Tour of the Sky: July 2009
1 Jul 2009, 04:57 UTC
Astronomy a Go Go! July Sky Tour
This tool displays the approximate Moon phases for a
given month(images are close approximations). For official phase times and dates
for this month and past months are available from the U.S. Naval
Observatory.
Astronomical Online
Glossary
Download this month's sky map!Skymaps.com is our favorite monthly
skymap provider. Download either the Northern hemisphere, Equatorial, or
Southern Hemisphere sky map so you can follow along with our viewing
sessions.Creator: Kym Thalassoudis
Southern Hemisphere Additional InformationAs Astronomy a Go Go! finds
its home in the higher Northern latitudes those of you who live south of the
equator will benefit from these two Southern Hemisphere sites: Royal
Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site (absolutely
outstanding) and Southern Sky Watch.
Planets for July 2009
July Morning Planets(click images to enlarge)
Beginning of the month
Pre-dawn, July 18th
Mercury-in superior conjunction on the 14th. If you are on the path
of the Total Solar Eclipse then look for Mercury 9 degrees NE of the Sun. At the
end of the month, Southern viewers can catch Mercury in the early evening. -0.9
mag (1st) to -1.3 mag (21st)
Venus- still fantastic in the morning pre-dawn sky. Since Venus is
moving towards the North, as the Sun heads South, her placement it spectacular
for N. Hemisphere viewers. On the 14th she will be just 3 degrees from Aldebaran
and the Hyades -4.0 mag (1st) to -3.9 mag (21st)
Mars- moves into Taurus on the 2nd. Mars, Venus, the waning crescent
Moon, and the Hyades make a lovely cluster on the 18th. Compare Mars, and its
color, to that of Aldebaran. 1.1 (1st) to 1.1 mag (21st)
Jupiter- will be ~ .5 degree from Neptune on the 13th! Jupiter will
be at opposition on August 14th. -2.7 mag (1st) to -2.7 mag (21st)
Saturn- strangely faint low in the west after sunset! The combination
of the rings near edge on and the receding gas giant decrease the apparent
magnitude. 1.0 mag (1st) to 1.0 mag (21st)
Uranus- In Aquarius 5.9 mag (1st) to 5.9 mag (21st)
Neptune- In Capricorn 8.0 mag (1st) to 7.9 mag (21st)
Ceresand Eta - Finder chart
from the New Zealand RAS (RASNZ) great charts! Northern Hemisphere observers
this time you get to flip the chart or stand on your head! Vesta chart
temporarily missing...use this
one until site is corrected
Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus Mid-month
Key Dates for July 2009
Days and Times in UT: (help with
time)Observations are for 10 pm for Northern Hemisphere and 8pm for the
Southern Hemisphere. Today's sunrise
and sunset times or plan ahead using the US Naval Observatory
Website
Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website!
Astronomical Highlights - July 2009
3
- Venus 7 deg S of the Pleiades
4
- Earth at Aphelion (farthest from the Sun)(2:00 UT) Sun-Earth distance
1.01668 AU or 152.1 million km
- Antares 0.5 deg S of Moon, check the IOTA website for
occultations information for your area.
- Beginning of intense International Space Station fly-by for N.America see
Science@NASA
and Heavens Above for more information
and flyby times in your area.
6
- One month away from the beginning of the Epsilon Aurigae eclipse...see
more below
7
- Full Moon (smallest in 2009) Penumbral Lunar eclipse (see links, below, in
the annual section) The Moon just kisses the penumbral shadow, not a good naked
eye candidate.
- Moon at apogee (406232)
10
- Mars 5 deg S of Pleiades, Jupiter 4 deg S of the Moon
13
- Jupiter 0.6 deg S of Neptune
15
- Last Quarter Moon
16-19
- Astronomy a Go Go! at the TAS Summer Star Party!
21
- Moon at perigee (357463 km) Total Solar Eclipse (July 21-22)(see links,
below, in the annual section) Large tides
22
- New Moon (2:35 UT)
24
- Astronomy A Go Go! and TAS at the Mt. Rainier Star Party! Paradise Visitor
Center (Friday Night Only)
28
- First Quarter (22:00 UT)
29
- Peak of the S. delta Aquarid meteor shower
31
- Antares 0.5 deg S of Moon, check the IOTA website for
occultations information for your area.
Date information courtesy of: RASC Observer's Handbook, Skymaps.com,
Astronomical Calendar 2009, CalSky, Skymaps.com. sunrise and sunset times
for your home*Comparative lengths of
day and night
Great Amateur Activity
For those in the high Northern Hemisphere, Capella, the "she goat" in
Aurigae, is circumpolar. At my 47 deg North, Capella disappears behind the
treeline, and into the light polluted horizon, but she pops up in a few hours
and is easy to find. Also easy to find are "The Kids" the small, long, triangle
of stars just to the Southwest of Capella. However, this summer one of those
kids, Epsilon Aurigae, usually the brightest of the trio, will drop in
brightness....for about two years. Epsilon Aurigae, or Almaaz, is an eclipsing
binary and beginning in Aug it will be eclipsed by its invisible companion for
714 days! Brightest of the three "Kids" Epsilon Aurigae will dim from 3.0 mag to
about half of its brightness, a little trick it performs every 27.1 years.
Epsilon Aurigae has some definite quirks and more eyes are needed to help
scientist figure out what Epsilon Aurigae's invisible partner really is! To find
out more visit:
AAVSO page on
Epsilon Aurigae
The Citizen Sky Project
Monthly Messier*Not as many
objects as wait for the summer Milkyway to rise into better view later this
summer, but much of what there is to see can be accomplished with binoculars.
(This is, in fact, my favorite time of the year for bino viewing.) Our quarry
will consist of six globular clusters and one very bright galaxy. Small scope
and bino heaven.
M3
This globular cluster in Canes Venatici is one of the brightest objects in
the sky. In binoculars this object is definitely not star like, but more of a
bright, small snowball easy to see. Small telescopes will begin to resolve M3
into individual stars. The hardest part of this object is locating it in a
portion of sky that contains few bright landmarks.
M53
Another globular cluster in Canes Venatici. While not quite as big or bright
as M3 it is still an obvious binocular object. Resolvable in small telescopes,
it as easy object to find sharing the same low power telescope field as fifth
magnitude Alpha Coma Berenices.
M5
A big, bright globular cluster located in Serpens Caput. M5 is as nice as M3
but lies near a fifth magnitude naked eye star (5 Serpentis) making it an easy
object to find.
M68
An eighth magnitude globular cluster in Hydra, M68 is a difficult binocular
object for Northern observers. It appears as a faint fuzz spot in binoculars,
you may need to use averted vision or large binoculars to find this one.
Appearing as a round fuzzy patch in a 8" telescope, you will need a much larger
aperature to really resolve it.
M83
A face on spiral in Hydra. M83 is fairly easy in binoculars as a faint,
fuzzy patch of light. In a telescope look for a large patch of light with a
bright center.
M4
A big bright globular in Scorpius, easily located near Antares. This is an
easy binocular object appearing as a round snowball. Partially resolvable in a
telescope, the trade mark of this globular is a line of bright stars crossing
the center.
M80
This is the smallest and faintest globular cluster this month. Located in
Scopius, M80 is a very tough binocular object appearing as a faint star with
slight fuzziness around the edges. This is confirmed with a telescope, M80 has a
bright central condensation in the middle of faint fuzz. It is one of the
Messier objects that even through a medium telescope still looks like a comet.
From the Tony
Cecce, Corning, NY - Twelve Month Tour of The Messier Catalog
Comets for July 2009
C/2008Q3/Garradd:
~ 8.5 mag - near Corvus, evening (chart)
C/2009 G1 (STEREO)
~8.5 mag moving from Aquarius to Phoenix
C/2006 W3 (
Christensen ): ~9 mag between Pegasus and Cygnus, pre-dawn (chart)
More comet
information at Seiichi
Yoshida's comet website. Also checkout Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pagesSkyhound Comet pages
Historical and Current Events...Did you know?
Mark has developed his own website
so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us
this month!
Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hator write us a
favorable review in iTunes of Podcast Pickle or iPodder!
Music Scottish Guitar
Quartet -"Romance Within You"Black
Lab- "See the Sun" Anne
Farnsworth- "Saturday Morning"
Earth's major motions for 2009
Perihelion
Jan 4 15(UT)
First Cross Quarter Day
Feb 2-6
Equinox
Mar 20 11:44(UT)
Second Cross Quarter Day
May 4-7
Solstice
June 21 05:45(UT)
Aphelion
July 4 02h (UT)
Third Cross Quarter Day
Aug 5-8
Equinox
Sept 22 21:18(UT)
Fourth Cross Quarter Day
Nov 5-8
Solstice
Dec 21 17:47(UT)
Planet Positions for 2009
2009
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Venus
Sgr
Cap
Aqr
Psc
Tau
Gem
Cnc
Vir
Vir
Sco
Sgr
Cap
Mars
Sgr
Cap
Aqr
Psc
Psc
Ari
Tau
Tau
Gem
Cnc
Cnc
Leo
Jupiter
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Saturn
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Vir
Vir
Vir
Vir
Interesting Planet Pairing for 2009
December 31, 2008 - Jupiter and Mercury - After sunset a
little more than one degree apart in Sagittarius. Pull out the binos and
telescopes because Mercury will be a mere 15 arcminutes from the globular
cluster M75. All three will be together in one field of view in most home
binoculars.
January 22nd - Venus and Uranus - After sunset 1.3 degrees
apart a few days later on the 29th they are joined by a waxing crescent moon.
February 23rd - Jupiter, Mars and Mercury - In the early
morning sky just before sunrise the trio are in a space about 2 degrees wide.
Binoculars will be helpful but beware the quickly rising Sun. The Moon, almost
invisible, will be between Mars and the Sun.
March 23rd - Mars, Moon, Neptune, and Jupiter - Makes a nice
line-up in the morning sky with Neptune just off the tip of the waning crescent
moon.
April 21st - Venus, Mars, Uranus, waning crescent Moon, Neptune
and Jupiter - all in the pre-dawn sky together. First the right triangle of
Venus, Mars, and Uranus followed by the waning crescent Moon and then finally by
Neptune and Jupiter. Mars will be a faint 1.41 mag so binoculars will be
helpful. The next day, possible occultation of Venus by the Moon. Check the IOTA
website for occultations in your area.
May 25th - Jupiter and Neptune - Jupiter is less than 1/2
degree South of Neptune in the morning sky. If you have ever had problems
finding Neptune this would be a good time to try, between now and June.
June 19th - Venus and Mars - In the pre-dawn sky just south of
a waning crescent Moon. Closer to the Sun is Mercury and the Pleiades.
August 17th - Saturn and Mercury - Very close to the Sun low
in the evening sky. Much better view for Southern viewers.
September 3rd UT 4:43 - Jupiter hides its Galilean moons. Not
until 2019 will all of Jupiter's Galilean moons orbit in such a way.
September 4th - Saturn - Not exactly a pairing but the Earth
will cross the plane of the rings from south to north making the rings invisible
October 16th - Mercury, Venus, and Saturn - All lined up in
the pre-dawn sky close to the horizon. A faint waning crescent is just south of
the trio.
December 24th - Jupiter and Neptune - Just after sunset
Jupiter and Neptune sit side-by-side just north of delta Capricornus and east of
the "42,44,45 Cap Wall"
Phases of the Moon 2009 (click to enlarge)
Universal Time
NEW MOON FIRST QUARTER FULL MOON LAST QUARTER d h m d h m d h m d h m JAN. 4 11 56 JAN. 11 3 27 JAN. 18 2 46JAN. 26 7 55 FEB. 2 23 13 FEB. 9 14 49 FEB. 16 21 37FEB. 25 1 35 MAR. 4 7 46 MAR. 11 2 38 MAR. 18 17 47 MAR. 26 16 06 APR. 2 14 34 APR. 9 14 56 APR. 17 13 36 APR. 25 3 23 MAY 1 20 44 MAY 9 4 01 MAY 17 7 26MAY 24 12 11 MAY 31 3 22 JUNE 7 18 12 JUNE 15 22 15JUNE 22 19 35 JUNE 29 11 28 JULY 7 9 21 JULY 15 9 53 JULY 22 2 35 JULY 28 22 00 AUG. 6 0 55 AUG. 13 18 55 AUG. 20 10 02 AUG. 27 11 42 SEPT. 4 16 03 SEPT. 12 2 16SEPT. 18 18 44 SEPT. 26 4 50 OCT. 4 6 10 OCT. 11 8 56 OCT. 18 5 33 OCT. 26 0 42 NOV. 2 19 14 NOV. 9 15 56 NOV. 16 19 14 NOV. 24 21 39 DEC. 2 7 30 DEC. 9 0 13 DEC. 16 12 02 DEC. 24 17 36 DEC. 31 19 13
Eclipses for 2009
2009 January
26[ Solar: Annular ]
2009 February
09[ Lunar: Penumbral ]
2009 July
07[ Lunar: Penumbral ]
2009 July
21-22[ Solar: Total ]
2009 August
05-06[ Lunar: Penumbral ]
2009 December
31[ Lunar: Penumbral
]
January 26 - Annular Solar Eclipse ( see map,
times, and animation!): The first
solar eclipse of 2009 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in western
Capricornus. An annular eclipse will be visible from a wide track that traverses
the Indian Ocean and western Indonesia. A partial eclipse will be seen within
the much larger path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes the southern
third of Africa, Madagascar, Australia except Tasmania, southeast India,
Southeast Asia and Indonesia.
February 09 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times): The first lunar eclipse of 2009 is one of four such events during
the year. The first three eclipses are penumbral while the last (on Dec. 31) is
partial. The Feb 09 event is the deepest penumbral eclipse of the year with a
penumbral magnitude of 0.899. It will be easily visible to the naked eye as a
dusky shading in the northern half of the Moon. The times of the major phases
are listed below.
July 07 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times.): July's penumbral eclipse is only of academic interest since the
magnitude is just 0.156. Although the Moon will be above the horizon from most
of Canada, the eclipse is so minor as to be completely invisible to the naked
eye.
July 21-22 - Total Solar Eclipse ( see map,
times, and animation!): To make up
for the anemic lunar eclipse earlier in the month, a major total eclipse of the
Sun occurs two weeks later. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow extends across
India, China, a handful of Japanese islands and the South Pacific Ocean (Espenak
and Anderson, 2008). A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of
the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and
the Pacific Ocean.
August 05-06 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times): A shallow penumbral eclipse occurs 15 days after the total solar
eclipse. Since its magnitude is only 0.402, it will not be visible to the naked
eye.
December 31 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times): The last eclipse of 2009 occurs on New Year's Eve. This minor
partial lunar eclipse takes place in Gemini, and is visible primarily from the
Eastern Hemisphere (Figure 8). Greatest eclipse takes place at 19:23 UT when the
eclipse magnitude will reach 0.0763.
Eclipse information from: NASA Eclipse
Homepage, Eclipses
Online (HM Nautical Almanac Office, UK in coordination with the U.S. Naval Observatory)
2009 Meteor Shower Calendar
Shower
Activity Period
Maximum
Radiant
Velocity
r
ZHR
Class
Moon
Date
S. L.
R.A.
