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December 2, 2024

Cambridge Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Cambridge

9 Brevities

Planet highlights in December: December 2024 sky watch by by Dennis Herrmann

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December 2024 sky – watch
This December Jupiter will reach its best apparition in a decade for sky-watchers, offering loads of details for sky-watchers with telescope.  Mars will join Jupiter in the eastern sky on later December evenings; being just a month away from its own best appearance for us in two years.  Saturn will be visible in the early southwestern sky, while Venus dazzles soon after sunset in the western sky.
On December 4th look for the crescent Moon just below Venus.  We can’t miss either one because they are both so bright.
On December 7th a slightly fuller Moon will be seen below and right of Saturn; the ringed planet being visible until it sets in the west around midnight at the start of December, and around 10 pm at the end of the month.
Jupiter reaches opposition on December 7th; rising in the East as the Sun sets in the West ( they are opposite each other in the sky as we see them).  Jupiter is visible all night lying among the stars of Taurus the Bull, and above well-known constellation Orion.  Jupiter will be highest in the sky at midnight and will be bright.  In fact it is the brightest thing in that part of the sky, until a nearly full moon stand above and right of it on December 13th.
Mars opens December quite bright in the eastern sky rising around 8:30 pm, and brightens noticeably throughout the month.  By midnight it will be well up among the stars of Cancer the Crab in the eastern sky and it will reach opposition in January 2025.
On the morning of December 28th Mercury and a very slim crescent Moon appear very close, rising together around 6 am; and very close to the horizon.
Full Moon in December is on the 15th.
The Annual Planetarium Christmas program will be presented for 5 nights at 7 pm at the Kent County High School Planetarium beginning Friday December 13th.  The program continues on Monday and Tuesday December 16th and 17th; and again on Thursday and Friday December 19th and 20th.  There is no admission price and seasonal refreshments are available,
Join us for the show; and have a Merry Christmas!!

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Improving planet views: November 2024 sky-watch by Dennis Herrmann

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Our views of several planets improve this month, most notably that of Jupiter, which approaches its closet approach to Earth in early December.  Already Jupiter is well up in the eastern sky by 10 pm and it is the brightest object there, among the stars of background constellation Taurus.  Jupiter will also gain in brightness throughout the month.  A bright Moon will be seen just above Jupiter on November 17th.
Venus is easy to find just after sunset in the western sky and remains visible for two hours after the Sun goes down.  On November 4th a waxing crescent Moon is just above Venus; making a nice opportunity to make a photograph of the two.
Saturn continues high in the southern sky among the star of Aquarius.  In a telescope, Saturn’s rings appear very thin this month as Saturn’s tilt is widest to our line of sight right now.  So we see the rings almost edge on.  Indeed they almost disappear, and by the end of the year, they will.  Saturn will be seen just above a ten day old Moon on November 10th.
Mars is growing brighter in the eastern morning sky all month and by the end of November will actually be seen about 40 degrees up in the East by midnight.  Mars will move closer to Earth and be at is best in two years early in 2025.  On November 20th the Moon (waning gibbous) will be near Mars.
Mercury makes a brief appearance below and right of Venus and will be visible for about an hour after sunset; although pretty close to the horizon.  Best evenings to look for it will be from November 16th to the 20th.  Binoculars and a clear view down to the western horizon will help.
Remember this is the month we return to Standard Time, so when we retire of Saturday night (November 2nd) we set our clocks back one hour.  This means that night descends earlier in the evening; by 5:00 to 5:30 pm.  More opportunity to het our earlier and become a “Sky-Watcher!”
Full Moon for November is November 15th.

