Constellations, planets, meteor showers etc. on show this month. |
The night sky this month
The night sky in June 2019
by Anne Holt Sunrise 1st:: 04.47 30th: 04.43 Sunset 1st: 21.27 30th: 21.41 Astronomical
darkness: none, as the Sun never gets more than 18 degrees below the
horizon in June. We only have a couple of hours of astronomical
twilight each night, the Sun is between 12 and 18 degrees below the
horizon from around midnight to 2am throughout the month. The Summer
Solstice is on 21st at 16.54. This is when the Sun reaches its most
northerly point in the sky and is overhead at local noon along the
tropic of Cancer. This day is 9 hours 33 minutes longer than the Winter
Solstice - with the night correspondingly shorter, of course. The
earliest sunrise is on 17th and 18th (04.39), the latest sunset on 25th
(21.42). New Moon: 3rd at 11.01 Full Moon: 17th at 09.30 The
June full Moon is known as the Strawberry Moon, as this is the time the
fruit ripens. Other names are the Hot Moon, Mead Moon and Rose Moon. Lunar Perigee: 8th at 00.23 (368506km) Lunar apogee: 23rd at 08.52 (404548km) The
moon is at perihelion on 1st at 21.57, when it will be 1.0115 AU from
the Sun, slightly closer than the Earth, which is at 1.0141AU. Highlights The
amount of light is still far too high for astronomers' liking, we have
no astro darkness and only a couple of hours of astro twilight each
night. The naked eye planets are all very low in the sky, only Jupiter
is bright enough to be seen easily - and even that only reaches an
altitude of 14 degrees. We don't have much in the way of meteor showers,
and solar observers don't fare much better either, despite the long
days. We are currently at Solar minimum so there are very few sunspots
around. The best thing that the sky can offer is more a
meteorological phenomenon than an astronomical one - noctilucent clouds
which may be visible in twilight, low in the NE, 2 hours to 90 minutes
before sunrise and low in the NW, 90 mins to 2 hours after sunset. These
colourless or pale blue wispy clouds are too faint to be seen in
daylight, they are thought to be formed when water vapour freezes on
dust molecules in the very thin atmosphere about 50 miles up. At this
altitude they are still illuminated by the Sun, even though it has set
for observers on the ground. The first confirmed sighting was as recent
as 1885, though there may have been a few around prior to that.
Displays are now becoming brighter and more frequent, thought to be a
result of climate change. Constellations The Plough asterism in Ursa Major is still prominent, being overhead for much of the night, leaving Cassiopeia on the opposite side of the Pole Star, low in the northern sky. The Summer Triangle, consisting of Vega, Deneb and Altair, is now getting higher in the late evening, though Altair, in Aquila, is still quite low in the early part of the night. The beautiful double star Albireo, at the head of Cygnus the swan, is very well placed for observing. The Milky Way is now visible from dark sky sites, running across the sky through the Summer Triangle, passing almost overhead in the early hours. The bright orange red Arcturus is shining brightly high in the SW and, if you manage to find some dark skies not obscured by cloud, you should be able to see the rest of the kite shaped Bootes, with the semicircle of stars forming Corona Borealis just to the east of it. Another red giant, Antares in Scorpio is now visible low on the southern horizon. Planets Mercury: in Taurus, mag -1.1 An
evening object, very low in the sky throughout June. On 1st it sets at
22.37, about 70 minutes after the Sun but is only 4 degrees above the
horizon as the sky darkens. On the evening of 4th the thin crescent
Moon passes 3 degrees 39 minutes south of the planet during daylight. It
might be possible to see them about 30 minutes after sunset, now
separated by almost 5 degrees. It moves into Gemini on 6th, setting at
23..04 and slightly higher, 6 degrees at dusk, but fainter at mag -0.7.
On 16th it reaches its highest point in the evening sky, about 13
degrees above the horizon at sunset, though much lower by the time the
sky is dark enough for it to be seen. Over the next few nights it
appears close to Mars, soon after sunset on 18th they are only 13
arcminutes apart, with Mars about 3 times fainter than Mercury. It
reaches greatest eastern elongation on the night of 23rd/24th when it
appears about 25 degrees from the Sun. However the angle of the
ecliptic against the eastern evening horizon is so small at this time
that the planet is now lower in the twilight sky. It moves into Cancer
on 25th and by month end will have faded to mag 0.9, setting at 22.47
and on the horizon at dusk. Venus: in Aries, mag -3.9 Still
a morning object but very low in the sky. On 1st it rises at 04.03 and
barely gets above the horizon by dawn. On 1st the thin waning Moon may
be seen, about 9 degrees SW of the planet just before sunrise. They
are at their closest, 3 degrees 14', in daylight at 19.15. It moves
into Taurus on 4th. During the month its apparent distance from the Sun
is decreasing but, because the angle of the ecliptic is increasing in
the morning sky, it rises about 45 minutes before the Sun throughout
June, still just on the horizon by dawn. Mars: in Gemini, mag 1.8 Now
very low in the WNW as the sky darkens, on 1st it sets at 23.48 and is
only 5 degrees above the horizon at dusk. On 5th the thin crescent Moon
passes one and a half degrees to the left of the planet at 16.06. The
pair, now 4 degrees apart, may be seen in the same binocular field of
view as the sky darkens around 22.00. After the first couple of weeks in
June it will be very difficult to see as it will have dropped below the
horizon before the sky darkens. On 30th it sets at 22.53 and is 3
degrees below the horizon at dusk.Jupiter: in Ophiuchus, mag -2.6. Currently
the brightest and best positioned of the naked eye planets, visible for
most of the night during June. On 1st it reaches its highest point at
01.50. The bad news is that its highest point is only 14 degrees.
However, from a site with a clear southern horizon it is quite
unmissable, much brighter than the red giant Antares, a little to the
west. It is at opposition on 10th, when it culminates at 01.10, still
no higher in the southern sky but, because of its elliptical orbit, is
at its closest to us a couple of days later when it is at a distance of
641 million km. The almost full Moon passes just over 2 degrees from the
planet on 16th. On 30th it should be visible from around 22.00 when it
is at an altitude of 11 degrees in the south, culminating 3 degrees
higher at 23.37. Saturn: in Sagittarius, mag 0.3 Now
rising before midnight but, like big brother Jupiter, very low in the
sky. On 1st it rises at 23.56 and culminates just before dawn, at 14
degrees in the south. On 19th the just past full Moon passes 1.5
degrees SW of the planet at around 3am. On 30th it rises at 21.57
reaching 10 degrees in the SE by midnight and 14 degrees at 01.54. It
will have brightened slightly to mag 0.1. Uranus: in Aries, mag 5.9 Not
visible in June. On 1st it rises at 03.25 but is still 9 degrees below
the horizon by dawn. On 30th it rises at 01.34 and is just on the
horizon as the sky brightens. Neptune: in Aquarius, mag 7.9 A
telescopic object not easily seen at the moment because of its low
altitude. On 1st it is on the horizon at dawn but it does improve
slightly during the month. On 24th the gibbous Moon passes 4.5 degrees
south of the planet at around 3am. By 30th it rises at 00.22 and
reaches 10 degrees before the sky brightens. Dwarf Planets Pluto: in Sagittarius, mag 14.7 Still
very low, so difficult to view through a scope. On 1st it rises at
00.15 and reaches 14 degrees at 04.09. On 30th it rises at 22.12 and
culminates 4 hours later, still at 14. Ceres: in Scorpio, mag 7.0 The
only dwarf planet orbiting in the asteroid belt, so by far the
brightest, is now also in the southern part of the sky. On 1st it
culminates at 00.53, at 18 degrees, slightly higher than Pluto. It fades
during the month, down to mag 7.7 by 30th, when it culminates 17
degrees above the southern horizon at 22.32, setting at 02.52. Eris: in Cetus, mag 18.8 Below the horizon during the hours of darkness throughout June. Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.3 Much
higher in the sky, one for experienced astrophotographers to attempt
after midnight, especially in the early part of the month. On 1st it
culminates at 22.41, before the sky is dark enough but is still at 51
degrees in the SW at midnight. By the end of the month it is much lower
but still at a respectable altitude for a short time - 32 degrees
above the western horizon at 00.41, setting nearly 4 hours later. Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1 Not
as well positioned as Haumea but not too bad in the early part of
June. On 1st it culminates at sunset but is still at 50 degrees in the
SW just before midnight,, setting at 02.15. On 30th it sets at 04.14
but should be high enough for imaging for about 40 minutes from 00.40,
when it is at 27 degrees in the west. Comets Another
bad month! 46P/Wirtanen and 38P/Stephan-Oterma are both still in the
region of Leo and Leo Minor but both now very low and very faint.
Wirtanen sets at 03.31 on 1st and 01.41 on 30th, Stephan-Oterma
following about 40 minutes later. Magnitudes at the end of June
predicted to be around 17 and 14.5 respectively. There
are a few comets, currently very faint but brightening, which might
possibly be good photographic targets later in the year. C2017/T2 (PANSTARRS) currently in Taurus, mag 11.5 C2018/N2 (ASSASSN) now in Cetus, mag 12.4. Predicted peak 10.3 in late October 168P/Hergenrotter, also in Cetus, mag 12.9. Predicted to reach 11.5 in late August 260P/McNaught in Aquarius, mag 14.5, predicted peak 11.0 in late September. For more information and exact positions of all solar system objects, at any time see And, for currently visible comets Meteor Showers Still nothing major, just a few very minor, maybe even no longer existing ones. Ophiuchids:
19th May to sometime in July, peaks given as 10th and 20th, ZHR 5. A
very weak shower especially for northern observers, as the radiant is
very low - only 12 degrees above the horizon at midnight. Often
considered to be part of the antihelion source, rather than a separate
shower. June Lyrids: peak 15th/16th. Not much activity in recent years, though ZHR of 8 to 10 has been recorded in the past. June
Bootids: June 22nd to July 2nd, peak June 27th, ZHR variable. Not much
activity predicted for this year. Could be a few meteors on 24th. The
antihelion source is active in early and late June, but is better seen
from further south, as the radiant is very low. in Sagittarius. Daytime
Arietids. The radiant of these is only 30 degrees west of the Sun but a
few have been seen just before dawn around the peak on June 7th. ZHR
of up to 30 has been recorded by radio and radar observers. |
The night sky in May 2019
by Anne Holt Sunrise 1st: 05.35 31st: 04.48 Sunset 1st: 20.38 31st: 21.25 Astronomical darkness 1st: 23.25 to 02.46 31st: none New Moon: 4th at 23.54 Full Moon: 18th at 22.11 Lunar perigee: 13th at 21.54 (369015km) Lunar apogee: 26th at 13.28 (404133km) This
full Moon is a Blue Moon, if we use the original definition of the
third full Moon in a season having 4. The other definition, the second
full Moon in a calendar month, was actually an error in a 1946 article
in Sky and Telescope magazine. The wrong definition is now more widely
used - probably because it's so much more obvious. May full
Moon is known as the Flower Moon, because of all the blossoms around at
this time. Other names are the Corn Planting Moon and the Old
English/Anglo Saxon Milk Moon. Highlights Still
struggling to find any, unfortunately we have more light than highs -
just 3 hrs 21 minutes of astro darkness on the night of the 1st,
diminishing rapidly until mid month then we have none at all until the
end of July. The only reasonable meteor shower has a radiant so low
that it favours observers in the southern hemisphere and all the planets
are either very low in the sky or appear close to the Sun. And, even
though April is known for its showers, in Manchester, May averages
slightly more rainfall. As the sky darkens at the start of the month Lyra and Cygnus are rising in the north east, followed a couple of hours later by Aquila. In the later part of the night the Summer Triangle formed by Vega, Deneb and Altair, the brightest star in each of these three constellations, should be easily visible. By the end of the month Aquila will be above the horizon by around 11pm. The brightest part of the Milky Way visible to us in the UK runs through the Summer Triangle and down through Scutum and Sagittarius. The Plough is still very high in the sky for most of the night, standing on its handle, so Cassiopeia, the W shaped 'Lady in the Chair', on the opposite side of the Pole Star is very low down in the north. Bootes, the herdsman, is now riding high although only Arcturus, the brightest star in the celestial northern hemisphere, is above magnitude 2, so its kite asterism may not be easily visible in our light polluted skies. Arcturus is easy to find though - just follow the arc of the Plough's handle down to the south until you come to Arcturus. Carry on the arc a bit further and you come to the star Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. At this time of year when you look up to the south you are looking out of the plane of our Milky Way galaxy instead of along it like you do in winter and summer, so there aren't many bright stars, open star clusters and nebulae. However, if you've got a telescope this is a good time of year to hunt down globular clusters like M13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, and faint galaxies like the many galaxies lying in the bowl of Virgo and into Coma Berenices. Planets Mercury: in Pisces, mag -0.4. Not
easy to see this month. On 1st it rises only 20 minutes before the Sun
and is still 3 degrees below the horizon as the sky brightens. It is
only 7.5 degrees to the east of Venus but, unlike Venus, Mercury is too
faint to spot in the dawn sky. It moves into Aries on 9th, when it will
have brightened to mag -0.8, and Taurus on 19th when it is at mag -2.0
but not visible as its apparent separation from the Sun is only 3
degrees. It reaches superior conjunction on 21st then becomes an
evening object. On the 31st it is at mag -1.2 and sets at 22.31, over
an hour after Sunset but only 4 degrees above the horizon as the sky
begins to darken. Venus: in Pisces, mag -3.9. Still
a morning object but very low. On 1st it rises at 04.58, only 37
minutes before the Sun and is on the horizon as the sky brightens. It
might be visible from a site with a very flat, unobstructed eastern
horizon. On 2nd the 6% Moon passes just over 3.5 degrees south of the
planet in daylight at 12.41. They remain quite close for much of the day
and might be visible to the naked eye - if you know where to look. As always DO NOT try using binoculars or a telescope to find them, they
appear much too close to the Sun for this to be done without risking
permanent blindness. It moves into Aries on 17th and on 31st rises at 04.04, still below the horizon as the sky begins to brighten. Mars: in Taurus, mag 1.6. On
1st it is 19 degrees above the western horizon as the sky darkens
around 21.45, setting at 00.26. On 7th it appears almost midway
between the 2 stars marking the horns of the bull and, on the following
night, the 9% Moon passes south of the planet, closest at 01.21 when
they are separated by less than 4 degrees. It moves into Gemini on
16th, when it will have faded slighty to mag 1.7. After several months
of setting at around the same time, because its eastern motion
counteracted the apparent movement of the celestial sphere westwards, it
is now setting earlier - 00.13 on this night - and is much lower in the
sky as it gets dark, only 12 degrees in the west. On 31st it is even
lower and fainter - mag 1.8 and 6 degrees above the horizon at dusk,
setting at 23.51. Jupiter: in Ophiuchus, mag -2.5. Still
a morning object, very bright but very low. Rises soon after midnight
on 1st, reaching 7 degrees in the SE by 02.00 and 13 degrees in the
south by 04.05. On 20th the 94% Moon is just under 4 degrees east of
the planet in the early hours. By 31st it rises at 22.03, is at 7
degrees in the SE by 23.30 and culminates at 01.55, still only 13
degrees above the southern horizon. It will then be at mag -2.6. Saturn: in Sagittarius, mag 0.5. Another
low morning object. Rises on 1st at 02.05 and only gets to 12 degrees
in the south as the sky brightens. On the night of 22nd/23rd the 82%
Moon passes the planet. They are closest while they are still below the
horizon but should be visible in the pre-dawn sky, when they are
separated by about 2 degrees. On 31st it rises a few minutes after
midnight and reaches 14 degrees in the south by dawn. Uranus: in Aries, mag 5.9. Not
visible this month. On 1st it rises only 10 minutes before the Sun and
appears separated from it by 7 degrees. By 31st it rises over an hour
before Sunrise but is still well below the horizon when the sky begins
to brighten. Neptune: in Aquarius, mag 7.9. Its
position is improving slightly but not yet enough to make it
observable. On 1st it rises at 04.17 but is 5 degrees below the horizon
as dawn breaks. By 31st it rises at 02.19 but still doesn't quite
clear the horizon before the sky brightens. Dwarf Planets Ceres: in Ophiuchus, mag 7.6. The
nearest and brightest of the dwarf planets is the only one which orbits
in the Asteroid Belt, rather than the much more distant Kuiper Belt.
