Spot the Ringed Planet
in the Spring Sky!

This spring is an excellent time to view the ringed planet Saturn from your own backyard. You won't need a telescope or binoculars to see this heavenly body, although these tools will help you to see the planet in more detail. All you'll need to find this planet is your eyes and a bit of information.

In 2008 Saturn is visiting the constellation Leo in our sky. Leo is distinctive for the hook shape it makes in the sky. Classically the hook represents the head of a lion, while the bright star underneath it, Regulus, stands for the lion's heart. Leo can be found in the western sky about an hour after the sun has set. The Big Dipper can guide us to this constellation. Simply draw a line straight down from the dipper's cup and you'll find Leo's hook (imagine using the dipper to this the lion on the head!) Once found, Regulus will guide us to Saturn, for this bright object can be seen only a few degrees west of the heart star. Keep an eye out for this planet as June goes on. By the end of the month these two bright objects will have another visitor: the red planet Mars.

June is one of the last best months to see the ringed planet. Saturn and the constellation it lies in will be setting earlier and earlier in the evening as the summer goes on. By the middle of August the sun's glare will blot out the light from the planet and we'll have to wait until next summer to see the sixth planet from the sun.

Telescope Help Clinic
March 15th Noon-6PM

A free telescope clinic with the Penobscot Valley Star Gazers astronomy club will be held at the UMaine Jordan Planetarium Saturday March 15th from noon to 6pm. That is not a good time to be using a telescope, but it is a great time for scope owners and buyers to find out more about how they work and what is available. PVSG members will explain how to observe planets, stars, galaxies and more. For scope owners, they will also look at their telescopes and help with any set-up or operating problems.

Thinking of purchasing a telescope? Or, need help in setting one up? Club members will have various models on display for you to learn what styles might fit your needs and budget. Amateur telescopes on the market today range in price from forty dollars to thousands of dollars. PVSG club members will offer valuable information to compare the various models and options to consider before buying. So to get answers to one or one hundred questions about telescopes, drop in anytime between noon and 6:00pm.

The Jordan Planetarium will run free sky tours throughout the clinic so newbies and veterans can build up their sky IQ.

Weather permitting, following the clinic a night star party will be held from 7:00pm to 10:00 pm at the Maynard F. Jordan Observatory near the Maine Center for the Arts. The star party is also free of charge. Rain or shine, the Planetarium will offer its feature “Ring World” in Wingate Hall at 7:00pm where admission is $3.

The Penobscot Valley Star Gazers is a Bangor area astronomy club formed to promote education and enjoyment of the night sky. The club meets on the second Monday of each month in room 310 at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor at 6:30 pm. More information is on their web site at ttp://www.Gazers.org.

Total Lunar Eclipse: February 20, 2008

On February 20th a very special event will be taking place in the night sky: a total lunar eclipse. Eclipses of the moon can happen several times a year, but these eclipses are not always total (that is, the moon is not always blotted out completely). On the 20th, however, people all over the United States will be able to watch as the moon is slowly covered by the Earth's shadow.

The Earth casts a shadow just as any other object does when in front of a light. This shadow extends behind the Earth into space and into the moon's orbit. Most months the moon passes over or under this shadow as it orbits, but every once in a while it passes through it. When inside the shadow the sun's light cannot reach it, causing it to appear dark. When the moon is completely inside the Earth's shadow, however, it turns not black but an orange or red color. This is because the Earth is not quite big enough to cover the sun all the way. When the moon is completely in shadow light can still reach around the outside of the Earth. The eclipsed moon's orange and red color comes from all the sunrises and sunsets happening on Earth.

On the 20th the moon will first reach the darkest part of the Earth's shadow (the umbra) at 8:42 pm. By 10:00pm it will be totally eclipsed and will stay that way until 10:51. Finally, by 12:09pm it will have left the umbra and all easily observable changes will be over.

There will not be a planetarium show the evening of the eclipse, but the real thing will be coming into focus at the Observatory. Come join the eclipse party at the Jordan Observatory! Viewing will start at 8:30pm on the 20th and last until 11pm. DRESS WARM the Observatory is unheated! For more about the Jordan Observatory go here.

Winter solstice brings longest night of the year

December 22, 2007

Every year around Christmastime the northern hemisphere has a very long, cold night. That night is called the winter solstice. This year in Maine the winter solstice will take place on December 22. What does this mean for us? It means that we have a long, snowy winter to look forward to.

The winter solstice comes about as a result of the tilt of the Earth’s axis. As the Earth rotates the sun it wobbles like a top, causing the hemispheres to lean towards and away from the sun. When a hemisphere leans towards the sun, the sun appears higher in the sky during the day. Because of this, sunlight must follow a long path along a high angle in order to hit the Earth, causing the sunlight to last longer and be more intense. The opposite is true when a hemisphere tilts away from the sun: a short path and a low angle lead to less intense sunlight and shorter days. On the day of the winter solstice the sun is at its lowest angle in the Earth’s sky, leading to the shortest day and longest night of the year.

