Have you received an email that says, "This summer Mars will be closer to the Earth than ever before”? This email is true -- or rather, it was. But it was about an event that happened in 2003. For some reason, this email has been circulating recently and getting everyone excited over an event that has already passed. That doesn't mean there's no reason to take a peek at Mars right now. In fact, this year Mars will be making another close approach to the Earth, but there are several differences between this event and the 2003 event.
In 2003 Mars was closer to Earth than it had been in possibly the last 60,000 years. By late August, the only thing brighter than Mars in the evening sky was the Moon. However, even at this close approach, Mars was still more than 35 million miles away. There were reports that Mars would look as large as the Moon, but Mars only looked like a very bright star (for Mars to look the same size as the Moon, Mars would need to be about 470,000 miles away -- or just under twice the distance to the Moon. That would be a scary event indeed!).
Currently Mars is rising around 10 pm and is moving towards the constellation of Aries the Ram. Each day Mars rises a little earlier and grows brighter. On October 30, Mars will be at its closest point to the Earth and will look its brightest on November 7. Also, Mars will be higher in the sky than it was in 2003. The 2005 opposition of Mars will be the best time to see Mars until 2018 because Mars’s apparent size will not be this large again until that year.
So keep looking for this interesting planet and remember not to believe everything that lands in your e-mail inbox -- unless it's from me.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Friday, April 01, 2005
Springtime skies blooming with activity
Eclipses take center stage this month with one Hybrid eclipse and one Penumbral Lunar eclipse. The first eclipse is a solar eclipse that occurs on Friday April 8th -- right in the middle of rush hour if you live on the East coast. Unfortunately, this eclipse will not be visible throughout the entire United States. South Florida has the best view with approximately 40 percent of the Sun blocked out by the Moon. If you live in the Northeast, Midwest and West the eclipse will not be visible.*
The second eclipse is a penumbral lunar eclipse. It will be on Sunday April 24th. The Moon will pass into the Penumbral shadow (or lightest part of the Earth’s shadow) at 3:49 am EDT. Since the Moon will not be passing through the darkest portion of the Earth’s shadow, it will be difficult to notice much change in the shading of the Moon.
Planets rising
You can spot several planets in the nighttime sky this April. The king of the planets, Jupiter, rises just before sunset this month. Outside of the Moon, Jupiter will be the brightest object in the nighttime sky in April -- and on the 22nd, the Moon will be very near Jupiter in the sky.
Saturn is currently high in the sky after sunset. You will find it in the constellation of Gemini. Saturn will set around 1:30 am.
Mars rises about 3 hours before the Sun and continues to get brighter throughout the month.
Mercury will be visible this month, but for those in the north it will be difficult to spot this planet due to its proximity to the horizon before sunrise. If you live in the South, you can spot Mercury low in the east 30 minutes before sunrise.
The hottest and brightest planet, Venus is not visible in the sky this month.
Lions, bulls and an eye test
Here are some constellations you can easily see this month:
Orion the Hunter and Taurus the Bull continue to move lower in the west and disappear below the horizon before 11:30 pm. Following Orion in the nighttime sky is his hunting dog, Canis Major. The belt stars of Orion point to the dog’s nose called Sirius. The two stars above Sirius mark the dog's ears, a triangle of stars below Sirius mark the dogs front legs, and a line of stars stretching east from Sirius mark the dog’s back and back legs.
You can also spot Leo the Lion this month. By 9:00 the backwards question mark of the Lion’s head will be near overhead.
The Big Dipper is high in the sky and easily visible in the northern sky -- even if you live in the South. The Big Dipper is composed of seven stars with three stars making up the handle of the Dipper and four stars that make the bowl.
If you want to test your eyesight, look for the middle star in the handle of the Big Dipper. This star is called Mizar and very near the star is a dimmer one called Alcor. These two stars orbit around each other in a binary star system once every million years, although each star also has its own companion star as well. The second companions are very close to the brighter stars and require the use of a telescope to be observed. If there is a lot of light pollution around you, it will be difficult to find Alcor even if you have good eyesight.
*If you choose to observe the solar eclipse this month, there are two things to remember. One, never look directly at the Sun even during an eclipse because even though part of the Sun is blocked out, it can still be very damaging to your eyes. Second, do not try to observe the eclipse while driving unless you want to end up in the back of the car in front of you.
The second eclipse is a penumbral lunar eclipse. It will be on Sunday April 24th. The Moon will pass into the Penumbral shadow (or lightest part of the Earth’s shadow) at 3:49 am EDT. Since the Moon will not be passing through the darkest portion of the Earth’s shadow, it will be difficult to notice much change in the shading of the Moon.
Planets rising
You can spot several planets in the nighttime sky this April. The king of the planets, Jupiter, rises just before sunset this month. Outside of the Moon, Jupiter will be the brightest object in the nighttime sky in April -- and on the 22nd, the Moon will be very near Jupiter in the sky.
Saturn is currently high in the sky after sunset. You will find it in the constellation of Gemini. Saturn will set around 1:30 am.