However it is very low throughout May but might possibly be visible
through a small scope from a site with a low southern horizon. On 1st
it rises at 22.53 and culminates, 19 degrees in the south, at 03.21. It
reaches opposition on the morning of 29th when it culminates at 01.08,
slightly lower at 18 degrees but brighter at mag 7.0. It moves into
Scorpio on 30th and ends the month rising at 20.33 and culminating at
00.58, still no higher than 18 degrees. The
other dwarf planets are much too faint and too distant to be anything
other than photographic targets - and that only for very experienced
astrophotographers. Pluto: in Sagittarius, mag 14.7. Still too low to be successfully imaged, reaching a maximum altitude of 14 degrees in the south. Eris: in Cetus, mag 18.8. The
cause of Pluto's demotion (sorry, that should say reclassification),
appropriately named after the goddess of discord, is below the horizon
during the hours of darkness this month. Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.3. On
1st it is at an altitude of 43 degrees in the SE as the sky darkens,
culminating at 00.50. By 31st it should be visible a few minutes before
midnight, at an altitude of 51 degrees in the SW, and remains well
positioned for a couple of hours after midnight. Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1. On
1st it should be a good photographic target from about 22.15 when it is
43 degrees above the SE horizon, reaching its highest point just over
an hour later. On 31st it culminates soon after sunset, and is at 53
degrees in the south west around midnight. A
few small asteroids reach opposition in May, all in Libra. They are all
between mag 9 and 10 so should be visible in amateur scopes. 11th; 8 Flora, mag 9.7, reaches 26 degrees in the south at 01.19 14th: 11 Parthenope, mag 9.5, reaches 25 degrees at 01.15 20th; 20 Massalia, mag 9.7, reaches 17 degrees at 00.46 For exact positions of these, and all Solar System objects at any time see https:/theskylive.com And, for information on major planets Meteor Showers The
main shower this month, the eta Aquarids, is much better seen from the
southern hemisphere. It is active between April 19th and May 28th, peak
on the night of 5th/6th, ZHR 40 but far fewer from our latitude as the
radiant is so low in the sky - it doesn't get above the horizon until
just before dawn on that day. The shower is said to show enhanced
activity for about a week either side of the peak and the IMO says that
there could be a couple of lesser peaks this year, one on 4th from 04.00
to 10.00 and the other on 6th between 12.00 and 20.00 - neither of
which are likely to be much use to us. These are swift moving meteors,
parent comet the most famous of all - Halley. The good news is that
there is no Moon interference this year so, if you have clear skies,an
unobstructed eastern horizon and a reliable alarm clock,, it might be
worth looking between 01.30 and 03.30 on the morning of 6th. Eta
Lyrids: active May 3rd to 14th, peak May 9th, ZHR 3 (though some
sources say it could be as high as 7). These meteors, originating from
debris left by comet C/1983H1 IRAS-Araki-Alcock, are best seen between
2am and dawn. Alpha Scorpiids, active 20th
April to19th May, peak 13th (or maybe 15th) ZHR 5. Another one better
seen from further south as the radiant is very low in our sky. These
are faint meteors, derived from asteroid 2004 BZ74. The
antihelion source may produce a few meteors in May, particularly
towards the end of the month The radiant moves through the northern
part of Scorpio into southern Ophiuchus during May. ZHR 2 - 4. And
there are a few daytime showers this month. these can only be detected
using radio or radar. If anyone here does happen to have the right
equipment for this, full details can be found on the International
Meteor Organisation website: Comets 46P/Wirtanen and 38P/Stephan-Oterma are both still around and both
still above the horizon for most of the night. They are in roughly the
same area of the sky, moving between Leo and Leo Minor, however they are
now very faint. Wirtanen is expected to end the month around mag 16,
Stephan-Oterma at 14. And finally: The
big news last month was the first photograph of a black hole - or to be
more accurate the first photo of the radiation surrounding a black
hole. Now is a good time to ty to spot its host galaxy, M87, a large
elliptical located in Virgo. It is situated between Virgo and Leo (lies
on the line between between epsilon Virginis and beta Leonis, aka
Denebola). It has an apparent magnitude of around 8 (sources vary as
usual) and is classified as E1, meaning it isn't far off circular. It
is about 53.5 million light years from Earth and contains trillions of
stars. Of course, no scope can see the black hole, amateur scopes won't
even be able to pick out the huge jets which emanate from it, but the
galaxy itself should be easy to find. |
The night sky in April 2019
by Anne Holt Sunrise 1st: 06.43 30th: 05.37 Sunset 1st: 19.43 30th: 20.36 Astronomical darkness 1st: 21.49 to 04.35 30th: 23.21 to 02.50 New Moon: 5th at 09.50 Full Moon: 19th at 12.12 Lunar apogee: 1st at 00.15 (405576 km) 28th at 18.21 (404576 km) Lunar perigee: 16th at 22.06 (364208 km) Because
we have 2 Lunar apogee in April it means that the month includes a
complete anomalistic month - the name given to the period between 2
successive perigee or apogee. April full Moon
is known as the Pink Moon, because of the pink flowers which bloom in
the spring (tra la - for any fans of G&S). Other names are the
Sprouting Grass Moon, Hare Moon and Fish Moon. The Old English/Anglo
Saxon names are Egg Moon and Paschal Moon, because this is the one used
to calculate the date of Easter. Highlights What
highlights? It's almost the end of our 2018/19 season and now the
clocks have changed it's too light to do any observing before 9pm, even
when the sky is clear. At the start of April we have 6 hours 46 minutes
of astronomical darkness, but only half as long by the end of the month.
The only planet putting on a good show is Jupiter, shining brightly in
the morning sky at mag -2.3. The downside is that it remains very low.
The first reasonable meteor shower in months will be washed out by the
glare of the just past full Moon and we'll probably have a lot of rain -
April is known for its showers. Looking away from the
sky, we do have Easter to look forward to, towards the end of the
month. It has an astronomical connection in the way it is calculated,
Easter Sunday is the Sunday after the first full Moon on or after the
Vernal Equinox, the date of which is always taken as March 21st even
when, as in the last few years, it actually occurs on 20th. The
earliest possible date for Easter Sunday, March 22nd, is extremely rare,
the last time was in 1818 and the next won't be until 2285. The latest
date, April 23rd, is much more frequent, some of us may have been around
the last time in 1943, others may still be here for the next in 2038.
The sequence of dates isn't quite as random as it may appear - it will
start to repeat itself after 5,700,000 years. Which got me thinking:
is this why mathematicians keep on calculating pi to more and more
decimal places? Do they hope to eventually find a pattern? The latest
attempt, by a Google employee, has got it to 31,415,926,535,897 decimal
places. I did wonder why they stopped there, rather than adding a few
more to make a nice round number - till I realised that this is the
first 14 digits of pi. Constellations Now
that BST has been forced upon us, we have to wait even longer for the
skies to darken each evening. By the time it gets really dark the winter constellations, including the beautiful area
around the Winter Hexagon, so rich in bright stars, is sinking slowly in
the West.Ursa Major is now high in the sky with the Plough overhead around midnight in the second half of the month. Follow the curve of the handle down to the orange coloured Arcturus, brightest star in the constellation Bootes the herdsman, and the 4th brightest in the night sky. The signature constellation of spring, Leo, is still riding high in the south and the Summer Triangle of Vega (in Lyra), Deneb (Cygnus) and Altair (Aquila) is now rising in the east and visible in the early hours. Planets Mercury: in Aquarius, mag 0.8 A
morning object this month but very low in the sky throughout. On 1st it
rises at 06.07 but is still 3 degrees below the horizon at dawn. It is
at aphelion (furthest point in its orbit from the Sun) on 10th at 08.40
and the following day reaches greatest western elongation at 27.7
degrees west of the Sun but, because of the angle of the ecliptic, is
still very low. On 13th it reaches its highest point in the morning
sky, rising at 05.46 but still not managing to clear the horizon before
the sky begins to brighten. On 16th it moves into Pisces and from 23rd
spends a few days over the border in Cetus, before returning to Pisces
on 27th, brighter at mag -0.2 but still too low to be seen easily. By
month end it rises at 05.17, only 20 minutes before the Sun. Venus: in Aquarius, mag -4.0 Also
very low in the morning sky this month but, because it is so much
brighter than Mercury, might be seen in the morning twilight. On 1st it
rises at 05.55, just under an hour before Sunrise, reaching 2 degrees
in the ESE by dawn. On 2nd the crescent Moon passes south of the
planet, closest (2.5 degrees) at 08.11, about 90 minutes after
Sunrise. Mercury is also quite close to the pair but much harder to see
in the dawn sky. Venus is at aphelion on 18th, then follows the
smaller planet into Pisces on 17th, then into Cetus from 27th to 29th.
On 30th, when it is back in Pisces, it rises at 05.00 as civil twilight begins. Mars: in Taurus, mag 1.4 Visible
in the evening sky, as it begins to darken, still setting around 00.30
each day. On 1st it is about 32 degrees altitude in the west at 20.30. During
the first few days of the month it moves N eastwards between the
Pleiades and the Hyades (the V shaped head of the bull asterism). On
1st it is 3.5 degrees SSW of the small cluster and on 8th and 9th the
Moon joins the party, at 21.00 on 9th the Moon will be 7 degrees to the
SE. On 31st Mars is 20 degrees above the western horizon as the sky
darkens around 21.30, setting 3 hours later. Jupiter: in Ophiuchus, mag -2.3 Very
bright in the morning sky but still low. On 1st it rises at 02.17 and
culminates, 13 degrees above the southern horizon, at 06.05, just over
half an hour before sunrise. It rises earlier as the month progresses
but will remain low for a long time yet. On the morning of 23rd the 84%
Moon passes 6 degrees west of the planet at around 4am. They are at
their closest, less than 2 degrees apart, around 13.00, in daylight. On
30th it rises at 00.21 and reaches 13 degrees in the south at 04.09,
while the sky is still quite dark but not astronomically so. Saturn: in Sagittarius, mag 0.6 Another
morning object in the southern part of the Zodiac, so remaining very
low in the sky. On 1st it rises at 04.00 and reaches an altitude of 10
degrees by dawn. On the morning of 25th, the 67% Moon passes about 6
degrees west of the planet, the following day it is 6.7 degrees to the
east. They are at their closest, only 22 arcminutes, during the day of
25th - if you happen to be in Australia or New Zealand on that day
(night on that side of the world) you might see the Moon occult the
planet. On 30th it rises at 02.09 and reaches 13 degrees before the sky
gets too bright. Uranus: in Aries, mag 5.9 Not
visible this month as it approaches Solar conjunction, when it is on
the opposite side of the Sun from the Earth. On 23rd it sets an hour
and a half after the Sun but is separated from it by only 20 degrees.