Throughout history there have been many different ways people celebrate the winter solstice. You can find out more about them in the Seasons of Light solstice show at the Jordan Planetarium.

Jordan Observatory Targets
Bright Comet

October 25, 2007

A naked eye comet suddenly appeared in Maine’s sky on Wednesday October 24th and the University of Maine’s Jordan Planetarium and Observatory guided sky watchers following its progress. The Comet named P17/ Holmes was discovered in 1892 by a British astronomer, and has had a history of unsteady brightness. It gets closer to the sun about every 7 years, but OCtober 24th, during its present return, it began to evaporate explosively. It has grown so large that it can be seen- looking like a star- with the unaided eye even though it sits farther from us than the sun.

Comet 17P/Holmes is found low in the northeast sky after dark, among the stars of the constellation Perseus. On the 25th, the Jordan Observatory on the Orono campus hosted a public star party for anyone wanting to locate this solar system vagabond. As long as the Holmes remains bright, it will be featured targe tin the public viewing hours at the Observatory and programs at the Planetarium will all include a short lesson on finding the comet in the Maine sky.

The chart below is simple and a 2-page .pdf star chart can be downloaded below. Astronomers are uncertain of how long this comet outburst will last. It was dimmer than little Pluto, the dwarf planet at the edge of the solar system, but at present it is one of the brighter stars in the sky.

Click chart for larger format:

pdf Star chart for locating Comet 17P/Holmes

Fall Meteors Rule!!

By Alan Davenport October 19, 2007

The rule is... “A meteor shower is usually washed out by clouds or a bright moon.” This could be great fall for catching the faint streaks we call shooting stars though because the moon is going to be shy and a couple of showers peak in the weekends. During the best showers, hours when there are increased falling star counts, the moon will be hidden from sight. Also, a couple of showers will come on weekends so it will be easier to stay up late when the meteors are most plentiful.

The Orionid meteor shower peaks Sunday night October 21 st and the moon sets near midnight. The best meteor watching always comes after midnight so that is good news! By November 18 thwhen the Leonid meteors fill the sky, the moon is again near first quarter and sets by midnight. The moon sets even earlier December 14 th for the high point of the Geminid shower and on January 4 th when the Quadrantid shower peaks for the warm blooded sky watchers. All that is needed is a dose of clear weather to make these celestial fireworks a fun show.

Making the most of a meteor shower and seeing bunches of falling stars takes a little patience and planning. Many of them will be dim so the first rule is to get far from house lights and away from city lights as much as possible. Second, spend at least 15minutes in the dark with nothing brighter than a red filtered flashlight so the eyes can become adapted to the darkness and see fainter stars. And third, lie down where most of the sky can be seen without much turning and twisting around.

The shooting stars seem to come from the constellation that is their namesake but they rarely appear there so make that part of the sky lowest priority, perhaps lying with ones head pointed toward it. Get a planisphere sky chart available from the Jordan Planetarium or surf to the Whole Sky Chart tool at Heavens Above: http://www.heavens-above.com and see where all the stars and major constellations will be for any time of night. In general, it is fine to just keep an eye on the middle of the sky and not focus much on the lower part of the sky less than two fist-widths above the horizon. ( A fist at arm’s length is about 10 degrees wide.)

These short-lived sparks are surprisingly small. Most are smaller than a fingernail but the larger bits will be the brighter meteors. They are simply moving so fast – up to 160 thousand miles per hour- that they flare up, burn, and shock the air into glowing as they pass through earth’s atmosphere. The earth gathers more than 10 tons per day of space dust in daylight and night from random meteors even when there is no shower. Watch for them whenever a clear dark night is at hand.

THE GREAT PLANET GROUP-UP

October 7, 2007 Pre-Dawn Where you Are

Join Zack Schiller and the crowd at the Jordan Observatory:
Cancelled due to illness.

Rising ahead of the sun in the east, three bright lights- Venus, Saturn and the bright star in Leo- Regulus- will be congregated within a 5 degree span and the waning crescent moon will nestle among them. It's an astro-Kodak moment not to be missed if the weather will cooperate. The prospects of visibility in the Orono area can be seen in advance at the Jordan Observatory Clear Sky Clock.

The group will have risen by 3:30 technically but depending on your local horizon obstructions you may not see them right away. Morning twilight begins about 5am and the sky will be bright by 5:30 when the dimmer members of the group may disappear. At that time, the brightest member is Venus. On the same level to its left and the dimmest group member, is the blue-white star Regulus. The moon will be a thin crescent and to its lower left is Saturn.

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2007 Meteor Showers and Viewing Tips

(Above graph is taken from http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/)

What are meteor showers?

