For the Northern Hemisphere
August 22 - September 22, 2009
All times are local unless otherwise specified.
Look Up!
Planetary Treats
Saturn, Mercury Swallowed by the Sun!
Jupiter's Impact Update
Venus, Mars and the Winter Stars!
Celestial Delights
Who's Changing Celestial Hemispheres?
Plus ...
Sky Lights
Printable Date Table
Moon Dances 8/20-9/18
The Night Sky ~ Home Page
Virgo Navigation Page
Planetary Treats
Two Twilight Planets Being Swallowed by the Sun! |
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| Saturn | Mercury |
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| Image: Solar System Simulator | Image: MESSENGER |
Saturn: This image of Saturn, now the Lord of "Less" Rings, was generated by the Solar System Simulator. It shows how the rings of Saturn disappear from our view on September 4, when the Earth is located above Saturn's equatorial rings, in a high-noon position. This occurs every 15 years during a ring plane crossing. Unfortunately in 2009 this crossing occurs, when Saturn is very close to the Sun and is hidden in its glaring light. Though we are unable to see this event from Earth, the Solar System Simulator can generate an image for us. Click the Simulator link above and view Saturn's rings from Earth on different dates. Cassini Sees a Ring Plane Crossing
NASA’s Cassini Mission
Successful Launch ~ October 15, 1997
Orbital Arrival ~ June 30, 2004
Mission Extension ~ To June 30, 2010
Originally Cassini-Huygens Mission
Extension: Cassini Equinox MissionNote: The Sun was exactly located above Saturn's equator and, therefore its rings August 10. This is the Sun's equinox position (1/2 way point) as it moves from the southern to the northern hemisphere of Saturn, thus the new name of Cassini's extended mission.
Mercury: The above image of Mercury, messenger of the gods, is one of the two new global views of the planet. When 2008 began, only 45% of Mercury surface had been seen by spacecraft. Then in 2008, the MESSENGER mission flew by Mercury twice, first on January 14 and again on October 6, capturing images of previously unseen terrain. At the end of 2008 to the present, imaging coverage of Mercury’s surface is about 90%. The MESSENGER mission still has much to look forward to, with a third Mercury flyby September 29, 2009 and with the orbiting of Mercury beginning in March 2011.
NASA Sends a MESSENGER to Mercury!
This is NASA’s first trip to the planet in 30 years.
Successful Launch ~ August 2/3, 2004
Orbital Arrival ~ March 2011
News Center
Saturn and Mercury, sinking low on the western horizon are being swallowed by the light of our Sun. Just after sunset, as Virgo begins, these two twilight planets lie next to each other. Scan the western horizon with binoculars to spot the planetary pair.
Mark your Calendar
Date Table includes additional events.
August 21, Friday, the youngest Moon lies below Mercury in the west; Saturn lies to the right of the 2.5x brighter Mercury. Moonset: 8:30pm. This is a challenging observation. Use binoculars to spot the twilight planets. For orientation see the Map/Text link for August 22.
August 22, Saturday, a slim Crescent Moon, Mercury and Saturn line-up left to right respectively; the view disappears before 9:00pm. This is a challenging observation. Use binoculars to spot the twilight planets. Map/Text
August 24, Monday Mercury reaches greatest elongation (27º) and sets along with Saturn at 8:45pm. This is a challenging observation. Use binoculars to spot the twilight planets. Map/Text
Click Moon Dances for the new lunar cycle's meditative reflections that include the above dates.
Sun Swallows Planetary Pair
Saturn's rings close to exactly edge-on September 4, when Earth passes through Saturn's ring plane; unfortunately the planet is out of sight in conjunction with the Sun.
Saturn exactly conjoins the Sun September 17 and three days later, September 20 Mercury is in inferior conjunction.
Predawn's Planetary Reappearance
Mercury reappears in the morning sky at the end of September. September 28 Mercury rises in the east at 6:00am; it's magnitude 0.7 pierces through dawn's early light. You'll have to wait until October to easily see Saturn in the morning sky.
Jupiter’s Mysterious Impact Grows and
Fades
Image: Brian
Combs / spaceweather.com
South is up.
A little more than a month after a mystery-object crashed into Jupiter, the debris cloud is still visible in backyard telescopes. Amateur astronomer Brian Combs of Buena Vista, Georgia, took this picture on August 19th.
