and, when combined with the Sun’s corona (outer, bright atmosphere) forms the “diamond ring” effect.

Now totality begins.  In our area, it will last slightly less than three minutes.  It is not necessary to wear eye protection during totality, in fact you won’t see anything if you do.  The diamond will be gone but the beautiful ring remains.  You are standing in the shadow of the Moon and as it moves across the landscape you may be able to see its effects, depending on your view.  Some have witnessed “shadow bands” on the ground or the shadow itself moving over the distant horizon.

Check the time again and be ready to go back to eye protection for the end of totality when the Sun’s disk again is visible.  There may be a second diamond ring but afterwards the thin disk of the Sun will continue to grow.  During this last phase you will probably want to let it all sink in and form lasting memories.  In some circles it is customary to give a champagne toast to the most beautiful thing you will ever see up in the sky. (For a wonderful description of the eclipse, see: http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/what_you_see.htm)

This month in history:

August 1:  Production of Saturn V rocket ends – 1968
August 3:  First in-flight space shuttle repair – 2005
August 6:  Curiosity rover lands on Mars – 2012
August 12: Echo 1 satellite launched – 1960
August 18: Helium discovered in the Sun – 1868
August 25: Voyager 2 flies past Neptune – 1989
August 28: Galileo spacecraft flies past asteroid Ida – 1993

What’s Up in the Sky – July, 2017

Observe Three Planets This Month

July can be a great month for sky watching in spite of certain drawbacks.  First and foremost is the fact that the Sun sets after 9:00 p.m. all month, which means it doesn’t get dark enough for viewing until after ten.   Other hinderances include insects and humidity, but quite often the month provides at least a few favorable nights.

One way to get around the lack of darkness is to do lunar observing.  A first quarter Moon is visible well before sunset and can be viewed for several hours afterwards.  July begins with the Moon at this phase so there will be viewing opportunities for the first week of the month.  Just google “observing the Moon” for tips on when, where, and how to view the various mountains, valleys and craters.

Another opportunity occurs during the last week of July following the New Moon on the 23rd.  In fact, on Monday, July 24, the very thin crescent Moon is joined by the planet Mercury which is just below the star Regulus.  This will be a challenging but rewarding observation.  You will need binoculars or a small telescope and a clear, unobstructed view of the western horizon (Lake Michigan is a perfect spot).  Sunset that night is at 9:13 p.m. so begin your search about twenty to thirty minutes later.  Look slightly north of due west for the thin crescent of the Moon, then scan left (south) to spot Mercury and Regulus.  They will be the brightest objects in the area so if you see anything, that would be them.

You may want to follow this up with another try the following night when the Moon will be more toward the south and to the left of the other two objects.  You will also notice that Mercury will have gone from the lower right to the lower left of Regulus.  They will be separated by about the width of two fingers held at arm’s length.

Two other planets are well placed for observing in July: Jupiter and Saturn.  When darkness falls, look in the southwest for Jupiter and southeast for Saturn.  They should be easy to spot as they will be two of the brightest objects in that part of the sky.   Also, Jupiter will be just below the First Quarter Moon on June 30 and very close to the Crescent Moon on July 28. Saturn will be right below the Gibbous Moon on July 6.

The best viewing, however, will be the following week when the Moon is out of the way and the sky is dark.  A good telescope will give excellent views of Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s moons.  A desktop planetarium such as Stellarium (http://www.stellarium.org/) can be used to predict dates and times of events such as transits and occultations of Jupiter’s moons.  Those are times when one or more of the moons either passes in front of the planet or disappears behind it.  Both are very interesting events you can observe up in the sky.

