Astronomy a Go Go!

Sat, 1 December 2007

Tour of the Sky: December 2007

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

Jupiter slips behind the sun, Mercury, Venus and Saturn dominate the early morning sky, Mars dominates the night.

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)

Click on image

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*

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 - This 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 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 (in image of 110) - This 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 (in image of 110) - 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

Historical and Current Events
...Did you know?

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!

Astronomical Highlights for 2007

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.

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

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.

Mark your calendar to look for...

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

Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pages
Skyhound Comet pages

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"
Uncle Seth - "You Don't Need and IPod"
Brett Mikels - "Just One More Year"

Direct download: AAGG_sky_tour_Dec_07.mp3
Category:Sky Tours -- posted at: 2:52 PM

Thu, 1 November 2007

Tour of the Sky: November 2007

Here is your finder chart for catching comet Holmes

Download this month's sky map!

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 October sky.

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 November 2007

Jupiter fades in the west, Mercury, Venus and Saturn dominate the early morning sky, Mars is king of the night.

Mercury- In Virgo Mercury reaches greatest elongation west on Nov. 8th. This morning showing favors northern observers and at the beginning of the month will show as a thick crescent. Look low in the east-southeast through the end of November. Poor viewing for Southern viewers 0.8 mag (1st) to -0.7 mag (21st)

Venus- Starts in Leo but after the first weekend crosses into Virgo with Mercury. Venus is brilliant in the morning sky and will be all month. On Nov.5th use the moon to find Venus during the day. -4.0 mag (1st) to - 4.1 mag (21st)

Mars- In Gemini. Earth is slowly catching up to Mars so the red planet will continue to look larger through December when Earth and Mars are their closest approach. Nov. 15th Mars begins its retrograde loop within Gemini. -0.6 (1st) to -0.8 mag (21st)

Ceres- reaches opposition on Nov. 9th brightening to magnitude 7.2 (see the finder chart below)

Jupiter- In Ophiuchus sets in the west-southwest at the end of twilight for mid-Northern viewers by mid-month. Viewing is better as you move South. -1.9 mag (1st) to -1.8 mag (21st)

Saturn- In Leo Saturn rises several hours before sunrise with Venus and Regulus in a nice little trio. Saturn is at quadrature,when the planet's shadow on the rings is most prominent making the planet look 3D, on Dec 1st 0.7 mag (1st) to 0.8 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 November 2007

Days and Times in UT (help with time)
Observations are for10pm 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

November

1 - Mercury at perihelion

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter 12:31 UT

- Mercury stationary

- Moon .8deg N of the Beehive Cluster (M44)

- Last Quarter 21:18 UT

2 - Algol at minimum 10:04 UT

3 - Regulus .03 deg N of Moon, possible occultation

- Moon between Venus and Saturn

4 - Daylight Savings time ends

- Saturn 1.8deg N of Moon

5 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter 1:28 UT

- Algol at minimum 6:53 UT

- Venus 3 deg N of Moon 20 UT

- South Taurid meteor shower peak 22 UT

6 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter 19:57 UT

8 - Algol at minimum 3:42 UT

- Mercury 7 deg N of Moon 11 UT

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter 14:25 UT

- Mercury greatest elongation W. 19 deg 21 UT

9 - Ceres at opposition

- Moon at apogee 406,671km 13 UT

- New Moon 23:03 UT

11 - Algol at minimum :31 UT

- Antares .4 deg N of Moon possible occultation

12 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter 3:38 UT

- North Taurid meteor shower peak 21 UT

- Jupiter 5 deg N of Moon 22 UT

13 - Algol at minimum 21:20 UT

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter 23:30

15 - Mars stationary

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter 16:56

16 - Algol at minimum 18:09 UT

17 - Neptune 1 deg North of Moon 11 UT possible occultation

- First Quarter Moon 22:32 UT

18 - Leonid Meteor show peak 4 UT

19 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter 6:15 UT

- Algol at minimum 14:58 UT

22 - Algol at minimum 11:47 UT

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter 11:34 UT

24 - Moon at perigee 357,194 km Large tides

- Moon .9 deg N of Pleiades (M45)

- Full Moon 14:30 UT

25 - Algol at minimum 8:36 UT

26 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter 8:53 UT

27 - Mars 1.7 deg S of Moon

28 - Algol at minimum 5:25 UT

- Venus 4 deg N of Spica (before sunrise)

29 - Moon .6 deg N of the Beehive cluster (M44) 2 UT

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter 22:11 UT

- Regulus .3 deg N of Moon 20 UT possible occultation

December

1 - Saturn at quadrature (see Planet section)

- Last Quarter Moon 12:44 UT

- Saturn 2 deg N of Moon

Monthly Messier*

This month we will search for four globular clusters, the largest and the smallest planetary nebulas in the Messier catalog, and a small oddity. Two of the objects are fairly easy in binoculars, while four others will require dark skies, patience, and keen eyes to find.

M57 This smallest planetary nebula in the Messier Catalog is the famous Ring nebula in the constellation Lyra. Low power telescope views show a very small blue/green disk, not much bigger than a star. Medium to high power will magnify the size of the nebula while leaving the surrounding stars the same size, confirming you have found it. Can be seen in binoculars as a faint star like point of light.

M56 Also in the constellation of Lyra we find our first globular cluster of the night. In a telescope look for a small round ball of light, slightly brighter in the center. This is a difficult binocular object appearing as a small fuzzy patch.

M27 Also known as the Dumbbell nebula, the largest planetary nebula in the Messier Catalog, M27 lies in the constellation Vulpecula. Fairly easy to see in binoculars as a small hazy patch. In small to medium scopes it appears as a rectangular patch of light. In large scopes it may even appear round in shape with a bright rectangular, or dumbbell shaped core.

M71 Lying in Sagitta, this globular cluster appears as a faint oval hazy patch of light in a telescope. This is a very difficult but possible binocular object, requiring dark skies and trained eyes.

M30 This globular cluster in Capricornus is tough but very possible to see in binoculars as a faint fuzzy star. Telescopes show a small fuzzy ball of light, bright in the center fading to the edges.

M72 This is a small faint globular cluster in Aquarius. Look for a faint oval patch of light, gradually brighter towards the middle. A very difficult binocular object.

M73 This asterism is located near M72 in Aquarius. In a low power telescope view it looks like a very small fuzzy patch of light at first glance. When stared at it reveals itself as a small collection of stars. Medium to high power shows the view best described by Messier "cluster of three or four stars...containing very little nebulosity".

From the Astronomical Connection and the Moncton Center in Canada

Historical and Current Events
...Did you know?

Culled from Wikipedia and others, by Mark Tillotson (Thank you Mark!)

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!

Astronomical Highlights for 2007

Eclipses for 2007

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

Meteor Showers for 2007

Mark your calendar to look for...

Perseids on August 13th

Orionids on October 21st

Leonids on November 18th

Comets for November

Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pages
Skyhound Comet pages

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"
Rachel Barton - "Medley of Scots Tunes"
The Gentle Good - "Amser"

Direct download: AAGG_sky_tour_Nov_07.mp3
Category:Sky Tours -- posted at: 10:35 AM

Wed, 3 October 2007

Tour of the Sky: October 2007

Download this month's sky map!

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 October sky.

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 October 2007

Keep and eye on Venus, Saturn, Regulus (and waning crescent moons) all month long..