When Australian astrophotographer Anthony Wesley discovered the debris cloud on July 19th, it was about the size of many other small storms dotting Jupiter's upper atmosphere. Since then, the compact black mark has expanded into an enormous swirl rivaling the girth of the Great Red Spot itself. [upper left oval] Unfortunately, as the cloud has expanded it has also faded, and its pale markings could soon disappear altogether. Continued monitoring is encouraged. spaceweather.com
Predicted Transit Times
To locate the debris cloud add 2 hours to Sky and Telescope's
predicted transit times for Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
The planet is highest in the south around 11:00pm.No one saw or knows what hit Jupiter. However it is estimated that the force of the impactor was thousands of times more powerful than whatever exploded over the Tunguska River Valley in Siberia June 1908. Scientists know that the debris cloud has expanded and faded due to the Jovian polar winds blowing 25 m/s and faster. Ground-based observers are now analyzing light reflected from the cloud. If they detect water, an icy comet is the cause of Jupiter's mysterious "scar". If not, a rocky or metallic asteroid is the suspect.
Anthony Wesley's August 3rd photo shows the impact's westward expansion (toward the photo's right). Rick Schrantz's August 7th photo shows the impact broken up into 3 debris clouds (south is down). This 3-Week Animation shows the impactor's evolution from July 19 - August 10 ... more about the animation.
Stunning Keck Observatory Photo ~ 7/20/09
Planetary Treat from the Leo Night Sky
Jupiter is the King, ruling the night sky with its brilliant presence from sunset until the appearance of dawn's early light. Just weeks past its August 14 opposition, the planet continues to give a royal performance. Look for eye-catching Jupiter low in the southeast at sunset, high in the south around midnight and in the southwest afterwards, setting a little before sunrise.
Jupiter retrograde (6/15-10/11), located in the dim constellation Capricornus at magnitude -2.8, far outshines any stars in its vicinity. Telescopic Neptune also in retrograde motion (5/28-11/3) lies near Jupiter. This Map (4/4 - 9/11, 2009) shows Neptune's prograde and retrograde path in blue and that of Jupiter in white.
Jupiter anywhere near the Moon is always a visual delight. Look for the two during the last days of August and the first days of September. You'll want to see their closest two pairings; September 1 Jupiter lies to the left of the waxing Gibbous Moon, September 2 to the right. 9/1 9pm Sky Chart ~ 9/2 9pm Map The Moon in close proximity to Jupiter can be observed until just before sunrise. Click Moon Dances for an additional map and meditative reflections.
Telescopic Jupiter and Its Dancing Moons
The Earth, orbitally located almost exactly above Jupiter's equator in an edge-on, high noon position, is moving through the plane of Jupiter's moons, allowing the planet's satellites to line up in their special 6-year geometry.
... This alignment happens every six years, on opposite sides of Jupiter's 12-year orbit around the Sun.
At such times its four Galilean satellites [*] undergo mutual phenomena: they often get occulted and eclipsed not just by big Jupiter and its shadow but also by one another. Sky&Telescope
In 2009, as part of the International Year of Astronomy, professional astronomers are organizing a worldwide observing campaign to record as many of these events as possible. Click here for details.
Note: When a celestial body hides any part of another celestial body, it occults it. When the shadow of a celestial body covers any part of another celestial body, it eclipses it. Helpful Image
Bright Io and its shadow transit Jupiter ... David Leong of Hong Kong captured this amazing event 8/15/09. To learn more about this movie click here.
Io and its shadow overtake Ganymede ... Christopher Go of the Philippines captured this rare event 8/16/09. To learn more about this movie and see the still photos click here.
Ganymede occults and eclipses Europa ... Efrain Morales Rivera of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico captured this event with its final disappearing act 8/19/09. To learn more about this movie click here.
Jupiter's
Moons Dance for You!
Sky&Telescope tells the whole story and
lists mutual events through December, 2009
Jupiter’s
Moons
Sky & Telescope’s JavaScript utility helps
locate Jupiter’s four brightest satellites anytime
between January 1900–December 2100.
It also lists the satellite phenomena for the chosen day.
BTW: The four largest and brightest moons of Jupiter can be seen in a dark country sky with binoculars.
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Star Maps
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Too hot? View the kool winter stars before dawn late in the summer and early fall. They are called the winter stars because they are best seen on winter evenings, when they lie overhead.
These stars form the Great Winter Hexagon, which is fully seen in the image on the left and partially seen on the right. Currently the "hot" Red Triad resides within this kool hexagon. The Triad is morning's red triangle formed by Mars our Red Planet, Aldebaran the red eye star of Taurus the Bull and Betelgeuse the red shoulder star of Orion the Hunter.
