Look Up!

Planetary Treats
Mars Is Eye Catching!
See the Unseen Side of Mercury!
Jupiter and Venus ~ A Dazzling Predawn Duo
Saturn Moves Backwards and Gets Bigger!
Celestial Delights
Orion Gives Birth ~ His Babies Are Artists!
Plus ...
Sky Lights
Printabale Date Tables
Moon Dances 1/8-2/6
Moon Dances 2/6-3/7
The Night Sky ~ Home Page

Planetary Treats

APOD: December 25, 2007
Mars and Orion Over Monument Valley
[Image]

The following image description was ehanced and culled from APOD’s 12/25/07 Image/Explanation.

Mars at Its Best!

Wally Pacholka took this awesome photo the week preceding Christmas 2007. During this time Mars was at its best, biggest and brightest until 2016 and at its highest overhead until 2040! The Red Planet glowing brilliantly at the left of this image outshines all the celestial objects in this skyscape.

At the photo’s center, to the right of Mars, lies reddish Begelgeuse the shoulder star of giant Orion the Hunter, an hourglass shaped constellation. Farther right are the three evenly spaced stars that form Orion’s belt (middle of the hourglass). Hanging from the belt is Orion’s sword and the Orion Nebula, a stellar nursery (more below). Finally, the bright blue star Rigel, the left foot or knee of Orion, appears above Merrick Butte.

Buttes are composed of hard rock left behind after water eroded away the surrounding soft rock. The two buttes on the image left are known as the Mittens. APOD: 12/25/07

TWAN

This stunning view is one of many remarkable photographs that are part of The World At Night. TWAN reveals how the same sky, above the most beautiful and historic sites around the globe, unites us all.

Mars remains big and beautiful through January. During February its disk size decreases from 12" (arc seconds) to 9" and its brightness dims from magnitude –0.6 to magnitude 0.2.

Early February offers the final opportunity for those telescoping Mars to observe the planet’s surface details. Through May unaided eye observers will easily notice the planet’s conspicuous rouge-gold glow.

Mars changes size! This link's image is from
The 2007-2008 Apparition of Mars

Sky & Telescope’s Mars Profiler
Compare what you telescopically see on Mars with a map.
A particular feature comes to Mars' central meridian
about 40 minutes later than it came the night before.

Locating Mars

Mars is seen high overhead now between 8:00pm-10:00pm. The planet sets in the beginning of Aquarius at 5:00am and by its end at 3:30am.

January 30 Mars ends its westward, retrograde motion below the bright star Elnath, the northern horn tip of Taurus the Bull. Afterwards it resumes a normal eastward movement toward the Gemini Twins. Mars Path 10/1/07-4/23/08 This reverse direction is explained in the following section.

Orbital Motions of Mars and Earth

An apparent zig zag motion of Mars (eastward – westward – eastward) occurs, as orbiting Earth catches up to, aligns with and passes orbiting Mars. December18, 2007 the orbits of Earth and Mars brought the two planets to their closest approach during the 2007 Mars Apparition. The Earth’s faster inner orbit is now moving it past the Red Planet and separating the two. Mars appears to dim and decrease in size as its distance from Earth increases. Orbital Motions of Earth and Mars

The Red Triad

Look for the red triangle formed by the planet Mars, the bright red star, Betelgeuse in Orion, almost directly south of Mars and the reddish star Aldebaran in Taurus, southwest of Mars.

Note: As Mars changes its position in the sky this triangle shifts its shape. The current movement of the Red Planet is keeping it in close alignment with Betelgeuse.

January 19, the night before Aquarius began, the Gibbous Moon was near Mars shining its light upon the Red Triad. Click Moon Dances to see a 1/19/08 map; then scroll down to January 19 and ponder the reflections regarding this Red Triad.

BTW: When using the Moon as a guide on January 19 one could see bright Mars in a blue sky before darkness fell! February 15, Friday evening, Mars is near the Moon again. Will you be able to see it in a blue sky? Mark your calendar! 2/15 8pm Star Map

Compare the red color, brightness and size of each of these three celestial bodies. Over time, as its distance from the Earth increases, watch Mars dim and shrink to the brightness and size of Aldebaran!

Mars glows red because reddish dust covers its surface and reflects that shade back to Earth. Betelgeuse and Aldebaran produce their own light in the same way the Sun does. They shine red simply because they have relatively low surface temperatures. Astronomy Magazine 2/08

One of the Red Triad stars is our Valentine's Star!

Click Moon Dances for a February 13-15 Sky Chart and Valentine reflections.

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Seeing the Unseen Side of Mercury!
MESSENGER'S First Mercury Flyby - January 14, 2008

Larger Image

When Mariner 10 flew past Mercury three times in 1974 and 1975, the same hemisphere was in sunlight during each encounter resulting in less than half the planet being imaged.

