For the Northern Hemisphere January 19 - February 18, 2009 Look Up!
Planetary Treats Glorious Venus ~ Veiled and Unveiled [Image] Veiled and Unveiled This picture shows two different perspectives of Venus. On the left is a mosaic of images acquired by the Mariner 10 spacecraft on February 5, 1974. The image shows the thick cloud coverage that prevents optical observation of the planet's surface. The surface of Venus remained hidden until December 4, 1978 when the Pioneer Venus 1 spacecraft arrived and went into orbit about the planet. The spacecraft used radar to map the planet's surface, revealing a new Venus. Later in August 1990 the Magellan spacecraft arrived at Venus and began its extensive planetary mapping mission. This mission produced radar images up to 300 meters per pixel in resolution. The right image shows a rendering of Venus from the Pioneer Venus and Magellan radar images. Currently the European Space Agency has an orbiter at Venus with state-of-the-art instruments onboard. It has been gathering invaluable information on the secrets of the Venusian atmosphere. Venus
Express ~ ESA’s Orbiter Why Is Venus So Bright? Cloud Cover It’s ironic that one reason for the blazing brilliance of Venus is the very cloud cover that prevents us from visually seeing the surface of the planet! The layers of bright clouds that completely enshroud Venus reflect light from the Sun almost like a mirror. The planet's global cloud cover, reflecting 60% of the sunlight striking it, makes Venus stunningly bright, so much so that many often mistake it for a UFO! While these clouds create a glorious Venus from our point of view, they form out of sulfuric-acid droplets, not water as on Earth. Close Proximity Also, because Venus is the closest planet to Earth, it is the brightest of all planets. It is brighter than all the stars. Venus in the night sky is second in brightness only to our Moon. Orbital Motion Another fascinating aspect of Venus, its orbital motion, creates a difference in apparent disk size and phase illumination. This results in a unique and surprising greater or lesser brilliance. Venus, less illuminated by the Sun, appears more brilliant! When Venus is far from Earth, it lies on the far side of the Sun (Earth-Sun-Venus) and we telescopically see Venus fully illuminated by the Sun. A "Full Venus" is like a Full Moon. Venus is presently shrinking from a full phase toward a thin crescent phase, as it nears Earth. A thin crescent Venus closer to Earth looks bigger and, therefore, brighter than a small full Venus farther away from Earth. Image During Aquarius the illuminated phase of Venus shrinks from 49% to 28% and its disk size increases from 26" (arc seconds) to 39". Venus is closest to Earth, as it reaches inferior conjunction and positions itself between the Earth and Sun (Earth–Venus–Sun). As Venus nears this solar conjunction, it disappears from our view in the glowing embrace of our Sun. Inferior conjunction and closest approach occurs March 27, 2009 at 12:00pm PDT; 19:00 UT. Animated
Phases of Venus Compute
the apparent disk
size of Venus BTW: Venus officially reaches greatest brilliancy February 19 at magnitude –4.8. However, even when its illumination drops in magnitude in the preceding or following month or two the difference is imperceptible to our eyes. Venus has been giving us an ongoing, dazzling night sky performance for several months. Its earlier sunset dances with Jupiter and its continuing encores with the Crescent Moon have been breathtaking. The show is not over yet! We can look forward to additional light sky appearances by Venus, as well as water glow and land shadows created by the planet during dark nights. Venus commands our attention during Aquarius, blazing at its brightest from sunset until it sinks below the horizon at 9:15pm. Watch Venus grow bigger and brighter as the weeks unfold. The planet's altitude remains steady, as it meanders northward. Crescent Moon, Venus January 27 begin looking for the youngest Moon low on the southwestern horizon; watch it rise up to meet Venus and pass the planet during the following nights. January 29-30 the slim Crescent is in closest proximity to glorious Venus. The view promises to be exquisite. 