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October 2024 Sky-Watch : Maybe A Bright Comet By Dennis Herrmann

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I have rarely brought passing comets to sky-watchers attention through my column; not because they are rare, but because most comets remain too dim to be seen easily except through binoculars or small telescopes.  However mid-October brings a highly anticipated comet into view with its closest approach to Earth on October 12th.  The comet’s name is Comet Tsuchinshan – ATLAS X2023 A 3.   Comet’s odd names are derived from the person who first spotted them (usually an amateur astronomer) and a numerical code for when they were found. 
Meanwhile Venus dominates the evening western sky all month in the 45 to 75  minutes period after sunset.  On October 5th a thin crescent Moon will be seen just below Venus.
But we will start our search for the comet on October 13th and 14th when its orbital path into the inner solar system takes it just above and right of Venus.  Venus’ brightness acts as great guide to start the search as the comet will move from right to left away from Venus and across the southern sky over the next week.  Use binoculars to look for it, though it is possible that by that time the comet will be bright enough to be visible without aid. Only time will tell since comets hardly ever follow brightness estimates.
However once the comet is spotted, follow it from night to night across the southern sky for the next two weeks; especially from the 14th to the 19th when its tail develops.  Moonlight may dim the sky some so continue to use binoculars to see the tail.  After October 20th the comet will fade as it moves away  from us, but take every opportunity to look for it.  It could be the brightest comet in some years!
Saturn is well up in the south-eastern sky as soon as darkness falls and is a great telescopic object all month where its rings come into view.  It is visible all night until early morning.  Jupiter rises about 10 pm in the eastern sky with its best views from midnight to dawn.  The waning gibbous Moon will be near the giant planet on October 20th and 21st.  Mars can be seen in the eastern morning sky and getting brighter all month while moving out of Gemini and into Cancer; the two zodiac constellations that currently form its background in the sky.  A slim crescent Moon will be near Mars of October 1st. 
Finally the Orionid meteor shower peaks on October 21st, but the bright gibbous Moon may make it hard to spot the meteors.  Look southwest, however, one hour before sunrise, when 15 to 20 meteors per hour may be seen around the familiar constellation Orion (the hunter). 
Full Moon is October 17th.

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Opposition and Equinox: September 2024 Sky-Watch By Dennis Herrmann

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Saturn reaches opposition on September 8th this year, when it will be visible all night, rising soon after sunset in the eastern sky.  The word opposition refers to Saturn being in a position opposite the Sun in the sky to us; we on Earth are “in between” the two as we look at the sky.  Saturn is also at its brightest for all of 2024 at opposition, and lies some 800 million miles from Earth.  Even so, Saturn is stunning when seen through a backyard telescope.
Although all of the “gas giant” planets have ring systems, only Saturn reveals its rings through backyard telescopes.  Jupiter’s rings are thinner and less dense, and Neptune and Uranus are just too far away to see their rings from Earth.  These planet’s rings were actually discovered by space probes out to them from the United States.
On the morning of September 17th look to the western sky an hour before sunrise when the Full Moon will be seen just below and right of Saturn.
Speaking of the Moon will be in partial eclipse on September 17/18, beginning at 8:41 pm EDT; shortly after moonrise that evening.  At its peak, about 8% of the Moon will be inside Earth’s shadow, with the maximum occurring around 10:40 pm.
Venus will be visible in September for about an hour after sunset in the western sky.  On September 4th the waxing crescent Moon will be just to the right of Venus; and on the very next evening the two will appear to have switched places.  The Moon will below and left of Venus.
Jupiter is very bright and rising in the eastern sky around midnight and visible until dawn among the stars of Taurus the Bull.  Best telescope view of the giant planet will be in the hour just before dawn when it will be at its highest in the sky.  Mars is also between the horn stars of Taurus in the early morning eastern skies when September begins, and will appear to move into Gemini by month’s end.
Autumnal equinox; the first day of fall, occurs at 8:44 am EDT on September 22nd.  This is when the Sun, moving along the ecliptic (the Sun’s apparent annual path against the sky), appears to slip below the celestial equator.