At the end of the month it is a morning object but even closer - on 30th
it appears only 6 degrees from the Sun, rising just 9 minutes before
it. Neptune: in Aquarius, mag 8 Still
not visible after last month's Solar conjunction. On 1st it rises 30
minutes before the Sun but is still 9 degrees below the horizon at
dawn. By 30th it rises at 04.29 but still doesn't reach the horizon
before the sky brightens. Dwarf Planets and Asteroids Ceres,
in the asteroid belt, is the only dwarf planet which is close enough
and bright enough to be seen through a small scope. In April it is in
Ophiuchus at mag 8.2. On 1st it rises at 00.55 and culminates, 19
degrees in the south, 75 minutes before Sunrise. It brightens slightly
during the month, reaching mag 7.6 by 30th, when it rises at 22.55 and
culminates, still at 19 degrees, at 03.25. The
rest, which orbit beyond Neptune, in the Kuiper Belt, are too distant
and too faint to be seen even in the best amateur scopes. When well
positioned they could possibly be targets for good amateur
astrophotographers Pluto; in Sagittarius, mag 18.8 Too low in the sky to be a reasonable photographic target, never gets higher than 14 degrees above the horizon. Eris: in Cetus, mag 18.8 Reaches Solar conjunction on 13th, so not visible this month as it appears too close to the Sun. Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.3 A
much better bet for any keen astrophotographers who fancy a game of
Spot the Difference with images taken a few days apart. On 1st it
reaches 53 degrees above the southern horizon at 02.49. It is at
opposition (directly opposite the Sun in the sky) on 16th, and on 30th
culminates at 00.54 at around the same altitude. Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1 Also
well positioned for photography. On 1st it is at 32 degrees in the east
at 21.04, just before the start of astro darkness, and 40 degrees in
the west by dawn. On 30th it is at 57 degrees in the SE at 22.15 and 35
degrees west at dawn. A couple of asteroids
reach opposition in April. They are closer and brighter than the distant
dwarf planets, even though they are much smaller, and might be seen in
amateur scopes - even in good binoculars from a very dark sky site.
Again the comparison method is best, as they will never appear as
anything other than a point of light. Pallas: in Bootes, mag 7.9 The
second asteroid to be discovered culminates at 02.35 on the 1st, at an
altitude of 51 degrees in the south, 5 degrees SW of Arcturus. It moves
northwards through Bootes, reaching opposition on 6th. By 30th it will
have faded to mag 8.2, culminating at 00.19, still reaching 51 degrees. Iris: in Corvus, mag 9.4 The
4th brightest object in the asteroid belt is much lower in the sky. On
1st it culminates at 01.20, reaching 22 degrees in the south. It is at
opposition on 5th, when it gets to 23 degrees at 01.01. On 17th it
moves into Virgo and ends the month at mag 9.9 but slightly higher,
culminating 26 degrees above the southern horizon at 22.54. As always, recommended sites for exact positions and more information on Solar System objects Meteor Showers One fairly major shower in April. The Lyrids, active April 16th to 28th, peak on the night of 22nd/23rd. ZHR 18. These
medium paced meteors are the earliest recorded shower, in 687 BC
Chinese astronomers noted that meteors fell like rain. Nothing like that
now but there are occasional outbursts, the last in 1982 when a ZHR of
90 was recorded at the peak. The parent comet is C/1801G Thatcher,
which no one alive now will have seen or ever will see - its last visit
was in 1861 and it won't return until 2276. The bad news
is that this year's shower will be a washout, even if it isn't raining
all but the brightest meteors will be washed out by the glare from the
just past full Moon. Minor Showers A few of these are given in various sites, however none are included in the International Meteor Organisations calendar. Gamma
Virginids, active 5th to 21st, peak 14th. These could well be
considered by the IMO to be part of the Antihelion Source, which has a
radiant moving through Virgo in April. Some
sources mention a couple of weak showers with radiants in Draco, active
in the first half of the month, Delta Draconids, peak 31st March to 2nd
April and the Tau Draconids, peak April 1st. Might be worth keeping an
eye on the general direction of Draco at the start of the month. Alpha
Bootids: active April 4th to May 13th, peak 28th. very slow moving
meteors leaving trails. The shower could include fireballs. Comets A couple are still quite high in the sky but have faded considerably, and continue to do so. 46P/Wirtanen:
in Leo Minor, mag 13.3. On 1st it is 60 degrees above the SE horizon
at 21.04, culminating slightly higher, at 22.30. It moves into Leo on
29th ending the month at mag 15.2, about 60 degrees in the west at
22.14. 38P/ Stephan-Oterma: in Lynx, mag
12.5. Also fading but not as fast as Wirtanen. It's still circumpolar,
on 1st it reaches 78 degrees in the south at 21.23. It moves into Leo
Minor on 25th and ends the month at mag 13.3, reaching 61 degrees in the
SW at 22.14. Unfortunately the website which I usually recommend for details of current comets, seems to have vanished. Maybe it will return in time for next month's sky notes. |
The night sky in March 2019
by Anne Holt Sunrise 1st: 06.57 31st : 06.45 (BST) Sunset 1st: 17.46 31st: 19.41 " Astronomical darkness 1st: 19.42 to 04.59 31st: 21.46 to 04.38 The
Vernal (Spring) equinox, when the centre of the Sun's disc crosses the
celestial equator, is on 20th at 20.58. However, with a day length of
12hr 09m 18secs, there isn't equal day and night, the nearest is the
18th, when the day is just 46 seconds over 12 hours. New Moon: 6th at 16.03 Full Moon: 21st at 01.42 This is the third, and final Supermoon of 2019 - though this one isn't quite as super as the others. Lunar apogee: 4th at 11.27 (406390km) Lunar perigee: 19th at 19.48 (359380km) Lunar perihelion (closest point to the Sun) 3rd at 23.08 March's
full Moon is known as the Worm Moon, because this is when temperatures
were said to rise and worm trails were seen on the newly thawed ground.
Other names are the Crow Moon, the Sap Moon, the Sugar Moon and the
Chaste Moon. The old Anglo Saxon name is the Lenten Moon, for obvious
reasons. British Summer Time, when we are all forced to do
everything an hour early, begins at 1am on 31st. According to a poll,
80% of people would prefer to keep BST all year round; I expect that
most astronomers were in the other 20%. Highlights What
highlights? Not many this month, unfortunately. Maybe the fabled March
winds will blow the clouds away and give us lots of lovely clear nights
while we still have a reasonable amount of proper darkness. Astronomical darkness is
getting less - 9 hours 17mins on 1st, down to 6hs 52 mins on 31st. We
have another so called Supermoon, but this is the least spectacular of
the three this year, being neither eclipsed like January's nor an extra
big super Supermoon like last month's. Only Jupiter, among the naked
eye planets, is bright and quite prominent, though it is very low in
the morning sky. Venus, while still very bright, is now low and getting
lower. In the last few days of the month Mars passes to the south of
the Pleiades and, as already mentioned, from 31st we have to get up an
hour earlier every day.And there are some high, bright early evening passes of the International Space Station during the last week of the month. Constellations We are now losing the winter highlights of Orion, Sirius and Taurus soon after midnight, though they are still prominent in the south in the early part of the night. Auriga, with the bright yellowish-white star Capella, is now overhead soon after sunset, with Gemini and Leo also prominent. The not very obvious zodiac constellation, Cancer, is now well placed. The Plough is overhead by midnight, the handle pointing to the orange hued Arcturus, the brightest star north of the celestial equator, in the constellation of Bootes. By the end of March the Summer Triangle will be above the horizon soon after 2am - or by 1am if you've forgotten to put the clock forward. Planets Mercury: in Pisces, mag -0.2 Visible
low in the morning sky for the first few days of the month. On 1st it
is 10 degrees above the western horizon at 18.15, setting around an hour
later. During the first half of March its apparent separation from the
Sun decreases rapidly, as does the magnitude. By 15th it is down to mag
5.6, on this day it reaches inferior conjunction, meaning it is between
the Earth and the Sun. Because of the inclination of Mercury's orbit,
this rarely results in a transit, the planet usually passes above or
below the Sun's disc. It then becomes a morning object but will be too
close to the Sun to be seen. On 22nd it is close to Neptune but both are
barely visible, being separated from the Sun by only 14 degrees. It
moves into Aquarius on 25th, when it has brightened to mag 2.2 but is
still 5 degrees below the horizon at dawn. By 31st it rises only 30
minutes before the Sun but still doesn't get above the horizon before
the sky brightens. Venus: in Sagittarius, mag minus 4.1 Still
very bright but now much lower in the morning sky. On 1st it rises at
05.27 but is only 6 degrees above the horizon as the sky brightens. It
gets even lower during the course of the month. It moves into Capricorn
on 2nd, and on that day is just over 1 degree north of the 16% Moon.
However both are very low in the brightening sky. On 31st it rises a
few minutes before 6am but only gets to 2 degrees by dawn. Mars: in Aries, mag 1.2 On
1st it should be visible, 41 degrees above the SW horizon, at around
18.30, setting at 23.31. On 11th the Moon passes 6 degrees south of
the planet at 19.00. On 24th, when it has faded to mag 1.4, it will be
at 35 degrees in the west as the sky darkens. Between 28th March and
3rd April it passes south of the Pleiades, closest on 30th when it is 3
degrees from the cluster. On 31st it is 32 degrees above the western
horizon at 20.30 setting at 00.32 - which is still almost 23.30 if you
forgot to change your clock. Jupiter: in Ophiuchus, mag -2.1 The
gas giant's position is improving but unfortunately it remains quite
low in the sky - and won't get much better for about 3 years. On 1st it
rises at 03.09, reaching 13 degrees in the south by dawn. The Moon
passes 2 degrees north of the planet at 3am on 27th, but quite low,
still only 13 degrees above the horizon. On 31st it rises at 02.22
(BST - just) reaching 13 degrees in the south soon after 06.00. Saturn: in Sagittarius, mag 0.6 Also
very low in the morning sky, on 1st it rises at 04.56 but only reaches 6
degrees above the horizon by dawn. On this day the Moon passes quite
close to the planet just before the sky begins to brighten. On the
morning of 29th the pair are even closer, separated by just under 1
degree as astro darkness ends at 5am, at an altitude of about 10
degrees. A clear, low horizon will be needed to see the pair on both of
these days. On 31st the planet rises at 04.05 (which is really only
03.05) and reaches 10 degrees by dawn.Uranus: in Aries, mag 5.9 Visible,
through binoculars or a small scope, in the early evening sky in the
first part of March. On 1st it will be 29 degrees above the SW horizon
around 19.00, as the sky darkens, setting at 22.27. On 10th the Moon
passes 7 degrees east of the planet. It isn't visible in the later part
of the month, on 31st it appears only 21 degrees from the Sun and sets
before the sky is completely dark. Neptune: in Aquarius, mag 8.0
Not visible this month as it will be too close to the Sun. On 1st it
sets only 20 minutes after sunset and will be just 5 degrees from the
Sun. Reaches solar conjunction on 7th, when it is on the opposite side
of the Sun from the Earth. After this date it is a morning object but
too close to the Sun to be seen. On 31st it rises only half an hour
before the Sun and is still well below the horizon when the sky
brightens. Dwarf Planets Pluto: in Sagittarius, mag 14.7 Doesn't
get high enough in the sky to be a good photographic target this
month. In fact it appears to move so slowly across the sky, taking 248
years to complete one orbit, that it won't reach a reasonable altitude
for about 50 years. Ceres: in Ophiuchus, mag 8.6 An
early evening object, in the same region of the sky as Jupiter. On 1st
it rises at 01.34 and reaches 20 degrees by dawn. On 31st it is
slightly brighter at mag 8.2, and rises at 00.55 and reaches 19 degrees
before the sky brightens.Eris: in Cetus, mag 18.8 Not
a good photographic target, on 1st it is only 17 degrees above the
horizon at dusk and by month end sets only half an hour after the Sun,
with an apparent separation of only 17 degrees. The other two dwarf planets are much higher in the sky and are a much better bet for experienced astrophotographers. Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.3 Rises
at 20.11 on 1st and reaches 21 degrees in the east shortly before
23.00. It culminates, 52 degrees above the southern horizon at 03.53. On
31st it does the same almost exactly 2 hours earlier - though, because
of the dreaded BST, the times are only one hour earlier. Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1 Best
placed of all the dwarf planets. On 1st it rises at 18.03, only about
20 minutes after sunset, but will reach 21 degrees above the eastern
horizon by 21.00. It culminates at 02.41, when it will be at 60 degrees
in the South. It reaches opposition, when it is directly opposite the
Sun in the sky, on 25th at 19.59, and culminates around midnight. By 31st
it rises well before Sunset, reaches a reasonable altitude by 21.00 and
culminates at 00.41, still at 60 degrees. Meteor Showers Another
bad month for meteor spotters in the northern hemisphere. For those