1/29 Map/Text Click Moon Dances for an additional map and meditative reflections; see Luna smile for the goddess of love! Venus, Pisces, Pegasus, Uranus During Aquarius brilliant Venus transits the faint constellation Pisces, which is located south of the Great Square of Pegasus the Flying Horse. Below (south of) the saddle of Pegasus Venus the goddess of love visits with Uranus the rebel. Venus brings the Love Principle to emerging new Life and harmonizes humanity with the gifts of understanding, wise love, unity, creativity and beauty. The emanations of this planet help one begin to understand the causes and conditions of harmony and conflict. They thereby lovingly and wisely promote diplomacy and establish right human relations between all people and between nations. The qualities of Venus, when incorporated into the life give birth to the sons and daughters of God, the self-consecrated human beings who manifest their Divinity on Earth. Pisces is the constellation of the World Savior. The energies emanating from this constellation fuse the soul and form producing the Incarnated Christ, the fully liberated Divine Human Being, the Light of the World. These energies reveal the light of life itself, a light that ends forever the darkness of matter. The ancient Babylonians called the Square of Pegasus "The Doorway to Paradise." Today astronomers travel through this doorway or "window" to the edge of our Milky Way Galaxy and go beyond to other galaxies! Venus, Pisces and Pegasus the Flying Horse have the innate capacity for spiritualization and for inverting evil into good. This is an auspicious planetary transit for humanity's spiritual evolution. January 22 Venus conjoins telescopic Uranus south of the star, Markab the saddle of Pegasus at 5:02pm PST; 01:02 UT 1/23. 6pm 1/22 Map. These two planets are within a 3º (degree) conjunction south of this star from January 19-26. Their combined emanations strongly influence humanity during this time. Uranus evokes the freedom urge and shakes us loose from constrictions, ultimately leading us to inclusiveness. The modern day Aquarian is believed to be ruled by Uranus, the agent of awakening and electric change.
Our physical structures are apt to change abruptly in order to establish right relationship. Open to the new emerging forms that better sustain the Life. February 19 when gorgeous Venus achieves greatest brilliancy, the planet lies south of the star Algenib, the wing of Pegasus the Flying Horse. 6:30pm 2/19 Map
Open to the ongoing and combined emanations of Venus, Pisces and Pegasus the Flying Horse. Transform evil into good. Foster right human relations. Ride the wings of your soul toward the Light and through the gates of Paradise. The Light returns through you, a self-consecrated human being who manifests Divinity on Earth. [Return to Menu at top]
Saturn’s Slim Rings Show Off Titan’s
Transit
Seeking
Saturn’s Moons Saturn's Slimming Rings It takes Saturn 29.457 Earth years to orbit the Sun, as it does its rings appear to change position as seen from Earth through a telescope. Image Saturn's rings have been closing from their maximum ring tilt of 27º in April 2003 to their almost edge-on tilt of only 1º in January 2009. Here's an image showing Saturn's rings 10 months apart, on 3/2/08 and 1/4/09. Why
are Saturn’s rings disappearing? A brief minimum tilt of 0.8° occurred at Christmas 2008. Image
Star Gazer's 5-minute video from the week of 1/12-18/09 shows the movement of Saturn's rings over time. I highly recommend watching this fun video for its explanation of Saturn's shrinking rings and wonderful "ring dance" animation. View
Saturn’s Ring Tilt Saturn can be seen in the east at 9:00pm, overhead at 2:00am and in the west around sunrise. The planet's pale yellow orb lies near Denebola, Leo the Lion's tail star. Star Map Saturn's retrograde motion (12/31/08 - 5/15/09) keeps it in the vicinity of the Lion's hindquarters. Saturn shines at magnitude 0.7 about twice as bright as Regulus, the Lion's heart star, which shines at magnitude 1.35. The planet rises in the beginning of Aquarius at 9:00pm and by its end at 7:30pm. February 10-11, Tuesday-Wednesday, the nearly full, waning Gibbous Moon is in close proximity to Saturn, first west of the planet, next to it, then east of it. 9pm Map Click Moon Dances for an additional map and meditative reflections. The Moon conjoins Saturn 2/11 at 7:43am PST; 15:43 UT. After 1:00am any night look for the triangle formed by Saturn, Spica (Virgo's brightest star) and Arcturus (Bootes' brightest star). The two stars lie to the southeast and northeast of the planet respectively. 6am 2/11 Sky Chart Saturn is moving closer to Earth, however its brightness is negatively affected because its normally open, reflective rings are nearly closed and wafer-thin, as seen in the image above. The "Lord of the Almost No Rings" is at opposition March 8. This close Earth approach is its dimmest in 13 years. BTW: At a distance of almost 800 million miles (8.5 AU 2/15 and 8.4 AU 3/15) the light of Saturn reaches us in over an hour. Saturn Opposes Uranus Saturn and Uranus remain within a 2-3 degree opposition of each other. Their first exact pass took place on the USA's election day, November 4, 2008. The second takes place in the sign of Aquarius February 5. Three more exact passes occur ... September 15, 2009 ... April 26 and July 26, 2010.