This month in history:
July 3:  Harrison Schmitt born – 1935
July 4:  Mars Pathfinder lands on Mars – 1997
July 6:  Newton’s book, Principia, is published – 1687
July 9:  Voyager 2 flies past Jupiter – 1979
July 20: First humans walk on Moon (Apollo 11) – 1969
July 24: First rocket launched from Cape Canaveral – 1950

What’s Up in the Sky – June, 2017

The Great American Solar Eclipse

The monthly meeting of the Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association on January 16, 1992 promised to be a fairly interesting event. Our guest was the accomplished Muskegon astrophotographer, Bill DeVette, who would be giving a talk titled, “Blackout in Baja”, during which he would share his experience observing and photographing the total solar eclipse of July 11, 1991, as viewed from Cabo San Lucas in Baja California, Mexico. As expected, Bill’s photos were stunning and his description of the eclipse was interesting, but what really blew most of us away was his cassette recording (remember, this was 1992) of the sounds of the people observing the eclipse.

For the first minute or so of the recording people were more or less milling around with casual conversations about the darkening sky, the equipment being used, and images being projected. All of a sudden the conversations stopped and cheering and shouting began. I remember thinking, what the heck is that all about? So I asked Bill that very question and he explained that this was a normal reaction for people witnessing a total solar eclipse – awe inspired exclamations of wonder and joy!

Fast forward to February 26, 1998. With the support of Fennville Public Schools I, as a teacher of astronomy, was able to travel with my wife, Lyne, to Aruba for another total eclipse of the Sun. It was there that I fully understood what I had heard on Bill’s tape recording. I was fairly involved with photographing the event for use in my classroom, but I did pause long enough to take in the splendor of one of nature’s most amazing spectacles. Lyne described it as “a mystical experience” and I can verify that it was a sight I will always remember. That is why I am greatly looking forward to the “Great American Eclipse” of August 21, 2017.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, casting its shadow on Earth’s surface. Just like the shadow of a beach ball on the sand, the Moon’s shadow is small compared to the entire Earth and as it moves over the terrain at about roughly 1000 miles per hour although this varies widely for different eclipses. In order to witness the total eclipse you have to be in the path of this shadow, called the path of totality. On August 21 this path stretches from Oregon to South Carolina, and is closest to us in parts of southern Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Just Google “eclipse 2017” and you will find an abundance of information on locations and methods of safe viewing. I just want to emphasize a couple of important points. During the partial phase of the eclipse, that is, before the Sun is completely covered, NEVER look directly at the Sun, no matter how small a crescent it is. West Michigan is not in the path of totality so NEVER look directly at it from here. During totality, ALWAYS look directly at the eclipsed Sun, even with binoculars it is safe. Just be sure to STOP LOOKING when totality ends. The best way to observe the partial phases is to project the Sun’s image onto a sheet of white paper with binoculars or a pinhole camera.

Again, all this information can easily be found online. My goal for writing this article is to encourage readers to take the time to travel a few hours to a location where totality can be observed. I guarantee you will not be disappointed by this event, one of the most spectacular sights up in the sky.

This month in history:

June 3: Gemini IV astronaut, Ed White, takes America’s first space walk – 1965
June 5: Regular observations of Neptune begun by Voyager 2 – 1989
June 13: Pioneer 10 leaves solar system to begin its interstellar voyage – 1983
June 16: Valentina Tereshkova first (and only solo) woman in space – 1963
June 21: First privately-funded human space flight, SpaceShipOne, is launched – 2004
June 30: Tunguska impact flattens hundreds of miles of Siberian forrest – 1908

What’s Up in the Sky – May, 2017

Leo, the “Star” of the Spring Sky

Springtime is great. The trees leaf out, the flowers start to bloom, the songbirds return to their feeders and baths. But the sky does not follow suit. The winter constellations are drifting toward the western horizon and the summer constellations have yet to make their appearance. Except for Leo, that is. Leo, the Lion, stands alone as a beacon hope, guarding his part of the sky so that others dare not trespass. And he’s easy to find.

About forty five minutes after sunset, face south and look about two thirds of the way up from horizon to overhead (your zenith). There you will see a grouping of stars consisting of a backwards question mark (or a sickle) and a right triangle, with the triangle toward the east (left). That’s the constellation Leo, the Lion.

One of the things I like best about Leo is that it is one of those groups of stars that is easy to visualize as the mythological creature it is supposed to represent. Imagine a lion, crouched Sphinx-like on the African grassland, its head and mane facing west, its hind quarters and tail to the east.

