Astronomical Online Glossary

Download this month's sky map!

Northern hemisphere sky map
Southern hemisphere sky map
Creator: Kym Thalassoudis

Southern Hemisphere Additional Information

James Barclay's site
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site
Southern Sky Watch.

Planets for November 2008

Venus and Jupiter dominate the early evening sky while Mercury and Saturn put on a nice display for the early riser

• Mercury- In Virgo starts the month visible to N. Hemisphere views just before sunrise. Mercury creeps closer to the Sun and is in superior conjunction on the 25th of the month, returning to the evening sky. -0.8 mag (1st) to -1.2 mag (21st)
• Venus- In Ophiuchus shine brighter as it slowly climbs away from the Sun and closer to Jupiter. Setting well after full dark. Venus, Jupiter and a 3 day old Moon will put on a beautiful show on the last day of November and the first day of December. Have your cameras ready! Keep an eye on Venus and her phases too, she will be moving from gibbous to a quarter phase in January. -3.9 mag (1st) to -4.0 mag (21st)
• Mars- Too close to the Sun for most viewers. Mars is in conjunction with the Sun on Dec 5th, not to be seen again until 2009! 1.5 (1st) to 1.5 mag (21st)
  
• Jupiter- In Sagittarius. Still a fantastic early evening object makes a wonderful pairing with Venus and the Moon at the end of this month and the beginning of the next. -2.1 mag (1st) to -2.0 mag (21st)
  
  
• Saturn- In Leo rising higher and earlier each morning until the end of the month when Saturn rises just before midnight for mid-Northern viewers. 1.0 mag (1st) to 1.0 mag (21st)
  
• Uranus- In Aquarius 5.8 mag (1st) to 5.8 mag (21st)
• Neptune- In Capricorn 7.9 mag (1st) to 7.9 mag (21st)
  Both Neptune and Uranus are in nice, handy, positions for finding. This would be great time to bag these planets before bad weather and creeping horizons make them disappear!
  
  Uranus, and Neptune for Nov 08 (click for a larger image)

  
  Uranus finder

  
  Neptune finder
  
  Vesta finder
  (click for a larger images)

  2008 Finder Charts for Neptune and Uranus -Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere

Key Dates for November 2008

Date information courtesy of: RASC Observer's Handbook, Skymaps.com, Astronomical Calendar 2008, CalSky, Skymaps.com. sunrise and sunset times for your home*
Comparative lengths of day and night

Monthly Messier*

Comets for November 2008

Earth's major motions for 2008

Planet Positions for 2008

Interesting Planet Pairing for 2008

• January (first two week) - Mars, Betelgeuse and Aldebaran - Mars will be moving westward into this red triangle, pausing at the end of the month and then returning to regular Eastward motion at the beginning of February.
• February 1 (start watching in early January) - Jupiter and Venus - Start this early in January with Jupiter just off the horizon and watch as they creep closer and closer. On the 1st of Feb early in the morning, about one hour before sunrise in the east, Jupiter and Venus are less than one degree apart in the constellation Sagittarius. They will be outstanding and you could imagine all sorts of symbolism that could be associated with this conjunction.
• February 27 - Mercury and Venus - Rising just one hour before the Sun in the East in the constellation Capricornus. Venus and Mercury will be just over one degree apart and then Venus will speed off, with Mercury in hot pursuit.
• March 24 - Mercury and Venus...again - Mercury catches up to Venus again, this time less than one degree apart and in the constellation Aquarius. They will also be rising above the horizon only a half hour before the sun, so seeing them will be quite a challenge.
• July 10 - Mars and Saturn - In the constellation Leo yellowish-white Saturn and reddish Mars will be less than one degree from each other. The pair is still up two hours after sunset and are bright so it should be easy to see.
• August 13 - Venus and Saturn - Less than one degree apart in the constellation Leo. Venus will be the brighter of the two.
• August 14 (watch from 10-16th)- Venus, Mercury, and Saturn - Just after sunset a triple conjunction! The three planets will be less than three degrees apart in the constellation Leo and almost in a line. Venus will be the highest and brightest Saturn the middle object and Mercury will be the lowest of the three but surprisingly brighter than Saturn. If you want to make this even more interesting look for Mars 16 degrees to the SW the trio.
• August 19-21 - Venus and Mercury - The two planets will be about one degree apart for three days. VERY low on the western horizon at sunset.
• September 11 (watch from 5-18)- Venus and Mars - Venus will come right next to the Red Planet, with the two less than one degree apart Mercury lying three and a half degrees away from the pair and shining brighter than Mars. The whole group will set just one hour after sunset.
• December 1 - Venus and Jupiter - All within Sagittarius, the two planets will be two degrees apart and they don't set until three hours after sunset. As a bonus, a 15%-lit moon will lie three degrees away from Venus.
• December 31 - Jupiter and Mercury - After sunset a little more than one degree apart in Sagittarius. Pull out the binos and telescopes because Mercury will be a mere 15 arcminutes from the globular cluster M75. All three will be together in one field of view in most home binoculars.

      NEW MOON   FIRST QUARTER        FULL MOON     LAST QUARTER

       d  h  m         d  h  m          d  h  m          d  h  m
       
JAN.   8 11 37   JAN. 15 19 46   JAN.  22 13 35   JAN.  30  5 03
FEB.   7  3 44   FEB. 14  3 33   FEB.  21  3 30   FEB.  29  2 18
MAR.   7 17 14   MAR. 14 10 46   MAR.  21 18 40   MAR.  29 21 47
APR.   6  3 55   APR. 12 18 32   APR.  20 10 25   APR.  28 14 12
MAY    5 12 18   MAY  12  3 47   MAY   20  2 11   MAY   28  2 57
JUNE   3 19 23   JUNE 10 15 04   JUNE  18 17 30   JUNE  26 12 10
JULY   3  2 19   JULY 10  4 35   JULY  18  7 59   JULY  25 18 42
AUG.   1 10 13   AUG.  8 20 20   AUG.  16 21 16   AUG.  23 23 50
AUG.  30 19 58   SEPT. 7 14 04   SEPT. 15  9 13   SEPT. 22  5 04  
SEPT. 29  8 12   OCT.  7  9 04   OCT.  14 20 02   OCT.  21 11 55
OCT.  28 23 14   NOV.  6  4 03   NOV.  13  6 17   NOV.  19 21 31
NOV.  27 16 55   DEC.  5 21 26   DEC.  12 16 37   DEC.  19 10 29
DEC.  27 12 22       

Eclipses for 2008

August 1 - Total Solar Eclipse ( see map, times, and animation!): On Friday, 2008 August 01, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half the Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in Canada and extends across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, and China. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes northeastern North America, most of Europe and Asia. Special website with extra information and links to live eclipse webcasts can be found at the NASA Eclipse Website for the August 1st Eclipse

February 20th - Total Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times.): The first lunar eclipse of 2008 is perfectly placed for observers throughout most of the Americas as well as western Europe. The eclipse occurs at the Moon's descending node, midway between perigee and apogee. During the eclipse, Saturn lies about 3° northeast of the Moon and shines brightly (mv = +0.2) because it is near opposition. Special website with live broadcast can be found at the NASA Eclipse Website

August 16 - Partial Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times): The last eclipse of 2008 is a partial lunar eclipse at the Moon's ascending node in Capricornus. It is visible primarily from the Eastern Hemisphere as well as eastern South America

Eclipse information from: NASA Eclipse Homepage, Eclipses Online (HM Nautical Almanac Office, UK in coordination with the U.S. Naval Observatory)

Meteor Showers for 2008

Information from the "Observer's Handbook 2008" RASC

Astronomical Online Glossary

Download this month's sky map!