Dec.
km/s
Antihelion Source (ANT)
Dec 14-Sep 07
-
-
-
-
30
3.0
3
II
-
Quadrantids (QUA)
Dec 26-Jan 13
Jan 03
283Â16
15:20
+49Â
42
2.1
120
I
6
Alpha Centaurids (ACE)
Jan 28-Feb 21
Feb 07
319Â2
14:00
-59Â
56
2.0
5
II
12
Delta Leonids (DLE)
Feb 15-Mar 10
Feb 25
336Â
11:12
+16Â
23
3.0
2
II
0
Gamma Normids (GNO)
Feb 25-Mar 22
Mar 13
353Â
16:36
-51Â
56
2.4
4
II
16
Lyrids (LYR)
Apr 16-Apr 27
Apr 23
033Â
18:12
+33Â
46
2.1
18
I
27
Pi Puppids (PPU)
Apr 15-Apr 28
Apr 23
033Â5
07:20
-45Â
18
2.0
var
III
27
Eta Aquarids (ETA)
Apr 27-May 23
May 07
047Â
22:36
-01Â
68
2.4
60
I
12
Eta Lyrids (ELY)
May 06-May 14
May 10
050Â
19:22
+43Â
43
3.0
3
II
15
June Bootids (JBO)
Jun 22-Jul 02
Jun 27
095Â7
14:56
+48Â
18
2.2
var
III
5
Piscis Austrinids (PAU)
Jul 15-Aug 10
Jul 28
125Â
22:44
-30Â
35
3.2
5
II
7
Alpha Capricornids (CAP)
Jul 12-Aug 08
Jul 28
125Â
20:20
-10Â
24
2.5
4
II
7
Delta Aquarids (SDA)
monthly
skymap provider. Download either the Northern hemisphere, Equatorial, or
Southern Hemisphere sky map so you can follow along with our viewing
sessions.Creator: Kym Thalassoudis
Southern Hemisphere Additional InformationAs Astronomy a Go Go! finds
its home in the higher Northern latitudes those of you who live south of the
equator will benefit from these two Southern Hemisphere sites: Royal
Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site (absolutely
outstanding) and Southern Sky Watch.
Planets for July 2009
July Morning Planets(click images to enlarge)
Beginning of the month
Pre-dawn, July 18th
Mercury-in superior conjunction on the 14th. If you are on the path
of the Total Solar Eclipse then look for Mercury 9 degrees NE of the Sun. At the
end of the month, Southern viewers can catch Mercury in the early evening. -0.9
mag (1st) to -1.3 mag (21st)
Venus- still fantastic in the morning pre-dawn sky. Since Venus is
moving towards the North, as the Sun heads South, her placement it spectacular
for N. Hemisphere viewers. On the 14th she will be just 3 degrees from Aldebaran
and the Hyades -4.0 mag (1st) to -3.9 mag (21st)
Mars- moves into Taurus on the 2nd. Mars, Venus, the waning crescent
Moon, and the Hyades make a lovely cluster on the 18th. Compare Mars, and its
color, to that of Aldebaran. 1.1 (1st) to 1.1 mag (21st)
Jupiter- will be ~ .5 degree from Neptune on the 13th! Jupiter will
be at opposition on August 14th. -2.7 mag (1st) to -2.7 mag (21st)
Saturn- strangely faint low in the west after sunset! The combination
of the rings near edge on and the receding gas giant decrease the apparent
magnitude. 1.0 mag (1st) to 1.0 mag (21st)
Uranus- In Aquarius 5.9 mag (1st) to 5.9 mag (21st)
Neptune- In Capricorn 8.0 mag (1st) to 7.9 mag (21st)
Ceresand Eta - Finder chart
from the New Zealand RAS (RASNZ) great charts! Northern Hemisphere observers
this time you get to flip the chart or stand on your head! Vesta chart
temporarily missing...use this
one until site is corrected
Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus Mid-month
Key Dates for July 2009
Days and Times in UT: (help with
time)Observations are for 10 pm for Northern Hemisphere and 8pm for the
Southern Hemisphere. Today's sunrise
and sunset times or plan ahead using the US Naval Observatory
Website
Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website!
Astronomical Highlights - July 2009
3
- Venus 7 deg S of the Pleiades
4
- Earth at Aphelion (farthest from the Sun)(2:00 UT) Sun-Earth distance
1.01668 AU or 152.1 million km
- Antares 0.5 deg S of Moon, check the IOTA website for
occultations information for your area.
- Beginning of intense International Space Station fly-by for N.America see
Science@NASA
and Heavens Above for more information
and flyby times in your area.
6
- One month away from the beginning of the Epsilon Aurigae eclipse...see
more below
7
- Full Moon (smallest in 2009) Penumbral Lunar eclipse (see links, below, in
the annual section) The Moon just kisses the penumbral shadow, not a good naked
eye candidate.
- Moon at apogee (406232)
10
- Mars 5 deg S of Pleiades, Jupiter 4 deg S of the Moon
13
- Jupiter 0.6 deg S of Neptune
15
- Last Quarter Moon
16-19
- Astronomy a Go Go! at the TAS Summer Star Party!
21
- Moon at perigee (357463 km) Total Solar Eclipse (July 21-22)(see links,
below, in the annual section) Large tides
22
- New Moon (2:35 UT)
24
- Astronomy A Go Go! and TAS at the Mt. Rainier Star Party! Paradise Visitor
Center (Friday Night Only)
28
- First Quarter (22:00 UT)
29
- Peak of the S. delta Aquarid meteor shower
31
- Antares 0.5 deg S of Moon, check the IOTA website for
occultations information for your area.
Date information courtesy of: RASC Observer's Handbook, Skymaps.com,
Astronomical Calendar 2009, CalSky, Skymaps.com. sunrise and sunset times
for your home*Comparative lengths of
day and night
Great Amateur Activity
For those in the high Northern Hemisphere, Capella, the "she goat" in
Aurigae, is circumpolar. At my 47 deg North, Capella disappears behind the
treeline, and into the light polluted horizon, but she pops up in a few hours
and is easy to find. Also easy to find are "The Kids" the small, long, triangle
of stars just to the Southwest of Capella. However, this summer one of those
kids, Epsilon Aurigae, usually the brightest of the trio, will drop in
brightness....for about two years. Epsilon Aurigae, or Almaaz, is an eclipsing
binary and beginning in Aug it will be eclipsed by its invisible companion for
714 days! Brightest of the three "Kids" Epsilon Aurigae will dim from 3.0 mag to
about half of its brightness, a little trick it performs every 27.1 years.
Epsilon Aurigae has some definite quirks and more eyes are needed to help
scientist figure out what Epsilon Aurigae's invisible partner really is! To find
out more visit:
AAVSO page on
Epsilon Aurigae
The Citizen Sky Project
Monthly Messier*Not as many
objects as wait for the summer Milkyway to rise into better view later this
summer, but much of what there is to see can be accomplished with binoculars.
(This is, in fact, my favorite time of the year for bino viewing.) Our quarry
will consist of six globular clusters and one very bright galaxy. Small scope
and bino heaven.
M3
This globular cluster in Canes Venatici is one of the brightest objects in
the sky. In binoculars this object is definitely not star like, but more of a
bright, small snowball easy to see. Small telescopes will begin to resolve M3
into individual stars. The hardest part of this object is locating it in a
portion of sky that contains few bright landmarks.
M53
Another globular cluster in Canes Venatici. While not quite as big or bright
as M3 it is still an obvious binocular object. Resolvable in small telescopes,
it as easy object to find sharing the same low power telescope field as fifth
magnitude Alpha Coma Berenices.
M5
A big, bright globular cluster located in Serpens Caput. M5 is as nice as M3
but lies near a fifth magnitude naked eye star (5 Serpentis) making it an easy
object to find.
M68
An eighth magnitude globular cluster in Hydra, M68 is a difficult binocular
object for Northern observers. It appears as a faint fuzz spot in binoculars,
you may need to use averted vision or large binoculars to find this one.
Appearing as a round fuzzy patch in a 8" telescope, you will need a much larger
aperature to really resolve it.
M83
A face on spiral in Hydra. M83 is fairly easy in binoculars as a faint,
fuzzy patch of light. In a telescope look for a large patch of light with a
bright center.
M4
A big bright globular in Scorpius, easily located near Antares. This is an
easy binocular object appearing as a round snowball. Partially resolvable in a
telescope, the trade mark of this globular is a line of bright stars crossing
the center.
M80
This is the smallest and faintest globular cluster this month. Located in
Scopius, M80 is a very tough binocular object appearing as a faint star with
slight fuzziness around the edges. This is confirmed with a telescope, M80 has a
bright central condensation in the middle of faint fuzz. It is one of the
Messier objects that even through a medium telescope still looks like a comet.
