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 December 2008
Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Neptune, Uranus all in the evening by months end.
Saturn rising before midnight and only Mars is missing from the major planet
lineup.
Early December Evening Planets (click image to enlarge)
Late December Evening Planets (click image to enlarge)
- Mercury- Starts the month passing into the evening sky and by
mid-month appears in the evening twilight. By the end of the month look for
Mercury next to Jupiter in the evening twilight. -0.8 mag (1st) to -1.2 mag
(21st)
- Venus- Started the month in a stellar pairing with Jupiter but climbs
eastward, and Jupiter westward, quickly. Venus will be the crown jewel of the
evening sky for the entire month. -4.0 mag (1st) to -4.1 mag (21st)
- Mars- 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- Setting earlier every night pairing up with Jupiter towards
the end of the month. As 2009 dawns Jupiter sets in evening twilight. -2.1 mag
(1st) to -2.0 mag (21st)
- Saturn- By the middle of the month Saturn rises in before midnight
(in Leo). Look carefully at the rings as the inclination closes to 0.8 deg 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)
(click for
a larger images)
2008 Finder Charts for Neptune and Uranus -Northern
Hemisphere, Southern
Hemisphere
Key Dates for December 2008
Days and Times in UT: (help with
time)
Observations are for 7 pm for the mid-southern latitudes and for 10
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 - December 2008
| 5 |
- First Quarter Moon |
| 7 |
- Earliest sunset of 2008 at 40 deg north (4:35) |
| 11 |
- Moon 0.7 deg N of Pleiades(M45) @ 8UT possible occultation, check the IOTA website for
information for your area |
| 12 |
- Full Moon - at perigee (356566 km) closest and largest of 2008 - Large
Tides |
| 13 |
- Geminid meteor peak - not a great year...too much moon |
| 15 |
- Moon 1.4 deg S of Beehive (M44) |
| 19 |
- Vesta stationary |
|
- Saturn 6 deg N of Moon |
|
- Last Quarter Moon |
| 21 |
- Solstice (12:04 UT) |
|
- Happy Birthday to Astronomy a Go Go! (3 years old) |
|
- Start watching for comet 85P/Boethin |
| 22 |
- Pluto in conjunction with the Sun |
|
- Ursid meteor peak |
| 25 |
- Antares 0.1 deg S of Moon possible occultation, check the IOTA website for
information for your area |
| 26 |
- Moon at apogee (406601 km) |
| 27 |
- Venus 1.5 deg S of Neptune |
|
- New Moon |
| 29 |
- Mercury 0.7 deg S of Moon possible occultation, check the IOTA website for
information for your area |
|
- Jupiter 0.6 deg N of Moon possible occultation, check the IOTA website for
information for your area |
| 31 |
- Mercury 1.3 deg S of Jupiter |
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
This will
be a fairly easy month on the tour. We will view two small, but bright globular
clusters, two open star clusters, and the grandest galaxy in the sky along with
it's two companions. All of these objects are possible to find in binoculars,
most are fairly easy.
- M2 This is a small,
bright globular cluster in Aquarius. To find it in binoculars look for a fuzzy
star in a star poor field. A low power telescope field will show a round fuzzy
patch, brighter in the center and fading to the edge, in a field with no other
bright objects.
- M15 This globular
cluster in Pegasus is very similar to M2 in size and brightness, except it is
surrounded by several bright stars. Fairly easy to find in binoculars but the
best view is through a telescope at medium to high power.
- M29 This galactic
cluster is a small, sparse group of stars in Cygnus. It appears as a small fuzzy
patch amongst a rich star field in binoculars. A telescope will easily resolve
the members of this cluster. The shape of the cluster reminds me of the Pleiades
as viewed through binoculars.
- M39 Dark skies will
allow this large, bright cluster in Cygnus to be seen with the naked eye as a
hazy patch of light. Binoculars easily resolve this cluster into it's bright and
widely scattered members, and provide a better view than can be seen with most
telescopes.
- M31, M32, and M110 M31
is the famous Andromeda Galaxy, our closest galactic neighbor, and the largest,
brightest galaxy to be seen in the northern sky. The ability to see M31 with the
naked eye provides a good, modern day, test of the darkness of your skies. M31
is so large that binoculars provide the best view, allowing the entire galaxy to
be seen in one field of view. Look for an elongated patch of light, with a
bright, round central core. M32 is an elliptical companion galaxy to M31.
Through a telescope look for a slightly oval ball of fuzz in the same low power
field as the core of M31. M32 is very possible to find in binoculars as a star
like point of light. M110, Another elliptical companion galaxy to M31, lying on
the opposite side of the core as M32. Through a telescope look for a large, oval
patch of light. Although M110 is as bright as M32 it is much larger and thus has
a lower surface brightness making it a difficult object in light polluted skies.
M110 is a very difficult binocular object requiring dark transparent skies, and
trained eyes to have a chance at finding it.
From the Astronomical
Connection and the Moncton Center in Canada
Comets for December 2008
Seiichi Yoshida's
comet website. Also checkout Gary Kronk's
comet and meteor pages
Skyhound Comet pages
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
or write us a
favorable review in iTunes of Podcast Pickle or iPodder!
Music Scottish Guitar
Quartet -"Romance within you"
Great
Big Sea- "French Shores"
Antonin
Bastian- "Tu Cha Cha Cha"
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
Universal Time
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
February 07 - Annular Solar Eclipse (
see
map, times, and
animation!): The first
solar eclipse of 2008 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in Capricornus. An
annular eclipse will be visible from a wide track, that traverses Antarctica and
southern regions of the Pacific Ocean. A partial eclipse will be seen within the
much larger path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes the southeastern
third of Australia, all of New Zealand and most of Antarctica.
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
| 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