Northern hemisphere sky map
Southern hemisphere sky map
Creator: Kym Thalassoudis

Southern Hemisphere Additional Information

James Barclay's site
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site
Southern Sky Watch.

Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune for Oct 08 (click for a larger image)

October morning planets (click for a larger image)

Planets for September 2008

Mercury and Saturn slip into the morning sky, Mars creeps closer to the Sun, Venus is brilliant in the evening sky and the rest of the gang

• Mercury- Starts in Virgo moves to Leo. By the end of the month look for little Mercury 4 deg from Spica in Virgo 2.6 mag (1st) to -0.4 mag (21st)
• Venus- In Libra. Much easier to see this month as she rises a little higher each night. Brighter than Jupiter the two make nice finder 'stars' in the early evening. On the 31st look for a slender crescent moon together with the goddess of love and beauty. -3.8 mag (1st) to -3.8 mag (21st)
• Mars- In Virgo. Mars heads off to do battle with the Sun. Very low on the horizon for southern viewers at the beginning of the month it is lost to high northern latitudes, not to be seen again until 2009! 1.6 (1st) to 1.6 mag (21st)
  
• Jupiter- In Sagittarius. Still a fantastic sight to see Jupiter transits around sunset for northern viewers. Jupiter reaches its east quadrature (90 deg east of the Sun) on the 6th. -2.3 mag (1st) to -2.2 mag (21st)
  
• Saturn- In Leo. Climbing higher in the morning sky northern latitude views have their best views mid-month. 1.0 mag (1st) to 1.0 mag (21st)
  
• Uranus- In Aquarius 5.7 mag (1st) to 5.8 mag (21st)
• Neptune- In Capricorn 7.9 mag (1st) to 7.9 mag (21st)
  Finder Charts for Neptune and Uranus -Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere

Key Dates for October 2008

Days and Times in UT: (help with time)
Observations are for 9 pm for the mid-southern latitudes and for 9 pm for the mid-northern latitudes.
Today's sunrise and sunset times or plan ahead using the US Naval Observatory Website

Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website!

Astronomical Highlights - October 2008

Date information courtesy of: RASC Observer's Handbook, Skymaps.com, Astronomical Calendar 2008, CalSky. sunrise and sunset times for your home*
Comparative lengths of day and night

Equinox pole and those having more fun watching the observers....

...the early risers of Gold Hill, CO (some of the nicest folk on the planet!)
(Photo Credit: Joan Few;
Equinox Pole Project Grand Master, pole leveler, and pivotal mathematician: Arthur Few;
Pole transportation, hole digging, knots, and lashes by yours truly...that's right, I get the good jobs!)

Monthly Messier*

Our October tour includes two nebulae and the clusters that power them, four open clusters, a star cloud, and lastly two globular clusters. All of these objects are possible in binoculars, most are easy in even small binoculars. Several of these are also possible naked eye objects.

M24 - This "object" is actually a section of the Milky Way in Sagittarius. It is easily seen with the naked eye as a fuzzy, oval patch about four times the size of the full moon. The best views are through binoculars or rich field telescopes.
M25 - Just east of M24 in Sagittarius we find this open cluster. Visible to the naked eye, M25 lies in the same binocular field as M24. In binoculars it appears as a partially resolved star cluster buried in faint nebulosity. A view through a telescope shows the nebulosity is in fact many faint stars that are not resolved in small instruments.
M18 - This is a small open cluster just north of M24 in Sagittarius. In binoculars M18 is easy to see as a small fuzzy patch of light in the same field of view as M24. Telescopes reveal this cluster for what it is, a small, sparse collection of fairly bright stars.
M17 - Just north of M18 and in the same binocular field as M24 and M18 lies the Omega nebula. Possible to see with the naked eye and easy with binoculars, this nebula appears as a small faint patch of fuzz. A telescope will show the unique V shape nebulosity that gives the cluster its name. The shape reminds me of a swan with two bright stars that power the cluster embedded in the head and neck of the swan.
M16 - Continuing north of M17 we find another nebula in Serpens. To the naked eye and binoculars, this small patch of haze is very similar in appearance to M17 which is in the same binocular field of view. Through a telescope the M16 looks like a sparse open cluster of stars surrounded by faint wisps of smoke.
M26 - Continuing to head north through the Milky Way we find this open cluster in the constellation Scutum. This is a difficult object to find in binoculars, but possible as a faint patch of fuzz. Telescopes partially resolve this cluster and show several stars buried in a faint glow from the unresolved stars.
M11 - Just north of M26 in Scutum lies the Wild Duck Cluster. Possible to see with the naked eye, binoculars show a small faint patch surrounding a bright star. Telescopes resolve many of the stars in this very rich cluster.
M55 - Dipping back into Sagittarius we find two more globular clusters waiting for us. The first is one of the brightest and largest globulars in the catalogue. Possible to see naked eye, it is an easy binocular object appearing as a bright fuzzy ball of light. Telescopes show a round patch of light bright in the center and fading toward the edges. Large aperatures are needed to resolve this globular.
M75 - The last object of the month, and the last object to be visited in Sagittarius. In binoculars, M75 is not too hard to see, look for a small fuzzy star. A telescope will show a small fuzz ball with a bright center.

From the Astronomical Connection and the Moncton Center in Canada

Comets for October 2008

Mark has developed his own website so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us this month!

Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hat

Music Scottish Guitar Quartet -"Romance within you"
Katy Pfaffl- "Halfway There"
Albert Collins- "Brick"

Earth's major motions for 2008

Planet Positions for 2008

Interesting Planet Pairing for 2008

• January (first two week) - Mars, Betelgeuse and Aldebaran - Mars will be moving westward into this red triangle, pausing at the end of the month and then returning to regular Eastward motion at the beginning of February.
• February 1 (start watching in early January) - Jupiter and Venus - Start this early in January with Jupiter just off the horizon and watch as they creep closer and closer. On the 1st of Feb early in the morning, about one hour before sunrise in the east, Jupiter and Venus are less than one degree apart in the constellation Sagittarius. They will be outstanding and you could imagine all sorts of symbolism that could be associated with this conjunction.
• February 27 - Mercury and Venus - Rising just one hour before the Sun in the East in the constellation Capricornus. Venus and Mercury will be just over one degree apart and then Venus will speed off, with Mercury in hot pursuit.
• March 24 - Mercury and Venus...again - Mercury catches up to Venus again, this time less than one degree apart and in the constellation Aquarius. They will also be rising above the horizon only a half hour before the sun, so seeing them will be quite a challenge.
• July 10 - Mars and Saturn - In the constellation Leo yellowish-white Saturn and reddish Mars will be less than one degree from each other. The pair is still up two hours after sunset and are bright so it should be easy to see.
• August 13 - Venus and Saturn - Less than one degree apart in the constellation Leo. Venus will be the brighter of the two.
• August 14 (watch from 10-16th)- Venus, Mercury, and Saturn - Just after sunset a triple conjunction! The three planets will be less than three degrees apart in the constellation Leo and almost in a line. Venus will be the highest and brightest Saturn the middle object and Mercury will be the lowest of the three but surprisingly brighter than Saturn. If you want to make this even more interesting look for Mars 16 degrees to the SW the trio.
• August 19-21 - Venus and Mercury - The two planets will be about one degree apart for three days. VERY low on the western horizon at sunset.
• September 11 (watch from 5-18)- Venus and Mars - Venus will come right next to the Red Planet, with the two less than one degree apart Mercury lying three and a half degrees away from the pair and shining brighter than Mars. The whole group will set just one hour after sunset.
• December 1 - Venus and Jupiter - All within Sagittarius, the two planets will be two degrees apart and they don't set until three hours after sunset. As a bonus, a 15%-lit moon will lie three degrees away from Venus.
• December 31 - Jupiter and Mercury - After sunset a little more than one degree apart in Sagittarius. Pull out the binos and telescopes because Mercury will be a mere 15 arcminutes from the globular cluster M75. All three will be together in one field of view in most home binoculars.