Mars rises about 3 hours before the Sun and continues to get brighter throughout the month.
Mercury will be visible this month, but for those in the north it will be difficult to spot this planet due to its proximity to the horizon before sunrise. If you live in the South, you can spot Mercury low in the east 30 minutes before sunrise.
The hottest and brightest planet, Venus is not visible in the sky this month.
Lions, bulls and an eye test
Here are some constellations you can easily see this month:
Orion the Hunter and Taurus the Bull continue to move lower in the west and disappear below the horizon before 11:30 pm. Following Orion in the nighttime sky is his hunting dog, Canis Major. The belt stars of Orion point to the dog’s nose called Sirius. The two stars above Sirius mark the dog's ears, a triangle of stars below Sirius mark the dogs front legs, and a line of stars stretching east from Sirius mark the dog’s back and back legs.
You can also spot Leo the Lion this month. By 9:00 the backwards question mark of the Lion’s head will be near overhead.
The Big Dipper is high in the sky and easily visible in the northern sky -- even if you live in the South. The Big Dipper is composed of seven stars with three stars making up the handle of the Dipper and four stars that make the bowl.
If you want to test your eyesight, look for the middle star in the handle of the Big Dipper. This star is called Mizar and very near the star is a dimmer one called Alcor. These two stars orbit around each other in a binary star system once every million years, although each star also has its own companion star as well. The second companions are very close to the brighter stars and require the use of a telescope to be observed. If there is a lot of light pollution around you, it will be difficult to find Alcor even if you have good eyesight.
*If you choose to observe the solar eclipse this month, there are two things to remember. One, never look directly at the Sun even during an eclipse because even though part of the Sun is blocked out, it can still be very damaging to your eyes. Second, do not try to observe the eclipse while driving unless you want to end up in the back of the car in front of you.
Monday, March 21, 2005
You decide: rush-hour traffic or eclipse
During rush hour on Friday April 8th, you'll have something better to look at than swerving cars and orange construction cones -- a partial eclipse of the Sun. Out of everyone in the United States, South Florida residents have the best seat in the house to witness this strange phenomenon.
The Moon will partially cross the face of the Sun as viewed by those of us in South Florida. The eclipse begins at 5:20 pm and ends at 7:13 pm. For South Florida, the eclipse will reach maximum coverage at 6:20 pm with a little more than 40 percent of the Sun’s disk blocked out by the Moon.
This will not be a total eclipse (when the Moon completely blocks out the Sun). Instead, this eclipse will be a hybrid eclipse, also known as an annular-total eclipse (don't worry -- I'm about to explain what that means).
The eclipse will start out as an annular eclipse, become total and then finish as an annular eclipse. This strange phenomenon occurs due to the curvature of the Earth, where the vertex of the Moon’s umbral shadow touches some regions of the Earth (total eclipse), but the shadow falls short in other areas (annular eclipse).
Here is a cool photo of an annual eclipse, courtesy of Northern Arizona University.
The path of the greatest eclipse will cover a mere 0.06 percent of the Earth’s surface along its 8,800-mile corridor that stretches from southeast of New Zealand to Venezuela. The partial eclipse, however, will be visible over a much broader region of the Earth.
Even though we will see more than 40 percent of the Sun blocked out by the Moon, remember that it is never safe to look at the Sun. Looking at the Sun, even during an eclipse can be very damaging to your eyes.
One way to view this event is to project the image of the Sun through a telescope and watch the Moon cross the Sun. A second option is to use a safe solar filter to hold up directly at the Sun to observe the eclipse. You can also build a simple projector out of cardboard. There are a lot sites on the Internet that can tell you how to do this. I recommend this site. It gives you a few options and is very easy to understand.
Of course, none of these viewer options are safe for drivers during rush-hour traffic so plan to leave work early -- or better yet, take the day off and prepare to enjoy the eclipse.
If you have any questions, post a comment and I'll answer it shortly.
The Moon will partially cross the face of the Sun as viewed by those of us in South Florida. The eclipse begins at 5:20 pm and ends at 7:13 pm. For South Florida, the eclipse will reach maximum coverage at 6:20 pm with a little more than 40 percent of the Sun’s disk blocked out by the Moon.
This will not be a total eclipse (when the Moon completely blocks out the Sun). Instead, this eclipse will be a hybrid eclipse, also known as an annular-total eclipse (don't worry -- I'm about to explain what that means).
The eclipse will start out as an annular eclipse, become total and then finish as an annular eclipse. This strange phenomenon occurs due to the curvature of the Earth, where the vertex of the Moon’s umbral shadow touches some regions of the Earth (total eclipse), but the shadow falls short in other areas (annular eclipse).
Here is a cool photo of an annual eclipse, courtesy of Northern Arizona University.
The path of the greatest eclipse will cover a mere 0.06 percent of the Earth’s surface along its 8,800-mile corridor that stretches from southeast of New Zealand to Venezuela. The partial eclipse, however, will be visible over a much broader region of the Earth.
Even though we will see more than 40 percent of the Sun blocked out by the Moon, remember that it is never safe to look at the Sun. Looking at the Sun, even during an eclipse can be very damaging to your eyes.