Mercury- In Virgo Mercury is well placed in the evening sky for more Southern viewers (South of 30 degrees N) into mid October. Mercury is stationary on th 12th and then moves into inferior conjunction October 24th. Poor viewing for Northern viewers 0.1 mag (1st) to 3.9 mag (21st)

Venus- In Leo Venus is brilliant in the morning sky and climbing higher daily. Venus, Saturn and Regulus make a attractive triangle for the unaided eye for several days around October 13th. Venus dominates the morning sky reaching greatest elongation west October 28th -4.4 mag (1st) to - 4.3 mag (21st)

Mars- In Gemini. Earth is slowly catching up to Mars so the red planet will continue to look larger through December when Earth and Mars are their closest approach. -0.1 (1st) to -0.4 mag (21st)

Jupiter- Starts the month near globular cluster NGC6235. Jupiter, in Ophiuchus sets an not long after the sun by mid-month. Take advantage of October to enjoy the gas giant before we start losing him in the sun's glare as we go into the end of the year -2.0 mag (1st) to -1.9 mag (21st)

Saturn- In Leo Saturn rises several hours before sunrise with Venus and Regulus in a nice little trio. 0.7 mag (1st) to 0.8 mag (21st)

Uranus-In Aquarius 5.7 mag (1st) to 5.8 mag (21st)

Neptune-Will camp out in Capricorn all year long 7.9 mag (1st) to 7.8 mag (21st)

Key Dates for October 2007

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

Astronomical Highlights

October Great Worldwide Star Count!

2 - Mars 5 deg S of Moon

3 - Last Quarter moon (10:07 UT)

- Mars .9 deg S of M35 at the foot of Castor

4 - Go outside and look for satellites and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Sputnik! (more....)

5 - Moon 1.1 deg N of the Beehive M44

- Comet 96P/Machholz 1.7 deg NE of Jupiter (faint - mag 11?)

7 - Venus 3 deg S of Moon

- Regulus .2 deg S, Saturn 1.3 deg N of Moon, possible occultation (7:00 UT) Check the webpages for the International Occultation and Timing Association for possible occultation for your area.

8 - Draconid meteors peak

9 - Venus 3 deg S of Regulus. Venus, Saturn and Regulus in a nice cluster

11 - New Moon

- Good time to start your lookout for Comet 8P/Tuttle (currently very faint 12th mag). Starts out in October near Polaris moving into Cepheus in early December possible brightening to naked eye magnitude as it reaches Cassiopeia around the 22nd of Dec. Which of us will be first to spot it?

12 - Mercury stationary

13 - Mercury 1.3 deg N of Moon

- Moon at apogee (406492 km)

15 - Venus 3 deg S of Saturn

- Antares .6 deg N of Moon, possible occultation (15:00 UT) Check the webpages for the International Occultation and Timing Association for possible occultation for your area.

16 - Jupiter 5 deg N of Moon

18 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter (8:42 UT) First of 16 in the next 30 days

19 - First Quarter

- Zodiacal Lights visible in N latitude in East before morning twilight for next two week

21 - Neptune 1.3 deg N of Moon, possible occultation (3:00 UT) Check the webpages for the International Occultation and Timing Association for possible occultation for your area.

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter (21:39 UT)

- Orionid meteor peak

24 - Mercury in inferior conjunction

25 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter (10:36 UT)

26 - Full Moon (largest in 2007) Moon at perigee (356733) Large tides

28 - Moon 1.0 deg N of Pleiades (M45)

- Venus at greatest elongation

- Roll the clocks back an hour, check your area news listings for details

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter (23:34)

30 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter (18:02)

- Moon, Mars, Castor and Pollux in a nice group this evening

31 - Neptune stationary

- Halloween (31) All Saints' Day (Nov 1) All Souls' Day (Nov 2) Our fourth (last)cross-quarter day (Nov 5-8) (more information..)

Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website!

Historical and Current Events
...Did you know?

Culled from Wikipedia and others, by Mark Tillotson (Thank you Mark!)

October
1	1847 Maria Mitchell, (8/1/1818-6/28/1889) the first woman astronomer in the United States, discovered a comet which was referred to as "Miss Mitchell's Comet".
	1958 NASA was created by an Act of Congress to replace NACA.
2	1608 Johannes Lippershey, (c.1570-c.1619) demonstrated a new invention, the first optical (refracting) telescope.
4	1957 Launch of Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. This marked the beginning of the 'Space Race.'
5	1882 b- Robert Goddard, (d. 8/10/1945) American rocket scientist, "Father of Modern Rocketry". Launched 1st rocket 3/26/1926. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center was established in his memory.
10	1846 Neptune's moon, Triton, is discovered by William Lassell while he was observing the newly discovered planet Neptune. He was attempting to confirm his observation of the previous week, that Neptune had a ring. Instead he discovered that Neptune had a satellite.

View entire historical calendar!
Monthly Messier*
Sliding into October we complete our tour of the wonders in Sagittarius. Sixteen Messier objects are found within the constellation of Sagittarius, we will seek the six that remain to be seen on our tour. We will also search for three others just north of Sagittarius in the Milky Way.

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 apertures 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

Astronomical Highlights for 2007

Eclipses for 2007

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

Meteor Showers for 2007

Mark your calendar to look for...

Perseids on August 13th

Orionids on October 21st

Leonids on November 18th

Comets for October

Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pages
Skyhound Comet pages

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"

Direct download: AAGG_sky_tour_Oct_07.mp3
Category:Sky Tours -- posted at: 10:27 AM

Sat, 1 September 2007

Tour of the Sky: September 2007

Download this month's sky map!

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 September sky.

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 September 2007

Mercury- Well placed in the evening sky for more Southern viewers (South of 30 degrees N) through September and into October. The best evening apparation for Southern viewers will be Sept 28 -0.5 mag (1st) to -0.0 mag (21st)

Venus- Brilliant in the morning sky and climbing higher daily. By the middle of the month Northern viewers will see Venus 11 degrees above the horizon just before sunrise. -4.2 mag (1st) to - 4.4 mag (21st)

Mars- In Taurus passes into Gemini towards the end of the month. Rising after midnight just north of Aldeberon at the early part of the month. By mid month Mars, Aldeberon and Bettlejuice make a nice triangle and by the end of the month Mars sits at the foot of Castor near open cluster M35. 0.3 mag (1st) to 0.1 mag (21st)

Jupiter- Sets in the early evening just after Antares. Vespa starts out just to the NE of Jupiter but pulls away to the East as the month continues. -2.2 mag (1st) to -2.1 mag (21st)

Saturn- Returns to the morning sky along with Venus after the beginning of the month. It will start the month in the glare of the Sun but climb steadily throughout the month rising 3 hours before the Sun by months end. Saturn sits NNE of Regulus NE of brighter Venus. Regulus is only 0.8 mag fainter than Saturn so they will look like twin stars. Southern views will have to work to catch the pairing. 0.6 mag (1st) to 0.7 mag (21st)

Uranus-In Aquarius 5.8 mag (1st) to 5.8 mag (21st)

Neptune-Will camp out in Capricorn all year long 7.9 mag (1st) to 7.8 mag (21st)

4 Vesta -Categorized as a minor planet (Vesta family Main Belt) not far from Jupiter this month and at a magnitude of 5.4 - 6.0 will be a good naked eye object for September. Vesta is the second most massive object in the asteroid belt with a mean diameter of 540 km and was named after the Roman goddess of home and hearth. Vesta will be close to Jupiter for most of the month.

Key Dates for September 2007

Days and Times in UT (help with time)
Observations are for 8pm for the mid-southern latitudes and for 9pm 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

September

3 - Moon 1.2 deg N of Pleiades (M45)

4 - Last Quarter 2:35 UT

- Moon near Mars

8 - Moon 1.1 deg N of the Beehive Cluster (M44)

- Venus 9 deg S of Moon

9 - Uranus reaches opposition. Uranus will be bright enough to see unaided from dark locations. Finder chart for Uranus and Neptune

- Look for a waning crescent moon with Venus to the SW. Binoculars will help you find Saturn and Regulus close together to the East of the Moon.

10 - Regulus 0.2 S of Moon and Saturn 0.8 deg N of Moon, possible occultation check the IOTA website for data for your area.

11 - New moon 12:44 UT ">partial solar eclipse ** CAUTION Never look directly at the Sun. Follow the link to the NASA site for eclipse safety. Eclipse for Antarctica and S. American see notes below

14 - Spica sits between a crescent Moon and Mercury. In the Southern Hemisphere Mercury is above the mouth of Crater the cup.

15 - Moon at apogee

17-18 - Moon drifts below the Jupiter and Antares pair

18 - Mercury at aphelion

- Antares 0.7 deg N of Moon, possible occultation check the IOTA website for data for your area.