      NEW MOON   FIRST QUARTER        FULL MOON     LAST QUARTER

       d  h  m         d  h  m          d  h  m          d  h  m
       
JAN.   8 11 37   JAN. 15 19 46   JAN.  22 13 35   JAN.  30  5 03
FEB.   7  3 44   FEB. 14  3 33   FEB.  21  3 30   FEB.  29  2 18
MAR.   7 17 14   MAR. 14 10 46   MAR.  21 18 40   MAR.  29 21 47
APR.   6  3 55   APR. 12 18 32   APR.  20 10 25   APR.  28 14 12
MAY    5 12 18   MAY  12  3 47   MAY   20  2 11   MAY   28  2 57
JUNE   3 19 23   JUNE 10 15 04   JUNE  18 17 30   JUNE  26 12 10
JULY   3  2 19   JULY 10  4 35   JULY  18  7 59   JULY  25 18 42
AUG.   1 10 13   AUG.  8 20 20   AUG.  16 21 16   AUG.  23 23 50
AUG.  30 19 58   SEPT. 7 14 04   SEPT. 15  9 13   SEPT. 22  5 04  
SEPT. 29  8 12   OCT.  7  9 04   OCT.  14 20 02   OCT.  21 11 55
OCT.  28 23 14   NOV.  6  4 03   NOV.  13  6 17   NOV.  19 21 31
NOV.  27 16 55   DEC.  5 21 26   DEC.  12 16 37   DEC.  19 10 29
DEC.  27 12 22       

Eclipses for 2008

August 1 - Total Solar Eclipse ( see map, times, and animation!): On Friday, 2008 August 01, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half the Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in Canada and extends across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, and China. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes northeastern North America, most of Europe and Asia. Special website with extra information and links to live eclipse webcasts can be found at the NASA Eclipse Website for the August 1st Eclipse

February 20th - Total Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times.): The first lunar eclipse of 2008 is perfectly placed for observers throughout most of the Americas as well as western Europe. The eclipse occurs at the Moon's descending node, midway between perigee and apogee. During the eclipse, Saturn lies about 3° northeast of the Moon and shines brightly (mv = +0.2) because it is near opposition. Special website with live broadcast can be found at the NASA Eclipse Website

August 16 - Partial Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times): The last eclipse of 2008 is a partial lunar eclipse at the Moon's ascending node in Capricornus. It is visible primarily from the Eastern Hemisphere as well as eastern South America

Eclipse information from: NASA Eclipse Homepage, Eclipses Online (HM Nautical Almanac Office, UK in coordination with the U.S. Naval Observatory)

Meteor Showers for 2008

Information from the "Observer's Handbook 2008" RASC

Astronomical Online Glossary

Download this month's sky map!

Northern hemisphere sky map
Southern hemisphere sky map
Creator: Kym Thalassoudis

Southern Hemisphere Additional Information

James Barclay's site
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site
Southern Sky Watch.

Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune for Sept 08 (click for a larger image)

The Venus, Mars, Mecury Trio for lower latitudes, Sept 08 (click for a larger image)

Planets for September 2008

Southern and Equatorial viewers will have a splendid view of the Venus, Mars, Mercury trio-triangle early in the month in Virgo SW of Porrima (Virgo's southern shoulder). Best view of Mercury for the entire year. Those above 30 deg North will struggle to pick out Venus and Mercury in the bright twilight evening sky.

• Mercury- In Virgo. Best viewed by those in the South until mid-month. By early October Mercury will be in inferior conjunction and returning to the morning sky. 0.0 mag (1st) to 0.5 mag (21st)
• Venus- In Virgo. The brightest member of the Venus, Mars, and Mercury trio look for outstanding conjunctions on the 11th and 12 as the goddess of love pairs up with the god of war. Best for viewers south of 30 deg North -3.8 mag (1st) to -3.8 mag (21st)
• Mars- In Virgo. In addition to the groupings and conjunctions listed above, from the 15th-20th Spica joins the group for a lovely traveling quartet 1.7 (1st) to 1.7 mag (21st)
  
• Jupiter- In Sagittarius. Starts the month in retrograde (westward) motion becoming stationary on the 8th and returns to proper motion. The best planet show for the northern hemisphere -2.5 mag (1st) to -2.4 mag (21st)
  
• Saturn- In Leo. Starts the month in conjunction with the Sun but by month's end early rising viewers will find it rising in the East about two hours before the Sun. Look for Regulus and find Saturn just under 15 deg East. After about 4 months without Saturn make sure you look at the rings and see how much they have 'closed' or moved parallel to our perspective. On the 26th look for a sliver of a waning crescent Moon near Regulus. 0.8 mag (1st) to 0.9 mag (21st)
  
• Uranus-In Aquarius all year. Use the finder charts above to help you find Uranus, it is only a little smaller, optically, than Mars looks now. 5.7 mag (1st) to 5.7 mag (21st)
• Neptune-In Capricorn 7.8 mag (1st) to 7.8 mag (21st)
  Finder Charts for Neptune and Uranus -Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere

Key Dates for September 2008

Days and Times in UT: (help with time)
Observations are for 9 pm for the mid-southern latitudes and for 9 pm for the mid-northern latitudes.
Today's sunrise and sunset times or plan ahead using the US Naval Observatory Website

Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website!

Astronomical Highlights - September 2008

Date information courtesy of: RASC Observer's Handbook, Skymaps.com, Astronomical Calendar 2008, CalSky.

*The time when the Sun reaches the point along the ecliptic where it crosses into the southern celestial hemisphere marking the start of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and Spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

This month our monthly Messier hits some big easy targets, eight more globular clusters, all are possible in binoculars, and two of these are the finest globulars which can be seen from northern locations.

