What's in the Sky - November

November is here and I was able to touch base with Charles from Chuckwalla Observatory to get the monthly sky report from him.  He apologizes for not being able to provide the monthly report for the months of September and October as his full time job had him extremely busy at the time.  

Once again, Thank you Charles for taking a moment out of your schedule to provide this information. 

What's in The Sky This Month? 

Moon phases in November

Nov 11 is the date of the new moon for the month of November.

Nov 25 is the date of the full moon. During this time of year the Native Americans took the opportunity to set beaver traps before rivers began to freeze over. That is why this full moon is also known as the Full Beaver Moon, or Full hunter Moon.

Planets in November

Both the ice giants Uranus and Neptune are up high after sunset. Although they are both pass their prime for this year, they are both still observable in the early evening hours. Neptune sets first, at around midnight by mid-month. Uranus stays out later into the wee hours of the morning. Although the ice giants are considerably larger than Earth, their extreme distance from us means they appear tiny in the sky. At magnitude +5.7, Uranus can be spotted by eye under dark conditions with little light pollution. Neptune, at +7.8, it just too dim for most to pick out of the sky by eye. However, even a small telescope will readily reveal their striking blue colors. If your interested in taking a peak at the ice giants, now is your last chance before they descend from sight for a while.

Jupiter is starting to make a come back this month, but you will nee to stay up late or get up early to see it. It doesn't crest the horizon until about 1:30am by mid-month, and you'll need to wait a few hours afterward to get a decent telescopic view. Jupiter's apparition is still young, there is plenty of time to get some great visual observations later into it's cycle. It won't be at it's best until March 2016.

Venus rises not long after Jupiter, and at magnitude -4.2, looks strikingly bright in the morning sky. Again, you'll need to be an early riser to see it's brilliance.

Special Events

There are two meteor showers in the month of November, one minor and one average.

The first shower of the month is the minor Taurids meteor shower on the night of Nov 4th/morning of the 5th. This one only produces about 5-10 meteors per hour that appear to radiate from the constellation Taurus. The second quarter moon will interfere with this shower's visibility after midnight.

Shower two occurs on Nov 17-18. This one is the Leonids meteor shower, coming in from Leo. This shower is a better producer, averaging 15-20 meteors per hour. The moon will set right after midnight, leaving the best part of the shower on the morning of Nov 18th in excellent viewing conditions. 

Charles Prince

Chuckwalla Observatory

USAF, SrA

What's In The Skies This Month - March

When it comes to astronomical happenings, the month of March is a bit dry this year. There are no major celestial events slated to occur in the next 31 days, with the exception of a very remote solar eclipse. However, some of the events from last month can still be enjoyed.

Moon Phases for March

March 5th is the date of the full moon for the month of March. This full moon is known as the Full Worm Moon because warmer March temperatures cause the ground to start thawing and the earthworms re-emerge. It is also known as the Full Sap moon because it occurs during the time of year when maple trees are tapped to collect sap.

The 20th of March is a new moon. This is an excellent time to view deep sky objects with telescopes and binoculars since there will be no moonlight to interfere with observations.

Planets in March

Jupiter came to opposition in the first week of February, but the giant planet is still putting on a great show right now. It is still quite large in the sky and will show impressive detail even in modestly sized telescopes. Look for features such as the north and south equatorial belts (the two major dark colored bands) and the Great Red Spot. Jupiter's ever changing moons put on a different show every night.

Venus is another planet to watch closely for changes. As the month rolls on the planet will appear to get brighter and brighter in the western sky. Through a telescope, Venus will look very much like a little version of a waxing gibbous moon. In actuality, it is waning from our point of view. Over the next few months, it will slowly turn into a large, brilliant crescent.

Phases of Venus (courtesy of Dept of Astronomy University of Virginia)

Saturn is starting to make a come back, but it doesn't even begin to rise out of the east until the early morning hours. While you might be able to catch an early glimpse of the ringed wonder if you stay up late enough, the best views wont come until May when it reaches opposition.