- Jupiter 6 deg N of Moon

19 - First Quarter 16:48

21 - Zodiacal Lights visible in Northern latitudes in the East in morning twilight for next two weeks

22 - Mercury 0.08 deg North of Spica use binoculars to help pick them out of the muck of the horizon. By tomorrow they will have switched places.

23 - Equinox 9:51 UT The point in our orbit around the Sun when the day and night are at equal length and the Sun crosses over the ecliptic into the Southern Hemisphere. Shorter days in the North and longer day to come in the South.

- Venus at greatest brilliancy

26 - Full Moon 19:53

28 - Moon at perigee

29 - Mercury at greatest elongation

30 - Moon 1.1 deg N of Pleiades (M45)

-

Monthly Messier*

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. 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 starlike 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

Astronomical Highlights for 2007

Eclipses for 2007

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

Meteor Showers for 2007

Mark your calendar to look for...

Perseids on August 13th

Orionids on October 21st

Leonids on November 18th

Historical and Current Events
...Did you know?

Culled from Wikipedia and others, by Mark Tillotson (Thank you Mark!)

The approximate date of Earth's aphelion. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Gemini and ends in the constellation of Cancer.

View the historical calendar!

Comets for September

Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pages
Skyhound Comet pages

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"
Douglas Spotted - "Starry Night"

Direct download: AAGG_sky_tour_Sept_07.mp3
Category:Sky Tours -- posted at: 8:06 AM

Sun, 26 August 2007

Eclipse Special

Click here to
Animate Me!!

This star chart will show you what is around the Moon at the time of totality. Neptune and Uranus are near by and would make for interesting targets while the Moon is dimmed.

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

What to see

The entire 'winter' hexagon will rise just before dawn with Sirius just before and to the S of Venus just as the 'summer' triangle sets.

Red Mars pairs up with red Aldeberon in Taurus. Mars it brighter and to the NE of the red eye of the bull.

When the moon is eclipsed it will be directly between Neptune and Uranus

Next total eclipse for those in N.America will be Feb 21, 2008 for future date check the bottom of the NASA Eclipse Website!

Planets

Mercury- deep in the glow of sunset. Better viewing in September and October -0.9 mag (1st) to -1.4 mag (21st)

Venus- is emerging from the glow of the sun, just beginning its tour as the Morning Star for the next half-year. Look for it above the eastern horizon 60 to 40 minutes before sunrise. It's getting a little higher every day.

Mars- In Taurus and the red planet will be near the dimmer, giant red Aldeberon.

Jupiter- In Ophiucus north of the bright red Antares. -2.5 mag (1st) to -2.4 mag (21st)

Saturn- lost in the glare of the sun

Uranus-In Aquarius magnitude 5.7, is passing within 1/4° of the yellow-orange star Phi Aquarii, magnitude 4.2.

Neptune-Will camp out in Capricorn all year long 7.9 mag (1st) to 7.8 mag (21st)

4 Vesta -Categorized as a minor planet (Vesta family Main Belt) not far from Jupiter this month and at a magnitude of 5.4 - 6.0 will be a good naked eye object for August.

Astronomical Highlights for 2007

Direct download: AAGG_eclipse_special.mp3
Category:Eclipse -- posted at: 8:19 AM

Wed, 1 August 2007

Tour of the Sky: August 2007

Download this month's sky map!

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 August sky.

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 August 2007

Mercury- In Gemini at the beginning of the month is visible for the first few mornings of the month in bright twilight. At month's end Mercury will be visible in the West in the evening twilight. At months end Mercury is in Virgo look forward to better viewing in September and October -0.9 mag (1st) to -1.4 mag (21st)

Venus- In Sextans the brilliant Venus has been slowly sinking towards the Sun and lower in the evening sky. Look for Venus in the early twilight at the very beginning of the month and look for her razor thin crescent. Venus then disappears, and for Northern viewers, and is not visible again until the end of the month in the constellation Cancer. -4.3 mag (1st) to - 4.3 mag (21st)

Mars- In Taurus and glides by the Hyades on the 19th. By midmonth Mars rises between 11 and 2 depending upon your latitude. Towards the end of the month the red planet will be near the dimmer, giant red Aldeberon. 0.7 mag (1st) to 0.6 mag (21st)

Jupiter- In Ophiuchus becomes stationary and returns to proper motion on the 7th. At sunset Jupiter is near the meridian moving eastward each night. -2.4 mag (1st) to -2.2 mag (21st)

Saturn- In Leo th mid-southern latitudes can still eek out Saturn, telescopically, in the Sun's glare 0.6 mag (1st) to 0.6 mag (21st)

Uranus-In Aquarius 5.8 mag (1st) to 5.8 mag (21st)

Neptune-Will camp out in Capricorn all year long 7.9 mag (1st) to 7.8 mag (21st)

4 Vesta -Categorized as a minor planet (Vesta family Main Belt) is catching up with Jupiter and starts the month a degree from the double star Beta Scorpius and at a magnitude of 6.7 and is still a good binocular object for August. At the end of the month Jupiter and Vesta will be less than the width of the moon apart. Vesta is the second most massive object in the asteroid belt with a mean diameter of 540 km and was named after the Roman goddess of home and hearth.

Key Dates for August 2007

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

August

4 - Moon at perigee (closest to Earth 368,891 km)

5 - Last Quarter 21:20 UT

5-8 - Cross Quarter Days

7 - Waning crescent Moon near Mars

- Jupiter stationary resumes its direct/eastward motion

12 - New Moon 23:03 UT

13 - Peak of the Perseid meteor shower 5h UT**

- Peak of the Delta Aquarids

- Neptune at opposition

15 - Mercury at superior conjunction - moving into the evening sky

17 - Look for Spica and Arcturus above the crescent moon

18 - Venus at inferior conjunction - moving into to morning sky

19 - Moon at apogee (furthest from Earth 404,618 km) and roughly between Spica and the Jupiter/Antares pair

20 - First Quarter Moon 23:54 UT

21 - Jupiter 5 deg from Antares, possible occultation check the IOTA website for data for your area.

22 - Antares 0.7 deg N of Moon

24 - Mars 5 deg N of Aldebaran

28 - Full Moon, Total lunar eclipse

31 - Moon at perigee (closest to Earth 364,171 km)

- At dawn look for the reappearance of Venus low and in the East. Don't confuse the "morning star" with Sirius in the SE

Monthly Messier*

This is the month that we begin to sneak into the summer Milky Way and the heart of our galaxy as we find 12 more object. Some are visible to the naked eye, all are possible in binoculars. There are six globular clusters, four open clusters, and two diffuse nebula. Many of these objects also appear to be in pairs, either in visual appearance or location.

M10, M12 This pair of globular clusters in the middle of Ophiuchus are easily swept up in binoculars looking like small blue snow balls. Through an 8" telescope M12 is well resolved while M10 is slightly more fuzzy looking. Both become very bright towards the center.
M107 A small, fairly faint globular cluster in Ophiuchus. It is a tough binocular object, appearing as a very small faint patch of light possibly requiring averted vision. In a telescope, M107 is a larger and brighter fuzzy patch of light than what can be seen in binoculars.
M9 Another small, relatively faint globular cluster in Ophiuchus. M9 is very similar to M107, only slightly brighter. Another tough, but possible binocular object.
M19, M62 Another pair of globular clusters in Ophiuchus separated by about four degrees. Fairly easy to find in binoculars, they are smaller than M10 and M12 thus not quite as obvious. These clusters are not resolvable through small scopes, and appear as round fuzzy patches brightening towards the center. M19 is slightly brighter than M62.
M6, M7 This is a pair of large, bright open clusters in Scorpius visible to the naked eye. Binoculars provide the best view of these clusters. Both are completely resolvable in 10x50 binoculars and can be fit into the same field of view. M7 is the larger and brighter of the pair.
M8 This is a bright emission nebula in Sagittarius, easily visible to the naked eye. The common name of M8 is the Lagoon nebula. In binoculars M8 is an oval cloud of light larger than the full moon with several bright stars embedded within it. A telescope makes this nebula larger and brighter but does not really improve the view.
M20 Another diffuse nebula in Sagittarius only 1.4 degrees northwest of M8 and is called the Trifid nebula. This is easily seen in binoculars looking like a cloud of smoke around some bright stars. A view through a telescope appears much the same, although try to pick out the three dust lanes that gives M20 its name. This is a somewhat difficult object to see right away, at first glance it looks like the optics are in need of cleaning and are causing the light from the bright stars to "smear".
M21 This is a small, but bright open cluster in Sagittarius right next to M20. Binoculars show a very small bright patch partially resolvable. Small telescopes easily resolve all of the clusters members. M8, M20, and M21 are all within the same binocular field and lie in a very rich region of the Milky Way. This view is one of the finest to be found.
M23 The last object of the month is a large open cluster in Sagittarius. through binoculars M23 is a large, hazy patch of light almost the size of the full moon. A telescope at low powers easily resolves this cluster among a rich background of other stars.