south of the equator we have the Gamma Normids, active for most of March
with a peak on 15th/16th of ZHR 6. The best that we in the north can
hope for are a few minor showers with radiants in Virgo. Because these
radiants are so close it is almost impossible to distinguish between the
showers, so the IMO now class them all as part of the antihelion
source. The ZHR throughout March is 3 or fewer. Comets Again, not much this month unless something new and exciting appears. 46P/Wirtanen
is still around, still circumpolar, still fading. Starts the month in
Ursa Major, probably around mag 11.5. It moves into Leo Minor on 15th
when it will probably be at mag 12.8. It continues to fade, ending the
month at mag 14.8. C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto) was only
discovered in Dec 2018. It is now past its best but is brighter than
Wirtanen. It starts the month in Auriga at mag 7.4. On 1st it
culminates at 18.57 before the sky is completely dark but should be
visible, in good binoculars or a small scope, not long after that, at 71
degrees above the southern horizon. It is also fading quite quickly
and is predicted to be down to mag 9.4 when it moves into Perseus on
16th. It should still be visible in the early part of the night - 58
degrees in the SW at 19.30. By 31st it will have faded to mag 11.2 and
be at 42 degrees in the west at 21.05, shortly before the beginning of
astro darkness, and high enough for possible photography until just
before midnight, For more details and exact positions of any solar system objects, see for information on major planets and for comets www.nakedeyecomets.co.uk |
The night sky in February 2019
by Anne Holt Sunrise 1st: 07. 54 28th: 06.59 Sunset 1st: 16.51 28th: 17.44 Astronomical darkness 1st: 18.52 to 08.52 28th: 19.40 to 05.01 New Moon: 4th at 21.05 Full Moon: 19th at 05.07 Lunar apogee: 5th at 09.28 (406555km) Lunar perigee: 19th at 05.07 (356761km) This
is the closest perigee of the year and, as it is less than 4 hours
before the full Moon, we have a Supermoon. There won't be another one
as good for almost 10 years. February's full Moon is known as
the Snow Moon for obvious reasons. Other names are the Hunger Moon,
because hunting was not easy, or very successful, at this time, and the
Storm Moon. The Moon is at perihelion on 3rd at 09.24 There are some bright early evening passes of the International Space Station for the first week of the month, then the ISS returns to the pre-dawn sky near the end of the month. Highlights Struggling
to find any highlights this month. We have no meteor showers, no
bright comets, though there is one which, if it lives up to
expectations, might be a target for astrophotographers. Apart from that
the best we can look forward to is the bright Supermoon, Venus still
prominent in the morning sky, but getting much lower, the later part
of the month will be the best time this year to spot Mercury and we
still have lots of astro darkness - 11 hours on 1st and 9 hrs 21 minutes
on 28th. The bad news is that it will probably be wet or
cloudy on most of these nights. As the old rhyme says ' February brings
the rain, thaws the frozen lakes again.' Constellations Orion and Taurus are now above the horizon as the sky darkens but start to set at around 2am at the start of February and soon after midnight by the end of the month. Gemini and Auriga are still prominent, remaining above the horizon until the early hours. Leo, the signpost constellation of Spring, is now high in the sky for most of the night and Bootes, with it's bright red star Arcturus is rising soon after 11, and around 9 at month end. In the early part of the evening the Plough is low in the North East standing on its 'handle', and Cassiopeia high in the North West as darkness falls. By month end, the Summer Triangle will have risen soon after 3am - summer already? Someone better tell the weather. Planets Mercury: in Capricorn, mag -1.5 Now
an evening object but not visible early in the month. On 1st its
apparent separation from the Sun is only 2 degrees. Its position
improves during the month, on the 9th, when it moves into Aquarius, it is 7
degrees from the Sun, setting 30 minutes after it but still not easily
seen. By the 18th it may be visible for a short time in the evening sky,
about 8 degrees above the South Western horizon shortly
before 18.00. On the following day there is a conjunction of Mercury
and Neptune, with Mercury passing less than one degree North of the ice
giant in the dusk sky. It moves into Pisces on 23rd, when it will have
faded to mag 0.9 but should be visible 10 degrees above the Western
horizon as the sky darkens. The later part of the month should be the
best time this year to see the planet. It reaches greatest Eastern
elongation on 27th at 01.00, long after it has set, but should be
visible after Sunset, 18 degrees from the Sun and 11 degrees above the
Western horizon. It will be fainter at mag -0.4 but well positioned.
On 28th it sets at 19.28, over an hour and a half after the Sun. Venus: in Sagittarius, mag -4.3 Still
very bright in the morning sky but now much lower at dawn. On 1st it
rises at 05.08 and reaches 12 degrees in the South East before the sky
brightens. It rises less than a minute later each day but Sunrise is
getting earlier as the month progresses. By the last week in February it
will be quite difficult to see, on 23rd it rises at 05.27 but is only 7
degrees above the horizon at dawn. On this day it passes 1.5 degrees
North of dwarf planet Pluto in daylight at 08.31. They will be quite
close together just before dawn, very low in the sky. However DON'T use
a telescope to try to spot them. You should NEVER use any optical
instruments on anything close to the Eastern or South Eastern horizon
before Sunrise. It's very easy to lose track of time, catching even the
first few rays of the rising Sun is enough to cause permanent
blindness. By 28th Venus rises 90 minutes before the Sun but only
reaches 6 degrees as the sky brightens. It might still be visible for a
short while from a site with a very clear South Eastern horizon. Mars: in Pisces, mag 0.9 Still
setting around 23.30 but becoming visible later as the days lengthen.
On 1st it will be at 43 degrees in the South as the sky darkens around
18.00. On 10th the 6 day Moon passes 6 degrees South of the planet, the
pair are closest at 16.20 while it is still light but will still
be fairly close as the sky darkens. From 10th to 15th Mars is within 2
degrees of Uranus, closest on 13th when they should be visible in the
same binocular field of view, about 42 degrees above the South Western
horizon at 18.00, with Mars to the North. At 20.07 the separation is
just over 1 degree. It moves into Aries on 14th and by month end will
have faded to mag 1.2, reaching 42 degrees at around 18.30 as daylight
fades. Jupiter: in Ophiuchus, mag -1.9 Its
position in the morning sky continues to improve during February. On
1st it rises at 04.39 and should be bright enough to be easily seen
around 06.00. It reaches 12 degrees in the South before the sky
brightens. On 27th the 67% Moon passes 2 degrees 19 minutes North of the
planet, in daylight at 14.19. They should be visible around 06.00 that
day, separated by 5 degrees, with the Moon to the South East of
Jupiter. By 28th it will have brightened to mag -2.1, rising at 03.13
and reaching 13 degrees in the South by daybreak. Saturn: in Sagittarius, mag 0.6 Very
low in the morning sky so hardly visible this month. On 1st it is 2
degrees above the horizon as day breaks. It gets a little higher in the
pre-dawn sky as the month goes on but still only gets to 6 degrees
before the sky brightens at the end of February. Uranus: in Pisces, mag 5.8 Still
well placed, on 1st it is 45 degrees above the Southern horizon around
18.00 as the sky darkens, setting at 00.16. On 6th it moves back into
Aries, this time it stays there until March 14th 2025 - more than 6
years to cross such a small constellation. On 10th the Moon passes 6
degrees South of the planet, while it is close to Mars, in the early
evening. By 28th Uranus is much lower, only 30 degrees in the South West
as the sky darkens, setting just before midnight. Still a good target
for HPAG scopes,especially in the early part of the month - if only the
clouds would stay away on a Thursday evening. Neptune: in Aquarius, mag 8.0 Not
easily seen throughout February. On 1st it is only 13 degrees above the
horizon at dusk, setting at 19.54. On 7th the Moon passes 5.5 degrees
to the North East at around 18.00. By 28th it will set at 18.13, only
half an hour after the Sun and with an apparent separation of only 6
degrees. Dwarf Planets Ceres: in Scorpio, mag 8.8 The
closest and brightest of the dwarf planets is quite low in the morning
sky in February. On 1st it rises at 02.45, reaching 20 degrees by dawn.
It moves into Ophiuchus on 17th, when it rises at 02.07. By 28th it
will be marginally brighter at mag 8.6, rising at 01.07 but still only
20 degrees by dawn, as dawn is now so much earlier. Pluto: in Sagittarius, mag 14.7 Too low in the morning sky to be a photographic target this month, as it never gets higher than 14 degrees above the horizon. The
rest of the dwarf planets are far out in the Kuiper Belt and are too
faint to be seen even with the best amateur scopes, but may be targets
for experienced astrophotographers with good equipment. Eris: In Cetus, mag 18.8 A
possible target in early February, on 1st it is 32 degrees in the South
as the sky darkens and should be high enough in the sky for a couple of
hours, setting at 22.56. On 28th it is only 18 degrees at dusk,
setting soon after 21.00. Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.4, High
in the sky after midnight. On 1st it is 21 degrees above the Eastern
horizon as the sky darkens, reaching 52 degrees in the South at 05.44.
On 28th it reaches this altitude just before 5am. Makemake: in Coma Berenices, Mag 17.1 Culminates at 04,32 on 1st, at 60 degrees in the South. On 28th it reaches the same altitude almost 2 hours earlier at 02.45. For more details and exact positions of all Solar System bodies at any time, see and for information on the major planets Meteor Showers Not
a good month for meteor observers, in fact it's a very bad month unless
you happen to be in the Southern Hemisphere where the alpha Centaurids
peak on 8th, with a ZHR somewhere between 6 and 25. For those of us in
the more Northerly latitudes not only are there no major showers, there
aren't any minor ones either. The best we can expect is one or two from
the Antihelion Source which this month has its radiant in the Southern
part of Leo. Comets Again,
nothing to get excited about - and there are no bright comets predicted
for the whole of 2019. But, with comets, you never know what will turn
up so keep your fingers crossed. 46P/Wirtanen
is still circumpolar, visible for most of the night, moving through Ursa
Major but fading by about 0.1 magnitude each day. On 1st it is at mag 9
but down to 11.7 by month end. 38P/Stephan-Oterma
in Lynx, mag 10.7. Also circumpolar and also fading - but not as
rapidly as Wirtanen. By month end it should be the brighter, albeit not
by much, at mag 11.5. C/2018Y1 (Iwamoto)
looks like the best bet this month. It starts the month in Virgo, at mag
9, culminating 22 degrees above the Southern horizon at 04.32. Moves
into Leo on 9th, when it will be at mag 8 and higher - 39 degrees in the
South at 02.25. It should brighten further, it is predicted to be at
mag 7.7 from 11th to 14th before starting to fade again. It moves into
Cancer on 15th, when it culminates at 23.32 much higher at 61 degrees.
For the rest of the month it continues to move North Westwards and to
fade. It's at mag 8.3 on 18th when it crosses into Gemini and 8.8 on
22nd when it goes into Auriga, On 28th it will be down to mag 9.6,
reaching 71 degrees in the South at 19,08, half an hour before astro
darkness begins. More info on comets of mag 14 or higher can be found on www.cometwatch.co.uk And exact positions of the brighter ones are on the site mentioned previously https://in-the-sky.org |
The night sky in January 2019
by Anne Holt Sunrise 1st: 08.24 31st: 07.56 Sunset 1st: 16.00 31st: 16.49 Astronomical darkness 1st: 18.10 to 06.14 31st: 18.50 to 05.53 Earth is at perihelion (closest point to the Sun) on 3rd at 05.19, when it will be at a distance of 147,100 km. New Moon: 6th at 01.28 Full Moon: 21st at 05.16 The
January full Moon is known as the Wolf Moon because they were said to
be particularly vocal at this time. Other names are the Moon after
Yule, the Old Moon, the Ice Moon and the Snow Moon. On
the morning of 21st we have a total lunar eclipse, visible from all the
UK - at least from all the parts where the weather co-operates and
keeps the sky cloud free. The Moon will appear relatively large as it
is only 14 hours and 43 minutes before perigee. Highlights We
still have long periods of astronomical darkness in which to observe
the beautiful winter skies, or, more likely, the horrible winter clouds.
Venus and, to a lesser degree, Jupiter are bright in the pre-dawn sky
and comet 46P Wirtanen is still around, higher but fainter, and we have a
promising meteor shower not affected by moonlight. The main events
this month are the total lunar eclipse on 21st (early morning so set
your alarm) and New Horizons' long awaited close encounter with a Kuiper
Belt object on New Year's Day. Constellations There
isn't much change in the prominent constellations since December, just
that everything rises, or sets, a couple of hours earlier. Orion
is now well above the horizon by 8pm at the start of the month, with
Sirius rising at this time. By month end, Sirius will rise at about
6pm. Auriga, Gemini and Cassiopeia are all high in the sky. The Summer Triangle is now setting earlier as the Winter Hexagon rises.