Its name is Latin for “lion” and, to the Greeks, represented the Nemean Lion killed by Heracles (Hercules) as one of his twelve labors. It is also one of the earliest recognized constellations, known to ancient Mesopotamians as early as 4000 BCE.

Look first for Regulus, standing alone in this part of the sky. “Regulus”, in Latin, means “little king” and is the name given to it by the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in the sixteenth century. It is a fitting name for the “king of the beasts”.

Regulus is a rapidly spinning star some 75 light years distant, much larger and hotter than our Sun. It is also a double star, its companion being visible in a small telescope.

At the other end of the constellation is the star Denebola, whose name comes from the Arabic phrase meaning, “tail of the lion”. It is also more massive than the Sun and has fifteen times the Sun’s luminosity. It is closer than Regulus at a distance of 36 light years.

For those with a small telescope, Leo has much to offer. Just below the bottom-right star of the triangle can be found the “Leo Triplet”, a group of three spiral galaxies all visible at once in the telescope’s field of view. Farther west is another grouping of three bright galaxies also easily visible in a small telescope.

Now it is a great time to enjoy the mild evenings and explore the “king” of the constellations up in the sky.
This month in history:
May 5: Alan Shepard becomes first American in space – 1961
May 11: Launch of first geostationary weather satellite – 1974
May 12: Adler Planetarium in Chicago opens, first planetarium in western hemisphere – 1930
May 20: Pioneer-Venus 1 launched – 1978
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

What’s Up in the Sky – April, 2017

Science as a Candle in the Dark*

Holland (the country, not the city) has a rich history when it comes to science, especially astronomy. In 1600 the Italian Roman Catholic scholar, Giordano Bruno, was burned at the stake for his beliefs, among other things, that the universe is home to an infinite number of worlds, some of which may harbor other lifeforms. A few years later Galileo suffered brutality and was placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life for his discoveries and speculations concerning the solar system.

Meanwhile, in Holland, the astronomer Christian Huygens, who held similar beliefs, was showered with honors. The country was an intellectual and cultural center as well as an exploratory power. Improved sailing ships encouraged technology of all kinds and inventions were prized. Light was a topic of universal interest, from the art of Vermeer to the microscope of van Leeuwenhoek and even Huygens’ own wave theory of light. Holland was a leading publisher of books and new ideas led renowned thinkers to reconsider long held beliefs. This was made possible in part by the fact that, while kings and emperors ruled much of the world, the Dutch Republic was governed, more than any other nation, by the people.

One could argue that it was here that the scientific revolution really began, with advances in communication, transportation and medicine vastly improving the well being of billions of people throughout the world in the centuries to follow. The lessons of history have a lot to teach us about the value of scientific inquiry as a way of understanding reality.

It is for this reason that many in the scientific community are greatly disturbed by the growing lack of understanding of how science works. It is not a matter of opinion. It is not up to a vote. It is not what is most popular or even what seems to make the most sense. Many scientists have suffered ostracism and ridicule for their discoveries. Rachael Carson was lambasted by the pesticide industry for her suggestion that DDT was harmful to the environment. Clair Patterson had his funding cut by the petroleum industry for his assertion that people were being poisoned by the lead in automobile exhaust. But today both DDT and leaded gasoline are banned substances.

We did land on the Moon, vaccines do not cause autism, and climate change is real and caused by human activity. We must not pick and choose what scientific theories we accept based on anything other than valid data and its proper analysis. We must not bury our head in the sand by cutting funding for science that is deemed inconvenient, unpopular, or threatening to the status quo. As Neil deGrasse Tyson said, “The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.” And it all started with our desire to understand what’s up in the sky.

*from The Demon Haunted World, by Carl Sagan, 1995

This month in history:

April 2: First photograph of Sun taken – 1845
April 9: NASA selects original seven Mercury astronauts – 1959
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 24: China becomes the fifth nation to launch its own satellite – 1970
April 25: Deployment of Hubble Space Telescope – 1990
April 28: Eugene Shoemaker is born – 1928