From the Tony
Cecce, Corning, NY - Twelve Month Tour of The Messier Catalog
Comets for July 2009
C/2008Q3/Garradd:
~ 8.5 mag - near Corvus, evening (chart)
C/2009 G1 (STEREO)
~8.5 mag moving from Aquarius to Phoenix
C/2006 W3 (
Christensen ): ~9 mag between Pegasus and Cygnus, pre-dawn (chart)
More comet
information at Seiichi
Yoshida's comet website. Also checkout Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pagesSkyhound Comet pages
Historical and Current Events...Did you know?
Mark has developed his own website
so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us
this month!
Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hator write us a
favorable review in iTunes of Podcast Pickle or iPodder!
Music Scottish Guitar
Quartet -"Romance Within You"Black
Lab- "See the Sun" Anne
Farnsworth- "Saturday Morning"
Earth's major motions for 2009
Perihelion
Jan 4 15(UT)
First Cross Quarter Day
Feb 2-6
Equinox
Mar 20 11:44(UT)
Second Cross Quarter Day
May 4-7
Solstice
June 21 05:45(UT)
Aphelion
July 4 02h (UT)
Third Cross Quarter Day
Aug 5-8
Equinox
Sept 22 21:18(UT)
Fourth Cross Quarter Day
Nov 5-8
Solstice
Dec 21 17:47(UT)
Planet Positions for 2009
2009
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Venus
Sgr
Cap
Aqr
Psc
Tau
Gem
Cnc
Vir
Vir
Sco
Sgr
Cap
Mars
Sgr
Cap
Aqr
Psc
Psc
Ari
Tau
Tau
Gem
Cnc
Cnc
Leo
Jupiter
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Saturn
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
w.rasnz.org.nz/SolarSys/May_09.htm">RASNZ site (absolutely
outstanding) and Southern Sky Watch.
Planets for July 2009
July Morning Planets(click images to enlarge)
Beginning of the month
Pre-dawn, July 18th
Mercury-in superior conjunction on the 14th. If you are on the path
of the Total Solar Eclipse then look for Mercury 9 degrees NE of the Sun. At the
end of the month, Southern viewers can catch Mercury in the early evening. -0.9
mag (1st) to -1.3 mag (21st)
Venus- still fantastic in the morning pre-dawn sky. Since Venus is
moving towards the North, as the Sun heads South, her placement it spectacular
for N. Hemisphere viewers. On the 14th she will be just 3 degrees from Aldebaran
and the Hyades -4.0 mag (1st) to -3.9 mag (21st)
Mars- moves into Taurus on the 2nd. Mars, Venus, the waning crescent
Moon, and the Hyades make a lovely cluster on the 18th. Compare Mars, and its
color, to that of Aldebaran. 1.1 (1st) to 1.1 mag (21st)
Jupiter- will be ~ .5 degree from Neptune on the 13th! Jupiter will
be at opposition on August 14th. -2.7 mag (1st) to -2.7 mag (21st)
Saturn- strangely faint low in the west after sunset! The combination
of the rings near edge on and the receding gas giant decrease the apparent
magnitude. 1.0 mag (1st) to 1.0 mag (21st)
Uranus- In Aquarius 5.9 mag (1st) to 5.9 mag (21st)
Neptune- In Capricorn 8.0 mag (1st) to 7.9 mag (21st)
Ceresand Eta - Finder chart
from the New Zealand RAS (RASNZ) great charts! Northern Hemisphere observers
this time you get to flip the chart or stand on your head! Vesta chart
temporarily missing...use this
one until site is corrected
Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus Mid-month
Key Dates for July 2009
Days and Times in UT: (help with
time)Observations are for 10 pm for Northern Hemisphere and 8pm for the
Southern Hemisphere. Today's sunrise
and sunset times or plan ahead using the US Naval Observatory
Website
Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website!
Astronomical Highlights - July 2009
3
- Venus 7 deg S of the Pleiades
4
- Earth at Aphelion (farthest from the Sun)(2:00 UT) Sun-Earth distance
1.01668 AU or 152.1 million km
- Antares 0.5 deg S of Moon, check the IOTA website for
occultations information for your area.
- Beginning of intense International Space Station fly-by for N.America see
Science@NASA
and Heavens Above for more information
and flyby times in your area.
6
- One month away from the beginning of the Epsilon Aurigae eclipse...see
more below
7
- Full Moon (smallest in 2009) Penumbral Lunar eclipse (see links, below, in
the annual section) The Moon just kisses the penumbral shadow, not a good naked
eye candidate.
- Moon at apogee (406232)
10
- Mars 5 deg S of Pleiades, Jupiter 4 deg S of the Moon
13
- Jupiter 0.6 deg S of Neptune
15
- Last Quarter Moon
16-19
- Astronomy a Go Go! at the TAS Summer Star Party!
21
- Moon at perigee (357463 km) Total Solar Eclipse (July 21-22)(see links,
below, in the annual section) Large tides
22
- New Moon (2:35 UT)
24
- Astronomy A Go Go! and TAS at the Mt. Rainier Star Party! Paradise Visitor
Center (Friday Night Only)
28
- First Quarter (22:00 UT)
29
- Peak of the S. delta Aquarid meteor shower
31
- Antares 0.5 deg S of Moon, check the IOTA website for
occultations information for your area.
Date information courtesy of: RASC Observer's Handbook, Skymaps.com,
Astronomical Calendar 2009, CalSky, Skymaps.com. sunrise and sunset times
for your home*Comparative lengths of
day and night
Great Amateur Activity
For those in the high Northern Hemisphere, Capella, the "she goat" in
Aurigae, is circumpolar. At my 47 deg North, Capella disappears behind the
treeline, and into the light polluted horizon, but she pops up in a few hours
and is easy to find. Also easy to find are "The Kids" the small, long, triangle
of stars just to the Southwest of Capella. However, this summer one of those
kids, Epsilon Aurigae, usually the brightest of the trio, will drop in
brightness....for about two years. Epsilon Aurigae, or Almaaz, is an eclipsing
binary and beginning in Aug it will be eclipsed by its invisible companion for
714 days! Brightest of the three "Kids" Epsilon Aurigae will dim from 3.0 mag to
about half of its brightness, a little trick it performs every 27.1 years.
Epsilon Aurigae has some definite quirks and more eyes are needed to help
scientist figure out what Epsilon Aurigae's invisible partner really is! To find
out more visit:
AAVSO page on
Epsilon Aurigae
The Citizen Sky Project
Monthly Messier*Not as many
objects as wait for the summer Milkyway to rise into better view later this
summer, but much of what there is to see can be accomplished with binoculars.
(This is, in fact, my favorite time of the year for bino viewing.) Our quarry
will consist of six globular clusters and one very bright galaxy. Small scope
and bino heaven.
M3
This globular cluster in Canes Venatici is one of the brightest objects in
the sky. In binoculars this object is definitely not star like, but more of a
bright, small snowball easy to see. Small telescopes will begin to resolve M3
into individual stars. The hardest part of this object is locating it in a
portion of sky that contains few bright landmarks.
M53
Another globular cluster in Canes Venatici. While not quite as big or bright
as M3 it is still an obvious binocular object. Resolvable in small telescopes,
it as easy object to find sharing the same low power telescope field as fifth
magnitude Alpha Coma Berenices.
M5
A big, bright globular cluster located in Serpens Caput. M5 is as nice as M3
but lies near a fifth magnitude naked eye star (5 Serpentis) making it an easy
object to find.
M68
An eighth magnitude globular cluster in Hydra, M68 is a difficult binocular
object for Northern observers. It appears as a faint fuzz spot in binoculars,
you may need to use averted vision or large binoculars to find this one.
Appearing as a round fuzzy patch in a 8" telescope, you will need a much larger
aperature to really resolve it.
M83
A face on spiral in Hydra. M83 is fairly easy in binoculars as a faint,
fuzzy patch of light. In a telescope look for a large patch of light with a
bright center.
M4
A big bright globular in Scorpius, easily located near Antares. This is an
easy binocular object appearing as a round snowball. Partially resolvable in a
telescope, the trade mark of this globular is a line of bright stars crossing
the center.
