Look Up!

Planetary Treats
Saturn Is at Its Best!
Jupiter ~ A Gorgeous Giant
A Planetary Duo Draws Our Attention
Mars Avalanche ~ Caught in Action!
Celestial Delights
Earth's Shadow Changes Luna's Colors
Which Way Is the Sun Headed?
Plus ...
Sky Lights
Printabale Date Tables
Moon Dances 2/6-3/7
Moon Dances 3/7-4/5
The Night Sky ~ Home Page

Planetary Treats

Saturn at Its Best Reaches Opposition
Biggest, Brightest, Closest for 2008
Lord of the Closing Rings ~ Viewed from Earth
Sunday, February 24, 2008– View 8:00pm PST; 04:00 UT 2/25

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top-north, bottom-south, left-east, right-west

This image of Saturn was generated with the Solar System Simulator for the date and time listed above. The simulator can be used freely and easily to generate solar system images from various viewpoints.

Saturn's Moons

The image above shows 3 of Saturn's 7 brightest moons, which can be observed telescopically on the date and time listed above. The 7 brightest Moons are: Titan, Dione, Rhea, Tethys, Enceladus, Mimas, Iapetus

The positions of these 7 moons change from night to night because of their varying distances from the planet, which determine the length of their orbital periods, for example, Mimas the closest = 1 oribtal day, Titan 16 days and Iapetus the farthest = 79 orbital days. Seeking Saturn's Moons helps one locate these telescopic moons for any date and time from January 1900 to December 2100

Note: All 7 brightest moons can be seen with a 4-6 inch telescope March 18 at 8:00pm PDT; 11pm EDT; 03:00 UT 3/19. Image

Saturn currently has 60 named natural satellites, many discovered recently. See this Table of known Moons to find out their size, orbital period, position, discovery date and more. See the orbital relationship of 34 of these moons and select one to learn more.

Saturn's orbit during Pisces brings the planet close to Earth and positions it opposite the Sun from our view. All three of these celestial bodies form a straight line with the Earth nestled between Saturn and the Sun. The Sun fully illuminates Saturn making it brighter, just like a Full Moon; its close proximity to the Earth makes it appear bigger. This is called opposition.

At opposition Saturn is above the horizon for the entire night, rising in the east around sunset, shining highest in the south at midnight, and setting in the west around sunrise. One can enjoy the ringed wonder all night long during Pisces. Saturn’s opposition is exact Sunday, February 24 at 2:00am PST; 10:00 UT.

BTW: Oppositions of Saturn occur about every year and 2 weeks (378.1 days); there are 29 during its 30 year rotation around the Sun.

Note: With each following opposition, Saturn lies farther away from the Sun until it reaches its maximum distance, aphelion, in 2018. Saturn then gets closer each year until November 2032, when it reaches perihelion. New Year’s Eve 2003 was the most recent, closest "perihelic" opposition since 1974.

Perihelion Saturn … 743 million miles from Earth
2/24/08 Saturn … 771 million miles from Earth
Aphelion Saturn … 1027 million miles from Earth

Locating Saturn

Saturn’s yellow orb shining at 0.2 magnitude can be seen rising in the east near sunset in the constellation Leo the Lion just west of the Lion’s blue-white heart star, Regulus. Star Map Saturn is a full magnitude (2.5x) brighter than Regulus and outshines any nearby stars. By 9:00pm the planet is about halfway to overhead in the east. It is at its highest around midnight and sets at sunrise.

Look for the backward "L-shape" made up of yellowish Saturn (outer bottom of the "L"), blue-white Regulus (angle of the "L") and Algieba (top of the "L") and neck star of Leo the Lion. As March begins and Saturn moves closer to Regulus, the bottom of the "L" shortens and these 3 celestial bodies form a bright long narrow triangle that continues to thin. BTW: The two bright stars west of Saturn are the Gemini Twins. Star Map 

February 20, Wednesday, a Full Moon Total Lunar Eclipse occurs between Regulus and Saturn! During the 50 minutes of totality the dark sky will easily reveal Saturn and the stars of Leo the Lion. Before and after totality the light of the Full Moon makes it difficult to see these same celestial bodies. Learn more about this eclipse below.

March 18-19 the waxing Gibbous Moon transits Leo the Lion and aligns with Regulus and Saturn creating an impressive, shifting view. Click Moon Dances for reflections and maps.

Lord of the Closing Rings

Saturn's open rings reflect a lot of sunlight in years when Saturn angles (tilts) them toward us. They reached maximum tilt in March 2003 and the changing tilt is gradually decreasing until the rings appear edge-on in 2009. 2008 is the last year to view the rings before they "disappear".