Now more than 30 years later, on January 14, 2008, the MESSENGER spacecraft camera snapped the above image giving us the first look of about half of the hemisphere missed by Mariner 10! The image shows features as small as 10 kilometers (6 miles) in size. The photo was taken at a distance of about 27,000 kilometers (about 17,000 miles).

Like the previously mapped portion of Mercury, this hemisphere appears heavily cratered. … On the upper right is the giant Caloris basin … Formed by the impact of a large asteroid or comet, Caloris is one of the largest, and perhaps one of the youngest, basins in the Solar System. … it is brighter than the surrounding regions and may therefore have a different composition.

… other MESSENGER instruments will soon provide a detailed global view of the surface of Mercury, yielding key information for understanding the formation and geologic history of the innermost planet. Full Image Description

MESENGER was launched August 2/3, 2004. This first Mercury flyby is one of three (1/14/08, 10/6/08, 9/29/09) in preparation for orbit insertion March 18, 2011.

MESSENGER’s Photo Gallery

Mercury Flyby Sets Stage for New Discoveries

Mercury, above the sunset horizon for this apparition, achieves its greatest distance (elongation) from our central luminary just as Aquarius begins, January 20. On this night Mercury can be viewed 90 minutes before it sets. Each following evening the planet is seen for a shorter period of time, as it sinks back toward the southwestern horizon.

By the beginning of February elusive Mercury is lost in the Sun’s glowing embrace reaching inferior conjunction February 6. At this time it begins its journey to the opposite side of the Sun and the opposite horizon. February 25 begin looking for a difficult to see dim Mercury, north of twilight Venus, on the southeastern horizon.

Note: When any planet is lost in the bright glow of our Sun, try viewing it on the SOHO site. First click THE SUN NOW and then click the LASCO C3 (or C2) image. Clicking More LASCO C3 will give you a series of images taken about every half hour or so. Mercury is expected to transit the coronagraph's field of view February 3-10 from the left to the right.

Mercury Retrograde

Mercury is retrograde January 28-February 17. A shift or change in direction begins to take place now. Allow the new incoming energies to break up the old patterns. Surrender and maintain.

... the first 11 days of the retrograde are designed to herald in latent intuitive information that is usually in conflict with the way you thought things would play out in regards to your agendas. This conflict is the precursor of the chagrin we so commonly associate with this astrological cycle.

While the 1st half of the retrograde can be quite disorienting, the 2nd half – or last 10 days - of the retrograde are about reorientation. ... The last ten days of the retrograde cycle thus become a time to be passively receptive to the new, and ensuring you’ve let go of the old. This will allow more time for holistic agendas to emerge as well as better strategies for their enactment. Once Mercury begins its next cycle of going direct, action can then be taken on the newly formed visions. Robert Ohotto

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A Dazzling Predawn Duo
Venus and Jupiter – Looking Southeast
Friday, February 1, 2008 – 45 Minutes Before Sunrise

[Image]

Note: Begin looking for Venus and Jupiter in the southeast at 5:30am; sunrise occurs at 7:15am. Use binoculars to view the duo for an added treat. Keep your eyes safe by not looking directly at the Sun with binoculars. Try following Venus after sunrise into the day sky.

February 1-4 ~ A Weekend of Predawn Planetary Treats!
The Waning Crescent Moon Approaches Jupiter and Venus

February 1 the morning’s waning Crescent Moon lies near Anatares the heart of the cosmic Scorpion, west of the dazzling duo. Sky Map Watch the slimming Moon move closer to the predawn pair until they are all strikingly close February 4. Sky Map Thank you NASA Headline News for the maps below.

Mark your calendar!
Feb. 1 / Feb. 2 / Feb. 3 / Feb. 4

Click Moon Dances for reflections and to learn how the star Nunki, Sigma Sag., is activated during this dazzling weekend.

Venus and Jupiter have been approaching each other for three weeks now. Jupiter began appearing in the morning sky below Venus after the first week of January. Dedicated night owls and early birds with clear skies and an unobstructed southeastern horizon have been able to observe the dynamic duo’s daily approach.

February 1 Venus blazes at magnitude –3.9 and Jupiter shines brilliantly at magnitude –1.9. Venus appears bigger and brighter only because it is closer to Earth. Compare the actual diameter of Venus and Jupiter in kilometers and miles. Which is over 11x larger?

Although they appear close to each other in the sky, Venus is far closer to Earth. It lies 124 million miles away, compared with 562 million miles for Jupiter. Despite its greater distance, Jupiter appears much bigger through a telescope. Its disk spans 33", [arcseconds] nearly 3 times larger than Venus' 12" diameter. Venus also displays an 85-percent-lit gibbous phase [Image]. Astronomy Magazine 2/08

Note: Venus and Jupiter are 438 million miles apart during this close encounter!