Sagittarius is the home of many globular clusters which surround the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Seven of the these globulars appear in the Messier catalog, we will be visiting five of them this month. When you complete the search for these objects be sure to spend some time scanning this region with binoculars or a telescope and see what other sights you can discover. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

• M13 - The great globular cluster in Hercules is bright enough to be seen with naked eye and typically the first GC found by amateur astronomers in the NH. Binoculars easily show this cluster as a bright fuzzy ball. M13 is partially resolvable in small aperture telescopes and becomes a fantastic swarm of tightly packed individual stars through large scopes.
• M92 - Another globular cluster in Hercules, M92 is easy to find in binoculars appearing slightly dimmer and smaller than M13. As with M13 it is partially resolvable in small scopes and is a fine sight in large instruments.
• M14 - A small, bright globular cluster in Ophiuchus. It is a difficult binocular object, look for a small fuzzy patch of light. Through a telescope M14 is an even patch of light, the stars not resolvable except through large scopes.
• M22 - This is the other great globular in our tour this month. Located just above the teapot asterism in Sagittarius, M22 can be seen with no optical aid. M22 is easy to find in binoculars, and easy to resolve in telescopes, with about the same impressiveness as M13.
• M28 - Located near M22 in Sagittarius, this is a small bright globular. A tough binocular object, look for a small fuzzy patch. Easily seen in a telescope, but requires large aperture to resolve individual stars.
• M69, M70, M54 All of these are small bright globular clusters laying along the bottom of the teapot in Sagittarius. Very similar in appearance to M28, these are all tough binocular objects requiring dark skies and possibly averted vision to see. M54 is slightly brighter and appears more star like through binoculars than the other globulars. These are all easily seen in telescopes, though not easily resolvable.

From the Astronomical Connection and the Moncton Center in Canada

Comets for September 2008

Mark has developed his own website so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us this month!

Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hat

Music Scottish Guitar Quartet -"Romance within you"
Mathew Ebel- "Trees" and "Drive Away"

Earth's major motions for 2008

Planet Positions for 2008

Interesting Planet Pairing for 2008

• January (first two week) - Mars, Betelgeuse and Aldebaran - Mars will be moving westward into this red triangle, pausing at the end of the month and then returning to regular Eastward motion at the beginning of February.
• February 1 (start watching in early January) - Jupiter and Venus - Start this early in January with Jupiter just off the horizon and watch as they creep closer and closer. On the 1st of Feb early in the morning, about one hour before sunrise in the east, Jupiter and Venus are less than one degree apart in the constellation Sagittarius. They will be outstanding and you could imagine all sorts of symbolism that could be associated with this conjunction.
• February 27 - Mercury and Venus - Rising just one hour before the Sun in the East in the constellation Capricornus. Venus and Mercury will be just over one degree apart and then Venus will speed off, with Mercury in hot pursuit.
• March 24 - Mercury and Venus...again - Mercury catches up to Venus again, this time less than one degree apart and in the constellation Aquarius. They will also be rising above the horizon only a half hour before the sun, so seeing them will be quite a challenge.
• July 10 - Mars and Saturn - In the constellation Leo yellowish-white Saturn and reddish Mars will be less than one degree from each other. The pair is still up two hours after sunset and are bright so it should be easy to see.
• August 13 - Venus and Saturn - Less than one degree apart in the constellation Leo. Venus will be the brighter of the two.
• August 14 (watch from 10-16th)- Venus, Mercury, and Saturn - Just after sunset a triple conjunction! The three planets will be less than three degrees apart in the constellation Leo and almost in a line. Venus will be the highest and brightest Saturn the middle object and Mercury will be the lowest of the three but surprisingly brighter than Saturn. If you want to make this even more interesting look for Mars 16 degrees to the SW the trio.
• August 19-21 - Venus and Mercury - The two planets will be about one degree apart for three days. VERY low on the western horizon at sunset.
• September 11 (watch from 5-18)- Venus and Mars - Venus will come right next to the Red Planet, with the two less than one degree apart Mercury lying three and a half degrees away from the pair and shining brighter than Mars. The whole group will set just one hour after sunset.
• December 1 - Venus and Jupiter - All within Sagittarius, the two planets will be two degrees apart and they don't set until three hours after sunset. As a bonus, a 15%-lit moon will lie three degrees away from Venus.
• December 31 - Jupiter and Mercury - After sunset a little more than one degree apart in Sagittarius. Pull out the binos and telescopes because Mercury will be a mere 15 arcminutes from the globular cluster M75. All three will be together in one field of view in most home binoculars.

      NEW MOON   FIRST QUARTER        FULL MOON     LAST QUARTER

       d  h  m         d  h  m          d  h  m          d  h  m
       
JAN.   8 11 37   JAN. 15 19 46   JAN.  22 13 35   JAN.  30  5 03
FEB.   7  3 44   FEB. 14  3 33   FEB.  21  3 30   FEB.  29  2 18
MAR.   7 17 14   MAR. 14 10 46   MAR.  21 18 40   MAR.  29 21 47
APR.   6  3 55   APR. 12 18 32   APR.  20 10 25   APR.  28 14 12
MAY    5 12 18   MAY  12  3 47   MAY   20  2 11   MAY   28  2 57
JUNE   3 19 23   JUNE 10 15 04   JUNE  18 17 30   JUNE  26 12 10
JULY   3  2 19   JULY 10  4 35   JULY  18  7 59   JULY  25 18 42
AUG.   1 10 13   AUG.  8 20 20   AUG.  16 21 16   AUG.  23 23 50
AUG.  30 19 58   SEPT. 7 14 04   SEPT. 15  9 13   SEPT. 22  5 04  
SEPT. 29  8 12   OCT.  7  9 04   OCT.  14 20 02   OCT.  21 11 55
OCT.  28 23 14   NOV.  6  4 03   NOV.  13  6 17   NOV.  19 21 31
NOV.  27 16 55   DEC.  5 21 26   DEC.  12 16 37   DEC.  19 10 29
DEC.  27 12 22       

Eclipses for 2008

August 1 - Total Solar Eclipse ( see map, times, and animation!): On Friday, 2008 August 01, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half the Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in Canada and extends across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, and China. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes northeastern North America, most of Europe and Asia. Special website with extra information and links to live eclipse webcasts can be found at the NASA Eclipse Website for the August 1st Eclipse

February 20th - Total Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times.): The first lunar eclipse of 2008 is perfectly placed for observers throughout most of the Americas as well as western Europe. The eclipse occurs at the Moon's descending node, midway between perigee and apogee. During the eclipse, Saturn lies about 3° northeast of the Moon and shines brightly (mv = +0.2) because it is near opposition. Special website with live broadcast can be found at the NASA Eclipse Website

August 16 - Partial Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times): The last eclipse of 2008 is a partial lunar eclipse at the Moon's ascending node in Capricornus. It is visible primarily from the Eastern Hemisphere as well as eastern South America

Eclipse information from: NASA Eclipse Homepage, Eclipses Online (HM Nautical Almanac Office, UK in coordination with the U.S. Naval Observatory)

Meteor Showers for 2008

Information from the "Observer's Handbook 2008" RASC

Astronomical Online Glossary

Download this month's sky map!

Northern hemisphere sky map
Southern hemisphere sky map
Creator: Kym Thalassoudis

Southern Hemisphere Additional Information

James Barclay's site
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site
Southern Sky Watch.