M80
This is the smallest and faintest globular cluster this month. Located in
Scopius, M80 is a very tough binocular object appearing as a faint star with
slight fuzziness around the edges. This is confirmed with a telescope, M80 has a
bright central condensation in the middle of faint fuzz. It is one of the
Messier objects that even through a medium telescope still looks like a comet.
From the Tony
Cecce, Corning, NY - Twelve Month Tour of The Messier Catalog
Comets for July 2009
C/2008Q3/Garradd:
~ 8.5 mag - near Corvus, evening (chart)
C/2009 G1 (STEREO)
~8.5 mag moving from Aquarius to Phoenix
C/2006 W3 (
Christensen ): ~9 mag between Pegasus and Cygnus, pre-dawn (chart)
More comet
information at Seiichi
Yoshida's comet website. Also checkout Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pagesSkyhound Comet pages
Historical and Current Events...Did you know?
Mark has developed his own website
so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us
this month!
Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hator write us a
favorable review in iTunes of Podcast Pickle or iPodder!
Music Scottish Guitar
Quartet -"Romance Within You"Black
Lab- "See the Sun" Anne
Farnsworth- "Saturday Morning"
Earth's major motions for 2009
Perihelion
Jan 4 15(UT)
First Cross Quarter Day
Feb 2-6
Equinox
Mar 20 11:44(UT)
Second Cross Quarter Day
May 4-7
Solstice
June 21 05:45(UT)
Aphelion
July 4 02h (UT)
Third Cross Quarter Day
Aug 5-8
Equinox
Sept 22 21:18(UT)
Fourth Cross Quarter Day
Nov 5-8
Solstice
Dec 21 17:47(UT)
Planet Positions for 2009
2009
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Venus
Sgr
Cap
Aqr
Psc
Tau
Gem
Cnc
Vir
Vir
Sco
Sgr
Cap
Mars
Sgr
Cap
Aqr
Psc
Psc
Ari
Tau
Tau
Gem
Cnc
Cnc
Leo
Jupiter
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Saturn
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Vir
Vir
Vir
Vir
Interesting Planet Pairing for 2009
December 31, 2008 - Jupiter and Mercury - After sunset a
little more than one degree apart in Sagittarius. Pull out the binos and
telescopes because Mercury will be a mere 15 arcminutes from the globular
cluster M75. All three will be together in one field of view in most home
binoculars.
January 22nd - Venus and Uranus - After sunset 1.3 degrees
apart a few days later on the 29th they are joined by a waxing crescent moon.
February 23rd - Jupiter, Mars and Mercury - In the early
morning sky just before sunrise the trio are in a space about 2 degrees wide.
Binoculars will be helpful but beware the quickly rising Sun. The Moon, almost
invisible, will be between Mars and the Sun.
March 23rd - Mars, Moon, Neptune, and Jupiter - Makes a nice
line-up in the morning sky with Neptune just off the tip of the waning crescent
moon.
April 21st - Venus, Mars, Uranus, waning crescent Moon, Neptune
and Jupiter - all in the pre-dawn sky together. First the right triangle of
Venus, Mars, and Uranus followed by the waning crescent Moon and then finally by
Neptune and Jupiter. Mars will be a faint 1.41 mag so binoculars will be
helpful. The next day, possible occultation of Venus by the Moon. Check the IOTA
website for occultations in your area.
May 25th - Jupiter and Neptune - Jupiter is less than 1/2
degree South of Neptune in the morning sky. If you have ever had problems
finding Neptune this would be a good time to try, between now and June.
June 19th - Venus and Mars - In the pre-dawn sky just south of
a waning crescent Moon. Closer to the Sun is Mercury and the Pleiades.
August 17th - Saturn and Mercury - Very close to the Sun low
in the evening sky. Much better view for Southern viewers.
September 3rd UT 4:43 - Jupiter hides its Galilean moons. Not
until 2019 will all of Jupiter's Galilean moons orbit in such a way.
September 4th - Saturn - Not exactly a pairing but the Earth
will cross the plane of the rings from south to north making the rings invisible
October 16th - Mercury, Venus, and Saturn - All lined up in
the pre-dawn sky close to the horizon. A faint waning crescent is just south of
the trio.
December 24th - Jupiter and Neptune - Just after sunset
Jupiter and Neptune sit side-by-side just north of delta Capricornus and east of
the "42,44,45 Cap Wall"
Phases of the Moon 2009 (click to enlarge)
Universal Time
NEW MOON FIRST QUARTER FULL MOON LAST QUARTER d h m d h m d h m d h m JAN. 4 11 56 JAN. 11 3 27 JAN. 18 2 46JAN. 26 7 55 FEB. 2 23 13 FEB. 9 14 49 FEB. 16 21 37FEB. 25 1 35 MAR. 4 7 46 MAR. 11 2 38 MAR. 18 17 47 MAR. 26 16 06 APR. 2 14 34 APR. 9 14 56 APR. 17 13 36 APR. 25 3 23 MAY 1 20 44 MAY 9 4 01 MAY 17 7 26MAY 24 12 11 MAY 31 3 22 JUNE 7 18 12 JUNE 15 22 15JUNE 22 19 35 JUNE 29 11 28 JULY 7 9 21 JULY 15 9 53 JULY 22 2 35 JULY 28 22 00 AUG. 6 0 55 AUG. 13 18 55 AUG. 20 10 02 AUG. 27 11 42 SEPT. 4 16 03 SEPT. 12 2 16SEPT. 18 18 44 SEPT. 26 4 50 OCT. 4 6 10 OCT. 11 8 56 OCT. 18 5 33 OCT. 26 0 42 NOV. 2 19 14 NOV. 9 15 56 NOV. 16 19 14 NOV. 24 21 39 DEC. 2 7 30 DEC. 9 0 13 DEC. 16 12 02 DEC. 24 17 36 DEC. 31 19 13
Eclipses for 2009
2009 January
26[ Solar: Annular ]
2009 February
09[ Lunar: Penumbral ]
2009 July
07[ Lunar: Penumbral ]
2009 July
21-22[ Solar: Total ]
2009 August
05-06[ Lunar: Penumbral ]
2009 December
31[ Lunar: Penumbral
]
January 26 - Annular Solar Eclipse ( see map,
times, and animation!): The first
solar eclipse of 2009 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in western
Capricornus. An annular eclipse will be visible from a wide track that traverses
the Indian Ocean and western Indonesia. A partial eclipse will be seen within
the much larger path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes the southern
third of Africa, Madagascar, Australia except Tasmania, southeast India,
Southeast Asia and Indonesia.
February 09 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times): The first lunar eclipse of 2009 is one of four such events during
the year. The first three eclipses are penumbral while the last (on Dec. 31) is
partial. The Feb 09 event is the deepest penumbral eclipse of the year with a
penumbral magnitude of 0.899. It will be easily visible to the naked eye as a
dusky shading in the northern half of the Moon. The times of the major phases
are listed below.
July 07 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times.): July's penumbral eclipse is only of academic interest since the
magnitude is just 0.156. Although the Moon will be above the horizon from most
of Canada, the eclipse is so minor as to be completely invisible to the naked
eye.
July 21-22 - Total Solar Eclipse ( see map,
times, and animation!): To make up
for the anemic lunar eclipse earlier in the month, a major total eclipse of the
Sun occurs two weeks later. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow extends across
India, China, a handful of Japanese islands and the South Pacific Ocean (Espenak
and Anderson, 2008). A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of
the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and
the Pacific Ocean.
August 05-06 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times): A shallow penumbral eclipse occurs 15 days after the total solar
eclipse. Since its magnitude is only 0.402, it will not be visible to the naked
eye.
December 31 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times): The last eclipse of 2009 occurs on New Year's Eve. This minor
partial lunar eclipse takes place in Gemini, and is visible primarily from the
Eastern Hemisphere (Figure 8). Greatest eclipse takes place at 19:23 UT when the
eclipse magnitude will reach 0.0763.