*Monthly Messier information gleaned from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Moncton Centre Quebec and from the Astronomy Connection website.

Table Mountain Star Party Observing List and those who completed the list
Astronomical Highlights for 2007

Eclipses for 2007

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

Meteor Showers for 2007

Mark your calendar to look for...

Perseids on August 13th

Orionids on October 21st

Leonids on November 18th

Historical and Current Events
Click here to view the entire list

Culled from Wikipedia and others, by Mark Tillotson (Thank you Mark!)

Comets for August

Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pages
Skyhound Comet pages

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"
Courtney Jones - "Ride"
Big George Jackson Blues Band/Roscoe Chenier - "Netherlands Blues"

Direct download: AAGG_sky_tour_Aug_07.mp3
Category:Sky Tours -- posted at: 2:12 PM

Mon, 2 July 2007

Tour of the Sky: July 2007

Download this month's sky map!

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 July sky.

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 July 2007

Mercury- Moves into the morning sky for the later half of the month. It reaches greatest elongation west on July 20th and brightens throughout the month. Should be visible with the unaided eye at latitude 30deg S by the 15th and on the 19th for 30 deg N. Observers in higher latitudes might need binoculars to fish Mercury out of the morning twilight but this will still be the best morning apparition for the north for the year. 5.2mag (1st) to 0.2 mag (21st)

Venus- Still brilliant, still glorious in the western sky at sunset. Starts off the month nicely paired with Saturn but by the 16th look for a very nice grouping of a young crescent Moon, Venus, Saturn and Regulus. After mid-month she begins her descent back towards the sun and her inferior conjunction on the 18th of Aug. Venus reaches her peak magnitude at -4.5 on the 12th of July. -4.3 mag (1st) to - 4.3 mag (21st)

Mars- Moves from Aries into Taurus on July 27th. Easier to see this month in the early morning twilight for both hemispheres. If you need help finding Mars, look for the Moon on the 9th and find Mars just 6 degrees South. 0.7 mag (1st) to 0.6 mag (21st)

Jupiter- Not far from Antares in Scorpio Jupiter blazes opposite Venus. Jupiter transits early in the evening making it a nice 'family' object the kids can see before going off to bed. Filters will help fish it out of the twilight. -2.5 mag (1st) to -2.4 mag (21st)

Saturn- Out shone by both Venus and Jupiter, Saturn joins the show again at the beginning of the month paired with Venus then again on the 15-17th as he lines up with Regulus, Venus and the Moon. If you can tear yourself away make sure you get a good look at Saturn and his rings before we loose him to the glare of the sun. 0.6 mag (1st) to 0.6 mag (21st)

Uranus-In Aquarius 5.8 mag (1st) to 5.8 mag (21st)

Neptune-Will camp out in Capricorn all year long 7.9 mag (1st) to 7.8 mag (21st)

4 Vesta -Categorized as a minor planet (Vesta family Main Belt) not far from Jupiter this month and at a magnitude of 5.4 - 6.0 will be a good naked eye object for July. Vesta is the second most massive object in the asteroid belt with a mean diameter of 540 km and was named after the Roman goddess of home and hearth.

On the 4th of July she spends Independence day just north of the double star Beta Scorpius.

Key Dates for July 2007

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

July

- This is a good month for hunting down Noctilucent clouds! (Read more about them....)

2 - Venus .5 deg from Saturn in the evening sky

3 - Neptune 1.3 deg N of Moon in the morning sky. Possible occultation check the IOTA website for data for your area.

4 - Mars solstice! Winter for the N hemisphere and summer for the S hemisphere.

- Have a safe 4th of July

6 - Venus in descending node

7 - Earth at aphelion (furthest point from the sun) 0h UT

- Last Quarter Moon 16:54 UT

9 - Moon near Mars in the morning sky

- Moon at perigee (closest to Earth)

10 - Moon near the Pleiades in the morning sky

- Mercury stationary

12 - Mercury at greatest heliocentric latitude S.

13 - Venus 1.7 degs from Regulus in the evening sky

14 - Venus at its brightest at 17 UT Mag -4.5

- Vesta stationary

- New Moon 12:04 UT

16 - Moon near Saturn in the evening sky. Possible occultation check the IOTA website for data for your area.

17 - Moon near Regulus(another possible occultation) and Venus.

20 - Mercury at greatest elongation 20 degs West from the Sun in the morning sky

22 - First Quarter Moon 6:29 UT

- Moon at apogee at 9h UT

28 - Delta Aquarid meteors peak

30 - Full Moon 0:48 UT

31 - Mercury at ascending node

- Neptune 1.3 degs N of Moon. Possible occultation check the IOTA website for data for your area.

Monthly Messier*

This will be a light month as we wait for the Milky Way to rise into better view later this NH-summer/SH-winter. Our list consist of six globular clusters and one very bright galaxy. All of these objects are possible with binoculars, most are down right easy even with small binoculars.

M3 - This globular cluster in Canes Venatici is one of the brightest objects in the sky. In binoculars this object is definitely not star like, but more of a bright, small snowball easy to see. Small telescopes will begin to resolve M3 into individual stars. The hardest part of this object is locating it in a portion of sky that contains few bright landmarks.

M53 - Another globular cluster in Canes Venatici. While not quite as big or bright as M3 it is still an obvious binocular object. Resolvable in small telescopes, it as easy object to find sharing the same low power telescope field as fifth magnitude Alpha Coma Berenices.

M5 - A big, bright globular cluster located in Serpens Caput. M5 is as nice as M3 but lies near a fifth magnitude naked eye star (5 Serpentis) making it an easy object to find.

M68 - An eighth magnitude globular cluster in Hydra, M68 is a difficult binocular object for Northern observers. It appears as a faint fuzz spot in binoculars, you may need to use averted vision or large binoculars to find this one. Appearing as a round fuzzy patch in a 8" telescope, you will need a much larger aperature to really resolve it.

M83 - A face on spiral in Hydra. M83 is fairly easy in binoculars as a faint, fuzzy patch of light. In a telescope look for a large patch of light with a bright center.

M4 - A big bright globular in Scorpius, easily located near Antares. This is an easy binocular object appearing as a round snowball. Partially resolvable in a telescope, the trade mark of this globular is a line of bright stars crossing the center.

M80 - This is the smallest and faintest globular cluster this month. Located in Scopius, M80 is a very tough binocular object appearing as a faint star with slight fuzziness around the edges. This is confirmed with a telescope, M80 has a bright central condensation in the middle of faint fuzz. It is one of the Messier objects that even through a medium telescope still looks like a comet.

*Monthly Messier information gleaned from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Moncton Centre Quebec and from the Astronomy Connection website.

Astronomical Highlights for 2007

Eclipses for 2007

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

Meteor Showers for 2007

Mark your calendar to look for...

Lyrids on April 23rd

Perseids on August 13th

Orionids on October 21st

Leonids on November 18th

Historical and Current Events
...Did you know?

Culled from Wikipedia and others, by Mark Tillotson (Thank you Mark!)

The approximate date of Earth's aphelion. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Gemini and ends in the constellation of Cancer.

The historical and current events ended up being too long for the poor libsyn blog pages!!! (Imagine)
Please go to this file for this wonderful list of historical events!