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August 2024 Sky-Watch: The Perseids And The Planets By Denis Herrmann

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 The planets remain the big feature for sky-watchers throughout August this year. However, favorable conditions for dark skies will offer us good viewing for the annual Perseid Meteor Shower.  The result of debris left behind by the passage of Comet 109P Swift Tuttle, the Perseids are one of the most productive meteor showers annually.  The maximum rate of meteors is 100 per hour; the direction to look for them is east, and the time is 1 1/2 hours before sunrise on the mornings of August 11th and 12th.
An additional treat this year is that Jupiter and Mars are in the same place in the sky as the Perseids.  Mars and Jupiter are very close to each other on August 12th and will appear to draw even closer when they form a conjunction (When 2 or more celestial objects appear to be very close to one another in the sky from our line of sight here on Earth) on the 14th.  Mars will be above Jupiter, the brighter of the two planets.
Mars and Jupiter appear among the background stars of Taurus the bull (zodiac); and the brightest star of Taurus, Aldebaran, is seen to the right of Mars, appearing reddish (it is a red star),  but dimmer than Mars.  Sky-watchers should try to start watching Mars and Jupiter in the eastern morning sky before sunrise around August 5th, when Mars appears above Aldebaran.  Continue to look at the two planets for the next 9 days as their orbits gradually bring them to their August 14th conjunction.  This conjunction of two bright planets is a sight not to miss!
Venus will be an easy object to spot in the western skies as long as one has a clear view to the horizon.  Venus will be very bright but will not have a lot of altitude, so one needs to look close to the horizon 30 minutes or so after sunset.
Saturn rises around 10 pm above the eastern horizon August 1st, and about 8 pm by August 31st.  In early August it will not be high enough in the sky to see easily until midnight, but it will be up enough to see by 10 pm at the end of the month.  Its rings will be easy to see in small telescopes then.  Next month Saturn will be at its closest to Earth this year and will rise in the east as the Sun sets in the west.  We call this opposition.
The beautiful summer Milky Way is clear when nights are clear and we find locations away from street lights, running from due south in the regions of Sagittarius and Scorpius, up and across to the zenith and down toward the northeastern sky.  The waning crescent Moon will appear just above Jupiter on the morning of August 27th (before sun-up), and August’s Full Moon is on 19th.

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July 2024 Sky-Watch: Summer Stars And Planets By Dennis Herrmann

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Image credit: ESA/Hubble and NASA, R. Cohen

Last month several planets appeared to line up across the eastern morning sky, but this month,  each planet’s own orbital speeds have caused a change in their positions as we see them.  This month only Mercury and Venus will be visible in the evening western skies briefly after sunset. Venus will set first and even though it is very bright it will be a challenge to spot it hugging the horizon.  On July 6th when the crescent Moon passes just over Venus 30 minutes after the Sun sets if might be easier to find it.
Mercury being a little higher, though dimmer, should be easier to see when the Moon passes above it on July 7th; especially through binoculars.  Venus will gain altitude later through the summer while Mercury’s orbit will take it closer to the Sun from our viewpoint and out of sight for awhile.
Saturn will be up above the eastern horizon by midnight in July and provide decent views of it by 2 pm until dawn. On July 24th, the waning gibbous Moon can be seen above the ringed planet.  Saturn rings will appear almost edge-on and very thin when seen through a telescope. The ring tilt currently is only 2 degrees away from our sight line out to Saturn.  Saturn orbits the Sun in a slightly different plane from the plane of Earth’s orbit so our view of the rings gradually shifts over about a dozen years.
Mars rises from the eastern horizon around 2 am and by July 21st will be about 30 degrees above the horizon.  On July 20th Mars will stand below the well-known Pleiades star cluster, and by the 22nd will be near Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus the Bull.  Aldebaran is often called the “eye” of the Bull because it is a bright reddish-orange star.  Reddish-orange Mars appearing so close and being the same in brightness as Aldebaran will make it look like the Bull temporarily has two “red eyes!”
Jupiter gains altitude this month, also in the eastern pre-dawn sky, and already bright, brightens through July.  Waning crescent Moons will appear close the Jupiter several times:  on July 3rd, 30th, and 31st,
The summer Milky Way comes into view this month as we will be looking due south toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy, where a greater concentration of stars, cluster, and nebulae(gas clouds) are found.  Zodiac constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius trace low across the southern horizon and the summer Milky Way sweeps up from these two toward the zenith and left over to the northeastern sky.  Choose good clear nights without conflicting street lights or house lights to reveal this “milky path” across the sky.  Binocular views tracing across this arc will show even greater glory and will be a real treat!
Also glance up straight to the zenith (top of the sky) and then look west (right) for Arcturus, another red-orange star; 3rd brightest of all stars as seen from Earth, and then look east (left) to Vega, bluish-white in color, and 4th brightest of all stars  (as seen from Earth).
Full Moon for July is on the 21st, one day after the anniversary of the  first manned Moon landing on July 20th, 1969 (Neil Armstrong/USA)

