After partying with the Partial Solar Eclipse of June 1, it's time to have a ball with The Total Lunar Eclipse coming up on the 15th! Despite to mention the eclipse again, the moon will be busy; it will visit many constellations and objects among others this week as well! [We've improved events! Now we use four oustdie sources and compile them all into one: Sky&Telescope, Astronomy.com, Transit-Savage.com, and EarthSky.com!]
Events for 6/12
The big and little dipper are prominent features in our sky this week. June is about the best time to view them, use Polaris and the other 'pointers' to locate these constellations. The quotation below is taken from last week's astronomical events.
"Mercury reaches superior conjunction at 8 p.m. EDT. This means the innermost planet lies on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth and remains hidden in our star’s glare." writes Astronomy.com, explaining why Mercury can't be seen now, like it was previously seen in the four-planet dance of 2011.
Events for 6/13
In the morning: view three planets, Jupiter (high in the sky), Mars, and Venus (very close to the horizon). It's a funny thing that the northern hemisphere's earliest sunrises are happening now, rather than the longest day, the summer solstice. This may affect how you view Venus and Mars, because they're closer to the horizon than you think. Jupiter keep on rising and soon will be at the perfect angle for those who love astrophotography.
At night: the moon will visit the head of Scorpius and Antares will lay below it, to the left. Another treat is in store for you as well: the summer's brightest comet. To learn more, visit this page.
Events for 6/14
Saturn remains stationary tonight, next to Porrima. "What stationary means is that – as seen from Earth – Saturn is now staying in one spot relative to the background stars. It’s poised in front of the stars, momentarily motionless. Since January 27, 2011, Saturn has been moving in retrograde (westward) in front of the constellation Virgo. Today, Saturn is reversing course, soon to go prograde (eastward) through the stars," Earthsky.com Explains.
I want to locate Saturn, how do I? It's easy to find Saturn, currently the only planet up around midnight. Staurn will be halfway to the zenith, in the south-west sky tonight around 10pm local time wherever you are. Spica, a neighboring star, will lie only fourteen degrees to the left and a small degree below the planet, at magnitude 0.8 (fairly bright). For this week only, Saturn will closely approach Gamma Virginis (star at mag. three), fairly close. Saturn is currently the best planet to view.
Events for 6/15
Tonight is the eclipse for the middle-eastern world! The moon will be eclipsed totally for about 100 minutes, making it the longest so far in the 21st century. Totality begins at 19h22m Universal Time. (Link coming soon--read more about the eclipse!)
Events for 6/16
In the morning: Jupiter climbs high this month. After being hidden for the whole month of April, Jupiter now takes its lead and become the highest of the dawn planets. Jupiter can be seen about three hours before sunrise (around 2-3 am in some locations), and is approximately twenty degrees in the east. This week, the Jovian disk spans 36". Jovian Transits?
In the evening: Castor and Castor rise low tonight in the (west) northwest, lined (to each other) horizontally. These grand winter season star have far outstayed their welcome in the sky! But, they're sinking gradually for those to view in the southern hemisphere. See how much longer they'll stay up.
Events for 6/17
Tonight, the summer triangle will shine their best. Far to the moons' upper left shines Altair, and to locate the summer triangle, go farther in the same direction until you meet up with three, very bright stars. "This pattern consists of three bright stars in three separate constellations – Deneb (mag. 1.3--the faintest) in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, Vega (at magnitude 0.0) in the constellation Lyra the Harp, and Altair (mag 0.8) in the constellation Aquila the Eagle." writes EarthSky.com in explaining the origins of this asterism. If you learn to recognize it now, you'll see it all summer, shifting across the night sky. It's high in the east now, but it will move to center-stage in early autumn.
Events 6/18
In the morning: "Venus gleams low in morning twilight all week," Astronomy.com confirms. Venus will ris eabout one hour before the glorious sunrise and you'll see that Venus is 96% bright. Before dawn, you'll notice Venus passes about five degrees north of Aldebaran (mag one star; only viewed by a telescope).
When the sun sets: Altair will help you find two lesser-known constellations. "Once you’ve found Altair, it’s a short hop to two small yet distinctive constellations, Delphinus the Dolphin and Sagitta the Arrow. Hold your hand an arm length away to find both star formations roughly one hand-width away from Altair. The Dolphin is found to the lower left of Altair, and the Arrow to Altair’s upper left," EarthSky.com writes.
Solar-System Calendar for this week
Find the planets! It's easy!
Mercury- not visible becasue it's hidden by the sun's glare
Venus- magnitude (mag) -3.8 one hour before sunrise
Mars- mag 1.3, dim
Jupiter- mag -2.2 at the Aries-Pisces border east three hours before dawn.
Saturn- mag 0.8 in Virgo (great view now)
Uranus- mag 5.9 in western Pisces
Neptune- mag 7.9 in Aquarius
Pluto- mag 14 in Sagittarius
Have a great viewing this week!
Events for 6/12
The big and little dipper are prominent features in our sky this week. June is about the best time to view them, use Polaris and the other 'pointers' to locate these constellations. The quotation below is taken from last week's astronomical events.