Eclipse information from: NASA Eclipse
Homepage, Eclipses
Online (HM Nautical Almanac Office, UK in coordination with the U.S. Naval Observatory)
2009 Meteor Shower Calendar
Shower
Activity Period
Maximum
Radiant
Velocity
r
ZHR
Class
Moon
Date
S. L.
R.A.
Dec.
km/s
Antihelion Source (ANT)
Dec 14-Sep 07
-
-
-
-
30
3.0
3
II
-
Quadrantids (QUA)
Dec 26-Jan 13
Jan 03
283Â16
15:20
+49Â
42
2.1
120
I
6
Alpha Centaurids (ACE)
Jan 28-Feb 21
Feb 07
319Â2
14:00
-59Â
56
2.0
5
II
12
Delta Leonids (DLE)
Feb 15-Mar 10
Feb 25
336Â
11:12
+16Â
23
3.0
2
II
0
Gamma Normids (GNO)
Feb 25-Mar 22
Mar 13
353Â
16:36
-51Â
56
2.4
4
II
16
Lyrids (LYR)
Apr 16-Apr 27
Apr 23
033Â
18:12
+33Â
46
2.1
18
I
27
Pi Puppids (PPU)
Apr 15-Apr 28
Apr 23
033Â5
07:20
-45Â
18
2.0
var
III
27
Eta Aquarids (ETA)
Apr 27-May 23
May 07
047Â
22:36
-01Â
68
2.4
60
I
12
Eta Lyrids (ELY)
May 06-May 14
May 10
050Â
19:22
+43Â
43
3.0
3
II
15
June Bootids (JBO)
Jun 22-Jul 02
Jun 27
095Â7
14:56
+48Â
18
2.2
var
III
5
Piscis Austrinids (PAU)
Jul 15-Aug 10
Jul 28
125Â
22:44
-30Â
35
3.2
5
II
7
Alpha Capricornids (CAP)
Jul 12-Aug 08
Jul 28
125Â
20:20
-10Â
24
2.5
4
II
7
Delta Aquarids (SDA)
monthly
skymap provider. Download either the Northern hemisphere, Equatorial, or
Southern Hemisphere sky map so you can follow along with our viewing
sessions.Creator: Kym Thalassoudis
Southern Hemisphere Additional InformationAs Astronomy a Go Go! finds
its home in the higher Northern latitudes those of you who live south of the
equator will benefit from these two Southern Hemisphere sites: Royal
Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site (absolutely
outstanding) and Southern Sky Watch.
Planets for July 2009
July Morning Planets(click images to enlarge)
Beginning of the month
Pre-dawn, July 18th
Mercury-in superior conjunction on the 14th. If you are on the path
of the Total Solar Eclipse then look for Mercury 9 degrees NE of the Sun. At the
end of the month, Southern viewers can catch Mercury in the early evening. -0.9
mag (1st) to -1.3 mag (21st)
Venus- still fantastic in the morning pre-dawn sky. Since Venus is
moving towards the North, as the Sun heads South, her placement it spectacular
for N. Hemisphere viewers. On the 14th she will be just 3 degrees from Aldebaran
and the Hyades -4.0 mag (1st) to -3.9 mag (21st)
Mars- moves into Taurus on the 2nd. Mars, Venus, the waning crescent
Moon, and the Hyades make a lovely cluster on the 18th. Compare Mars, and its
color, to that of Aldebaran. 1.1 (1st) to 1.1 mag (21st)
Jupiter- will be ~ .5 degree from Neptune on the 13th! Jupiter will
be at opposition on August 14th. -2.7 mag (1st) to -2.7 mag (21st)
Saturn- strangely faint low in the west after sunset! The combination
of the rings near edge on and the receding gas giant decrease the apparent
magnitude. 1.0 mag (1st) to 1.0 mag (21st)
Uranus- In Aquarius 5.9 mag (1st) to 5.9 mag (21st)
Neptune- In Capricorn 8.0 mag (1st) to 7.9 mag (21st)
Ceresand Eta - Finder chart
from the New Zealand RAS (RASNZ) great charts! Northern Hemisphere observers
this time you get to flip the chart or stand on your head! Vesta chart
temporarily missing...use this
one until site is corrected
Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus Mid-month
Key Dates for July 2009
Days and Times in UT: (help with
time)Observations are for 10 pm for Northern Hemisphere and 8pm for the
Southern Hemisphere. Today's sunrise
and sunset times or plan ahead using the US Naval Observatory
Website
Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website!
Astronomical Highlights - July 2009
3
- Venus 7 deg S of the Pleiades
4
- Earth at Aphelion (farthest from the Sun)(2:00 UT) Sun-Earth distance
1.01668 AU or 152.1 million km
- Antares 0.5 deg S of Moon, check the IOTA website for
occultations information for your area.
- Beginning of intense International Space Station fly-by for N.America see
Science@NASA
and Heavens Above for more information
and flyby times in your area.
6
- One month away from the beginning of the Epsilon Aurigae eclipse...see
more below
7
- Full Moon (smallest in 2009) Penumbral Lunar eclipse (see links, below, in
the annual section) The Moon just kisses the penumbral shadow, not a good naked
eye candidate.
- Moon at apogee (406232)
10
- Mars 5 deg S of Pleiades, Jupiter 4 deg S of the Moon
13
- Jupiter 0.6 deg S of Neptune
15
- Last Quarter Moon
16-19
- Astronomy a Go Go! at the TAS Summer Star Party!
21
- Moon at perigee (357463 km) Total Solar Eclipse (July 21-22)(see links,
below, in the annual section) Large tides
22
- New Moon (2:35 UT)
24
- Astronomy A Go Go! and TAS at the Mt. Rainier Star Party! Paradise Visitor
Center (Friday Night Only)
28
- First Quarter (22:00 UT)
29
- Peak of the S. delta Aquarid meteor shower
31
- Antares 0.5 deg S of Moon, check the IOTA website for
occultations information for your area.
Date information courtesy of: RASC Observer's Handbook, Skymaps.com,
Astronomical Calendar 2009, CalSky, Skymaps.com. sunrise and sunset times
for your home*Comparative lengths of
day and night
Great Amateur Activity
For those in the high Northern Hemisphere, Capella, the "she goat" in
Aurigae, is circumpolar. At my 47 deg North, Capella disappears behind the
treeline, and into the light polluted horizon, but she pops up in a few hours
and is easy to find. Also easy to find are "The Kids" the small, long, triangle
of stars just to the Southwest of Capella. However, this summer one of those
kids, Epsilon Aurigae, usually the brightest of the trio, will drop in
brightness....for about two years. Epsilon Aurigae, or Almaaz, is an eclipsing
binary and beginning in Aug it will be eclipsed by its invisible companion for
714 days! Brightest of the three "Kids" Epsilon Aurigae will dim from 3.0 mag to
about half of its brightness, a little trick it performs every 27.1 years.
Epsilon Aurigae has some definite quirks and more eyes are needed to help
scientist figure out what Epsilon Aurigae's invisible partner really is! To find
out more visit:
AAVSO page on
Epsilon Aurigae
The Citizen Sky Project
Monthly Messier*Not as many
objects as wait for the summer Milkyway to rise into better view later this
summer, but much of what there is to see can be accomplished with binoculars.
(This is, in fact, my favorite time of the year for bino viewing.) Our quarry
will consist of six globular clusters and one very bright galaxy. Small scope
and bino heaven.
M3
This globular cluster in Canes Venatici is one of the brightest objects in
the sky. In binoculars this object is definitely not star like, but more of a
bright, small snowball easy to see. Small telescopes will begin to resolve M3
into individual stars. The hardest part of this object is locating it in a
portion of sky that contains few bright landmarks.
M53
Another globular cluster in Canes Venatici. While not quite as big or bright
as M3 it is still an obvious binocular object. Resolvable in small telescopes,
it as easy object to find sharing the same low power telescope field as fifth
magnitude Alpha Coma Berenices.
M5
A big, bright globular cluster located in Serpens Caput. M5 is as nice as M3
but lies near a fifth magnitude naked eye star (5 Serpentis) making it an easy
object to find.