Special Events

The only special celestial event occurring this month is a total solar eclipse on March 20th. Unfortunately, this one will only be visible from the northern Atlantic and Arctic Oceans...far too remote for many to witness. But not to worry, there is an eclipse of another kind occurring next month.

Notes

For those in the USA, March 8th is the beginning of Daylight Savings Time. The clocks will jump one hour ahead at 2:00am.

March 20th is the vernal equinox for the northern hemisphere and the first day of spring! For those south of the equator, this is your autumnal equinox, or first day of fall.

NASA's Dawn space probe will reach the dwarf planet Ceres on March 6th. Dawn was launched to study the two most massive bodies in the asteroid belt, Vesta and Ceres. It completed it's survey mission of asteroid Vesta in 2012, and is now approaching Ceres and will enter orbit on the 6th. The probe is expected to begin high resolution imaging of the surface of Ceres around this time.

What's in the Skies This Month - February

Counting Pinecones has asked if I would be interested in writing occasional articles and doing Q&A sessions in regards to amateur astronomy and night sky observation.  Those of us involved in Amateur Astronomy are a very tight knit group and we are always more than happy to help spread our knowledge so I am more than happy to help contribute. 

First, a quick introduction. My name is Charles and I run Chuckwalla Observatory out of the Mojave Desert. I have been involved in amateur astronomy for the past decade. Like most starting with astronomy, my fascination with the night skies started with a small telescope similar to what many families buy their children for Christmas. Over the years, that passion has led to bigger and better telescopes and equipment.  Amateur astronomy is a hobby anyone can get into. All you need is the eyes you were given and the night skies to get started with. My goal is to help keep you informed with upcoming celestial events that are easily observed either with the unaided eye, a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. It is my hope in doing so that your children will become the next generation of amateur astronomers. 

Here's what's in the sky for the month of February.

Feb 3 will see a Full Moon. This is a poor time for galaxy and nebula observation as the light of the full moon is so bright. You will still be able to see planets however. Venus is very bright in the early evening sky and second to the moon is easily the brightest object in the sky.  When observing the moon with a telescope during this time, try using a neutral density filter on the eyepiece to reduce brightness and increase contrast of lunar features such as craters and valleys.

Feb 6 is the opposition of Jupiter which means that Jupiter will be directly opposite the Earth in it's orbit around the Sun at this time. This is the best time to observe Jupiter because of it's proximity to Earth and large apparent size. A moderately sized pair of binoculars will reveal the Galilean moons as small dots on either side of Jupiter. A small telescope may show you surface features on Jupiter such as cloud bands and the Great Red Spot.

Jupiter and three of its moons

Feb 18 is the New Moon. If you own a telescope, this is the best time to observe galaxies and nebulae due to no moonlight to compete with the light from deep space objects.

Feb 22 will see Venus and Mars in Conjunction. The planets Venus and Mars will appear very close to each other in the sky on the evening of Feb. 22. Look to the west after sunset to spot two bright "stars" very close to each other near the horizon. The brighter "star" is Venus, the dimmer one under it is Mars.

How Venus and Mars will Appear during Conjunction

Feb 24 is the greatest western elongation of Mercury. Because Mercury is a inner planet like Venus, it never strays too far from the Sun which makes it difficult to observe.  It will be at greatest western elongation on Feb 24, meaning it will appear to be furthest from the Sun's western side at it's farthest point above the horizon. This will be the best time to observe Mercury, at approximately one hour before sunrise.

 For those with binoculars or with telescopes, Comet Lovejoy (2014Q2) is still available for observation. While it is past its prime viewing window and will increase in magnitude as it travels further and further away from earth, it is still out there waiting to be found.  The Sky Live is a great website to help you track where the comet is located in the sky.

Comet Lovejoy - it gets it's green coloring from cyanogen gas and diatomic carbon (C₂).

* I would like to thank Charles and Chuckwalla Observatory for taking the time to write this article for our site. You can find more information about Chuckwalla Observatory as well as informative videos on their youtube channel . *