Taurus and the Pleiades are still very prominent and the spring constellation of Leo is above the south eastern horizon by 9pm.Planets The
best time for seeing naked eye planets this month is in the early
morning, especially near the beginning and end of the month, when they
are joined by the crescent Moon. Mercury: in
Ophiuchus, mag -0.4. Very low in the morning sky, so not easily seen in
January. On 1st it rises at 07.14 and is only 2 degrees above the
horizon at dawn. Its position deteriorates further as the month
progresses. It moves into Sagittarius on 3rd and on 13th is separated
from Saturn by only 1.8 degrees, about 20 minutes before Sunrise, but
both are barely above the horizon and extremely difficult to see. As
always DON'T try looking for them through a scope or binoculars - it
really will be unlucky 13th for you if you mistime it and catch the
first rays of the rising Sun. The planet reaches superior conjunction
on 30th and can't be seen at all in the later part of the month. Venus:
in Libra, mag -4.5. Still shining brilliantly in the pre-dawn sky. On
1st it rises at 04.15 and should be unmissable from around 5.30. It
reaches 19 degrees above the horizon by sunrise. On the mornings of 1st
and 2nd it is close to the waning crescent Moon. It reaches greatest
Western elongation on 6th, when it is 47 degrees from the Sun and 20
degrees above the horizon as the sky brightens. It moves into Ophiuchus
on 15th, when it will be slightly lower, 16 degrees in the SE at dawn.
On the morning of 22nd it will be only 2.5 degrees from the 10 times
fainter (but still very bright) Jupiter just before Sunrise. On 31st it
rises at 05.06, reaching only 12 degrees as the sky brightens. Mars:
in Pisces, mag 0.5. An evening object, culminating in astronomical
twilight and setting around 23.30 throughout January. On 1st it reaches
its highest point, 35 degrees, at 17.24. It continues to climb higher
in the sky, crossing the celestial equator in early January. On 12th
the 35% Moon passes just over 6 degrees south of the planet at 18.00.
By 31st it is at 43 degrees in the south at 17.30, but fainter at mag
0.9. Jupiter: in Ophiuchus, mag -1.8. A
morning object whose position improves during the month. On 1st it
rises at 06.11 but only reaches 9 degrees in the south east before the
sky brightens. On this day it forms a line with Venus, Mercury and the
crescent Moon - though only Jupiter, Venus and the Moon are likely to be
easily visible. On 3rd the 6% Moon passes 2.3 degrees north of the
planet. On 31st, when it is marginally brighter at mag -1.9, it rises at
04.42 and is at an altitude of 12 degrees as dawn breaks. On this day
the crescent Moon is midway between Venus and Jupiter. Saturn:
in Sagittarius, mag 0.5. At Solar conjunction on 3rd so not visible as
it is only 1 degree from the Sun. The apparent separation does
increase during the month but it is below the horizon at dawn until
19th. On 31st it is still only at an altitude of 2 degrees as the sky
begins to brighten. Uranus: in Pisces,
mag 5.8. An evening object, well placed for binocular observation
before midnight in the first part of January. On 1st it culminates at
19.10, in astronomical darkness, 46 degrees above the southern
horizon. At the start of the month it appears to be moving westwards
against the background stars (retrograde) but on 7th it resumes prograde
motion. By mid month it is culminating during astronomical twilight
but is still high in the sky for about 4 hours. On 31st it reaches 45
degrees in the south at 18.00, as the sky darkens, setting soon after
midnight. It should be easily visible in binoculars, especially from a
dark sky site, but a scope is needed to show the small blue/green disc. Neptune:
in Aquarius, mag 7.9. Visible through a scope, in the SE, as darkness
falls in early January. On 1st it is at 27 degrees in the south at
17.30, setting at 21.50. On 18th it is 21 degrees above the horizon at
dusk and by month end isn't easy to see, as it is at only 14 degrees as
the sky darkens. A decent amateur scope should show the planet as a
small blue disc. Dwarf Planets Ceres:
in Libra, mag 8.9. Should be a good photographic target, or maybe
visible in large binoculars or a small scope, in the morning sky. On
1st it rises at 03.48 and reaches 19 degrees by dawn. It moves into
Scorpio on 31st, when it rises at 02.47 and gets to an altitude of 20
degrees before the sky brightens. Because it is so small it will only
appear as a point of light, even in a large scope. The
others are out of reach of even the largest amateur scopes but could be
targets for experienced astrophotographers using good equipment and the
'spot the difference' technique used to discover Pluto. Pluto: in Sagittarius, mag 14.7. Not visible this month as it is very close to the Sun. Eris:
in Cetus, mag 18.8. Much fainter but better placed for imaging.
especially in the early part of January. On 1st it reaches 34 degrees
in the south at 19.06, an hour before the start of astro darkness, and
sets at 01.01. On 31st it is at 32 degrees in the south as the sky
darkens soon after 18.00, setting around 23.00. Haumea:
in Bootes, mag 17.4. On 1st it rises at 00.10 and reaches 50 degrees in
the SE before the sky brightens. From mid January it culminates in
astro darkness - 52 degrees at 05.47 on 31st. Makemake:
in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1. Rises at 22.00 on 1st, and culminates, at
60 degrees, a few minutes after astro darkness ends. On 31st it reaches
this altitude at 04.36 while the sky is still fully dark. Recommended websites for more info and full details of planetary positions: Meteor Showers One major shower in January. Quadrantids,
active Dec 28th to Jan 12th, peak on the night of 3rd/4th, ZHr 25 to
40, more according to some sources. They all agree that this shower has a
very short peak, about 6 hours, centred this year on 02.20, and is best
seen between midnight and 4am, when the radiant is high in the sky.
They are medium paced, not especialy bright meteors not usually leaving
trails, but sometimes including fireballs. They occur when the Earth
passes through debris in the orbit of asteroid 2003EH1, thought to be a
remnant of defunct comet C1490X1. The name is derived from the former
constellation Quadrans Muralis, the mural (or wall mounted) quadrant,
which disappeared when it was omitted from the IAU's list of officially
recognised constellations in 1922. The location of the shower radiant is
now part of Bootes. The antihelion
source (ANT) is active in January. These are meteors, not belonging to
any specific shower, which have a radiant on the ecliptic, opposite the
position of the Sun. ZHR is given as around 3. There are also 2 very minor showers for which not much information is available. Kappa
Cancrids peak on the night of 9th/10th. The radiant is very close to
that of the ANT but meteors from the shower should be easily
distinguishable as they are much faster moving. Gamma Ursa Minorids, active 10th to 22nd, peak 18th, ZHR 3. Slow moving meteors. Comets 46P
Wirtanen is past its best, recently discovered C2018V2 (Machholz-
Fujikawa- Iwamoto) has disappeared behind the Sun and there are 2 much
fainter ones which may be good photographic targets. 46P
Wirtanen starts the month in Lynx at around mag 5.3. It is circumpolar
but best seen soon after midnight, when it reaches an altitude of 84
degrees in the north. On 2nd it moves into Camelopardalis and on 9th
into Ursa Major. Not easily seen in the latter part of the month,
despite being almost overhead at 01.00 on 31st - it is expected to have
faded to mag 8.3 by this time. C2018L2(Atlas)
Starts the month in Hercules at mag 9.4 and may be visible in a small
scope 22 degrees above the western horizon at around 17.30. It moves
into Sagitta on 2nd and Vulpecula on 9th. Between 12th and 18th it
should be above the horizon at both dawn and dusk, then it ends the
month as a morning object slightly fainter at mag 9.8. On 31st it will
be 26 degrees above the eastern horizon at dawn. 38P
Stephan-Oterma. In Lynx, mag 9.9. Circumpolar and visible (through a
scope) for most of the night throughout January. Starts the month a
little to the west of Wirtanen, 77 degrees above the southern horizon at
2am, but the faster moving Wirtanen soon leaves it behind. On 31st it
is at 37 degrees in the NE at dusk and 33 degrees in the NW at dawn. Comet co-ordinates and position charts can be found in the websites mentioned earlier, and also in www.cometwatch.co.uk Special Events We
have a Total Lunar Eclipse on the morning of 21st. The partial phase
begin at 03.33 with totality starting at 04.41 when the Moon will be
29.9 degrees above the horizon. Totality ends an hour later at 05.43,
still in astro darkness, when the Moon is about 9 degrees lower in the
sky. The last of the shadow leaves the Moon at 06.50. The face of the Moon
can be seen during totality, usually having a reddish or brown hue,
even though it is completely in shadow. This is because some of the
Sun's light is refracted by the Earth's atmosphere, the blue end of the
spectrum is more widely scattered leaving the red light to illuminate
the Moon. The actual colour depends on atmospheric conditions at the
time of the eclipse. And finally ..... Only
a few hours into the New Year, at 05.33 on January 1st, after a journey
of almost 13 years New Horizons will pass a Kuiper Belt Object at a
distance of only 3,500 km - almost 4 times closer than it was to Pluto.
The KBO's designation is (486958) 2014MU69, but it has been given the
unofficial (ie not recognised by the all powerful IAU) name of Ultima
Thule - a name meaning beyond the borders of the known world, or a
distant unknown region at the limit of travel and discovery. It is
about 6 billion miles from Earth and so small that it can't be seen as
anything but a speck until New Horizons is almost at its closest. The
probe cannot receive and transmit data at the same time, so it will not
begin sending any information back to Earth until about 4 hours after
its closest encounter. It will then take another 6 hours to reach us
so, if all goes well, we might begin to learn about this tiny, distant
icy world in the late afternoon of New Year's Day. It will take about 2
years for all the data collected during the flyby to be sent back to
Earth. And New Horizons still has some fuel left, so that might not be the end of its story. |
The night sky in December 2018
by Anne Holt Sunrise 1st: 08.01 31st: 08.25 Sunset 1st: 15.53 31st: 15.59 Astronomical darkness 1st: 18.02 to 05.54 31st: 18.09 to 06.14 Latest Sunrise 30th (08.25 from 28th - 31st) Earliest Sunset 13th (15.49 from 9th -17th) Winter Solstice: 21st at 22.22. This day is 9hrs 33mins shorter than at the Summer Solstice. The shortest day is also on the 21st - 7hrs 28mins 29seconds. The 22nd is less than 1 second longer. New Moon: 7th at 07.20 Full Moon: 22nd at 17.48 Lunar apogee 12th at 12.27 (distance of 405176km) Lunar perigee 24th at 09.53 ( " " 361059km) December's
full Moon is known as the Cold Moon, no explanation needed. The Old
English/Anglo-Saxon names are also self explanatory - The Moon before
Yule or the Full Long Nights Moon. In December, because of the
angle of the ecliptic, the full Moon takes its highest path across the
sky, opposite the lowest position of the Sun. The Winter Solstice this
year is only just over 19 hours before the full Moon. Highlights Lots
of lovely dark nights (fingers crossed for some cloud free skies) about
12 hours of astronomical darkness throughout the month. We have the
Winter Solstice and the shortest day - or, as astronomers prefer to
think of it, the longest night, with 12 hours more astro darkness than
in June. There is one major meteor shower, the Geminids, often
considered to be the most reliable of all, and several minor ones. There
should be a naked eye comet mid month, though it's failing to live up
to the spectacular predictions made earlier in the year and will
probably only be visible to the naked eye from a dark sky site - if
that. There are some bright early evening passes of the International Space Station in the first half of the month. And we have a Christmas Star in the East! Venus
is shining brightly in the morning sky in December. It will be
slightly past its best by 25th but will still be brilliant, maybe bright
enough to be seen in daylight, if you know where to look. It isn't
recommended that you try to follow it, however, even if you do happen to
have a camel and some gift wrapped gold, frankincense or myrrh. It's
unlikely to lead you to Bethlehem and, anyway, you'd be more than 2000
years late. And you would miss your Christmas lunch. Constellations Orion, with the stars of his belt pointing down to the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, is now well above the horizon by midnight, and is a beautiful sight especially from a dark sky site. By month end these will be visible from 10pm - weather permitting. Taurus and the Pleiades precede him across the sky. Gemini, including the 'twins' Castor and Pollux, and Auriga with the bright Capella are also very prominent. Aries and Pisces, while not particularly bright - or often not even visible in our light polluted skies - are both quite high this month. Perseus, Andromeda and the Great Square of Pegasus are also well placed for most of the night. The Plough starts the night quite low in the Northern sky, with Cassiopeia high overhead. Because of the long winter nights, these last two will have changed places before dawn as they rotate around the celestial north pole. Planets Mercury: in Libra. mag 3.0 A
morning object, but not easily seen in December, especially at the
beginning and end of the month. On 1st it rises at 07.04 just under an
hour before the Sun but separated from it by only 8 degrees. On 4th it
is 2 degrees above the horizon at dawn and the following morning, when
it will have brightened to mag 0.8, is just 7.5 degrees west of the 4%
Moon as they rise about an hour before Sunrise. It reaches greatest
western elongation on 15th, when it will be at mag -0.4 and have an
apparent separation from the Sun of 21 degrees. However, because of the
low angle of the ecliptic it will be only 8 degrees above the horizon at
dawn. On 16th it moves into Scorpio and into Ophiuchus on 21st, when it
rises at 06.31 and reaches 7 degrees in the east before the sky
brightens. After greatest western elongation it appears to move closer to Jupiter - on 21st and
22nd they are less than 1 degree apart. On 31st it rises at 07.10 and
is only 3 degrees above the eastern horizon at dawn. PLEASE
REMEMBER: Do not try to look at Mercury - or any other celestial object
- through a scope or binoculars when it is low in the pre-dawn sky.