Comets for July

Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pages
Skyhound Comet pages

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"
Celili Moss - "Leis a lurrighan"
Dust Rhinos - "Wild Mountain Thyme"

Direct download: AAGG_sky_tour_July_07.mp3
Category:Sky Tours -- posted at: 2:33 PM

Thu, 31 May 2007

Tour of the Sky: June 2007

Download this month's sky map!

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 June sky.

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 June 2007

Mercury- Look for Mercury between Venus and the horizon after sunset until around the 18th (depending upon your latitude) when Mercury disappears in the glare of the sun. Mercury is best at the beginning of the month where he sits just to the NE of M35, an unorganized open cluster at the feet of Castor. Also in the immediate area is NGC 2158 which I think is a much nicer object. At greatest elongation on June 2nd Mercury has reached hip high between the twins before swinging back towards the sun via Pollux's knees. .4 mag (1st) to 3.7 mag (21st)

Venus- High in the sky after dark Venus continues to highlight the western sky reaching greatest elongation 45 deg east on June 9th. Venus makes several great photo ops this month starting with a nice line up with Castor and Pollux (Gemini) the first couple of days of June before sliding over to graze the Beehive Cluster (M44) between the 12th and 13th. Get the telescopes and cameras ready for the 17th-19th as the young Moon slides past Venus and Saturn. Finally she pairs up with Saturn between the 28th and the first of July for a nice close encounter. -4.1 mag (1st) to - 4.2 mag (21st)

Mars- In Pisces until June 26th when it passes into Ares. Look for the red planet near the moon on the 10th where they both sit on the western arm of Pisces. Very low on the horizon for mid-upper Northern Latitudes better viewing the further south you go and outstanding in the Southern Hemisphere. 0.8 mag (1st) to 0.8 mag (21st)

Jupiter- King of the planets is finally in prime position rising as the sun sets and is visible all night. Opposition on June 5th puts Jupiter 400 million miles from Earth. Jupiter moves eastward across lower Ophiucus and by Aug 1st sits just north of Antares. Low in the sky for mid-high northern latitudes moves higher in the sky as you move south. Some nice days to catch his four Galilean moons close to the planet disk are: 4th, 5th, 12th, 29th, and 30th -2.6 mag (1st) to -2.6 mag (21st)

Saturn-Absolutely beautiful in Leo almost at the Cancer border. Saturn's rings are tipped 15 deg from edgewise towards us so take advantage of these beautiful rings by catching Saturn earlier in the month before the Moon rises. Saturn make a nice appearance near Venus between the 17th and 30th and the Moon on the 18th 0.5 mag (1st) to 0.5 mag (21st)

Uranus-In Aquarius 5.9 mag (1st) to 5.8 mag (21st)

Neptune-Will camp out in Capricorn all year long 7.9 mag (1st) to 7.9 mag (21st)

4 Vesta -Categorized as a minor planet (Vesta family Main Belt) we are adding her to the mix because she will be not far from Jupiter this month and at a magnitude of 5.4 - 6.0 will be a good naked eye object for June. Vesta is the second most massive object in the asteroid belt with a mean diameter of 540 km and was named after the Roman goddess of home and hearth.

On the 4th of July she spends Independence day just north of the double star Beta Scorpius.

Key Dates for June 2007

Days and Times in UT (help with time)
Observations are for 8pm for the mid-southern latitudes and for 11pm 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

June

1 - Full Moon 1:04 UT

2 - Mercury at greatest elongation, 23 deg east of the Sun (evening sky)

5 - Jupiter at opposition 23h UT

8 - Last Quarter Moon 11:43 UT

9 - Venus at greatest elongation 45 deg east of Sun (evening sky)

- Jupiter double shadow transit 9:18 UT

10 - Moon near Mars (5 deg S of Moon)22h UT in the morning sky

12 - Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) 363,780 km from Earth

12-13 - Venus skims the Beehive Cluster (M44)

13 - For you sundial lovers the equation of time at 0 ... for more information.

15 - New Moon 3:13 UT

17 - Pluto at opposition

18 - Moon near Venus, possible daytime occultation check IOTAfor occultation information for your area

19 - Moon near Saturn (8h UT) AND Regulus (23h) possible occultation check IOTAfor occultation information for your area

21 - June Solstice 18:06 UT The sun reaches its highest point north of the celestial equator and is at 'stand still' before moving south again. This is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere (middle or beginning of summer) or the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere (middle or beginning of winter). For a great animation of the 'seasons' check out the Prentice Hall site

22 - First Quarter Moon 13:15 UT

23 - Uranus at standstill begins its retrograde motion (westward)

24 - Moon at apogee (furthest from Earth) 404,540 km

28 - Moon near Antares 8h UT possible occultation check IOTA for occultation information for your area

30 - Full Moon 13:49 UT

- Close encounter of Venus and Saturn

Monthly Messier*

This month we attack the heart of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. If you download show #39 we actually walk you through a nice long list of Virgo Galaxies including those listed below.

These 13 galaxies all within less than 100 square degrees of sky and the brightest of these galaxies, M87, is only 8.6 in total magnitude so this will be a telescope only month. Plan on searching for small faint fuzzies, dark, clear skies are a must.

M84, M86 - A pair of elliptical galaxies in the famous Markarian's Chain in Virgo. Appear as small fuzzy balls with bright, almost stellar cores. Both easily fit into the same low power field of view. M86 is slightly brighter and more oval than round M84.

M87 - M87 - Elliptical galaxy famous for its black hole and jet. Another round fuzzy ball with a bright core. Slightly brighter than both M84 and M86.

M89 and elliptical galaxy paired with spiral galaxy M90 - Both of these galaxies fit into the same low power field of view. M89 is another round fuzzy ball similar to M84, while M90 appears as an oval patch of light larger than M89. M90 has a bright central region.

M91 - Spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices. A faint, slightly irregular oval hazy patch of light.

M88 - A small oval shaped fuzzy patch with a bright stellar core. Similar in size and shape to M90. Can fit into the same field of view as M91. Bump up the power and see if you can tease out the spiral arms.

M58 - Another spiral galaxy that appears as a slightly oval shaped fuzzy patch of light with a bright central region.

M59, M60 - M59 and M60, both are elliptical galaxies and both can easily fit into the same field of view. M59 is a small, hazy oval patch, not all that easy to see. M60 is another fuzzy oval patch of light, larger and brighter than M59.

M99 - A bright round fuzzy patch of light which is a face on spiral galaxy.

M98 - This edge-on spiral galaxy appears as a bright pencil like streak of light.

M100 - A round hazy glow of light, bright in the center but gradually fading towards the edge. Using more power and averted vision see if you can detect the spiral arms of this face on galaxy.

For navigating the Virgo Cluster I highly recommend "Mastering the Virgo Cluster" by Alan M MacRobert; Sky & Telescope (Archives); May 1994; 42;

*Monthly Messier information gleaned from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Moncton Centre Quebec and from the Astronomy Connection website.

Astronomical Highlights for 2007

Eclipses for 2007

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

Meteor Showers for 2007

Mark your calendar to look for...

Lyrids on April 23rd

Perseids on August 13th

Orionids on October 21st

Leonids on November 18th

Comets for June

Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pages
Skyhound Comet pages

Historical and Current Events

...Did you know?

Culled from Wikipedia by Mark Tillotson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June )
Thanks Mark!!!