One way to view this event is to project the image of the Sun through a telescope and watch the Moon cross the Sun. A second option is to use a safe solar filter to hold up directly at the Sun to observe the eclipse. You can also build a simple projector out of cardboard. There are a lot sites on the Internet that can tell you how to do this. I recommend this site. It gives you a few options and is very easy to understand.
Of course, none of these viewer options are safe for drivers during rush-hour traffic so plan to leave work early -- or better yet, take the day off and prepare to enjoy the eclipse.
If you have any questions, post a comment and I'll answer it shortly.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Beehive Cluster flies the night
Plus: Grab your eggs -- the equinox is coming
Set aside some star-gazing time. This March there's a lot to see in the nighttime sky -- you won't even need a telescope. Leo the Lion will climb higher in the east each day this month while the princess Andromeda will slowly sink in the northwest.
Walk outside tonight around 9 pm and take a look. The constellation Leo will be high in the sky. The head of Leo appears as a backwards question mark with a small triangle of stars behind the question mark-- those make up his back and tail. If you look carefully directly above you, there is a faint constellation that looks like the letter “Y”. This is cancer the crab, and just to the west of the split in the “Y” there is a faint cluster of stars called the Beehive Cluster. Because the cluster is so faint, if there are a lot of lights in your area, you will probably not be able to see the cluster.
As your journey through the stars continues, the next constellation in line is Gemini. Gemini looks like a large rectangle in the sky. Two bright stars, Castor and Pollux, mark the heads of the brothers. Slightly south of them is the planet Saturn. Saturn appears slightly brighter than Castor or Pollux.
Orion the hunter and Taurus the Bull both move lower in the western sky this month. Orion is an easy constellation to pick out -- just look for the three stars of his belt. Two stars above the belt form his shoulders and two stars below the belt form his knees. Follow the belt westward and you will see a V-shaped group of stars. These make up the head of Taurus. The two stars above the head mark the tips of the very long horns on this bull.
In the northwest sky near the horizon, princess Andromeda is ready to set. The princess appears as a very skinny “V” that is slightly bent.
Besides Saturn, three other planets will be visible in the sky at night this month: Mercury, Jupiter and Mars. Mercury is currently getting higher in the sky. By the 12th, it will reach its maximum height, then quickly become lost in the Sun’s glow by the month's end. The mighty planet Jupiter is visible just after evening twilight, low in the eastern sky. And if you wake up before sunrise, you'll find Mars high in the eastern sky.
As a side note, the vernal equinox occurs on the 20th this month. Many of you may think this means it's time to balance an egg on its top. Go ahead and try. However, remember that this also works on the other 364 days during the year. This trick has nothing to do with Earth’s position in relation to the Sun -- but it does look neat.
If you live in the south, stay tuned for an interesting event occurring in April.
Happy star-hunting.
Set aside some star-gazing time. This March there's a lot to see in the nighttime sky -- you won't even need a telescope. Leo the Lion will climb higher in the east each day this month while the princess Andromeda will slowly sink in the northwest.
Walk outside tonight around 9 pm and take a look. The constellation Leo will be high in the sky. The head of Leo appears as a backwards question mark with a small triangle of stars behind the question mark-- those make up his back and tail. If you look carefully directly above you, there is a faint constellation that looks like the letter “Y”. This is cancer the crab, and just to the west of the split in the “Y” there is a faint cluster of stars called the Beehive Cluster. Because the cluster is so faint, if there are a lot of lights in your area, you will probably not be able to see the cluster.
As your journey through the stars continues, the next constellation in line is Gemini. Gemini looks like a large rectangle in the sky. Two bright stars, Castor and Pollux, mark the heads of the brothers. Slightly south of them is the planet Saturn. Saturn appears slightly brighter than Castor or Pollux.
Orion the hunter and Taurus the Bull both move lower in the western sky this month. Orion is an easy constellation to pick out -- just look for the three stars of his belt. Two stars above the belt form his shoulders and two stars below the belt form his knees. Follow the belt westward and you will see a V-shaped group of stars. These make up the head of Taurus. The two stars above the head mark the tips of the very long horns on this bull.
In the northwest sky near the horizon, princess Andromeda is ready to set. The princess appears as a very skinny “V” that is slightly bent.
Besides Saturn, three other planets will be visible in the sky at night this month: Mercury, Jupiter and Mars. Mercury is currently getting higher in the sky. By the 12th, it will reach its maximum height, then quickly become lost in the Sun’s glow by the month's end. The mighty planet Jupiter is visible just after evening twilight, low in the eastern sky. And if you wake up before sunrise, you'll find Mars high in the eastern sky.
As a side note, the vernal equinox occurs on the 20th this month. Many of you may think this means it's time to balance an egg on its top. Go ahead and try. However, remember that this also works on the other 364 days during the year. This trick has nothing to do with Earth’s position in relation to the Sun -- but it does look neat.
If you live in the south, stay tuned for an interesting event occurring in April.
Happy star-hunting.
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