M68
An eighth magnitude globular cluster in Hydra, M68 is a difficult binocular
object for Northern observers. It appears as a faint fuzz spot in binoculars,
you may need to use averted vision or large binoculars to find this one.
Appearing as a round fuzzy patch in a 8" telescope, you will need a much larger
aperature to really resolve it.
M83
A face on spiral in Hydra. M83 is fairly easy in binoculars as a faint,
fuzzy patch of light. In a telescope look for a large patch of light with a
bright center.
M4
A big bright globular in Scorpius, easily located near Antares. This is an
easy binocular object appearing as a round snowball. Partially resolvable in a
telescope, the trade mark of this globular is a line of bright stars crossing
the center.
M80
This is the smallest and faintest globular cluster this month. Located in
Scopius, M80 is a very tough binocular object appearing as a faint star with
slight fuzziness around the edges. This is confirmed with a telescope, M80 has a
bright central condensation in the middle of faint fuzz. It is one of the
Messier objects that even through a medium telescope still looks like a comet.
From the Tony
Cecce, Corning, NY - Twelve Month Tour of The Messier Catalog
Comets for July 2009
C/2008Q3/Garradd:
~ 8.5 mag - near Corvus, evening (chart)
C/2009 G1 (STEREO)
~8.5 mag moving from Aquarius to Phoenix
C/2006 W3 (
Christensen ): ~9 mag between Pegasus and Cygnus, pre-dawn (chart)
More comet
information at Seiichi
Yoshida's comet website. Also checkout Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pagesSkyhound Comet pages
Historical and Current Events...Did you know?
Mark has developed his own website
so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us
this month!
Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hator write us a
favorable review in iTunes of Podcast Pickle or iPodder!
Music Scottish Guitar
Quartet -"Romance Within You"Black
Lab- "See the Sun" Anne
Farnsworth- "Saturday Morning"
Earth's major motions for 2009
Perihelion
Jan 4 15(UT)
First Cross Quarter Day
Feb 2-6
Equinox
Mar 20 11:44(UT)
Second Cross Quarter Day
May 4-7
Solstice
June 21 05:45(UT)
Aphelion
July 4 02h (UT)
Third Cross Quarter Day
Aug 5-8
Equinox
Sept 22 21:18(UT)
Fourth Cross Quarter Day
Nov 5-8
Solstice
Dec 21 17:47(UT)
Planet Positions for 2009
2009
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Venus
Sgr
Cap
Aqr
Psc
Tau
Gem
Cnc
Vir
Vir
Sco
Sgr
Cap
Mars
Sgr
Cap
Aqr
Psc
Psc
Ari
Tau
Tau
Gem
Cnc
Cnc
Leo
Jupiter
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Cap
Saturn
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Leo
Vir
Vir
Vir
Vir
Interesting Planet Pairing for 2009
December 31, 2008 - Jupiter and Mercury - After sunset a
little more than one degree apart in Sagittarius. Pull out the binos and
telescopes because Mercury will be a mere 15 arcminutes from the globular
cluster M75. All three will be together in one field of view in most home
binoculars.
January 22nd - Venus and Uranus - After sunset 1.3 degrees
apart a few days later on the 29th they are joined by a waxing crescent moon.
February 23rd - Jupiter, Mars and Mercury - In the early
morning sky just before sunrise the trio are in a space about 2 degrees wide.
Binoculars will be helpful but beware the quickly rising Sun. The Moon, almost
invisible, will be between Mars and the Sun.
March 23rd - Mars, Moon, Neptune, and Jupiter - Makes a nice
line-up in the morning sky with Neptune just off the tip of the waning crescent
moon.
April 21st - Venus, Mars, Uranus, waning crescent Moon, Neptune
and Jupiter - all in the pre-dawn sky together. First the right triangle of
Venus, Mars, and Uranus followed by the waning crescent Moon and then finally by
Neptune and Jupiter. Mars will be a faint 1.41 mag so binoculars will be
helpful. The next day, possible occultation of Venus by the Moon. Check the IOTA
website for occultations in your area.
May 25th - Jupiter and Neptune - Jupiter is less than 1/2
degree South of Neptune in the morning sky. If you have ever had problems
finding Neptune this would be a good time to try, between now and June.
June 19th - Venus and Mars - In the pre-dawn sky just south of
a waning crescent Moon. Closer to the Sun is Mercury and the Pleiades.
August 17th - Saturn and Mercury - Very close to the Sun low
in the evening sky. Much better view for Southern viewers.
September 3rd UT 4:43 - Jupiter hides its Galilean moons. Not
until 2019 will all of Jupiter's Galilean moons orbit in such a way.
September 4th - Saturn - Not exactly a pairing but the Earth
will cross the plane of the rings from south to north making the rings invisible
October 16th - Mercury, Venus, and Saturn - All lined up in
the pre-dawn sky close to the horizon. A faint waning crescent is just south of
the trio.
December 24th - Jupiter and Neptune - Just after sunset
Jupiter and Neptune sit side-by-side just north of delta Capricornus and east of
the "42,44,45 Cap Wall"
Phases of the Moon 2009 (click to enlarge)
Universal Time
NEW MOON FIRST QUARTER FULL MOON LAST QUARTER d h m d h m d h m d h m JAN. 4 11 56 JAN. 11 3 27 JAN. 18 2 46JAN. 26 7 55 FEB. 2 23 13 FEB. 9 14 49 FEB. 16 21 37FEB. 25 1 35 MAR. 4 7 46 MAR. 11 2 38 MAR. 18 17 47 MAR. 26 16 06 APR. 2 14 34 APR. 9 14 56 APR. 17 13 36 APR. 25 3 23 MAY 1 20 44 MAY 9 4 01 MAY 17 7 26MAY 24 12 11 MAY 31 3 22 JUNE 7 18 12 JUNE 15 22 15JUNE 22 19 35 JUNE 29 11 28 JULY 7 9 21 JULY 15 9 53 JULY 22 2 35 JULY 28 22 00 AUG. 6 0 55 AUG. 13 18 55 AUG. 20 10 02 AUG. 27 11 42 SEPT. 4 16 03 SEPT. 12 2 16SEPT. 18 18 44 SEPT. 26 4 50 OCT. 4 6 10 OCT. 11 8 56 OCT. 18 5 33 OCT. 26 0 42 NOV. 2 19 14 NOV. 9 15 56 NOV. 16 19 14 NOV. 24 21 39 DEC. 2 7 30 DEC. 9 0 13 DEC. 16 12 02 DEC. 24 17 36 DEC. 31 19 13
Eclipses for 2009
2009 January
26[ Solar: Annular ]
2009 February
09[ Lunar: Penumbral ]
2009 July
07[ Lunar: Penumbral ]
2009 July
21-22[ Solar: Total ]
2009 August
05-06[ Lunar: Penumbral ]
2009 December
31[ Lunar: Penumbral
]
January 26 - Annular Solar Eclipse ( see map,
times, and animation!): The first
solar eclipse of 2009 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in western
Capricornus. An annular eclipse will be visible from a wide track that traverses
the Indian Ocean and western Indonesia. A partial eclipse will be seen within
the much larger path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes the southern
third of Africa, Madagascar, Australia except Tasmania, southeast India,
Southeast Asia and Indonesia.
February 09 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times): The first lunar eclipse of 2009 is one of four such events during
the year. The first three eclipses are penumbral while the last (on Dec. 31) is
partial. The Feb 09 event is the deepest penumbral eclipse of the year with a
penumbral magnitude of 0.899. It will be easily visible to the naked eye as a
dusky shading in the northern half of the Moon. The times of the major phases
are listed below.
July 07 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times.): July's penumbral eclipse is only of academic interest since the
magnitude is just 0.156. Although the Moon will be above the horizon from most
of Canada, the eclipse is so minor as to be completely invisible to the naked
eye.
July 21-22 - Total Solar Eclipse ( see map,
times, and animation!): To make up
for the anemic lunar eclipse earlier in the month, a major total eclipse of the
Sun occurs two weeks later. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow extends across
India, China, a handful of Japanese islands and the South Pacific Ocean (Espenak
and Anderson, 2008). A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of
the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and
the Pacific Ocean.