Even catching the frst few rays of sunlight is likely to cause permanent
eye damage. Venus: in Virgo, mag -4.7 At
its brightest at the start of December, totally unmissable for those
who can bear to leave their nice warm beds before sunrise. On 1st it
rises at 04.07 and reaches 22 degrees in the east as the sky brightens
at around 7.30. On this morning the 17% lit Moon passes close to the
planet. It begins to fade very slightly after the first few days, -4.6
on 4th, but a little higher at 23 degrees by dawn. It moves into Libra
on 14th when it rises at 03.59. On Christmas morning it will be a very
bright star in the east, rising at 04.06 and easily visible from around
5am, when all those with young children will, no doubt, have been
awakened At month end it will rise at 04.12 and reach 20 degrees by
dawn, still blazing away at mag -4.5. Mars: in Aquarius, mag 0.00 An
evening object in December, visible from around 16.30 and setting about
half an hour before midnight. Still easy to see despite it fading as it
is still getting higher in the sky. On 1st it culminates at 18.11, a
few minutes after the start of astronomical darkness, at an altitude of
27 degrees. On the evenings of 6th and 7th it passes less than one
degree north of Neptune. Moves into Pisces on 22nd, when it culminates
at 17.30, reaching 33 degrees in the south. By month end it culminates a
few minutes earlier and a couple of degrees higher but will have faded
to mag 0.4. Jupiter: in Scorpio, mag -1.7 A
morning object, not easily seen especially in early December, as it is
very low in the pre-dawn sky. On 1st it rises less than half an hour
before the Sun and appears only 3 degrees from it. Its position improves
during the month, on 7th it is only one degree above the horizon as the
sky brightens, on 14th,when it moves into Ophiuchus, it reaches 4
degrees. By 25th it might be visible from a site with a low, clear south
eastern horizon, at an altitude of 7 degrees at around 08.00. By 31st
it is slightly brighter at mag -1.8 and a little higher, 9 degrees in
the SE at 07.35. Saturn: in Sagittarius, mag 0.5 Very
low in the evening sky, on 1st it is only 6 degrees above the horizon
at dusk, setting at 17.47. Not likely to be visible after the first few
days of the month, by 18th it is on the horizon as the sky darkens and
on 31st sets only a few minutes after the Sun. Uranus: in Aries, mag 5.7 Still
very well positioned for binocular observation, especially in the
earlier part of December. It is also relatively bright - for Uranus -
so it's a good time to try to spot it with the naked eye from a dark sky
site. On 1st it culminates at 21 14, reaching 48 degrees above the
southern horizon, setting at 04.21. Its apparent motion is currently
retrograde (east to west) and it moves back into Pisces on 4th. By
month end it reaches its highest point, slightly lower at 46 degrees, at
19.14 in astronomical twilight. A reasonable sized amateur scope should
show the planet as a small blue/green disc. Neptune: in Aquarius, mag 7.9 An
early evening object. On 1st it reaches 28 degrees in the south at
18.27, during astronomical darkness. By month end it culminates at
16.30, an hour and a half before it gets fully dark. Still a good
amateur telescopic target during the early evening, though a much larger
scope is needed to show any markings on the blue disc. Dwarf Planets Ceres: in Virgo, mag 8.8 Should
be visible in amateur scopes, especially in the latter part of
December. On 1st it rises at 04.39 and only reaches 13 degrees by
dawn. On 5th it moves into Libra and is slightly fainter at mag 8.9.
It is about 3 degrees to the north of Venus on the morning of 29th and
on 31st rises at 04.39, reaching 19 degrees before the sky brightens. The other dwarf planets are so faint that they are only targets for experienced astrophotographers. Pluto, In Sagittarius, mag 14.7 Not
a good time for trying to catch this - it never gets higher than 14
degrees above the horizon during darkness. By month end its apparent
distance from the Sun is only 11 degrees. Eris: in Cetus, mag 18.8. Much fainter but might be a better bet. On 1st it reaches 34 degrees in the south soon after 21.00, on 31st culminates at 19.10. Haumea in Bootes, mag 17.4 On 1st it reaches 35 degrees by dawn, and by 31st is at 50 degrees as the sky begins to brighten. Makemake: in Coma Berenices mag 17.2 Should
be visible in the early hours, on 1st it reaches 51 degrees by dawn, on
31st culminates at 60 degrees soon after the end of astro darkness at
06.38. For more details and exact positions of all planets, asteroids and comets see: https:/theskylive.com Meteor Showers One major shower this month. Geminids:
active 4th to 19th. Some sources give the peak night as 13th/14th
others say 14th/15th. Actual peak, according to the IMO, is 12.30 on
14th with near maximum rates for several hours either side of this, so
either night is likely to be a good time to look. ZHR under ideal
conditions (dark sky, high radiant, no moon) is 150, so we might see as
many as 50 from a reasonable site, probably no more than 20 per hour
from Manchester. They are bright, often coloured, medium slow paced
meteors which don't usually leave trails. Unlike most other showers
these originate from an asteroid, 3200 Phaeton, rather than a comet.
The just past first quarter Moon won't interfere much, this year, setting
at 21.57 on 13th and 23.04 on 14th. Minor showers Monocerotids: Nov 27th to Dec 17th, peak 9th, ZHR 3 Weak, medium paced shower. Alpha Hydrids: active 3rd to 15th, peak 12th, ZHR 3 Mostly very faint but the shower does often include some brighter meteors which could be confused with Geminids. Coma Berenicids 12th to 23rd, peak 16th. ZHR 3 Another
weak shower, best seen around 1am when the radiant is high. These were
once thought to be part of the Leo Minorids but are now considered to
be a separate shower. Leo Minorids: Dec 5th to Feb 4th, peak 20th, ZHR 5 A very weak but long lasting shower. Ursids:
Dec 17th to 26th, peak 21st/22nd, ZHR 5-10 but there are very
occasional short outbursts of up to 50. These medium paced meteors
originate from debris left by comet 8P/Tuttle. The almost full Moon,
above the horizon all night, will seriously interfere. Comets One (probably - fingers crossed) naked eye comet. 46P/Wirtanen
starts the month very low down in Cetus at mag 6.1. On 1st it
culminates at 21.47 but is only 14 degrees above the southern horizon.
However it should brighten quite rapidly during the first half of
December, unfortunately not reaching the spectacular brightness
originally predicted but probably getting to around mag 4.8 between 15th
and 19th. It is also moving quickly northwards through Taurus (14th to
18th) Perseus (19th -21st), Auriga (22nd -28th) then into Lynx. On the
night of 16th, when it is at perihelion, it passes between the Pleiades
and the Hyades (the V shaped head of the bull) and should be quite high
in the sky for most of the night. It is at its closest to Earth on 18th
when it passes about 6 degrees to the east of the California nebula
(NGC1499). Sadly, the almost full Moon wll spoil the view on that
night. It becomes circumpolar on 21st and on the night of 23rd/24th
passes less than one degree from the bright star Capella. It fades
during the later part of the month, on 31st is predicted to be down to
mag 6 but almost overhead - 84 degrees above the northern horizon at 00
25. Even now, estimates of its brightness vary, some
sources say that it will only reach mag 5.5 at its brightest. Even when
it is at a theoretical naked eye magnitude it will still be difficult to
see without optical aid. The head and coma are quite large and
diffuse, so it will appear as a faint fuzzy blob rather than a star like
point of light. Comet 46p/Wirtanen during December 2018  38P/Stephan-Oterma
starts the month in Cancer at a mag of around 9.8. On 1st it reaches
its highest point, 65 degrees in the south, at 03.39 and should be
visible in a small scope and be an excellent subject for keen
astrophotographers. On 12th it moves into Lynx and is slightly higher,
69 degrees at 03.10. It's at its closest to Earth on 17th and on 19th
becomes circumpolar, reaching 72 degrees in the south at 02.45. Towards
the end of the month it is caught up by the much faster moving
Wirtanen, on 31st they are fairly close with Wirtanen about 30 degrees
to the west. |
The night sky in November 2018
by Anne Holt Sunrise: 1st 07.07 30th 08.00 Sunset: 1st 16.36 30th 15.54. New Moon: 7th at 16.01 Full Moon: 23rd at 05.39 Lunar apogee: 14th at 15.55 Lunar perigee: 26th at 12.12 The
November full Moon is known as the Beaver Moon, because this is when
these animals are active, building their dams in preparation for
winter. Other sources say that it is because this is the time that
hunters set beaver traps, before the winter freeze, to ensure a good
supply of fur for the cold weather. Another name for it is the frosty
Moon - for obvious reasons. If it is the last full Moon before the
Winter Solstice, which this is, it is also called the Mourning Moon,
celebrated by pagans as a time of cleansing and letting go of the past. Highlights The
main highlight this month is actually the lack of light - at the start
we have ten and a half hours of astronomical darkness, rising to almost
12 hours by month end. And now the clocks have gone back, we have
midnight back at its proper time. After the first few days in November
Venus becomes the star of the show for early risers, dominating the pre-dawn sky. There are a few meteor showers and a better than usual chance
of fireballs. And the often overlooked constellation of Cetus might be
worth a look - at the end of the month it's home to a comet, a dwarf planet
and a 'wonderful' brightening star. Constellations If it is clear you will see that the Summer Triangle comprising the 3 bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair is now sinking slowly in the West, giving way to the stars of winter now rising in the east. Mid-evening the square of Pegasus, the signature constellation of autumn, is fairly high in the south but not particularly prominent, containing only 2nd magnitude stars. It's an easy star-hop from Alpheratz, the top left star of the square of Pegasus to the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, which is now nicely placed fairly high in the south east. The Winter Hexagon is a beautifully rich area bounded by Sirius (Canis Major), Rigel (Orion), Aldebaran (Taurus), Capella (Auriga), Pollux (Gemini) and Procyon (Canis Minor). This relatively small region contains half of the ten brightest stars. It will be above the horizon not long after midnight at the start of November and before 11pm by month end. The Pleiades, just outside the Hexagon are also very well placed and are a beautiful sight in binoculars or a small telescope. Cassiopeia is still riding high leaving the Plough, on the opposite side of Polaris, low in the Northern sky for much of the night. Planets Mercury: in Scorpio, mag -0.2 Very
difficult to see throughout the month. On 1st it sets half an hour
after the Sun and is on the horizon as the sky begins to darken.