Planets for March 2008

• Mercury- reaches greatest elongation west on the 3rd. For southern observers Mercury is at it best morning apparition until mid-March. Mercury is visible all month brightening as it creeps back towards the Sun. Mercury will be close to Venus for most of the month making it much easier to find than usual. They are in close conjunction on the 23rd 0.1 mag (1st) to -0.1 mag (21st)
• Venus- in Capricorn is still preceding the Sun but Venus begins to fade as it creeps into glow of the Sun. Paired up with Mercury for most of the month those close to the equator will have a nice view of the pair. -3.8 mag (1st) to -3.8 mag (21st)
• Mars- Crosses over into Gemini this month and continues to shrink from 9" to 7", too small to show much detail in the average backyard telescope. Mars will be close to M35 on the 10th and it is appropriate that Mars is visible all night in the month which bears its name. Mars also shows a gibbous globe for the next two months. 0.2 (1st) to 0.6 mag (21st)
  
• Jupiter- For Southern observers will have Jupiter rising after midnight while those in the mid-northern latitudes. On the 30th use the nearly last quarter Moon to try and spot Jupiter, sitting to the Moon's NE, during the day. -2.0 mag (1st) to -2.1 mag (21st)
  
  
• Saturn- having reached opposition in February Saturn spend the month in Leo. The tilt of Saturn's rings increases from 6.7 deg to 9.9 deg in early May before beginning to close again at the end of 2008. 0.2 mag (1st) to 0.3 mag (21st)
  
  
• Uranus-In Aquarius all year 5.9 mag (1st) to 5.9 mag (21st)
• Neptune-In Capricorn 8.0 mag (1st) to 8.0 mag (21st)

Key Dates for March 2008

Days and Times in UT: (help with time)
Observations are for 9 pm for the mid-southern latitudes and for 9 pm for the mid-northern latitudes.
Today's sunrise and sunset times or plan ahead using the US Naval Observatory Website

Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website!

Astronomical Highlights - March 2008

	"In like a lion and out like a lamb"
	- Zodiacal Light best seen after evening twilight on the Western horizon through the 7th then again from the 23rd - April 5th
3	- Moon near Jupiter
	- Mercury at greatest elongation, 27 deg west from Sun (morning sky 11UT) Very low in the east-southeast just before sunrise. If using binoculars or telescope please follow "sun-safe" viewing methods and be aware of the sun!
5	- Moon, Mercury, Venus and telescopic Neptune clustered in the morning sky. TRIPLE occultation (although not all visible from all locations) Check the IOTA website for your location. Most central Moon-planet conjunction (appulse) this year. Daytime Moon/Venus occultation visible from North America and Cuba, check the IOTA website
6	- Sun's north pole most inclined away from Earth (7.25 degrees)
7	- Double or Triple shadow transit on Jupiter (15:05 UT Ganymede, 15:18 Callisto(?), 22:38 Io)
9	- For those who follow DST, Saving Time begins - set clocks forward an hour.
	- Mercury 1 deg South of Neptune (2hr UT)
10	- Moon at perigee (closest to Earth 366,298 km- )
	- Mars 1.7 deg North of M35 in Gemini (17h UT)
12	- Moon near the Pleiades
14	- First Quarter Moon (10:46 UT)
15	- Moon near Mars
	- The Ides of March (every month has one)
17	- Moon near Beehive cluster (M44)
19	- Moon near Regulus, Check the IOTA website for occultation information for your area.
	- Moon near Saturn
21	- March or vernal equinox* (5:48 UT)
	- Full Moon (18:40 UT)
23	- Moon near Spica
	- An interesting Easter**
	- Zodiacal Lights visible in Northern latitudes in the west after evening twilight for the next two weeks
24	- Mercury 1 deg from Venus at 14h UT (20° from Sun, morning sky) mags -0.3 and -3.9. Favors S. Hemisphere skywatchers.
26	- Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth distance 405,092 km-20h UT)
27	- Moon near Antares possible occultation, check the IOTA website for occultation information for your area.
	- Mercury 1.7 deg South of Uranus
29	- Last Quarter Moon (21:47 UT)
30	- Moon near Jupiter
	- Last Sunday in March: in the European Union, change clocks forward 1 hours to 'summer time'

*The time when the Sun reaches the point along the ecliptic where it crosses into the northern celestial hemisphere marking the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

**Reduced to a one sentence definition, Easter Sunday is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon which falls on or after the Vernal(March) Equinox. This year the full moon is ON the Vernal(March) equinox so Easter is the 23rd. (The earliest Easter could ever be is March 22 and the latest April 25)

sunrise and sunset times for your home*
Comparative lengths of day and night


Monthly Messier*

The weekend of the 7-9th of March is a good 'first try' for a Messier Marathon. This is a better for those of you further South and, if we get clouded out then we have the 4-6th of April as a good back up date. The April date will be the better of the two for mid-to higher Northern latitude views but don't pass up on the chance in March if the weather is fair.

If you are looking for a good way to conquer the Virgo Cluster go to show #39. There you will find lots of information on navigating the Virgo Cluster.

This month highlights 10 messier objects, most are within reach of binoculars, and over half can be seen with the naked eye.

• M41 - This cluster is visible as a hazy patch to the naked eye just below Sirius in Canis Major. M41 is resolvable in binoculars and appears fairly loose in telescopes at low power.
• M93 - This is a small fuzzy patch of light in Puppis, partially resolvable in binoculars. The hardest part of finding this cluster in binoculars is picking it out of a fairly rich region of the Milky Way. Use low power to examine this cluster and the surrounding richness in a telescope. Medium power provides a nice view of the cluster itself.
• M47 - A bright cluster in Puppis, easily visible as a hazy patch to the naked eye. Binoculars will show a large hazy patch with many stars resolvable. Telescopes show a fairly loose cluster with stars of wide variety of magnitudes.
• M46 - This cluster is right next to M47 and is also visible to the naked eye. In binoculars M46 appears as a large hazy patch with no stars resolvable, giving a nice contrast to M47. In telescopes at low powers this cluster evenly fills the eyepiece. While you are here go to medium or high power and look for the planetary nebula NGC2438. It will appear as a faint uneven ring, with a blue/green color.
• M50 - An open cluster in Monoceros. This is a small hazy patch in binoculars, partially resolvable. Like M93, the richness of the surrounding field is the only difficulty in finding this object. This is a fairly tight cluster at low power in a telescope.
• M48 - Moving on to Hydra, we find another naked eye cluster. M48 is a large fuzzy patch in binoculars, partially resolvable. Use low to medium power in your telescope for a spectacular view.
• M67 - In the southeast portion of Cancer is another open cluster, barely visible as a fuzzy patch to the naked eye. Binoculars show M67 as a large hazy patch of light, similar to M46. Use low power to resolve this large, rich cluster in a telescope.
• M44 - Known as the Praesepe or Beehive Cluster, this open cluster is easily visible to the naked eye as a large, fuzzy patch bigger than the moon. Binoculars or rich field telescopes provide the best view of M44.
• M81, M82 - This pair of galaxies in Ursa Major are very possible to see in binoculars, they look like a pair of fuzzy stars. Both galaxies will fit into the same low power telescope field. M81 will appear as a large oval gray patch of light. M82 is a pencil like streak of light next to and perpendicular to the long axis of M81.

From the Astronomical Connection and the Moncton Center in Canada

Comets for March 2008

Gary Kronk's
Skyhound



Historical and Current Events

...Did you know?

Mark has developed his own website so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us this month!

Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hat

Music Scottish Guitar Quartet -"Romance within you"
Mathew Ebel- "Trees" and "Drive Away"






Astronomical Highlights for 2008

Earth's major motions for 2008




Perihelion		Jan 3 00h(UT)
First Cross Quarter Day		Feb 2-6
Equinox		Mar 20 05:48(UT)
Second Cross Quarter Day		May 4-7
Solstice		June 20 23:59(UT)
Aphelion		July 4 08h (UT)
Third Cross Quarter Day		Aug 5-8
Equinox		Sept 22 15:44(UT)
Fourth Cross Quarter Day		Nov 5-8
Solstice		Dec 21 12:04(UT)

Planet Positions for 2008




2008

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Venus

Sgr

Cap

Aqr

Psc

Tau

Gem

Cnc

Vir

Vir

Sco

Sgr

Cap

Mars

Tau

Tau

Gem

Gem

Cnc

Leo

Leo

Vir

Vir

Vir

Sco

Oph

Jupiter

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Saturn

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Interesting Planet Pairing for 2008

• January (first two week) - Mars, Betelgeuse and Aldebaran - Mars will be moving westward into this red triangle, pausing at the end of the month and then returning to regular Eastward motion at the beginning of February.
• February 1 (start watching in early January) - Jupiter and Venus - Start this early in January with Jupiter just off the horizon and watch as they creep closer and closer. On the 1st of Feb early in the morning, about one hour before sunrise in the east, Jupiter and Venus are less than one degree apart in the constellation Sagittarius. They will be outstanding and you could imagine all sorts of symbolism that could be associated with this conjunction.
• February 27 - Mercury and Venus - Rising just one hour before the Sun in the East in the constellation Capricornus. Venus and Mercury will be just over one degree apart and then Venus will speed off, with Mercury in hot pursuit.
• March 24 - Mercury and Venus...again - Mercury catches up to Venus again, this time less than one degree apart and in the constellation Aquarius. They will also be rising above the horizon only a half hour before the sun, so seeing them will be quite a challenge.
• July 10 - Mars and Saturn - In the constellation Leo yellowish-white Saturn and reddish Mars will be less than one degree from each other. The pair is still up two hours after sunset and are bright so it should be easy to see.
• August 13 - Venus and Saturn - Less than one degree apart in the constellation Leo. Venus will be the brighter of the two.
• August 14 (watch from 10-16th)- Venus, Mercury, and Saturn - Just after sunset a triple conjunction! The three planets will be less than three degrees apart in the constellation Leo and almost in a line. Venus will be the highest and brightest Saturn the middle object and Mercury will be the lowest of the three but surprisingly brighter than Saturn. If you want to make this even more interesting look for Mars 16 degrees to the SW the trio.
• August 19-21 - Venus and Mercury - The two planets will be about one degree apart for three days. VERY low on the western horizon at sunset.
• September 11 (watch from 5-18)- Venus and Mars - Venus will come right next to the Red Planet, with the two less than one degree apart Mercury lying three and a half degrees away from the pair and shining brighter than Mars. The whole group will set just one hour after sunset.
• December 1 - Venus and Jupiter - All within Sagittarius, the two planets will be two degrees apart and they don't set until three hours after sunset. As a bonus, a 15%-lit moon will lie three degrees away from Venus.
• December 31 - Jupiter and Mercury - After sunset a little more than one degree apart in Sagittarius. Pull out the binos and telescopes because Mercury will be a mere 15 arcminutes from the globular cluster M75. All three will be together in one field of view in most home binoculars.

2008 Phases of the Moon








      NEW MOON   FIRST QUARTER        FULL MOON     LAST QUARTER

       d  h  m         d  h  m          d  h  m          d  h  m
       
JAN.   8 11 37   JAN. 15 19 46   JAN.  22 13 35   JAN.  30  5 03
FEB.   7  3 44   FEB. 14  3 33   FEB.  21  3 30   FEB.  29  2 18
MAR.   7 17 14   MAR. 14 10 46   MAR.  21 18 40   MAR.  29 21 47
APR.   6  3 55   APR. 12 18 32   APR.  20 10 25   APR.  28 14 12
MAY    5 12 18   MAY  12  3 47   MAY   20  2 11   MAY   28  2 57
JUNE   3 19 23   JUNE 10 15 04   JUNE  18 17 30   JUNE  26 12 10
JULY   3  2 19   JULY 10  4 35   JULY  18  7 59   JULY  25 18 42
AUG.   1 10 13   AUG.  8 20 20   AUG.  16 21 16   AUG.  23 23 50
AUG.  30 19 58   SEPT. 7 14 04   SEPT. 15  9 13   SEPT. 22  5 04  
SEPT. 29  8 12   OCT.  7  9 04   OCT.  14 20 02   OCT.  21 11 55
OCT.  28 23 14   NOV.  6  4 03   NOV.  13  6 17   NOV.  19 21 31
NOV.  27 16 55   DEC.  5 21 26   DEC.  12 16 37   DEC.  19 10 29
DEC.  27 12 22       

Eclipses for 2008

2008 February 07 [ Solar: Annular ]

2008 February 21 [ Lunar: Total ]

2008 August 01 [ Solar: Total ]

2008 August 16 [ Lunar: Partial ]

February 07see map, timesanimation

August 1 - Total Solar Eclipse ( see map, times, and animation!): On Friday, 2008 August 01, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half the Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in Canada and extends across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, and China. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes northeastern North America, most of Europe and Asia. Special website with extra information and links to live eclipse webcasts can be found at the NASA Eclipse Website for the August 1st Eclipse

February 20th - Total Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times.): The first lunar eclipse of 2008 is perfectly placed for observers throughout most of the Americas as well as western Europe. The eclipse occurs at the Moon's descending node, midway between perigee and apogee. During the eclipse, Saturn lies about 3° northeast of the Moon and shines brightly (mv = +0.2) because it is near opposition. Special website with live broadcast can be found at the NASA Eclipse Website

August 16 - Partial Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times): The last eclipse of 2008 is a partial lunar eclipse at the Moon's ascending node in Capricornus. It is visible primarily from the Eastern Hemisphere as well as eastern South America

Eclipse information from: NASA Eclipse Homepage, Eclipses Online (HM Nautical Almanac Office, UK in coordination with the U.S. Naval Observatory)

Meteor Showers for 2008

All times are UT

Name	Date of Peak Time in UT (help with time)	Moon Phase
Quadrantids	January 4, 7h	Waning Crescent
Lyrids	April 22, 4h	almost Full
Eta Aquarids	May 5, 18h	New Moon
Perseids	August 12, 11h	Waxing Gibbous
Orionids	October 21, 4h	Last Quarter
Leonids	November 17, 10h	Waning Gibbous
Geminids	December 13, 23h	Full Moon

Information from the "Observer's Handbook 2008" RASC

Astronomical Online Glossary

Download this month's sky map!

Northern hemisphere sky map
Southern hemisphere sky map
Creator: Kym Thalassoudis

Southern Hemisphere Additional Information

James Barclay's site
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site
Southern Sky Watch.

Planets for February 2008

Venus (top left) and Jupiter Jan 31st 2008
If this looks backwards to you check the photo credit for the location! (Made ya think eh!)

