Midpark Planetarium

September/October 2010 Highlights:

·   OK, now, let’s remember not to believe everything in email forwards. The recent internet flurry about Mars is a case in point. Sure, Mars made close approaches in 2004 and again in 2005. At those approaches, Mars appeared bright, like a very bright star. It definitely did not look as bright or as big as a full Moon as claimed in the email that seems to circulate every year around this time. I’m still wondering where that hoax came from.

·   The summer viewing of Venus, Mars, and Saturn in the western sky will only last until around the middle of September. By the end of September, they will be very close to the horizon and difficult for us to see. Early in September, you might still be able to find Venus and Mars above the western horizon a little after sunset. Venus is very bright. Mars is quite dim. The star Spica (part of the constellation Virgo) can also be seen near Venus the first two days of September. Spica appears to move nearer to Mars during the next few days. Binoculars will help you spot Mars and Spica.

·   Mercury will make an appearance before sunrise near the eastern horizon during the second half of September. Mercury will be below the star Regulus (the heart of Leo the lion).

·   Jupiter becomes easier and easier to spot as it rises earlier and earlier in the eastern sky in the evening. Jupiter appears among the dim stars of the constellation Pisces, the fish.

·   The Orionid Meteor Shower makes its yearly appearance for those with a dark sky.

·   The summer sky begins to slowly move into the fall sky.

·   The Summer Triangle is still easily visible for many more weeks, even into winter. Look for the stars Deneb at the upper left, Vega to its right and Altair. The Summer Triangle points roughly south. Deneb is the top of the Northern Cross, (official name Cygnus, the swan.) Vega is part of Lyra the harp and Altair is part of Aquila the eagle. Vega is nearly overhead for much of the month of September.

·   Facing south, look slightly to the left of the Summer Triangle for a very dim group of stars. This is Delphinus the dolphin.

·   In the northeast we can view the constellation Cassiopeia, which is shaped like the letter “W”.

·   The fourth line of the “W” that forms Cassiopeia points “up” to the crooked house shape of Cepheus the king.

·   The third line of the “W” points “downward” toward the Great Square of Pegasus the winged horse.

·   The corner of the Great Square nearest Cassiopeia begins a line of stars that underlines the “W.” This line of stars is Andromeda, the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus.

·   If you are observing from a dark location you may be able to see the Andromeda Galaxy which looks like a very dim Moon-sized fuzzy patch below the “W” and above Andromeda. Binoculars will probably be necessary unless you are observing from a very dark location.

·   If you follow that third line of the “W” past the Great Square, and go a little more than that “third line-Great Square distance,” you will come to the medium bright star Fomalhaut (which is part of Piscis Austrinus, the southern fish) a bit above the horizon. For the year 2010, you will find the bright planet, Jupiter roughly along that line between the Great Square and Fomalhaut.

·   Following the second line of the “W” of Cassiopeia “downward” leads to the constellation Perseus, the hero.

·   If you have a very good view of the horizon or wait until later in the evening you may be able to see the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, which is a dim but easily visible cluster of stars.

·   In the west look for the bright star Arcturus which is the bottom of the kite shape of Bootes the shepherd. If you are observing from a fairly dark sky, look above Arcturus for the faint little constellation Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown. It is a semicircle of dim stars. The semicircle opens to the upper right.

·   To the right of Arcturus is the Big Dipper, (official name Ursa Major, the Big Bear.) The handle of the Big Dipper “arcs” to Arcturus. At this time of year, the big dipper is moving lower and lower in the northwest.

·   Between the kite shape of Bootes and the big bear, is a dim constellation called Canes Venatici. These are the hunting dogs.

·   The Pointer Stars of the Big Dipper point to Polaris, the North Star which is the end of the handle of the Little Dipper, Ursa Minor. The stars of Ursa Minor are fairly dim and difficult to spot. Many wrongly believe that the North Star appears very bright. However, from our vantage point on Earth, the North Star appears rather dim.

·   In the southwest near the horizon is the reddish star, Antares, the heart of Scorpius the scorpion.

·   As we progress into October, the star Capella, in the constellation Auriga is visible in the northeast.