During September the Winter Hexagon and the Red Triad rise earlier each morning and are positioned higher above the eastern horizon before sunrise. Mars, not rising as quickly as the background stars, becomes the lowest point in the Red Triad. Venus, sinking toward the horizon, rises a little later each predawn morning. Compare the rising times in the chart below and you will find Venus is sinking twice as fast as Mars is rising. (Venus rises 30 minutes later from 9/7-21, while Mars rises 15 minutes earlier from 9/7-21.)
Note: Aldebaran rises the previous night.
| Venus | 4:15am | 4:45am |
| Red Triad | Sept. 7 | Sept. 21 |
| Aldebaran | 11:45pm | 10:45pm |
| Mars | 1:15am | 1:00am |
| Betelgeuse | 1:30am | 12:30am |
Mars leaves Taurus the Bull and enters the constellation of the Gemini Twins during the last week of August. Shining at magnitude 0.9 the Red Planet is a little brighter than Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twin stars. During September Mars approaches these two stars.
Mars rises in the east at 1:30am in the beginning of Virgo and at 1:00am by its end. The planet ascends almost 1/2 way to the zenith by twilight.
The combined orbital motions of Mars and the Earth are bringing the two planets closer together. One can observe Mars steadily growing brighter, bigger and redder, as the months unfold. Much better views of our Red Planet occur at the end of the year.
As seen in the maps above the Red Planet first lies to the left (north) of red Betelgeuse and then below. Red Aldebaran lies above. Compare their size and color. Betelgeuse is our 10th brightest star and Aldebaran our 14th. Mars, having deepened in color and grown in size, is now more like Betelgeuse in appearance. Mars glows red because of sunlight being reflected off its rust-colored soil. Aldebaran and Betelgeuse emit their own light, which is an indicator of their surface temperature. They glow like a red-hot poker left in a fire. Note: An old red star has a cooler surface temperature than a young white star.
Ponder on this ...
Evolutionary energies circulate through and emanate from the Red Triad, which acts as a generator for the creation of new world. Mars the spiritual warrior is giving us plenty of opportunities and challenges to courageously interact with opposing forces as orbital motion brings it nearer to Earth. Betelgeuse is stimulating the heart increasing compassion and cooperation. Aldebaran is providing an enlightened vision for humanity and its governing systems.
The waning Crescent Moon lies above Mars the morning of September 13 and below (east of) the planet September 14. 9/13 4am Map ~ 9/14 5am Sky Chart Click Moon Dances for additional maps and meditative reflections.
As seen in the maps above, eye-catching Venus lies below Mars.
Venus rises in the northeast around 3:45am in the beginning of Virgo and an hour later by the last day of Virgo. The planet enters the constellation Cancer as Virgo begins. This gorgeous goddess of love transits the Beehive Cluster (M44) at the heart of Cancer September 1-3; get out those binoculars to see the bees! Map
By mid-September Venus is in the den of Leo the Lion. The morning of September 20 Venus lies north of Regulus, the heart star of Leo the Lion. Map/Text September 21 Venus passes to the east of Regulus; see map above. Venus at magnitude -3.9 is about 100x brighter than this star.
Venus blazes so bright it is often mistaken for a UFO!
Mark Your Calendar!
Venus and the Crescent Moon are heavenly together! The morning of Wednesday, September 16, the waning Crescent Moon lies just above the glorious planet and Thursday, September 17, just below. 9/16 Sunrise Map ~ 9/17 5:45am Star Chart Click Moon Dances for additional maps and meditative reflections.
The
Planets
Is it
a planet? ... What planet? When you look up at the night sky, how do you
know you are looking at a planet? Learn
what a plutoid is. Click
here.
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Celestial
Delights
The Sun Changes Celestial Hemispheres
Autumn Equinox ~ September 22, 2008
Sol Crosses the Celestial Equator for Some Southern Exposure!
Image: Bad Astronomy
The Autumn Equinox in the northern hemisphere occurs Tuesday, September 22, at 2:19pm PDT; 21:19 UT, when the Sun enters the sign of Libra. It is one of the two days of the year that the Sun moves across the celestial equator.
The
Autumn Equinox
The Sun "falls" below the celestial equator.
The true equinox cannot be observed.
The Sun transits the celestial sphere signaling the seasons.
Auroras increase around the autumn equinox.
The world participates in three Global meditations.
Have an Awesome Autumn!