BTW: When Saturn's rings are wide open at maximum tilt, they reflect a lot of sunlight and the planet can appear brighter even when it's not at its closest to Earth.

Note: Saturn’s current ring tilt reveals both the North (top) and South (bottom) Poles of the planet. Saturn's globe is prominent now and reflected light from the rings seems to illuminate the equatorial region of the planet.

Wikipedia Image ~ Saturn’s Oppositions/Ring Tilt 2001-2029

Using the Solar System Simulator
Compare Saturn’s annual ring tilt by viewing years 2003-2009
Choose: Saturn seen from Earth—04:00 UTC— Feb. 10
body 30%—no options chosen—run simulator.

Saturn Is Striking Even in Small Scopes
Best Viewing ~ Mid-Evening and Later

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The two images above show how the ringed planet might look when seen through a small, inexpensive telescope at low magnification on a mediocre night (top) and through a larger, better instrument at higher power on a night when the air is especially still (bottom).

Note: Ring tilt as discussed above is not the same as shown in these telescopic images.

Telescoping Saturn

Low power viewing can begin at 8:00pm, for magnification above 100x at 10:00pm. Review above images of Saturn while reading the following:

Saturn looks beautiful through any telescope. Take your time — quick glances miss the details. Saturn's disk currently spans 20" [arcseconds], so it appears small in the eyepiece. Yet, you can usually spy the dark band of the South Equatorial Belt. Finer details show up only to patient viewers who wait for brief moments of good seeing. ... the rings span 45" east-to-west and 7" north-to-south. The Cassini Division appears clearly as a dark gap near the eastern and western ends of the rings. Astronomy Magazine 3/08

Small scopes reveal the three principal rings: A, B, and C. The outer A ring appears slightly dimmer than the adjacent B ring. A dark gap known as the Cassini Division separates these two rings. The inner C ring shows up through 6-inch or larger telescopes on excellent nights. Astronomy Magazine 2/07

Saturn’s Rings Labelled

The dimmer A ring is so thin it cannot completely hide the globe of Saturn. The B ring is so thick the globe cannot be seen through it. The C ring is transparent enough to show Saturn’s disk. The Cassini Division is a 2,900 mile wide gap that contains some icy particles.

The features of Saturn’s globe are subtle and challenging to see with a small scope, but it’s easy to see that the poles of Saturn are flattened by about 10%. This is caused by the gaseous planet’s rapid rotation and short day of 10 hours.

Saturn's equatorial parts rotate once in about 10 hours 14 minutes. Higher latitudes rotate more slowly, in about 10 hours 38 minutes. Sky&Telescope

Observing Guide to Saturn

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A Jupiter-Io Montage from New Horizons
APOD: January 8, 2008

APOD Image

As the New Horizons spacecraft sweeps through the Solar System, it is taking breathtaking images of the planets. In February of last year, New Horizons passed Jupiter and the ever-active Jovian moon Io. In this montage, Jupiter was captured in three bands of infrared light making the Great Red Spot look white. Complex hurricane-like ovals, swirls, and planet-ringing bands are visible in Jupiter's complex atmosphere. Io is digitally superposed in natural color. Fortuitously, a plume was emanating from Io's volcano Tvashtar. Frost and sulfuric lava cover the volcanic moon, while red-glowing lava is visible beneath the blue sunlight-scattering plume. The robotic New Horizons spacecraft is on track to arrive at Pluto in 2015. APOD: 1/8/08

Jupiter’s Moons
Sky & Telescope’s JavaScript utility helps
locate Jupiter’s four brightest satellites anytime
between January 1900–December 2100.

Jupiter ~ The Fun To Watch Planet

Jupiter at magnitude -2.0 is brilliant as it ascends above the predawn southeastern horizon. This gaseous giant can be seen from 4:00am to sunrise during Pisces. As it climbs higher, Jupiter is distancing itself from the almost 5x brighter Venus (magnitude -3.8), which is now sinking toward the sunrise horizon and pairing up with Mercury in the twilit sky.

Jupiter is presently located at the eastern border of the constellation Sagittarius. On the mornings of March 1-3 the waning Crescent Moon transits Sagittarius near Jupiter. Click Moon Dances for a map and reflections. 30 minutes before sunrise on March 4 a slim Crescent Moon lines up between Jupiter and the Mercury / Venus twilight duo. Star Map

This giant planet 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.

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These recent photos of our two inner most planets are both thrilling and perplexing planetary scientists. The view of Mercury shows a side of Mercury that has never been seen before; it was taken January 14, 2008. The view of Venus shows the light and dark atmosphere around southern hemisphere of the planet; it was taken July 8, 2007. Keep reading to learn more!