Reaches greatest eastern elongation on 6th, but isn't any higher at
dusk. It moves into Ophiuchus on 8th and back into Scorpio on 26th, when
it appears only 3 degrees from the Sun. Reaches inferior conjunction
on 27th and crosses the border into Libra on 30th, when it rises at
07.15, only 45 minutes before the Sun and separated from it by 4
degrees and much fainter at mag 3.8. Venus: in Virgo, mag -4.1 Now
a morning 'star' but very low in the brightening sky in the first few
days of the month. On 1st it rises at 06.37, about half an hour before
the Sun, and is on the horizon at dawn. On 6th it is close to the
waning crescent Moon, very low in the east at around 6am. Its position
then improves rapidly and by the second week in November it should be
easily visible, on 8th it rises at 05.43 and reaches 8 degrees in the
east before the sky brightens a little before 7am. It will also have
brightened to mag -4.4. By 30th it rises at 04.09, nearly 4 hours
before Sunrise, reaching 22 degrees in the south east while the sky is
still reasonably dark. It will have brightened to mag -4.7 and be
totally unmissable - weather and tall buildings permitting. Almost worth getting out of bed early for! Mars: in Capricorn, mag -0.6 Still
very prominent in the early evening,although it is moving away from us
and is therefore fainter, and smaller when seen through a telescope, To
compensate it is now much higher in the sky than it was when at its
brightest. On 1st it is 15 degrees above the south eastern horizon as
the sky darkens, culminating at an altitude of 19 degrees at 19.01 and
setting at 23.30. It moves into Aquarius on 12th, when it reaches 22
degrees in the south just before 19.00. The first quarter Moon passes
close to the planet on 16th, they should be visible 18 degrees above the
south eastern horizon at around 16.30, with the Moon to the left of
Mars. They are actually at their closest, less than 1 degree apart, at
5am on the morning of 16th when they are below our horizon. By 30th it
will have faded to mag -0.1 but will be even higher, reaching 27 degrees
in the south at 18.13. Because the eastward motion of the planet is at
the same rate as the apparent westward motion of the stars, it sets at
the same time - 23.30 - throughout the month. Jupiter: in Libra, mag -1.7 Not
visible in November, despite its brightness. On 1st it is only 2
degrees above the horizon at dusk. It moves into Scorpio on 21st, when
it is 4 degrees from the Sun. Reaches Solar conjunction, when it
is on the opposite side of the Sun to the Earth, on 26th. On 30th it is
a morning object but still not visible, rising 20 minutes before the
Sun and separated from it by only 3 degrees. Saturn: in Sagittarius, mag 0.6 Should
be visible for a short time after Sunset in early November, from a
site with a clear southern horizon. On 1st it is at an altitude of 11
degrees soon after 17.00 as the sky darkens. On 11th at the same time
it will be less than 1 degree south west of the crescent Moon while the
sky is still quite bright. By 30th it will be slightly fainter at mag
0.5 and only 6 degrees above the horizon at dusk. Uranus: in Aries, mag 5.7 Still
very well placed for binocular observation, or even naked eye under
ideal conditions. On 1st it rises at 16.11 and reaches 21 degrees in
the east by 19.00, culminating 47 degrees above the southern horizon at
23.16. On 20th at around 20.00 the gibbous Moon passes 5 degrees south
of the planet, however the Lunar glare means that isn't a good time to
try to see it. On 30th it is at 26 degrees in the east as the sky
darkens, reaching 47 degrees in the south at 21.18. As always, a scope
is needed to show its blue green disc. Neptune: in Aquarius, mag 7.9 Visible
in the earlier part of the night during November. On 1st it is 21
degrees above the south eastern horizon as the sky darkens, reaching 29
degrees in the south by 18.00 and setting just before 2am. In the early
evening of 17th the 70% waning Moon passes it about 6 degrees to the
east. By month end it is best seen in the early evening , on 30th it
reaches 29 degrees at 18.30, then sinks to 22 degrees by 21.00, setting
just before midnight. Not really a binocular object except under ideal
conditions and with good binoculars, a scope is necessary for showing a
small rich blue disc. Dwarf planets and asteroids. Ceres, in Virgo, mag 8.7 The
closest of the dwarf planets is still not easy to see this month after
October's solar conjunction.On 1st it rises at 05.23 but is separated
from the Sun by just 14 degrees. On 30th it rises over three and a half
hours before the Sun but is only 12 degrees above the horizon by dawn. Possible photographic targets - for experienced amateur astrophotographers. Eris: in Cetus mag 18.8 On 1st it culminates at 23.07, 34 degrees above the southern horizon. By 30th it reaches this altitude at 21.12. Haumea; In Bootes, mag 17.4 Ony
12 degrees above the horizon by dawn on 1st. By mid month it rises
soon after 3am and reaches 22 degrees by 06.00. On 30th it rises at
02.14 and gets to 34 degrees in the east by 06.23. Makemake: in Coma Berenices,mag 17.2 Rises
at 02.01 on 1st and reaches 28 degrees in the east as the sky begins to
brighten. Its position improves during the month, on 30th it rises at
00.10 and gets to 50 degrees in the south east by dawn. Pluto: in Sagittarius, mag 14.7 Not an easy target this month as it never gets higher than 14 degrees above the horizon. A better bet for those interested in photographing small objects might be:- Juno, in Eridanus, mag 7.6. This
month is a very good time to try to spot the third asteroid to be
discovered, as it reaches opposition on 17th and will be at its closest
and brightest for 13 years. It is very small, only about 3% of the mass
of Ceres, but is very reflective and also quite close to us at the
moment: slightly further than the Earth - Sun distance, which explains
its current brightness. On 1st it reaches 21 degrees in the south east
at 22.11, and 35 degrees in the south by 01.31. At opposition it will
have brightened slightly to mag 7.4, reaching an altitude of 32 degrees
at 00.18. On 30th it will have started to fade again and be at 31
degrees in the south at 23.13. As with Neptune it might be visible in
good binoculars from a dark sky site, unlike Neptune even a fairly large
scope won't show it as anything other than a dot, as it is so small. Recommended websites for more detail on planetary positions at any time: https://in-the-sky.org (this site also has lots of other information on planets and all other solar system objects) Meteor Showers We have one fairly good shower this month Leonids:
active Nov 6th to 30th, peak 17/18th ZHR 10 -20 Parent comet
55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Although the predicted time of the peak is given as
22.30, the shower is best seen after midnight when the radiant is
reasonably high. This year the Moon sets at 01.22 on the morning of
18th. They are bright, sometimes colourful, fast moving meteors often
leaving long trails. Minor showers Northern
Taurids: active.Oct 20th to Dec 10th, ZHR 5, The peak is given as
Nov 10th, when the Moon sets at 18.26, but there is likely to be
enhanced activity for about 10 days in early to mid November. They are
bright, slow moving meteors very similar to the Southern Taurids - not
surprising as it is thought that they were originally just one shower.
They often include fireballs, so the chance of these is higher in early
to mid November when both showers are active. Parent comet is the
predecessor of Encke. Alpha Monocerotids:
active Nov 17th to December 2nd. ZHR 3 -5. Peak is given as the early
hours of 22nd, when the almost full Moon doesn't set until 06.17 so will
seriously interfere. The radiant is very low in our sky so the actual
number of meteors seen is usually fewer than 3. This shower is best
known for its occasional spectacular outbursts. This year could
possibly see slightly higher rates but nothing which could be described
as spectacular is predicted. November
Orionids: active Nov 14th to Dec 6th, peak Nov 28th, ZHR 3. Again,
the Moon will be in the way, rising at 21.48 on 28th. The radiant of
this minor shower is only a few degrees east of that of the Northern
Taurids but meteors from the 2 showers should be easily distinguishable
as the Orionids are much faster moving. Comets: As usual there are several very faint comets around but only a couple brighter than mag 10. 38P/Stephan-Oterma,
in Gemini, mag 9.6. On 1st it rises at 20.41 and culminates, 54
degrees above the southern horizon, at 04.38. During the month it moves
north eastwards below the main stars of Gemini. On the night of 8/9th
it passes only 8 arcminutes from NGC 2392, the Eskimo nebula. It
reaches perihelion on 10th, when it will be marginally brighter at mag
9.5. It should carry on brightening slowly, predicted to reach 9.3 by
21st, then remain steady for the rest of the month. It crosses the
border into Cancer on 30th, when it rises at 18.29, reaching 64 degrees
in the south at 03.41. It's high altitude makes it a good telescopic or
photographic target. 46P/Wirtanen, in Fornax,
mag 9,7. Still too low to be seen from our latitude even though it is
now moving northwards. Some sources say that it will reach naked eye
visibility in mid November, others think it won't ever get above 6 or
7. It moves into Cetus on 30th, when it will probably be around mag
7.5, but might just be considerably brighter. On this night it rises at
18.04 and culminates at 21.49, stll only 13 degrees above the southern
horizon, setting at 01.38. More details of comets are given in the websites mentioned earlier and also www.cometwatch.co.uk And finally: Also
in Cetus at the end of November, variable star omicron Ceti aka Mira,
the Wonderful, reaches naked eye brightness, probably around mag 3.5 but
could be as bright as mag 2. The maxima vary and an exact value cannot
be predicted. |
The night skyin October 2018
by Anne Holt 1st Sunrise: 07.10 Sunset: 18.45 31st Sunrise: 07.05 Sunset: 16.38 Astronomical darkness 1st: 20.42 to 05.14 31st: 18.36 to 05.08 New Moon: 9th at 04.46 Full Moon: 24th at 17.45 Lunar perigee: 19th at 22.31, Lunar apogee: 17th at 19.18 The
October full Moon is known as the Hunters' Moon because this was when
the deer had fattened up enough that they could be hunted by the light
of the autumn Moon, and caught in sufficient numbers to last through the
winter. Other names are the Dying Goose Moon, the Sanguine Moon and
the Blood Moon. This means that if we had a total Lunar eclipse in
October it would be a Blood Blood Moon - but this won't happen until
2097. Highlights We
have reasonable amounts of astronomical darkness this month, 8 and a
half hours on the night of 1st/2nd and 2 hours more on 31st/1st. However
it still begins too late for our meetings to get the full benefit -
20.35 on 4th and 19.48 on 25th. We have a return to Greenwich Mean
Time in the early hours of Sunday 28th, when the clocks are put back one
hour and we can begin 5 months of proper time. Mars is
still hanging on and the two outer ice giants are very well placed for
telescopic observation. We have a few meteor showers, one fairly major,
one minor which may turn out to be quite good, and several very minor
ones. We also have the probability of some bright colourful fireballs
towards the end of the month. Constellations The Summer Triangle, made up of Vega in Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus and Altair in Aquila, is losing its dominance in the night sky. It is still visible during the first part of October high in the south west but by the end of the month all three constellations will have set by 4am. It's place in the southern sky is being taken by the Great Square of Pegasus, autumn's signature constellation. The beautiful star cluster the Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters) followed by the rest of Taurus, will be visible by 11pm in early October and by 8pm (now back to GMT) at month end. By the end of October Orion will be easily visible by midnight, with Sirius just above the eastern horizon at this time. Perseus and Andromeda are still high in the sky for most of the night, making it a good time to look for M31, the Andromeda galaxy. If you are at a very dark sky site, it should be visible to the naked eye, especially when using averted vision. Cassiopeia is now high in the sky for most of the night, so the Plough, on the opposite side of the North Celestial Pole, is low in the north. Planets Mercury: in Virgo, Mag -0.9 An
evening object in the first part of October but very difficult to see.
On 1st it sets 15 minutes after the Sun and is separated from it by
only 7 degrees. It moves into Libra on 16th, when it will have faded to
mag -0.3 and be 2 degrees below the horizon at dusk. On 31st it sets at
17.05, almost half an hour after Sunset but is barely above the horizon
as the sky darkens. Venus: in Virgo, mag -4.5 Also
below the horizon during the hours of darkness for most of the month.
On 1st it sets just a couple of minutes after the Sun and is 2 degrees
below the horizon as the sky begins to darken. Reaches inferior
conjuction on 26th and then becomes a morning object, rising 20 minutes
before the Sun on 31st, but still below the horizon when the sky begins
to brighten. Mars: in Capricorn, mag -1.3 An
evening object in October, a shadow of its June self but still quite
prominent. It fades further during the month but does get slightly
higher in the sky. On 1st it is 9 degrees above the eastern horizon as
the daylight fades, culminating (reaching its highest point) 13 degrees
in the south at 21.03, setting just before 1am. The 68% lit Moon passes
3 degrees to the NE at about 19.00 on 18th. On 31st it will have faded
to mag -0.6, culminating at 19.02 at an altitude of 19 degrees in the
south and setting at 23.30. Jupiter: in Libra, mag -1.8 May
be visible in the early part of the month, low in the west as the sky
darkens, setting a few minutes after 20.00 on 1st. On 11th it is close
to the thin crescent Moon. By month end it is only 3 degrees above the
horizon at dusk, setting at 17.26, less than an hour after sunset. Saturn: in Sagittarius, mag 0.5 May
be seen low in the SW after sunset. On 1st it is 13 degrees above the
horizon as the sky darkens at around 19.30, setting just before 22.30.
On 14th the crescent Moon passes 4.5 degrees west of the planet. By
31st it will be visible for only a short time, 11 degrees above the
southern horizon at 17.20, setting 2 and a quarter hours later. Uranus: in Aries, mag 5.7 Visible
for most of the night during October. On 1st it is 22 degrees above
the eastern horizon at 22.00, reaching 47 degrees in the south at
02.27. It is at opposition on 24th, when it culminates at 00.53 and on
the same night the full Moon passes 7 degrees ESE of the planet. On 31st
it should be visible around 18.45, when it reaches 21 degrees in the
east, culminating at 23.30 and setting at 06.29. As it is now so well
positioned and reasonably bright (for Uranus), it's a good time to try
to find it with the naked eye - if you are observing from a dark sky
site. From the light polluted Manchester sky binoculars, or even a
small scope will be necessary. A larger scope will show the small
blue/green disc. Neptune: in Aquarius, mag 7.8 The
second ice giant is also well placed in October. On 1st it will have
reached 21 degrees by 21.00 and culminate at 23.29, at an altitude of 29
degrees above the southern horizon. By 31st it reaches 21 degrees at
around 18.00 and culminates at 20.29, setting at 2am. As always a scope
is needed to show its rich blue colour, though if you happen to have
some decent binoculars with you while you're at a dark sky site looking
at Uranus, you might just be lucky enough to see Neptune through them. Minor Planets With
the exception of Ceres, which orbits in the asteroid belt, much closer
than the rest, these are very faint and are out of reach of all but the
most serious amateur astrophotographers. Ceres: in Virgo, mag
8.5 isn't visible for most of the month as it is in conjunction with
the Sun on 8th, so too close to it to be seen. On 31st it rises 100
minutes before the Sun but is separated from it by only 14 degrees. Haumea
in Bootes and Makemake in Coma Berenices are also close to Solar
conjunction. Right at the end of October, Makemake at mag 17.1 might be
a possible photographic target, reaching 27 degrees above the eastern
horizon at around 3am. Pluto, in Sagittarius,
mag 14.7 is also very low, maximum altitude 14 degrees and setting
before midnight in early October and at 20.40 on 31st. Eris,
appropriately named after the goddess of strife and discord, is in
Cetus, While very faint at mag 18.8 it is in a much better position for
astrophotographers. On 1st it culminates at 02.14 at 34 degrees above
the southern horizon. It's at opposition on 16th, reaching its highest
point at 01.15 and on 31st it is in the same position at 23.11. For more details and exact positions of these at any time, see: Meteors One reasonably major shower in October. Orionids,
active October 2nd to November 7th, peak on the night of 21st/22nd, ZHR
20+. This shower often also has several smaller peaks on the days
before and after the maximum. Sometimes a ZHR of up to 50 has been
observed, They are fast moving meteors, often leaving trails. The
parent comet is the best known one of all - 1P/Halley. On the morning of
22nd the almost full moon sets at 04.42 and astro darkness ends at
05.51, giving just over an hour of optimum conditions. Middling shower Draconids,
aka Giacobinids, active 6th to 10th, peak 9th, ZHR 10. This shower,
like most others is best seen after midnight. It is said to sometimes
show much higher rates when its parent comet, 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, is
close to perihelion - as it was in September this year, so you never
know! These are exceptionally slow moving meteors. New Moon is on
9th, so no interference. Minor showers. Camelopardalids:
active 5th to 6th, peak in th early hours of 6th, ZHR 1 - in other
words you might be lucky enough to see a couple of meteors. But maybe
not, there hasn't been much activity in the last few years. However some
sources give a ZHR of 5 and say that there could be an outburst on 6th,
soon after 3am - just as the Moon is rising. Southern
Taurids: active late September to early November, peak 10th, ZHR 5.