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Sky Lights ~ Virgo
August 22-September 22, 2009
Saturn and Mercury lie next to each other, low on the western horizon, just after sunset as Virgo begins. Scan the western horizon with binoculars to to spot the twilight planets. 8/21 just after sunset, the youngest Moon in the west lies below Mercury; Saturn lies to the right of 2.5x brighter Mercury. Moonset: 8:30pm. 8/22 the young Moon, Mercury and Saturn line-up left to right respectively; the view disappears before 9:00pm. 8/24 Mercury reaches greatest elongation (27º) and sets along with Saturn at 8:45pm. 9/4 Saturn's rings close to exactly edge-on, when Earth passes through Saturn's ring plane; unfortunately the planet is out of sight in conjunction with the Sun. 9/17 Saturn exactly conjoins the Sun. 9/20 Mercury is in inferior conjunction. Mercury reappears in the morning sky at the end of September. 9/28 Mercury rises in the east at 6:00am; it's magnitude 0.7 pierces through dawn's early light. You'll have to wait until October to easily see Saturn in the morning sky.
Jupiter is the King, ruling the night sky with its brilliant beacon of light. Look for the planet low in the southeast at sunset, in the south around midnight and in the southwest afterwards, setting in dawn's early light. Jupiter retrograde (6/15-10/11) is located in the dim constellation Capricornus and at magnitude -2.8 far outshines any stars in its vicinity. Telescopic Neptune lies near Jupiter. Map 9/1 Jupiter lies to the left of the waxing Gibbous Moon, 9/2 to the right. 9/1 9pm Sky Chart ~ 9/2 9pm Map The Moon paired with Jupiter is a planetary treat and can be observed until just before sunrise.
Mars leaves Taurus the Bull and journeys into the constellation of the Gemini Twins during the last week of August. 8/29 the planet lies just south of M35 at the foot of Castor. Mars rises in the east at 1:30am in the beginning of Virgo and at 1:00am by its end. Shining at magnitude 0.9 it is a little brighter than Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twin stars. The Red Planet is almost 1/2 way to the zenith at twilight. Mars is approaching Earth; watch it grow in size and brightness over the upcoming months. Much better views of our Red Planet occur at the end of the year. The movement of Mars shifts the shape of the Red Triad formed by the Red Planet, red Aldebaran the eye of Taurus the Bull, and red Betelgeuse the shoulder star of Orion the Hunter. By 9/5 Mars lies to the left (north) of Betelgeuse. 9/5 5am Sky Chart The waning Crescent Moon lies above Mars the morning of 9/13 and below (east of) the planet 9/14. 9/13 4am Map ~ 9/14 5am Sky Chart Eye-catching Venus lies below Mars.
Venus rises in the northeast around 3:45am in the beginning of Virgo and at 4:30am by its end. The later sunrises are keeping Venus in a darker sky longer and a higher morning ecliptic is keeping the sinking planet at about the same altitude it was at during Leo, 20º - 13º about 1 hour before sunrise. 8/25 the dazzling planet lines-up with Castor and Pollux as it enters the constellation of Cancer. 9/1-3 Venus transits the Beehive Cluster (M44) at the heart of Cancer; get out those binoculars to see the bees! Map By mid-September Venus is in the den of Leo the Lion. The morning of 9/16 the waning Crescent Moon lies just above glorious planet and 9/17 and just below. 9/16 5:30am Map ~ 9/17 5:45am Star Chart 9/20 Venus lies next to Regulus, the heart star of Leo the Lion. Venus at magnitude -3.9 is about 100x brighter than this star.
The Big Dipper is in the northwest arcing to bright golden Arcturus in the west, at nightfall. Star Chart How many summer evening stars can you find using spring's Big Dipper Navigation? Notice the seasonal position of the Big Dipper's bowl.
Scorpius the cosmic scorpion, a sprawling j-shaped constellation, is seen in the southwest at sunset. Antares is the red heart star of Scorpius. With binoculars on a moonless night can you find the Scorpion's missing claws (now the constellation Libra), its two stinger stars sometimes called cat's eyes or how about the star clusters M6 and M7 above the Scorpion's stinger? Maps/Text Throughout the year you can Track Bunny's Footprints in Scorpius!
The Summer Triangle a stellar right triangle is high in the northeast at sunset. Vega is the brightest star and western point; Deneb the dimmest star and eastern point, Altair is the southern point. Hercules the Strong Man lies about a third of the way from bright white Vega to golden Arcturus in the northwest. Look for his four star wedge-shaped torso. Star Chart
The Milky Way appears like a faint cloud extending from Scorpius on the southwestern horizon, to the Summer Triangle high overhead, and onward toward Cassiopeia (M or W shaped) on the northeastern horizon. Star Map.
Lunar
Cycle 8/20/09-9/18/09
(Can be used through 9/22)
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
Getting
Started in Astronomy
Includes a downloadable Moon map and bimonthly star charts.
At Skymaps.com download a current monthly guide, evening sky map & calendar.
Link to Sky and Telescope's This Week's Sky at a Glance.
Spaceweather.com keeps you looking up!
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