6/1
b- 1928 - Georgi Dobrovolski, cosmonaut (Moon crater)

6/2
1896 - Guglielmo Marconi receives a patent for his newest invention: the radio.
1966 - Surveyor program: Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, 
		 becoming the first US spacecraft to soft land on another world.
2003 - Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European 
		 Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space 
		 centre in Kazakhstan.
b- 1930 – Pete Conrad, NASA Astronaut. Flew on Gemini 5, 11, Apollo 12, 
	 and Skylab 2 missions. (d. 7/8/1999)

6/3
1965 - Launch of Gemini 4, the first multi-day space mission by a NASA crew.
1965 - For 21 minutes, Edward H. White floats free outside the space 
		 vehicle Gemini IV for the first time.
b- 1659 - David Gregory, Scottish astronomer (d. 1708)

6/4
1769 - A transit of Venus is followed five hours later by a total 
		 solar eclipse, the shortest such interval in the historical past.
b- 470 BC - Socrates, Greek philosopher (d. 399 BC)
b- 460 BC - Hippocrates, Greek historian (d. 370 BC)
b- 1754 - Franz Xaver, Baron Von Zach, Austrian editor and 
	 astronomer (d. 1832) (Moon crater)

6/5
b- 1819 - John Couch Adams, English mathematician and 
	 astronomer (d. 1892) (Moon crater)

6/6
1971 - Soyuz program: Soyuz 11 launches.
2002 - Eastern Mediterranean Event. A near-Earth asteroid estimated 
		 at 10 meters diameter explodes over the Mediterranean Sea between 
		 Greece and Libya. The resulting explosion is estimated to have a 
		 force of 26 kilotons, slightly more powerful than the Nagasaki atomic bomb.
b- 1436 - Regiomontanus, German mathematician (d. 1476) (Moon crater)
b- 1580 - Godefroy Wendelin, Flemish astronomer (d. 1667)
b- 1932 - David Scott, NASA astronaut. Flew on Gemini 8 and Apollo 9 and 15.
 
6/7
d- 1826 - Joseph von Fraunhofer, German physicist and astronomer 
	 (b. 1787) (Moon crater)

6/8
2004 - First Transit of Venus in this millennium.
b- 1625 - Giovanni Domenico Cassini, Italian scientist and astronomer 
	 (d. 1712) (Moon crater)

6/10
2003 - The Spirit Rover is launched, beginning NASA's Mars Exploration 
		 Rover mission.
b- 1710 - James Short, Scottish mathematician (d. 1768) (Moon crater)
b- 1929 – James A. McDivitt, NASA Astronaut. Command Pilot, 
	 Gemini 4 (1965) and Commander, Apollo 9 (1969).

6/11
2004 - Cassini-Huygens makes its closest flyby of Phoebe.
b- 1723 - Johann Georg Palitzsch, German astronomer (d. 1788) 
	 (Moon crater)

6/12
1967 - Venera program: Venera 4 is launched (it will become the first 
		 space probe to enter another planet's atmosphere and successfully return data).
2004 - A 1.3 kg chondrite type meteorite strikes a house in Ellerslie, 
		 New Zealand causing serious damage but no injuries.
b- 1577 - Paul Guldin, Swiss astronomer and mathematician (d. 1643)

6/13
1983 - Pioneer 10 becomes the first manmade object to leave the solar system.
b- 1773 - Thomas Young, English scientist (d. 1829) (Moon crater)
b- 1831 - James Clerk Maxwell, Scottish physicist (d. 1879) (Moon crater)
d- 1993 - Deke Slayton, astronaut (b. 1924)

6/14
1822 - Charles Babbage proposes a difference engine in a paper to the 
		 Royal Astronomical Society entitled "Note on the application of 
		 machinery to the computation of astronomical and mathematical tables."
1962 - The European Space Research Organization is established in Paris – 
		 later becoming the European Space Agency.
1967 - Mariner program: Mariner 5 is launched toward Venus.

6/15
763 BC - Assyrians record a solar eclipse that will be used to fix the 
		chronology of Mesopotamian history.
b- 1765 - Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bohnenberger, 
	 German mathematician (d. 1831) (Moon crater)

6/16
1911 - A 772 gram stony meteorite struck earth near Kilbourn, 
		 Columbia County, Wisconsin damaging a barn.
1963 - Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 Mission, Cosmonaut Valentina 
		 Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space.
b- 1888 - Peter Stoner, American mathematician, astronomer and 
	 Christian apologist (d. 1980)

6/17
b- 1714 - César-François Cassini de Thury, French astronomer (d. 1784)

6/18
1178 - Five Canterbury monks see what was possibly the Giordano 
		 Bruno crater being formed. It is believed that the current 
		 oscillations of the moon's distance (on the order of meters) 
		 are a result of this collision.
1983 - Space Shuttle program: STS-7, Astronaut Sally Ride becomes 
		 the first American woman in space.
d- 1650 - Christoph Scheiner, German astronomer (b. 1573) (Moon crater)
d- 1922 - Jacobus Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer (b. 1851)

6/19
b- 1846 - Antonio Abetti, Italian astronomer (d. 1928) (Moon crater)
b- 1922 - Aage Niels Bohr, Danish physicist, Nobel laureate (Moon crater)
b- 1933 - Viktor Patsayev, Soviet cosmonaut

6/20
1990 - Asteroid Eureka discovered.
1941 - Ulf Merbold, German physicist and astronaut

6/21
2004 - SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane 
		 to achieve spaceflight.
2006 - Pluto's newly discovered moons are officially christened 
		 Nix & Hydra on this date.
b- 1646 (O.S.) - Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, German philosopher 
	 and scientist (d. 1716) (Moon crater)
b- 1823 - Jean Chacornac, French astronomer (d. 1873) (Moon crater)
b- 1863 - Max Wolf, German astronomer (d. 1932) (Moon crater)
b- 1958 - Gennady Padalka, cosmonaut
d- 1951 - Charles Dillon Perrine, American astronomer (b. 1867) 
	 (Moon crater)

6/22
1633 - The Holy Office in Rome forces Galileo Galilei to recant 
		 his scientific view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the 
		 center of the Universe.
b- 1930 - Yuri Artyukhin, cosmonaut (d. 1998)
d- 1429 - Ghiyath al-Kashi, Persian astronomer and mathematician (b. 1380)

6/23
b- 1612 - André Tacquet, Belgian mathematician (d. 1660) (Moon crater)
b- Donn Eisele, NASA Astronaut. Flew on Apollo 7. (d. 12/2/1987)

6/24
1983 - Space Shuttle program: STS-7 Mission Sally Ride, first 
		 female American astronaut, returns to earth.
b- 1485 - Johannes Bugenhagen, German reformer (d. 1558)
b- 1915 - Fred Hoyle, British astronomer (d. 2001)
d- 1946 - Ellison Onizuka, American astronaut (d. 1986)
d- 1637 - Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, French astronomer (
	 b. 1580) (Moon crater)

6/25
1997 - An unmanned Progress spacecraft collided with the Russian 
		 Space station, Mir.
d- 1671 - Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Italian astronomer (b. 1598) 
	 (Moon crater)

6/26
1973 - On Plesetsk Cosmodrome 9 people are killed in an explosion 
		 of a Cosmos 3-M rocket.
b- 1904 - Frank Scott Hogg, Canadian astronomer (d. 1951) (Moon crater)
b- 1925 - Pavel Belyayev, cosmonaut (d. 1970) (Moon crater)

6/28
d- 1889 - Maria Mitchell, American astronomer (b. 1818) (Moon crater)

6/29
512 - A solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland.
1995 - Space Shuttle program: STS-71 Mission (Atlantis docks with 
		 the Russian space station Mir for the first time.)
b- 1868 - George Ellery Hale, American astronomer (d. 1938) (Moon crater)
b- 1962 - George Zamka, astronaut

6/30
1905 - Albert Einstein publishes the article "On the Electrodynamics 
		 of Moving Bodies", where he introduces special relativity.
1908 - The Tunguska impact event occurs in Siberia.
1971 - The crew of the Soviet Soyuz 11 spacecraft is killed when 
		 their air supply escapes through a faulty valve.
d- 1971 - Crew of Soyuz 11
	 o Viktor Patsayev (b. 1933)
	 o Georgi Dobrovolski (b. 1928)
	 o Vladislav Volkov (b. 1935)

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"
Boom Boom Beckett - "Summertime"
Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet - "Pour-quoi, pour-quoi pas"

Direct download: AAGG_sky_tour_Jun_07.mp3
Category:Sky Tours -- posted at: 3:51 PM

Thu, 10 May 2007

Show #39: Navigating your way through (part of) the Virgo Cluster

Carpe Noctem - Seize the Night!

Image courtesy of Randy Brewer

Virgo Galaxies!