As comets orbit around the Sun, they shed an icy, dusty tail behind them. If Earth travels through the path of this tail, a meteor shower occurs. Depending on where Earth and the stream meet, meteors appear to fall from a particular place in the sky, maybe within the neighborhood of a constellation.

Meteor showers are named by the constellation from which meteors appear to fall, a spot in the sky astronomers call the radiant. For instance, the radiant for the Leonid meteor shower is located in the constellation Leo. The Perseid meteor shower is so named because meteors appear to fall from a point in the constellation Perseus.

How can I best view a meteor shower?

If you live near a brightly lit city, drive away from the glow of city lights and toward the constellation from which the meteors will appear to radiate.

For example, drive north to view the Leonids. Driving south may lead you to darker skies, but the glow will dominate the northern horizon, where Leo rises. Perseid meteors will appear to "rain" into the atmosphere from the constellation Perseus, which rises in the northeast around 11 p.m. in mid-August.

After you've escaped the city glow, find a dark, secluded spot where oncoming car headlights will not periodically ruin your sensitive night vision. Look for state or city parks or other safe, dark sites.

Once you have settled at your observing spot, lay back or position yourself so the horizon appears at the edge of your peripheral vision, with the stars and sky filling your field of view. Meteors will instantly grab your attention as they streak by.

From http://stardate.org/

LUNAR ECLIPSE MARCH 3, 2007

Soon after sunset on Saturday evening, March 3, sky-watchers in eastern North America can watch the rising full moon undergoing its first total eclipse in nearly 2 ½ years. 

In Europe and Africa the eclipse takes place late at night high in a dark sky.

For North Americans, the farther east you are the better.  The eclipse will already be in progress when the Sun sets and the Moon rises, two events that happen almost simultaneously on a lunar eclipse night. 

In New England and the Canadian Maritime Provinces the Moon rises before total eclipse begins; be on the watch for a thinning sliver of the Moon’s edge coming up just above the eastern horizon. Across much of the eastern United States, the Moon rises during totality.  In this region, depending on just how clear your eastern sky is on eclipse evening, you might have to wait a half-hour or more after the Moon rises, since the twilight sky will still be quite bright and the full Moon will be shining 1/10,000 to 1/100,000 as bright as it normally would; you’ll be hunting for a dim ball.

The Moon will track across the northern portion of the Earth’s shadow, and will be completely immersed for one-hour and 14 minutes, making this a somewhat longer than normal totality.  

Because some of the sunlight that strikes our Earth is diffused and scattered by our atmosphere, its shadow is not completely dark; enough of this light reaches the Moon to give it an eerie coppery glow even when it’s totally eclipsed.  It is anticipated that during the upcoming total eclipse the Moon will glow brightest across its upper portion, while its lower part (closest to the center of the shadow) will appear a darker shade of brown or chocolate color.

This will be the first of two total lunar eclipses in 2007, the other occurring on Aug. 27 will favor western North America and the Pacific Rim.

For more information click http://www.space.com/070209_ns_lunar_eclipse.html or http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/OH2007.html

BRIGHTENING COMET
From Space Weather News Jan. 7, 2006:

New Image of Comet McNaught taken by the discoverer Robert McNaught, taken January 20, 2007 in Siding Spring Observatory.

This is the 31st comet to bear McNaught's name and at time of discovery, it was no brighter than magnitude 17—far to dim to see with the naked eye. It's currently both a morning and evening object, visible very low near the east-southeast horizon about 30 to 40 minutes before sunrise and very low near the west-southwest horizon about 30 to 40 minutes after sunset. For more information go to Space.com.

Orono at 4:30PM January 7: Diagram from Starry Night by Alan Davenport.
Daylight will make the comet difficult to see without binoculars, but this is the correct position

Comet McNaught is plunging toward the sun and brightening dramatically. It is now visible to the unaided eye both at sunset and at dawn and is the brightest comet in at least the last 40 years. Amateur photographers have found that they can take pictures of the comet using off-the-shelf digital cameras with exposure times less than a second. Estimated visual magnitude: between 0 and -1.

Look for images of the comet taken locally in the galaxy maine gallery.

To see Comet McNaught, a clear view of the horizon is essential. In the
morning, go outside and face east. The comet emerges just ahead of the
rising sun. In the evening, face the other way--west. The comet pops out
of the western twilight as soon as the sun sets. Binoculars reveal a
pretty, gaseous tail.

Northern observers are favored. The long, dark mornings and evenings of
Canada, Scandinavia and Alaska are ideal for viewing this comet so close
to the Sun. But the comet has been sighted in other places, too, as far
south as Kansas in the United States and Italy in Europe.

Please visit http://Spaceweather.com for photos, finder charts, and more
information.

Online Resources

365 Days of Sky Watching Journal