Photo credit: Juan-Camilo Suarez
La Estrella, Colombia, South America
Canon EOS 10D, 135 mm, 800 ISO

• Mercury- is at inferior conjunction on the 6th. It becomes visible to southern observers in the morning twilight by mid-month. Late February to March will be the best viewing of Mercury for the year for Southern observers. Mercury climb up to meet Venus and on the 26th Mercury will be 1.3 deg N of Venus 1.9 mag (1st) to 0.6 mag (21st)
• Venus- Hopefully you have been watching Venus and Jupiter creep closer throughout the end of January. On the 1st of February Venus is 0.6 deg N of Jupiter. On the 4th the waning crescent moon shares the scene. Watch the rest of the month as Venus pulls closer to the sun. On the 26th and 27th catch Venus and Mercury stacked on the horizon just before sunrise. -3.8 mag (1st) to -3.8 mag (21st)
• Mars- Starts off the month still between the horns of Taurus and is well placed high in the northern sky in early evening. It is heading back towards the foot of Castor, and M35, but is official still in Taurus at the end of the month. -0.6 (1st) to 0.0 mag (21st)
  
  
• Jupiter- Starts the month buddied up with Venus and by the 13th leads a line up of Mercury, Venus and Jupiter with Jupiter furthest away from the sun. -1.8 mag (1st) to -1.8 mag (21st)
• Saturn- In Leo all year Saturn reaches opposition on February 24. On the 21st at 3:29 UT (convert to your time zone) during the total lunar eclipse you should be able to pick out Saturn and Regulus once the Moon enters the Earth umbra. Rises mid-evening at the beginning of February. The tilt of Saturn's rings increases from 6.7 deg to 9.9 deg in early May before beginning to close again at the end of 2008. 0.4 mag (1st) to 0.2 mag (21st)
  
  
• Uranus-In Aquarius all year 5.9 mag (1st) to 5.9 mag (21st)
• Neptune-In Capricorn 8.0 mag (1st) to 8.0 mag (21st)

Key Dates for February 2008

Comets for February 2008

Mark has developed his own website so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us this month!

Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hat

Music Scottish Guitar Quartet -"Romance within you"
Rebecca Loebe- "All This Timet"
Friction Bailey - "Fill My Mind With You"

      NEW MOON   FIRST QUARTER        FULL MOON     LAST QUARTER

       d  h  m         d  h  m          d  h  m          d  h  m
       
JAN.   8 11 37   JAN. 15 19 46   JAN.  22 13 35   JAN.  30  5 03
FEB.   7  3 44   FEB. 14  3 33   FEB.  21  3 30   FEB.  29  2 18
MAR.   7 17 14   MAR. 14 10 46   MAR.  21 18 40   MAR.  29 21 47
APR.   6  3 55   APR. 12 18 32   APR.  20 10 25   APR.  28 14 12
MAY    5 12 18   MAY  12  3 47   MAY   20  2 11   MAY   28  2 57
JUNE   3 19 23   JUNE 10 15 04   JUNE  18 17 30   JUNE  26 12 10
JULY   3  2 19   JULY 10  4 35   JULY  18  7 59   JULY  25 18 42
AUG.   1 10 13   AUG.  8 20 20   AUG.  16 21 16   AUG.  23 23 50
AUG.  30 19 58   SEPT. 7 14 04   SEPT. 15  9 13   SEPT. 22  5 04  
SEPT. 29  8 12   OCT.  7  9 04   OCT.  14 20 02   OCT.  21 11 55
OCT.  28 23 14   NOV.  6  4 03   NOV.  13  6 17   NOV.  19 21 31
NOV.  27 16 55   DEC.  5 21 26   DEC.  12 16 37   DEC.  19 10 29
DEC.  27 12 22       

Astronomical Online Glossary

Download this month's sky map!

Northern hemisphere sky map
Southern hemisphere sky map
Creator: Kym Thalassoudis

Southern Hemisphere Additional Information

James Barclay's site
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site
Southern Sky Watch.

Planets for January 2008

• Mercury- visible in evening twilight higher and brighter as the month progresses. Mercury reaches its greatest elongation east on the 22nd (19deg) on the 23 (4UT) Mercury will be .3 deg North of a very dim Neptune -0.9 mag (1st) to -0.7 mag (21st)
• Venus- Venus is the queen of the morning all month, rising 3 hours before the Sun at the beginning of the month but only 2 hours before the sun at the end of the month. Watch Venus and Jupiter throughout the month as they get closer, about 1 deg a day, until the 31st when they are only 1 deg apart. -3.9 mag (1st) to -3.9 mag (21st)
• Mars- Just past its December opposition Mars is visible almost all night. Officially in Taurus it appears to be closer to the leg of Castor of Gemini the twins. Mars moves into a nice orange/red triangle with Betelgeuse and Aldebaran before becoming stationary on the 20th and returning to direct (eastward) motion for the rest of the month. -1.5 (1st) to -0.9 mag (21st)
• Ceres-
• Jupiter- Jupiter has been hiding behind the sun now reappears in the morning sky climbing higher in the sky. By mid-month Jupiter rises 9 deg above the horizon before sunrise, by the end of the month Jupiter and Venus are 1 deg apart. -1.8 mag (1st) to -1.8 mag (21st)
• Saturn- In Leo all year Saturn rises mid-evening at the beginning of January. The tilt of Saturn's rings increases from 6.7 deg to 9.9 deg in early May before beginning to close again at the end of 2008. 0.7 mag (1st) to 0.6 mag (21st)
• Uranus-In Aquarius all year 5.9 mag (1st) to 5.9 mag (21st)
• Neptune-In Capricorn 8.0 mag (1st) to 8.0 mag (21st)

Click on thumbnail for full sky image

Key Dates for January 2008

Monthly Messier*

      NEW MOON   FIRST QUARTER        FULL MOON     LAST QUARTER

       d  h  m         d  h  m          d  h  m          d  h  m
       
JAN.   8 11 37   JAN. 15 19 46   JAN.  22 13 35   JAN.  30  5 03
FEB.   7  3 44   FEB. 14  3 33   FEB.  21  3 30   FEB.  29  2 18
MAR.   7 17 14   MAR. 14 10 46   MAR.  21 18 40   MAR.  29 21 47
APR.   6  3 55   APR. 12 18 32   APR.  20 10 25   APR.  28 14 12
MAY    5 12 18   MAY  12  3 47   MAY   20  2 11   MAY   28  2 57
JUNE   3 19 23   JUNE 10 15 04   JUNE  18 17 30   JUNE  26 12 10
JULY   3  2 19   JULY 10  4 35   JULY  18  7 59   JULY  25 18 42
AUG.   1 10 13   AUG.  8 20 20   AUG.  16 21 16   AUG.  23 23 50
AUG.  30 19 58   SEPT. 7 14 04   SEPT. 15  9 13   SEPT. 22  5 04  
SEPT. 29  8 12   OCT.  7  9 04   OCT.  14 20 02   OCT.  21 11 55
OCT.  28 23 14   NOV.  6  4 03   NOV.  13  6 17   NOV.  19 21 31
NOV.  27 16 55   DEC.  5 21 26   DEC.  12 16 37   DEC.  19 10 29
DEC.  27 12 22       

Download this month's sky map!

Kym Thalassoudis does a wonderful job creating accurate and easy to use star maps every month! Visit his site at www.skymaps.com for skymaps and links to other useful astronomical sites. Also a great portal for astronomical gifts!

Northern hemisphere sky map
Southern hemisphere sky map

Those in the Southern Hemisphere should also visit James Barclay's site for a great tour of the Southern Hemisphere sky.

Another great site for Southern Hemisphere viewers is the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar can be found at the RASNZ site
Ian Musgrave has a very handy Southern Hemisphere site called Southern Sky Watch.

Download "What's up 2007: 365 days of Skywatching" by Tammy Plotner, published by Universe Today (Faser Cain) it is a fantastic and it is free!