·   If you are observing from a very dark area, the Milky Way may be visible. The Milky Way, our galaxy, looks like a cloudy or fuzzy patch through the sky. Every individual star we see is actually a part of the Milky Way. When we see the fuzzy patch through the sky, we are looking toward the densest, most intense parts of our galaxy. Cassiopeia and Perseus are two of the many constellations that appear to be found among the stars of the Milky Way. Unless you have a dark sky, you will probably need binoculars to get a hint of the beauty of the Milky Way.

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September/October 2010 Astronomical Events

·   Sept. 1  Venus, Spica (part of the constellation Virgo), and Mars form a line near the horizon after sunset. Venus is very bright. If you follow them over the next few nights, you will see their relative orientations shift as the days go by. Binoculars will help you find Mars and Spica, with Mars being a bit brighter than Spica.

·   Sept. 10  The beautiful crescent Moon has joined the Venus, Mars, Spica grouping in the west a little after sunset. The Moon is below Mars and to the lower left of Spica. Venus is very bright.

·   Sept. 11  The Moon has moved to the left of the Venus/Mars/Spica group. Again, binoculars will help you spot Mars and Spica.

·   Sept. 13  The Moon has moved to the right of the star Antares, the heart of Scorpius, the scorpion.

·   Sept. 19  Mercury is visible above the eastern horizon, before sunrise. Mercury is fairly bright, but difficult to spot, because it is fairly close to the horizon.

·   Sept. 21  Jupiter is at opposition. That is, Jupiter is opposite the Sun as seen from Earth. That means, Jupiter will rise as the Sun sets. After passing through the sky all night, Jupiter will set as the Sun rises. Jupiter is brighter than any of the true evening stars. The planet Uranus, is also at opposition, and may be visible just to the upper left of Jupiter.

·   Sept. 22  Autumn officially arrives at 11:09p.m. EDT. At this moment, called the autumn equinox, the Sun is crossing the Equator heading south for the winter. This event defines the start of fall in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere. Today is also the Full Moon, the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full Moon closest to the autumn equinox. This year they both occur on the same day.

·   Sept. 22-23  The Moon will be near bright Jupiter.

·   Sept. 28  The Moon has moved to near Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus the bull.

·   Oct. 4  The Moon has moved to the upper right of the star Regulus, the heart of Leo the lion.

·   Oct. 9  The thin crescent Moon is to the upper left of Venus. Venus may be too near the horizon to be seen.

·   Oct. 10  The Moon has moved to upper left of very dim Mars. Mars may be too near the horizon to be seen. That’s Antares to the upper left of the Moon.

·   Oct. 11  The Moon has moved to the upper left of Antares.

·   Oct. 14  The Orionid Meteor Shower may begin to be visible. Please see the Oct. 21 note.

·   Oct. 19-20  The Moon has moved to near bright Jupiter. You can notice that as these days pass, the Moon moves from right to left past Jupiter, or from west to east.

·   Oct. 21  The peak of the Orionid Meteor Shower occurs. Meteor showers occur when the Earth travels through an area near which a comet has traveled. The debris left by the comet burns as it enters our atmosphere. These are shooting stars, or more correctly, meteors. Meteor showers are, at times, visible for a week or so before and after their peak. The direction to watch is wherever your sky is darkest. With a good dark sky, you may be able to spot a meteor every few minutes. Unfortunately, the Moon is nearly full on this date this year. This means that only the brightest of the bright meteors will be visible.

·   Oct. 22  The Full Moon, the Full Hunters’ Moon.

·   Oct. 24  The Moon has moved to the upper right of the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) star cluster. If you check back some hours later, you will notice that the Moon has moved even closer to the Pleades. This is due to the true motion of the Moon as it orbits the Earth.

·   Oct. 25  The Moon has moved to the upper left of the star Aldebaran. They will rise in the middle of the evening.

·   Oct. 28  Venus has moved to between the Sun and the Earth. It is not visible. In early November, Venus will have moved to the other side, the “morning side,” of the Sun. When this happens, Venus will rise before the Sun rises. It will be visible before sunrise in the east.

·   Oct. 31  The Moon has moved to the right of Regulus. They will be visible in the morning before sunrise.

·   Happy Halloween!

Have a great autumn season!

Some of this information is adapted from Star Date magazine with their permission. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the Midpark planetarium.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the Midpark High School planetarium.
Phone 216-898-8766
Email: lmuni@berea.k12.oh.us or lmuni@stratos.net