Here is a short list of some good Virgo Cluster reference. Each is different and I have used them all! There are literally 100s of articles written about navigating through the Virgo Cluster. My advice is find a good map and then find a route that suits you. I'm presenting only one way to attack the area but it is a way that works for me fairly consistently.

Good luck!

Alan M. MacRobert's "Mastering the Virgo Cluster" Sky and Telescope, May 1994 pg 42
-This is the one I carry in my notebook because I love the route and the map.

Steve Gottlieb's "The Virgo Mainline"
-This one I carry for sharing a different approach for those who get lost at the beginning of the MacRobert's route.

Atlas
Jan Wisniewski's Virgo Galaxy Cluster - Finder Chart

Tonight we are using the WikiSky.org Atlas for our Virgo Tour

Start by arc-ing from the handle of the big dipper to Arcturus and then "Speed on" or "Spike" to Spica. Once at Spica work you way up the body of the Maiden to Porrma, her throat, and then up her outstretched arm to Vindemiatrix.

Another way is to start from the head of Leo the Lion wander west to Denebola and then across to Vindemiatrx.

46 Galaxies?!?!? Okay, here we go....

North is up

Object	Magnitude	Type	Notes
Section 1			The 'on ramp'.....
Epsilon Virginis - Vindemiatrix	2.8		Yellow giant 100 light yrs away
Bunsen Burner	9 and 10th		This asterism point away from Epsilon and in the direction we want to go
Struve 1689	7 and 9.5	29" apart.
NGC 4762 and NGC 4754	10.3 and 10.5	Sp	4754 is off by itself and 4762 is between a 9th and 10th mag star. Use averted vision or tap the scope to get 4762 to pop out
NGC 4694	11.4	Sp	Very hard to find 11.4 mag elongated NW-SE
NGC 4660	11.8	E	Tiny round cotton ball
M60	8.8	E	One of the biggest and brightest ellipticals in tonight's tour. At higher powers you can make out a slight halo as well as the companion galaxy 4647
NGC 4647	11.3	Sp	Close companion to M60, 3' to the NW a challenge to pick up unless you use averted vision. It is a spiral but looks much more like a smaller version of its elliptical companion
M59	9.6	E	Has a profile more like a spiral but this evening is all about being faint so- 0.4deg W not as bright as M60. Giant elliptical slightly elongated SE-NW
NGC 4638	11.2	Sp	Fainter and smaller depending upon your field of view (FOV) you can squeeze it in along with M60 and M59 making an isosceles triangle with the three.
NGC 4606	11.8	Sp	A toughie. Look for a fuzzy star with two stars on the south. If you have a larger scope you may have passed over 13.0mag 4607 an edge on spiral galaxy out of reach of our smaller scopes.

North is up

Object	Magnitude	Type	Notes
Section 2			The first 'fork in the road'....
M58	13.0	Sp	Spiral galaxy a little fainter and smaller than M59 a dark sky and larger scope (bigger than 8") will start to pick out its smoke like wisps of spiral arm. Take a good look at where you are because we will need to return back to M58 after a detour down the M90 (and friends)side alley.
NGC 4550 and NGC 4551	11.7 and 12.0	Sp and E	(Misprint in the MacRobert's narrative where they are referred to as 4450 and 4451) Heading NW from M58 these two sit very close together and are both very faint and tricky to find.
M89	9.8	E	A nice break from hunting around for the last two. It will seem to pop into view...strange how perspective does that to you. A round fuzzy blob with a brighter core.
M90	9.5	Sp	Just after M89 is a little "W" that runs to the NNW to M90 a giant spiral galaxy with a low surface brightness but it is very large. There is an unrelated 12 mag star sitting between the Earth and the center of this galaxy. Elongated N-S look for a darkened lane on the eastern edge.
NGC 4564	11.1		Backtrack to M58 and then 0.5 deg SW to a tall box asterism just off the NE corner is 4564.
NGC 4567 and 4568	11.3 and 10.8	Sp	Another pair of spirals that seem to be joined at the ends. They are nicknamed the "Siamese Twins" (Who am I to argue but they reminded me much more of amoeba from high school biology class)
NGC 4528	12.1	Sp	Very tiny and quite faint another candidate for power, aperture and dark conditions
NGC 4503	11.1	Sp	Off by itself and very diffuse on 10" or smaller scopes this might take DARK skies, tapping, averted vision...all of your faint fuzzy objects tricks.

North is up

Section 3			Back way in....
NGC 4452	12.0	Sp	This galaxy is a tiny little fuzzy. It is in between two rows of stars and there is a third row of stars below it housing...
NGC 4429	10.0	Sp	An easier find, still a fuzzy blob but easier than 4452
NGC 4440	11.7	Sp	Slid back up to 4452 and then to the NW corner of the three rows (or Arcs) of stars. It sits just SW of the Northern most star in the arc
M87	8.6	E	Now we begin to appreciate the "Ms" in front of numbers. After so many faint NGC an "M" gives us hope for something bigger and brighter. Not to disappoint M87 is .75 deg East of 4440 and a nice big bright giant elliptical. The bright nucleus is one of the brightest radio sources in the sky.
NGC 4478	11.4	E	Is M87's companion much fainter and again needing your faint object tricks
NGC 4476	12.2	Sp	Here we go getting super faint again, another target for larger scopes or darker skies (or sometime more experience) but give it your best because your rewards is...

North is up

Section 4			"The Grand Tour" or "Markarian's Chain"
M84-M86	9.1 and 8.9	E	We start with the 'face' of the Chain M84 and M86, both elliptical galaxies, make up the eyes of the face. M86 is distinctly brighter with its own little cluster on the NE corner.
NGC 4388 and 4387	11.0 and 12.1	Sp and E	Making an equilateral triangle to the South and forming the mouth is NGC 4388 and edge on E-W spiral galaxy and directly in the middle of the triangle finishing off the nose is NGC 4387 another elliptical galaxy.
NGC 4402	11.8		If the face had an eyebrow then it would be 4402. North 8.5ish' from M86 the E-W edge on spiral galaxy appears to have a slight dust lane and a North leaning bulge. Almost like a ladies broad brim hat.
NGC 4413	12.2	Sp	In the opposite direction 9'WSW of 4388, NGC 4413 is an almost face on spiral galaxy
NGC 4425	11.8	Sp	From 4388 make and equilateral triangle to the west with M86 and your corner will be roughly in the area of 4425 another edge on spiral galaxy brighter than 4413
			Now we can start moving up the Chain in pairs...
NGC 4435 and 4438	10.8 and 10.2	Sp	Draw a line WNW from M84 and M86 to the first pair in the chain, both spiral galaxies. Nick-named "The Eyes" 4438 is slightly longer with wispy arms reaching NW-SE and both galaxies mirror each other in orientation NW-SE
NGC 4461 and 4458	11.2 and 12.1	Sp and E	The next pair, fainter the elliptical 4458 is all but indistinguishable (for me)from the small 10.95 mag star to its NW. 4461 is slightly brighter spiral galaxy elongated N-S
NGC 4473	10.2	E	This slightly brighter elliptical lost her buddy (bad Scout) and lays E-W alone in the middle of the Chain. You may not have noticed but you are now in Coma Berenices.
NGC 4477 and 4479	10.4 and 12.4	Sp	About 12' NNW are another pair of spiral galaxies. 4477 is the brighter and Eastern most of the pair
NGC 4459 and 4474	10.4 and 11.5	Sp	A wider pair of spirals 4459 is very close to a 8.2 yellow star and look like an elliptical galaxy. 4474 is much fainter but has that familiar central bulge of an edge on galaxy.
M88	9.6	Sp	The last two links in the Chain are biggies and brighties! M88 is a partial face on spiral with a multitude of arms making a nice even frisbe disk.
M91	10.2	Sp	A particularly appropriate reward at the end. This face on barred spiral is beautiful with two large arms sweeping out on opposite sides.

Sun

Current view of the Sun!

Comets

Comets for the Month.

Check out the Sky Hound site.

Music

"Wake the Dragon" by Dragon Ritual Drummers
"Over Again" by Rebecca Loebe

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin"
-- Shakespeare

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Direct download: AAGGshow39.mp3
Category:Deep Sky Objects -- posted at: 7:19 PM

Wed, 2 May 2007

Tour of the Sky: May 2007

Download this month's sky map!