Disciplined Saturn utilizes the experiences of limitation, pain and restriction to lead humanity out of its outdated patterns to an expansion in consciousness, greater fulfillment, and eventual freedom. Exciting Uranus evokes the freedom urge and shakes us loose from constrictions, allowing the trappings of an old age to fall away for a greater inclusiveness and freedom. During the opposition of these two planets, energies build up and create crises that ultimately free the human spirit from oppressive life structures and dull routines. Robert Hand warns that this planetary relationship is one of the most challenging in a lifetime! One must find a balance between Saturn's order, discipline, predictability and Uranus' change and original experience.
The
Five Saturn Uranus Oppositions These are times of change. Remain calm and tune to the guiding forces of your higher power. Mantram: May the greatest good come forth! [Return to Menu at top]
APOD: A Spectacular Rayed Crater on Mercury - November 3, 2008
NASA
Sends a MESSENGER to Mercury! Mercury is changing horizons and conjoins the Sun, as Aquarius begins, reaching inferior conjunction January 20. During the first week of February the planet reappears in the morning sky for early birds with a clear, flat southeastern view, about half an hour before sunrise. By February 4 Mercury, still hugging the horizon, stands pretty much at its maximum altitude. Mercury rises around 6:30am in the beginning of Aquarius and by its end at 5:30am. Mercury gets brighter in the following weeks, but not higher. February 13 the planet is at it's greatest distance west of the Sun (26º), known as its greatest elongation. At this time it is in a challenging to see, predawn planetary line-up with Mars and Jupiter. Binoculars are helpful in spotting the trio. 6:30am 2/13 Map By February 18 Jupiter and Mars change positions in the predawn planetary line-up. 2/18 Map More about this "triple planetary treat" below. [Return to Menu at top]
Triple Planetary Treat for Early Birds ~ Morning Mercury, Mars, Jupiter Triple Planetary Treat for Early Birds! This is a challenging observation. You need right timing, a clear flat horizon and binoculars. Jupiter is the brightest of the three planets and the easiest to see in the twilit sky, then Mercury. To spot Mars you'll definitely need binoculars.
Star
Gazer's 1-Minute Video
The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius? The following quote was emailed to me without a source. It is referring to the signs of Aquarius and Libra not the constellations. The Difference
As you can see Jupiter and Mars are aligned in the morning sky during the sign of Aquarius and my astrologer confirms the Moon is in the 7th House on the dates mentioned in the quote. Many feel and would agree we are in the transition of the ages and it seems pretty wonderful that this particular "dawning" occurs during Valentine's. Hmmm ... Let's just take some time to officially welcome the Age of Aquarius and the gifts it has to offer us! Open and receive the blessings of this new age! Jupiter changes horizons during Aquarius. After being in exact conjunction with the Sun January 23, the planet reappears in the east-southeastern predawn sky in mid-February. Jupiter rises an hour before the Sun around 6:00am and lies low on the horizon. You need an unobstructed view to catch an early morning glimpse of our gaseous giant. Mars lies near Jupiter, which is about 10x brighter than our Red Planet. February 13 Jupiter lies below Mars while Mercury at greatest elongation shines above the pair. 6:30am 2/13 Map By February 18 Jupiter rises above Mars. 2/18 Map Predawn Saturday-Monday, February 21-23, a sliver of an old Moon joins the "triple planetary treat". Review maps and video above. Stay tuned for a Moon Dances link with meditative reflections. Mars reappears in the mid-February morning sky at 6:00am about an hour before sunrise. You must have an unobstructed east-southeastern horizon, keen eyes and binoculars to spot its dim glow in the bright twilight. Find Jupiter, which shines about 10x brighter and you can begin to look for nearby Mars. Review maps/video above. Mercury ... Review this planetary treat above. The
Planets [Return to Menu at top]
Celestial Delights Orion Gives Birth ~ His Babies Are Artists! [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 [This] 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 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 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 Find
Orion's Valentine's Star!
Happy
Valentine's Day! Sky Lights ~ Aquarius
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