During February Which is around 11x larger? planetary duo meet and pass each other in the predawn sky. Venus continues to descend toward the twilight horizon rising later each day, while Jupiter ascends rising earlier each day. Venus rises in the beginning of Aquarius at 5:00am and by its end at 5:30am. Jupiter rises in the beginning of Aquarius at 5:45am and by its end at 4:30am.

Venus is appearing smaller and dimmer as its faster inner orbit moves it past the Earth toward the far side of the Sun. Jupiter is growing brighter and bigger in appearance as Earth in its faster orbit catches up to Jupiter in its slower outer orbit. Jupiter’s close approach to Earth occurs at opposition 7/9/08. Venus’ close approach to Earth occurred at inferior conjunction 8/18/07.

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Saturn rises in the beginning of Aquarius at 8:00pm and by its end at 6:15pm. It's retrograde motion (12/19/07-5/1/08) is moving it westward back toward Regulus the blue-white heart star of Leo the Lion. When the ringed planet lies low above the eastern horizon, Mars lies overhead. 2/10 7pm Map

Note: An eclipsed Moon occurs below Regulus near Saturn during the Feb. 20/21 total lunar eclipse. More about this in the Pisces Night Sky!

Saturn's orbit is bringing it closer to Earth. Watch it's golden orb grow brighter and bigger until it reaches opposition 2/24/08.

Saturn's rings are exciting to see with any telescope! These rings are now closing toward their 2009 edge-on view. Saturn's dark Cassini Division, which separates the outer A ring from the brighter B ring can also be seen with any telescope.

Observing Guide to Saturn

Seeking Saturn's Moons

When gauging distance in degrees, please note:
*2 degrees is hardly more than a finger's breadth at arm's length.
**10 degrees is one width of your fist at arm's length.

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Celestial Delights

Orion Gives Birth ~ His Babies Are Artists!
Baby Stars Create a Masterpiece
[Image]

This Spitzer/Hubble infrared and visible-light composite shows an artistic masterpiece of turbulent and chaotic energies that baby stars are creating 1,500 light years away in the Orion Nebula. Four monstrously massive stars, collectively known as the Trapezium located at the center of this cosmic cloud may be the main culprits of this gorgeous chaos. "These behemoths are approximately 100,000 times brighter than our sun." JPL

A new image from NASA’s Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes looks more like an abstract painting than a cosmic snapshot. … It was "painted" by hundreds of baby stars on a canvas of gas and dust, with intense ultraviolet light and strong stellar winds as brushes. NASA's Full Caption / Description

The Splendor of Orion: A Star Factory Unveiled
SPACE.com’s informative account of the current science
relating to the Orion Nebula and its Grand Nebula replacement.

The Orion Nebula is the nearest star formation region to the Earth and consequently particularly well studied. Despite this, star formation is not all that well understood. astro.nineplanets.org

Hubble's Top 10 Space Photos

Orion the Hunter gives birth to stars! More than half of the 25 brightest stars appear overhead in the winter sky making it the brightest night sky of all the seasons. Well, here's the reason why these bright stars are in the winter sky.

It is no coincidence that the brightest stars congregate here [the winter sky], for this is where many stellar nurseries reside, including the marvelous Orion Nebula (M42). Massive stars begin their lives in such cocoons and burn most brightly. Scan this region with binoculars to see one marvel after another. Astronomy Magazine 2/03

The Orion Nebula (M42) is easily visible as a fuzzy star with the unaided eye. Here's a fun quote about its location and size that will expand your horizons:

Everyone loves Orion's bright stars but it is one of his dimmer stars that will blow you away. Face southeast in the early evening and below Orion's three belt stars you'll see three dimmer stars which make up his sword. But no matter how sharp your eyesight the middle star always seems to look fuzzy, out of focus. That's because it isn't a star at all but a humongous cosmic cloud of gas and dust where new stars are being born. We call it the Orion Nebula and there is enough material here to produce over ten thousand stars the size of our Sun. Indeed, this nebula is so huge we could line up 20,000 of our solar systems end to end from one edge of it to the other. How's that for a fuzzy little star? Star Gazer

Navigating with Orion

Happy Valentine's Day!
May the Love Light in Your Heart
Expand to Include All.
Look Up … Be Dazzled!

I'd like to know your thoughts about The Night Sky and
if you'd like reminders to Look Up! ...
send me an email.
May your Night Sky traveling always be filled
with Celestial Delights and Treats!
Susan Sun

Printable Date Tables

Lunar cycle 1/8/08-2/6/08

Lunar cycle 2/6/08-3/7/08

I'd like to know your thoughts about The Night Sky and
if you'd like reminders to Look Up! ...
send me an email.
May your Night Sky traveling always be filled
with Celestial Delights and Treats!
Susan Sun

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