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 December sky.

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 May 2007

Mercury- After reaching superior conjunction on the 3rd Mercury moves into the evening sky for the best view those in the NHemisphere will get all year. From May 18-June 12th look for Mercury between Venus and the horizon after sunset. -2.0 mag (1st) to -0.6 mag (21st)

Venus- High in the sky after dark Venus continues to highlight the western sky. At the beginning of the month Venus will pass between the horns of Taurus the Bull as she continues to move Eastward towards M35 and Gemini. -4.0 mag (1st) to - 4.1 mag (21st)

Mars- At the beginning of the month, Mars rises about 2.5 hours before the Sun in the constellation Aquarius 4.5 degrees East of Uranus. The Red Planet moves into Pisces on the 9th , Cetus on the 24th before returning to Pisces on the 29th...Mars isn't moving backwards it is only that it is clipping a corner of Cetus that sticks up into Pisces. 1.0 mag (1st) to 0.9 mag (21st)

Jupiter- Continues to rise earlier everyday and will spend the month in Ophiucus moving ever so slowly towards Antares. -2.5 mag (1st) to -2.6 mag (21st)

Saturn-Absolutely beautiful in Leo almost at the Cancer border. Saturn's rings are tipped 15 deg from edgewise towards us so take advantage of these beautiful rings. The ringed planet is 90degrees east of the Sun so all month its globe will casts its shadows eastward onto the rings. 0.4 mag (1st) to 0.5 mag (21st)

Uranus-In Aquarius about 4.5 degrees west of Mars at the beginning of the month stretching to 23 degrees west by the end of the month. 5.9 mag (1st) to 5.9 mag (21st)

Neptune-Will camp out in Capricorn all year long and is 2.5 degree NW of Delta Capricorni. 7.9 mag (1st) to 7.9 mag (21st)

4 Vesta -Categorized as a minor planet (Vesta family Main Belt) we are adding her to the mix this month because she will be not far from Jupiter this month and at a magnitude of 5.4 - 6.0 will be a good naked eye object for May and June. Vesta is the second most massive object in the asteroid belt with a mean diameter of 540 km and was named after the Roman goddess of home and hearth. So even though she was never a mother herself step outside on Mother's Day and take a look for this bright asteroid.

Key Dates for May 2007

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

May

2 - Full Moon 10:09 UT

- Ladies, go take the women in astronomy survey at Sky and Telescope Magazine!

3 - Mercury at Superior conjunction (moving into the evening sky)

4 - Moon near Antares: 19:00 UT possible occultation from SE Africa, Tasmania and New Zealand

5 - Moon near Jupiter 11:00 UT

6 - Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks 12:00 UT (April 19-May 28) Southern Hemisphere skywatcher will have a better view!

10 - Last Quarter Moon 4:27 UT

12 - Moon near Uranus (6 UT) and Mars (23 UT) in the morning sky. Possible occultation visible from E. Newfoundland and Greenland.

15 - Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) 359,392 km

16 - New Moon 19:27 UT

17 - Moon near Mercury, both very close to the setting sun!

20 - Crescent Moon near Venus at sunset. Good photo op!

22 - Moon near Saturn

23 - First Quarter Moon 21:03 UT

27 - Moon at apogee (furthest from Earth) 405,460 km

30 - Mercury 1.1 degrees N of M35 (23 deg E)

Monthly Messier*

More galaxies this month warming up with those around Ursa Major and Canes Venatici and then heading to the fringes of the Virgo galaxy region! Most of these can be detected in binoculars or small telescopes and I recommend doing so just for the practice of navigation, averted vision and patience! Then you can pull out the telescope and enjoy the delicate spiral arms and tease-out identifying features.

M51 - The famous Whirlpool galaxy in Canes Venatici is a bright face on spiral with a smaller elliptical companion, NGC 5195. Look for a pair of fuzzy patches of light. The slightly larger and brighter one is M51. Make sure to spend some time here; as there is almost always some spiral structure to be seen, on good nights the detail possible is unbelievable. This is a difficult but very possible object in binoculars appearing as a hazy patch of light.

M63 - Another spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici smaller and fainter than M51, but seen more edge on so the galaxy appears as an elongated patch of light with a bright star at one end. Further inspection will show a faint halo around this patch. A difficult object in binoculars.

M94 - Just past M63 is another galaxy in Canes Vanitici. Look for a bright fuzzy star to find the core of M94, surrounded by a faint haze. A tough binocular object.

M101 - Some times we luck out and get two objects together in the scope (like M81 M82) and some times three (like the Leo trio) but instead of being a two-fer M101 is a ....twelve-fer! Not only can you count M101 as possibly M102 (although I don't) you also have 10 other galaxies wrapped around the outside of this spiral galaxy in Ursa Major.

You will have to work for M101 as it is one of the most difficult Messier objects to find in a telescope. This is a large faint patch of light almost as big as the full moon. Use low power and look for a brighter part of the sky, more of a change in contrast than an object at first glance, which is the galaxy. Dark skies really help in the search of this one and are a to find M101 in binoculars.

M102 - Not an official Messier object in most references, we will look for the galaxy NGC 5866 which is a popular favorite for the 102nd slot in Messier's catalogue. Look for a small, faint patch light that looks like a short fuzzy cigar.

M64 - In a telescope this galaxy in Coma Berenices is a fairly bright, slightly oval shaped patch of light. Look for the dark lane, which gives this galaxy the common name Black Eye. The galaxy appears as a faint fuzzy patch in binoculars.

M85 - This elliptical galaxy lies in Coma Berenices just north of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. This appears as a bright, but small, patch of light with a bright stellar core.

M49 - This is an elliptical galaxy in Virgo just south of the main cluster of galaxies. M49 is round patch of light with bright center gradually fading to a round halo. M49 looks like a faint fuzzy star in binoculars. Use Art Russell's star hop sheets to help you find M49, M61 and other Virgo galaxies!

M61 - This is a face on spiral galaxy just south of M49 in Virgo, but much fainter. Look for a faint, round fuzzy patch of light.

M104 - This is the well-known Sombrero galaxy in Virgo. It is bright edge on spiral galaxy, which looks like a bright, elongated streak. It is very possible to see in binoculars.

For navigating the Virgo Cluster I highly recommend "Mastering the Virgo Cluster" by Alan M MacRobert; Sky & Telescope (Archives); May 1994; 42;

*Monthly Messier information gleaned from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Moncton Centre Quebec and from the Astronomy Connection website.

Historical and Current Events

...Did you know?


May
1	- Beltane (alt May 4-10) -cross quarter day, beginning of traditional summer
4	-Space Day
5	- Alan Shepard became the first American in space. Mercury Freedom 7 1961
5	- Happy Birthday Ric!
6	- Willem de Sitter's 135th Birthday (1872)
15	- Williamina Paton Fleming's 150th Birthday (1857)
17	- Norman Lockyer's 172nd Birthday (important for all birthdays and for those who like to sound like Donald Duck!)
21	- John F. Kennedy makes his famous speech to the U.S. Congress
24	- 45th Anniversary (1962), Aurora 7 Launch (Scott Carpenter)
28	- First primates to reach space and return successfully. Abel and Baker (rhesus and squirrel monkeys respectively), both returned alive.
29	- John F. Kennedy's 90th Birthday (1917)
31	- Martin Schwarzschild's 95th Birthday (1912)

Astronomical Highlights for 2007

Eclipses for 2007

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

Meteor Showers for 2007

Mark your calendar to look for...

Lyrids on April 23rd

Perseids on August 13th

Orionids on October 21st

Leonids on November 18th

Comets for May

Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pages
Skyhound Comet pages

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"
Boom Boom Beckett - "In a sentimental mood"
Aff the Cuff - "I'll tell me Ma" -(not what we want to hear on Mother's Day!)

Direct download: AAGG_sky_tour_May_07.mp3
Category:Sky Tours -- posted at: 11:36 AM

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Carpe Noctem - Seize the Night!

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