There may also be minor peaks at any time. This shower of slow moving
meteors is best known for including colourful fireballs. The crescent
Moon sets at 19.28 on 10th. Northern Taurids:
don't peak until November 12th but can be seen from around 20th
October. These are very similar to the Southern Taurids, it's thought
that they were originally one shower which split into 2 streams many
thousands of years ago. As always, poor Jupiter gets the blame when
something like this has happened. The parent comet of both streams is
now defunct, it broke into several pieces one of which became Comet
Encke. Several fireballs are often seen in late October when both
Taurid showers are active. Epsilon Geminids:
active 14th to 17th, peak 18th, ZHR 3, Meteors from this shower are
often confused with Orionids as they are active around the same time,
look similar and have radiants which are not too far apart. But unless
you're a serious meteor observer, I very much doubt that you care! Leonids Minorids: peak 28th, ZHR 2 Alpha Aurigids: active 10th to 18th, peak 11th, ZHR 2 Comets 21P/Giacobini-Zinner,
in Monoceros, mag around 7.6. The parent comet of October's Draconids
is now past its best, heading southwards. On 1st it rises at 01.19 and
reaches an altitude of 32 degrees in the south by 04.15. It moves into
Canis Major on 11th, passing about 6 degrees east of Sirius on the
morning of 13th. By month end it wll be very difficult to find, down to
mag 9.6 and only 8 degrees above the horizon as the sky brightens. 38P/Stepha-Oterma,
in Orion, mag 9.7. Fainter than Giacobini-Zinner but much better
placed - and improving. Starts the month a few degrees north of
Betelgeuse, rising soon after 23.30 and reaching 47 degrees in the south
while the sky is still dark. It moves into Gemini on 13th,reaching 50
degrees before dawn. It then moves N eastwards through the centre of
the constellation, on 31st it rises at 20.45 and culminates, 54 degrees
above the southern horizon, just before 5am, slightly brighter at mag
9.0. 46P/Wirtanen. Still very low, and faint
at mag 10, but be patient, in November it starts to move north and
should have brightened considerably. On 1st it culminates at 02.20 but
only reaches 9 degrees above the horizon, by 31st it's even lower,
maximum altitude only 2 degrees, but a little brighter at mag 7.4. Some
sources now say that it will not get as bright as originally predicted
but others are still saying that it should be a naked eye object in
December, maybe mag 3, This comet was originally intended to be the
target for ESA's Rosetta mission but it wasn't ready in time for the
launch window and was sent to Churyumov-Gerasimenko instead. Pity, it
would have made life so much easier for anyone wanting to talk about it. More comet info can be found in the websites mentioned earlier and also www.cometwatch.co.uk |
The night sky in September 2018
by Anne Holt Sunrise: 1st 06.17 30th 07.08 Sunset: 1st 19.58 30th 18.48 Astronomical darkness: 1st 22.11 to 04.06 30th: 20.45 to 05.12 Autumnal equinox 23rd at 02.54 The closest to 12 hours is two days later - the 25th is 12 hours 0 minutes and 47 seconds long. New Moon: 9th at 19.01 Full Moon: 25th at 03.52. Lunar perigee 8th, apogee 20th. This
month's full Moon is known as the Harvest Moon - the one closest to the
Autumnal Equinox. Also known as the Corn Moon or Barley Moon. Highlights The
nights are getting longer as we approach autumn, we now have
reasonable amounts of astronomical darkness - 6 hours at the start of
September and almost 7 and a half hours at the end. The naked eye
planets are becoming less prominent but the two outer ice giants are
very well placed for telescopic observation and photography. The
beautiful constellation Orion reappears in the morning sky, on 1st it
will be above the horizon by 03.30 and by 01.30 at the end of the
month. We have one binocular and one telescopic comet but no major
meteor showers. The Moon passes through the Hyades, the V shaped asterism in Taurus, twice this month, on the night of 2nd/3rd and again
on 29th/30th. But, as always in September, the main things
we have to look forward to are firmly Earth bound - our Open Day on
Sunday 23rd and the start of the new season the following Thursday,
27th. On this day the Sun sets just 5 minutes before the start of the
meeting but astronomical darkness isn't until 20.53, just as we start to
pack up. Never mind! It'll probably be cloudy anyway. Constellations The Milky Way in still prominent overhead, albeit not in these parts! Find a dark sky site though, and it's spectacular. The Summer Triangle is high in the southern sky for much of the night in early September. By month end Aquila is setting in the west at about 2am, with Lyra and Cygnus following just before dawn. However, on the opposite side of the sky, the Pleiades are climbing above the horizon in the east by 10.30pm at the start of September, and as darkness falls at month end. Capella, in Auriga, and the V shaped Hyades cluster at the head of Taurus the Bull are not far behind. If you stay up until about 4am (or get up very early) you might see Orion making a welcome return to the night sky. By the end of September, it should be above the horizon by 2am. The ecliptic is now slightly higher across the Eastern sky, passing through Capricorn, Aquarius and Aries - though none of these are particularly bright or memorable. Pegasus, Perseus and Andromeda are still well placed, rising in the east to north east from mid evening, as is the bright W asterism of Cassiopeia higher in the north east. Planets Mercury: in Leo, mag -0.8 A
morning object in early September, on 1st it rises at 04.32, one and
three quarter hours before the Sun, and is 9 degrees above the horizon as
the sky begins to brighten soon after 05.30. Reaches perihelion, the
closest point in its orbit to the Sun, on 2nd and on 8th the thin
crescent Moon is 9 degrees north west of the planet, low in the east,
just before dawn. On 19th it moves into Virgo but can't be seen, despite
having brightened to mag -1.7, as it is separated by only 2 degrees
from the Sun and rising 15 minutes before it. It reaches superior
conjunction on 21st then becomes a morning object. However it won't be
visible, on 30th it sets at 19.01, only a few minutes after sunset. Venus: in Virgo, mag -4.4 On
1st it sets at 20.44 and is only 2 degrees above the horizon at dusk.
It reaches aphelion, its furthest point from the Sun, on 5th. By 14th
it is on the horizon at dusk. Some sites suggest looking for the planet
in daytime, especially towards month end when it is at mag -4.6, but
this is not recommended unless you know exactly where to look, as it
will be quite close to the Sun. WARNING: NEVER EVER sweep
the sky with binoculars trying to find it. If the Sun gets in your
field of view it is very likely that you would be instantly blinded. Mars: in Sagittarius, mag -2.1 Now
past its best as it moves away from Earth. On 1st it culminates at
22.32, 10 degrees above the southern horizon. It moves into Capricorn
on 2nd and on 19th the 75% lit Moon passes 6 degrees north west of the
planet, low in the south west just before midnight. It continues to
fade during the month but it does get slightly higher in the sky, on
26th it reaches 13 degrees in the south but is significantly fainter at
mag -1.4, no longer outshining Jupiter. On 30th it culminates at 21.05
and sets just before 01.00. Jupiter: in Libra, mag -1.9 On
1st it sets at 21.57, a couple of hours before sunset. As the sky
darkens it is only 10 degrees above the south western horizon. On 13th
the 7% Moon may be seen 6 degrees north west of the planet, just after
sunset. It isn't easily seen in the last week of the month, on 23rd it
is only 7 degrees above the horizon when the sky begins to darken. On
30th it sets at 20.03, an hour and a half after sunset, before the sky
is fully dark. Saturn: in Sagittarius, mag 0.4 An
early evening object this month. On 1st it culminates at 20.35 as the
sky darkens, 13 degrees above the southern horizon. In the early
evening of 17th the 58% lit Moon passes less than 2 degrees north east
of the planet. It is fading slightly, mag 0.5 from 20th, but should be
easy to spot from a site with a fairly low southern horizon, even in a
light polluted area, as it outshines all the stars in Sagittarius. On
30th it should be visible as the sky darkens, around 19.30, setting at
22.29 Uranus: in Aries, mag 5.7 Currently
the highest planet in the night sky, visible for most of the night. On
1st it rises at 21.15, an hour before the start of astronomical darkness,
and reaches 20 degrees in the eastern sky before midnight. It
culminates at 04.28 at 48 degrees above the southern horizon. On 26th the
just past full Moon passes about 6 degrees east of the planet. On 30th
it culminates at 02.31 at an altitude of 47 degrees in the south. It
should be easily visible in decent binoculars, even from the Manchester
area. An amateur scope will show its small pale green disc. Neptune: in Aquarius, mag 7.8 Another
planet which is well placed in September, though not as high in the sky
as Uranus. On 1st it rises a few minutes after sunset and reaches 24
degrees in the south east before midnight. It culminates at 01.34 at 29
degrees above the southern horizon. It reaches opposition on 7th, when
it culminates at 01.10. On 23rd, in the early evening, the Moon passes
3.6 degrees south east of the planet. On 30th it rises around sunset
and should be visible before 22.00, 24 degrees in the south east,
culminating at 23.34, still reaching a maximum altitude of 29 degrees.
It might possibly be seen in good binoculars from a dark sky site but
for most of us a scope will be needed, especially to have a chance of
seeing the small blue green disc. Anyone using a scope of 12 inches or
more may be able to spot the planet's largest Moon, Triton, currently at
mag 13.4. Minor planets and Asteroids Ceres: in Virgo, mag 8.7 Not
a good target this month. On 1st it sets at 21.16 before the sky is
fully dark and is separated by only 20 degrees from the Sun. By month
end it's even worse - 8 degrees from the Sun, setting an hour after it. Minor
planets, Pluto in Sagittarius, at mag 14.7 and Eris in Cetus, Haumea in
Bootes & Makemake in Coma Berenices, all at mags of around 18 to 19,
are too low to be seen in even the best amateur scopes, however could
be targets for keen astrophotographers. Eris is probably the best bet,
reaching 34 degrees soon after 4am on 1st and at 2.18 on 30th. Pluto,
Haumea and Makemake are much lower, and getting worse as the month
progresses. Juno: in Taurus, mag 8.8 might be a
better bet. On 1st it rises at 23.03 and reaches 42 degrees in the
south east while the sky is still quite dark. On 30th it will be
slightly brighter at mag 8.2, rising at 22.00 and culminating at 04.36. For more information see https://in-the-sky.org/ephemeris.php (minor planets shown under 'asteroids') Meteor Showers No major showers this month but we have several minor ones, and September is said to be a good time for sporadic activity. Alpha
Aurigids: Active August 28th to Sept 5th, peak on the night of Aug
31st/Sept 1st, ZHR 6. This shower sometimes gives a much better
display but some years nothing at all is seen. There are no predictions
for a good display this year. The Moon will interfere but these
meteors are very bright so a few may be visible. Parent comet not known
for sure, possibly C1911/Kiess. Epsilon
Perseids. Active 5th to 21st, peak 9th, ZHR 5. Another shower which
can produce occasional outbursts. There was one in 2008 and some
sources predict similar this year, on 9th at around 20.00, only 20
minutes after sunset. Other sources say there won't be any much higher
rates until 2040. These meteors are faint but there is no Moon
interference this year. Piscids: Low activity
for most of September, dates vary according to source used, some say
there is no definite peak just enhanced activity between 9th and 21st,
others give 2 peaks - Sept 9th, ZHR 5 , and 21st, ZHR 2. One site gives
the very useful information that this shower is 'poorly observed due to
lack of observation'. Can't argue with that! Chi
Cygnids: This shower was only officially recognised in 2015 and not
much is known about it. Probable low rates throughout September with a
weak maximum on the night of 14th/15th, ZHR 2-3. Very slow moving
meteors. Southern Taurids: Active Sept 10th to
November 19th. The peak is not until October but it's worth looking
from mid September as the shower usually includes many fireballs. These
slow moving meteors are thought to originate from a fragment from comet
2P/Encke. Comets Most of the current binocular comets are too far south to be seen from our latitude. One
which is high enough in the sky to be seen here is
21P/Giacobini-Zinner, visible for all of September, though it is high in
the sky for much longer early in the month. It starts Sept at mag 7.2,
in Auriga, passing 1 degree south of Capella on the night of 2nd/3rd.
Until 8th it is circumpolar but is best seen from just before midnight
until dawn, reaching 64 degrees in the north east. It reaches
perihelion on 10th/11th, when it will be at mag 7.1, or maybe brighter
as comets are notoriously unpredictable. It continues its southward
path, moving into Gemini on 14th and Monoceros on 23rd. By 30th it will
have faded to mag 7.6 (probably) and be best seen in the 90 minutes
before dawn when it will be about 30 degrees above the south eastern
horizon. Much fainter comet 46P/Wirtanen is
still on course for putting on a good show in December. At mag 12.6 it
is currently only visible in large scopes but is brightening. At the
moment it's low in the sky and getting lower, starting the month in
Cetus, at a maximum altitude of 17 degrees. It moves into Fornax on
22nd and should have brightened to around mag 10 and have a maximum
height of 12 degrees. On 30th it will be even lower, no higher than 10
degrees. But be patient! From early November its position, and hopefully its magnitude, will improve. |
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