Locating the dippers are easy...In order to find it's lesser 'twin,' the small Dipper, locate two other stars outside its bowl (The Pointers), and they'll show you the path to the north star: Polaris. Once you've found Polaris, you can find the little Dipper. "Polaris marks the end of the handle of the Little Dipper. You need a dark night to see the Little Dipper in full, because it’s so much fainter than its larger and brighter counterpart." EarthSky writes....Read more4 Vesta, if you can remember Dawn, is in full view this season. Shining at magnitude seven in the constellation Capricornus, a small telescope will help you see this small asteroid Dawn has made famous. If you would like to view this asteroid, try to locate Iota Capricorni (star at mag. four), and Vesta will be about two degrees east of this star; but only for this week. In August/September, Vesta will be at magnitude 5.6 and will be a stunning site; you will be able to see it with the naked eye. If you have a strong telescope, viewing Vesta may be even more exciting because you may be able to view Dawn, orbiting!
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| Credit: Astronomy.com |
Events for 6/13
In the morning: view three planets, Jupiter (high in the sky), Mars, and Venus (very close to the horizon). It's a funny thing that the northern hemisphere's earliest sunrises are happening now, rather than the longest day, the summer solstice. This may affect how you view Venus and Mars, because they're closer to the horizon than you think. Jupiter keep on rising and soon will be at the perfect angle for those who love astrophotography.
At night: the moon will visit the head of Scorpius and Antares will lay below it, to the left. Another treat is in store for you as well: the summer's brightest comet. To learn more, visit this page.
Events for 6/14
Saturn remains stationary tonight, next to Porrima. "What stationary means is that – as seen from Earth – Saturn is now staying in one spot relative to the background stars. It’s poised in front of the stars, momentarily motionless. Since January 27, 2011, Saturn has been moving in retrograde (westward) in front of the constellation Virgo. Today, Saturn is reversing course, soon to go prograde (eastward) through the stars," Earthsky.com Explains.
I want to locate Saturn, how do I? It's easy to find Saturn, currently the only planet up around midnight. Staurn will be halfway to the zenith, in the south-west sky tonight around 10pm local time wherever you are. Spica, a neighboring star, will lie only fourteen degrees to the left and a small degree below the planet, at magnitude 0.8 (fairly bright). For this week only, Saturn will closely approach Gamma Virginis (star at mag. three), fairly close. Saturn is currently the best planet to view.
Events for 6/15
Tonight is the eclipse for the middle-eastern world! The moon will be eclipsed totally for about 100 minutes, making it the longest so far in the 21st century. Totality begins at 19h22m Universal Time. (Link coming soon--read more about the eclipse!)
Events for 6/16
In the morning: Jupiter climbs high this month. After being hidden for the whole month of April, Jupiter now takes its lead and become the highest of the dawn planets. Jupiter can be seen about three hours before sunrise (around 2-3 am in some locations), and is approximately twenty degrees in the east. This week, the Jovian disk spans 36". Jovian Transits?
In the evening: Castor and Castor rise low tonight in the (west) northwest, lined (to each other) horizontally. These grand winter season star have far outstayed their welcome in the sky! But, they're sinking gradually for those to view in the southern hemisphere. See how much longer they'll stay up.
Events for 6/17
Tonight, the summer triangle will shine their best. Far to the moons' upper left shines Altair, and to locate the summer triangle, go farther in the same direction until you meet up with three, very bright stars. "This pattern consists of three bright stars in three separate constellations – Deneb (mag. 1.3--the faintest) in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, Vega (at magnitude 0.0) in the constellation Lyra the Harp, and Altair (mag 0.8) in the constellation Aquila the Eagle." writes EarthSky.com in explaining the origins of this asterism. If you learn to recognize it now, you'll see it all summer, shifting across the night sky. It's high in the east now, but it will move to center-stage in early autumn.
Events 6/18
In the morning: "Venus gleams low in morning twilight all week," Astronomy.com confirms. Venus will ris eabout one hour before the glorious sunrise and you'll see that Venus is 96% bright. Before dawn, you'll notice Venus passes about five degrees north of Aldebaran (mag one star; only viewed by a telescope).
When the sun sets: Altair will help you find two lesser-known constellations. "Once you’ve found Altair, it’s a short hop to two small yet distinctive constellations, Delphinus the Dolphin and Sagitta the Arrow. Hold your hand an arm length away to find both star formations roughly one hand-width away from Altair. The Dolphin is found to the lower left of Altair, and the Arrow to Altair’s upper left," EarthSky.com writes.
Solar-System Calendar for this week
12 Jun 2011 01:40:58 Moon at Perigee, 367189 km from Earth 12 Jun 2011 07:32:35 Perihelion of Mercury, 0.30750 AU from Sun 12 Jun 2011 23:44:23 Conjunction of Mercury with the Sun, 53.7' 13 Jun 2011 05:19:49 Farest Distance of Mercury, 1.32264 AU from Earth 14 Jun 2011 05:35:14 Saturn stationary: getting prograde 15 Jun 2011 08:51:47 Min. North Declination of the Moon, -23.3° 15 Jun 2011 18:34:32 Ascending Knot Passage of the Moon 15 Jun 2011 20:12:37 Greatest Eclipse of Total Lunar Eclipse 15 Jun 2011 20:13:37 Full Moon
Find the planets! It's easy!
Mercury- not visible becasue it's hidden by the sun's glare
Venus- magnitude (mag) -3.8 one hour before sunrise
Mars- mag 1.3, dim
Jupiter- mag -2.2 at the Aries-Pisces border east three hours before dawn.
Saturn- mag 0.8 in Virgo (great view now)
Uranus- mag 5.9 in western Pisces
Neptune- mag 7.9 in Aquarius
Pluto- mag 14 in Sagittarius
Have a great viewing this week!
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