Heavily Cratered Mercury

America’s MESSENGER spacecraft is giving us the first look at about half of Mercury’s hemisphere missed by Mariner 10! Scientists have been waiting 30 years to see this view and are now inundated with captivating data. The giant Caloris impact basin, now seen in its entirety on the upper right of the photo, has scientists surprised by its bright inside and pitted regions of interesting color. "Discoveries are at hand!" ~ Full Image Description 1/15/08

NASA Sends a MESSENGER to Mercury!
NASA’s first trip to the planet in 30 years.
Successful Launch ~ August 2/3, 2004
Orbital Arrival ~ March 2011
Status Reports

Cloud-Covered Venus

Europe’s Venus Express spacecraft is revealing a planet of extraordinarily changeable and extremely large-scale weather, when viewed at ultraviolet wavelengths. The light and dark clouds of Venus alter the reflectivity of the planet by a third over periods of just a few days. While researchers believe that the bright haze is produced by sulphuric acid particles, the chemistry behind the dark regions is unknown. Additional Images ~ Full ESA News Article 2/21/08

Venus Express ~ ESA’s Orbiter
Successful Launch ~ November 9, 2005
Orbital Arrival ~ April 11, 2006
Mission Extension ~ May 2009
Objectives ~ Images+Videos ~ Status Reports

Venus and Mercury are a predawn twilight pair east of Jupiter low on the horizon. You'll need an unobstructed view facing east-southeast and probably binoculars to spot Mercury in dawn's early light. Be eye safe; do not look at the Sun with an optical aid! The twilight duo rise together in the beginning of Pisces at 5:30am Standard Time and by its end at 6:30am Daylight Saving Time.

BTW: Mercury's retrograde motion ended February 18 the day before Pisces began.

Late February Venus sinks deeper into the twilit glow and Mercury pops into view. Begin looking for faint Mercury north of 100x brighter Venus February 25-26; binoculars are needed.

During March the twilight duo stay near one another. Mercury reaches greatest elongation March 3. 3/3 6:30am Map The waning Crescent Moon is in close proximity to Mercury and Venus March 4 and forms a tight triangle with the planetary duo March 5. Click Moon Dances for a map and reflections.

Together they sink toward the rising Sun. 3/20 Equinox Sunrise Map By March 23 Mercury lies just 1 degree * south of Venus; both planets, very close to the horizon at this time, will be difficult to spot even with binoculars.

Avalanche on Mars ~ Caught in Action!
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This is the first ever avalanche on another planet caught in action and recorded! NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) took this photo February 19, 2008, as it surveyed a dune near the north pole of Mars for seasonal changes. Discovering the active avalanche was unexpected, “serendipitous.”

It really surprised me, says planetary scientist Ingrid Daubar Spitale of the University of Arizona … It's great to see something so dynamic on Mars. A lot of what we see there hasn't changed for millions of years. Full NASA Article

Martian springtime in the Northern Hemisphere is thawing solid carbon dioxide ice directly into vapor.

Visible in the above picture, digitally rescaled, are several layers of white ice thawing over red rock, with darker colors toward the right indicating that Martian soil mixed with lesser amounts of ice. As the cliff of over 700 meters high was thawing, falling ice crashed down raising plumes of ice and dust so thick they cast visible shadows. APOD: 3/11/08 ~ Current Astronomy Picture of the Day

Scientists plan to observe this area over time to determine if this type of avalanche occurs only in early spring. They will also be watching to see if ice blocks and other debris shrink in size as solid ice turns into gas.

The MRO spacecraft, which reached Mars in March 2006, has provided scientists with more data than all other current and past missions to Mars combined!

Mars remains at its highest in 48 years! It is seen directly overhead at 8:00pm and sets in the west around 3:15am during Pisces. It is diminishing in size and brightness, as Earth’s faster inner orbit moves it past the Red Planet, increasing the distance that separates the two.

Mars Changes Size ~ Orbital Motions of Earth and Mars

Note: Though early February offered the final opportunity for those telescoping Mars to observe the planet’s surface details, unaided eye observers will easily notice the planet’s conspicuous rouge-gold glow through May.

Almost directly south of Mars lies red Betelgeuse in Orion. Look west of Betelgeuse to find red Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull and you'll see all members of the shape shifting Red Triad. 2/29 8pm Star Map Compare the color and brightness of each. In the beginning of March, Mars at magnitude 0.2 is a little brighter than Betelgeuse at magnitude 0.5, by mid-March they are equal in brightness. By the month's end Mars dims to the brightness of Aldebaran, magnitude 0.8, and Betelgeuse shines brightest in the Triad. Red Triad Reflections

Watch the Red Planet move eastward away from Taurus the Bull toward the M35 star cluster at the feet of the Gemini Twins and then toward the Gemini star Mebsuta. Mars enters Gemini March 4. Mars Path 3/08

March 14 the First Quarter Moon lies very near Mars to the north. Click Moon Dances for a map and reflections.