August 05-06 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times): A shallow penumbral eclipse occurs 15 days after the total solar
eclipse. Since its magnitude is only 0.402, it will not be visible to the naked
eye.
December 31 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times): The last eclipse of 2009 occurs on New Year's Eve. This minor
partial lunar eclipse takes place in Gemini, and is visible primarily from the
Eastern Hemisphere (Figure 8). Greatest eclipse takes place at 19:23 UT when the
eclipse magnitude will reach 0.0763.
Eclipse information from: NASA Eclipse
Homepage, Eclipses
Online (HM Nautical Almanac Office, UK in coordination with the U.S. Naval Observatory)
2009 Meteor Shower Calendar
Shower
Activity Period
Maximum
Radiant
Velocity
r
ZHR
Class
Moon
Date
S. L.
R.A.
Dec.
km/s
Antihelion Source (ANT)
Dec 14-Sep 07
-
-
-
-
30
3.0
3
II
-
Quadrantids (QUA)
Dec 26-Jan 13
Jan 03
283Â16
15:20
+49Â
42
2.1
120
I
6
Alpha Centaurids (ACE)
Jan 28-Feb 21
Feb 07
319Â2
14:00
-59Â
56
2.0
5
II
12
Delta Leonids (DLE)
Feb 15-Mar 10
Feb 25
336Â
11:12
+16Â
23
3.0
2
II
0
Gamma Normids (GNO)
Feb 25-Mar 22
Mar 13
353Â
16:36
-51Â
56
2.4
4
II
16
Lyrids (LYR)
Apr 16-Apr 27
Apr 23
033Â
18:12
+33Â
46
2.1
18
I
27
Pi Puppids (PPU)
Apr 15-Apr 28
Apr 23
033Â5
07:20
-45Â
18
2.0
var
III
27
Eta Aquarids (ETA)
Apr 27-May 23
May 07
047Â
22:36
-01Â
68
2.4
60
I
12
Eta Lyrids (ELY)
May 06-May 14
May 10
050Â
19:22
+43Â
43
3.0
3
II
15
June Bootids (JBO)
Jun 22-Jul 02
Jun 27
095Â7
14:56
+48Â
18
2.2
var
III
5
Piscis Austrinids (PAU)
Jul 15-Aug 10
Jul 28
125Â
22:44
-30Â
35
3.2
5
II
7
Alpha Capricornids (CAP)
Jul 12-Aug 08
Jul 28
125Â
20:20
-10Â
24
2.5
4
II
7
Delta Aquarids (SDA)
Jul 21-Aug 30
Jul 30
127Â
22:42
-17Â
43
3.2
20
I
9
Perseids (PER)
Jul 13-Aug 26
Aug 12
140Â
03:12
+58Â
59
2.6
100
I
20
Kappa Cygnids (KCG)
Aug 03-Aug 25
Aug 17
145Â
19:04
+59Â
25
3.0
3
II
25
Alpha Aurigids (AUR)
Aug 28-Sep 03
Sep 01
158Â6
06:06
+39Â
65
2.6
7
II
11
September Perseids (SPR)
Sep 06-Sep 13
Sep 10
168Â
03:12
+40Â
65
2.9
5
II
19
Delta Aurigids (DAU)
Sep 18-Oct 10
Sep 29
186Â
05:52
+49Â
64
2.9
2
II
13
Draconids (GIA)
Oct 06-Oct 10
Oct 08
195Â4
17:28
+54Â
20
2.6
var
III
18
Southern Taurids (STA)
Sep 18-Nov 26
Oct 11
198Â
02:18
+09Â
29
2.3
5
II
21
Epsilon Geminids (EGE)
Oct 18-Oct 21
Oct 20
207Â
06:48
+28Â
71
3.0
2
II
2
Orionids (ORI)
Sep 28-Nov 10
Oct 21
208Â
06:22
+16Â
68
2.5
23
I
3
Leo Minorids (LMI)
Oct 17-Oct 27
Oct 23
209Â
10:40
+37Â
61
2.7
2
II
4
Northern Taurids (NTA)
Oct 20-Nov 29
Nov 13
231Â
03:52
+22Â
29
2.3
5
II
25
Leonids (LEO)
Nov 07-Nov 28
Nov 18
236Â
10:16
+22Â
71
2.5
var
III
1
Alpha Monocerotids (AMO)
Nov 15-Nov 25
Nov 21
239Â32
07:48
+01Â
65
2.4
var
III
4
Dec Phoenicids (PHO)
Nov 28-Dec 09
Dec 06
254Â25
01:12
-53Â
18
2.8
var
III
18
Puppid/Velids (PUP)
Dec 01-Dec 15
Dec 07
255Â
08:12
-45Â
40
2.9
10
I
19
Monocerotids (MON)
Dec 06-Dec 20
Dec 07
255Â
06:32
+09Â
41
3.0
2
II
10
Sigma Hydrids (HYD)
Nov 22-Dec 23
Dec 09
257Â
08:24
+03Â
60
3.0
3
II
21
Geminids (GEM)
Dec 05-Dec 19
Dec 14
262Â2
07:36
+32Â
35
2.6
120
I
26
Coma Berenicids (COM)
Dec 10-Jan 25
Dec 19
268Â
11:40
+25Â
64
3.0
5
II
3
Ursids (URS)
Dec 16-Dec 25
Dec 22
270Â7
14:34
+75Â
32
3.0
10
I
5
Information and Table Template Courtesy The American Meteor Society, International Meteor Organization, and Meteors Online.
Explanation of the 2009 Meteor Shower Calendar
Shower: named for the constellation or closest star within a
constellation where the radiant is located at maximum activity.
Activity Period: the dates when the ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rates) are
equal to or greater than one.
Maximum: the date on which the maximum activity is expected to occur.
S.L.: the equivalent solar longitude of the date of maximum
activity. Solar longitude is measured in degrees (0-359) with 0 occurring at the
exact moment of the spring equinox, 90 at the summer solstice, 180 at the
autumnal equinox, and 270 at the winter solstice.
Radiant: the area in the sky where shower meteors seem to appear from.
This position is given in right ascension (celestial longitude) and
declination (celestial latitude).
Velocity: the velocity at which shower meteors strike the Earth's
atmosphere. The velocity depends on the angle meteoroids (meteors in space)
intersect the Earth. Meteoroids orbiting in the opposite direction of the Earth
and striking the atmosphere head-on are much faster than those orbiting in the
same direction as the Earth. This velocity is measured in kilometers per second.
r: The Population Index, An estimate of the ratio of the number
of meteors in subsequent magnitude classes. Simply stated: the lower the "r"
value, the resulting overall mean magnitude of each shower will be brighter. "r"
usually ranges from 2.0 (bright) to 3.5 (faint).
ZHR: Zenith Hourly Rate, the average maximum number of shower
meteors visible per hour if the radiant is located exactly overhead and the
limiting magnitude equals +6.5. Actual counts rarely reach this figure as the
zenith angle of the radiant is usually less and the limiting magnitude is
usually lower. ZHR is a useful tool when comparing the actual observed rates
between individual observers as it sets observing conditions for all to the same
standards.
Class: A scale developed by Robert Lunsford to group meteor showers by
their intensity:
Class I: the strongest annual showers with ZHR's normally ten or
better.
Class II: reliable minor showers with ZHR's normally three or better.
Class III: showers with widely variable rates. They may be strong one
year and totally inactive the next.
Class IV: weak minor showers with ZHR's rarely exceeding three. The
study of these showers is best left to experienced observers who use plotting
and angular velocity estimates to determine shower association. Observers with
less experience are urged to limit their shower associations to showers with a
rating of I to III. These showers are also good targets for video and
photographic work.
Moon: the age of the moon in days where 0 is new, 7 is first quarter,
14 is full, and 21 is last quarter. Meteor activity is best seen in the absence
of moonlight so showers reaching maximum activity when the moon is less than 10
days old or more than 25 are much more favorably observed than those situated
closer to the full moon.
Information from the "Observer's Handbook 2009" RASC