Planets for December 2007

• Mercury- very difficult to observe this month as it reaches superior conjunction on the 17th -0.8 mag (1st) to -1.2 mag (21st)
• Venus- In Virgo Venus is brilliant in the morning sky for both hemispheres all month. Sliding closer to the sun by months end it will be rising just a little over an hour before astronomical twilight. -4.1 mag (1st) to - 4.0 mag (21st)
• Mars- In Gemini Mars and Earth reach their closest approach on Dec 19th, is occulted by the Moon on the 23/24, on the 24th is at opposition rising near sunset, transits about midnight and sets near sunrise...how convenient! Earth and Mars will not be this close again until 2016 so it is worth your while to get out and see the 'Red Planet' as often as possible. By the end of the month Mars will have retrograded into Taurus. -1.3 Ultimate Mars list of links (1st) to -1.6 mag (21st)
• Ceres- reaches opposition on Nov. 9th brightening to magnitude 7.2 (see the finder chart below)
• Jupiter- In Sagittarius sets in the west-southwest at the end of twilight and by the second week is lost in the glare of the Sun. -1.8 mag (1st) to -1.8 mag (21st)
• Saturn- In Leo Saturn is at quadrature,when the planet's shadow on the rings is most prominent making the planet look 3D, on Dec 1st. On the 15th the rings are the least tilted from edgewise (6.6 deg) than they have been in a decade. On the 20th it begins its retrograde loop moving back towards Regulus. 0.7 mag (1st) to 0.6 mag (21st)
• Uranus-In Aquarius 5.7 mag (1st) to 5.8 mag (21st)
• Neptune-In Capricorn 7.9 mag (1st) to 7.8 mag (21st)

Key Dates for December 2007

Days and Times in UT (help with time)
Observations are for 10pm for the mid-southern latitudes and for 8pm for the mid-northern latitudes.

Great site for sunrise and sunset times and a downloadable toolbar application by Steve Edwards

Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website! Astronomical Highlights

December
1	- Moon 2.1 deg SSW of Saturn (morning sky)
	- Last Quarter Moon (12:44 UT)
2	- Chi Orionid meteor shower
3	- Algol at minimum (23:04 UT)
4	- Mercury at descending node
5	- Mon 6.5 deg SSW of Venus (morning sky)
6	- Moon at apogee (406235 km)
	- Algol at minimum (19:53 UT)....you can now calculate the repeat for every 2.87 days or check out the Algol calculator at Sky and Telescope
7	- Earliest sunset mid northern latitudes...what about for your latitude? (see notes below)
9	- Algol at minimum (13:31 UT)
	- New Moon (17:40 UT)
	- Spring Equinox on Mars (11 UT)
10	- Asteroid or 'dead comet' Phaethon closest to Earth since its discovery in 1983. Phaethon is the progenitor of the Geminid meteor shower which peaks on the 14th.
12	- Vesta 0.4 deg N of Moon, possible occultation (check the IOTA website for visibility in your area)
14	- Geminid meteor shower peak
	- Neptune 0.7 deg N of Moon, possible occultation (check the IOTA website for visibility in your area)
15	- Mercury at aphelion
16	- Mars and Pluto at heliocentric opposition....on opposite sides of the sun from one another
17	- First Quarter Moon (10:17 UT)
	- Mercury in superior conjunction passing into the evening sky
19	- Mars closest approach
20	- Saturn stationary, begins retrograde (westward) motion. It will start heading back towards Regulus.
21	- Pluto in conjunction with the Sun
	- Moon 1.0 deg N of Pleiades
22	- Venus at greatest heliocentric latitude N
	- December Solstice (6:08 UT)
	- Moon at perigee (360815 km)
23	- Jupiter in conjunction with the Sun
24	- Full Moon (1:16 UT)
	- Mars 0.9 deg S of the Moon, possible occultation (check the IOTA website for visibility in your area)
	- Mars at opposition (20 UT)
25	- Equation of Time at 0
26	- Mars 2 deg N of M35
	- Moon 0.4 deg N of M44 (Beehive)
28	- Regulus 0.6 deg N of Moon, possible occultation (check the IOTA website for visibility in your area)
	- Saturn 3 deg N of Moon
31	- Last Quarter Moon (7:50 UT)

The Dark Days of Winter
sunrise and sunset times for your home
Comparative lengths of day and night

Monthly Messier*

From the Astronomical Connection and the Moncton Center in Canada

Mark has developed his own website,"The Astronomy Compendium" so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us this month!

Earth's major motions for 2007

Perihelion		Jan 3 20h(UT)
First Cross Quarter Day		Feb 2-6
Equinox		Mar 21 00:07(UT)
Second Cross Quarter Day		May 4-7
Solstice		June 21 18:06(UT)
Aphelion		July 4 00h (UT)
Third Cross Quarter Day		Aug 5-8
Equinox		Sept 23 19:51(UT)
Fourth Cross Quarter Day		Nov 5-8
Solstice		Dec 22 06:08(UT)

Planet Positions for 2007

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Venus

Sgr

Aqr

Psc

Ari

Tau

Gem

Leo

Sex

Cnc

Leo

Leo

Vir

Mars

Oph

Sgr

Cap

Cap

Aqr

Psc

Ari

Tau

Tau

Gem

Gem

Gem

Jupiter

Oph

Oph

Oph

Oph

Oph

Oph

Oph

Oph

Oph

Oph

Oph

Oph

Saturn

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Uranus

Aqu

Aqu

Aqu

Aqu

Aqu

Aqu

Aqu

Aqu

Aqu

Aqu

Aqu

Aqu

Neptune

Cap

Cap

Cap

Cap

Cap

Cap

Cap

Cap

Cap

Cap

Cap

Cap

Eclipses for 2007

March 19 - partial solar eclipse (see map, times, and animation!): The first solar eclipse of 2007 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in Pisces and is visible from eastern Asia and parts of northern Alaska

September 11 - partial solar eclipse (see map, times, and animation): The last eclipse of 2007 is a partial solar eclipse at the Moon's descending node in southern Leo. Its visibility is confined to parts of South America, Antarctica and the South Atlantic

March 3-4 - total lunar eclipse (see map): The beginning of the umbral phase visible in the Arctic region, Africa, Europe, Asia except for extreme eastern region, most of Indonesia, western Australia, Queen Maud Land of Antarctica, extreme eastern South America, Greenland, the Indian Ocean, the South Atlantic Ocean, and the eastern North Atlantic Ocean; the end visible in Africa, Europe, western Asia, Queen Maud Land of Antarctica and Antarctic Peninsula, South America, eastern North America, Greenland, the Arctic region, the Atlantic Ocean, the western Indian Ocean, and the extreme eastern South Pacific Ocean.

August 28 - total lunar eclipse (see map): The beginning of the umbral phase visible in North America, South America except extreme east, Antarctica except for Enderby Land, New Zealand, eastern Australia, extreme northeastern Asia, the Pacific Ocean, and the western Atlantic Ocean; the end visible in New Zealand, Australia, most of Antarctica except Queen Maud Land, Indonesia, eastern Asia, western North America, the Pacific Ocean, and the southeastern Indian Ocean.

Meteor Showers for 2007

As luck would have it, all the major meteor showers reach their peaks in 2007 with the Moon out of the sky. Any of these showers can produce dozens of shooting stars each dark hour leading up to dawn.

• Perseids on August 13th
• Orionids on October 21st
• Leonids on November 18th
• Geminids on the night of December 13-14 (Meteor enthusiasts are keenly awaiting the Geminids in 2007 because their progenitor, the defunct comet Phaethon, precedes them in a flyby of Earth on December 10th.)

Comets for December

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