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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

Total Lunar Eclipse - Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Will You See Luna Change Colors?

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Moon's path through Earth's penumbra
(pale shadow) and umbra (darkest shadow).

Eclipse Diagrams for other Time Zones
Scroll 1/4 way down the page.

Who Will See the Eclipse?

Nearly a billion people in the Western Hemisphere, more than 1.5 billion in Europe and Africa, and perhaps another half-billion in western Asia will be able to watch ...

Almost everyone in the Americas and Western Europe will have a beautiful view of this eclipse if bad weather doesn't spoil the show. The moon will be high in a dark evening sky as viewed from most of the United States and Canada while most people are still awake and about. Joe Rao at SPACE.com

Those along the coast of northern California and Oregon, as well as Alaskan viewers see a moonrise while the eclipse is in progress. Observers in Hawaii see a moonrise after totality in its partial phase. Those in Western Europe and Africa see the eclipse at dawn, when the Moon is setting in the west.

Eclipse Visiblity Map
P=Penumbra ~ U=Umbra
Glossary of Solar Eclipse Terms

Shadow Zones
Mechanics of Lunar Eclipses

Note: It is perfectly safe to watch a lunar eclipse including the 50 minutes of totality, with your unaided eyes, binoculars or a telescope.

Eclipse Color

Expect the northern part of the Moon, near the deepest part of the Earth's shadow, to appear darker than the southern part of the Moon. A helpful image and animated image show this color difference.

The Moon reflects the light of the Sun and even an eclipsed Moon is colored by some sunlight. It always turns an unpredictable shade of red. The color of the Moon is determined by how much atmosphere and pollution the sunlight must travel through. High local pollution levels make for a redder Moon! It's the same reason that sunsets are orangey-reddish. The blue part of the spectrum is filtered out by the Earth's atmosphere. Informative Image

While you're watching, be alert for another color: turquoise. Observers of several recent lunar eclipses have reported a flash of turquoise bracketing the red of totality. ...

... Eclipse researcher Dr. Richard Keen of the University of Colorado explains: " ... light passing through the upper stratosphere penetrates the ozone layer, which absorbs red light and actually makes the passing light ray bluer." This can be seen, he says, as a soft blue fringe around the red core of Earth's shadow.

To catch the turquoise on Feb. 20th, he advises, "look during the first and last minutes of totality." ... (7:01 and 7:51 pm PST). NASA

NASA's Full Article + Photos

Mark Your Calendars ~ You Gotta See It!

"Don't Miss ... The Last Total Lunar Eclipse For Three Years"

… On Wednesday night February 20th the last total lunar eclipse until December 2010 will occur over all of North and South America.

The Moon will be completely within the umbra and totally eclipsed for 50 minutes … But this year as a bonus during totality we'll also see the ringed planet Saturn at its brightest for 2008 on one side and Regulus the heart star of Leo the Lion on the other. From 10:51 to 12:09 [EST; 7:51pm to 9:09pm PST] the Moon will slowly slide out of the umbra and return to full Moon brilliance at which time however, it will be difficult to even see Regulus and Saturn. So pray for clear skies Wednesday night, the 20th, the night when the Moon turns red. Star Gazer

Total lunar eclipses come in clusters. This is the third one in 12 months.  There can be two or three during a period of a year or a year and a half, followed by a lull of two or three years before another round begins. Eclipse Frequency

Click Moon Dances for a star map and eclipse Full Moon reflections.

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The Spring or Vernal Equinox occurs
the exact moment in time when the Sun,
heading from the south to the north,
appears in the sky at the point where
the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator.

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The Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere occurs Sunday, March 19, at 10:49pm PDT; 05:49 UT 3/20. It refers to an instant in time at which the Earth is tilted neither toward nor away from the Sun.

Did you know?
At the spring (March) equinox ...

Direct rays of sunlight shine on the equator.
It is one of the 2 longest days of the year on the equator.
(The other longest day occurs at the September equinox.)
Six months of daylight begins at the North Pole.
Six months of darkness begins at the South Pole.
Autumn begins in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Spring Equinox
Surprise your friends with more equinox facts!
Participate in Equinox Global meditations.

Spring Equinox
A new balance comes into play.

May Your Springtime
Bring Emerging Opportunities
and Blessed Beginnings.

Printable Date Tables

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

Lunar cycle 3/7/08-4/5/08

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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