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June 2024 Sky-Watch Planets Line Up as Summer Arrives by Dennis Herrmann

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A six-planet parade is set to grace the sky on June 3 in the early morning; Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — will align in the sky, according to the Star Walk astronomical report. rbkomar/Getty Images

Every so often the planets of our Solar System appear to line up across our skies so that we can see several of them all together at one time.  This happens because all the planets are moving in their respective orbits at different speeds.  Johannes Kepler, in the 16th century, determined that planets closer to the Sun move faster than those that are farther away from our star.  It is a complex geometrical dance that includes Earth (we are moving in our orbit at some 60,000 miles per hour — equal to traveling from New York to London in 3 minutes)!
This June the eastern morning sky before sunrise will have 6 planets strung out along a 72-degree line along the ecliptic (the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun) on June 1st.  In order from the Sun about to rise in the East, these planets are Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn.  The thin waning crescent Moon will appear to move down this line from right to left toward the horizon from June 1st to the 4th.
Four of these planets will be visible with the unaided eye, but Uranus and Neptune will require binoculars to see.  Mercury will be rather challenging despite being fairly bright because it is already low to the horizon on June 1st and loses altitude after that.
Saturn rises first and so it is the highest; at the top of the diagonal line of planets running left to right from the eastern horizon.  Saturn rises at 2 am and is well up by 4 am.  This year and next when we look at Saturn through a telescope its rings seem to disappear.  The plane of its rings is almost seen on edge right now, so the telescope will show practically a full disk of Saturn.
Neptune is about 10 degrees (about the width of a clenched fist held up against the sky)below and left of Saturn.  But the best way to find Neptune occurs later on June 28th when the waning gibbous Moon is just below Neptune.  Look for a bluish dot just above the Moon with binoculars or a telescope then.
Mars rises around 3 am and will be easily seen just a few degrees left of the waning crescent Moon on the morning of June 2nd.
Uranus and Mercury will be close together on June 1st; Mercury is bright enough to see, but low, in some twilight near the horizon, so use binoculars to seek Uranus to the right of Mercury.  It will be a challenge.
Finally, Jupiter comes up below Mercury and is the brightest of the 6 planets and will be easy to see, though close to the horizon.  By June 30th, Jupiter will have greater altitude before sunrise and can be seen sitting right above Aldebaran, the brightest star of the constellation Taurus the Bull.  Also on June 30th Mars will be up and to the right of Jupiter, with the crescent Moon up and right of Mars.  Uranus then may be spotted halfway between Mars and Jupiter (with binoculars – – – a greenish dot of light).
Meanwhile, Summer Solstice arrives (the first day of summer) on June 20th.  The Sun that day at noon will peak at its highest altitude above the southern horizon for the entire year.  All the June days around the Solstice will experience the greatest amount of daylight and the least amount of darkness for the year.
Full Moon in June is on June 21st and the 27th, the gibbous Moon will be just above Saturn around 3:30 am.

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Spy Watch: New Years Planets and Stars

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Quadrantids Meteor Shower

Our New Year of Sky-Watching begins with Jupiter and Saturn visible most of the evening, while Mercury, Venus, and Mars show up in the morning sky before sunrise.  Looking back to December we enjoyed presenting our annual planetarium Xmas program to record crowds; averaging 67 for 6 showings —- 381 total.  Thank you all!
Saturn will be seen in January in the southwestern sky , fairly low, but not setting until 9 pm local time.  A neat, crescent Moon will be seen west(right) of Saturn on the night of the 13th, and east (left) of the ringed planet on the 14th.  Jupiter, brighter than Saturn, shines high in the southern sky and won’t set until after midnight.  Its position is good for telescopic viewing which will reveal plenty of surface features in the cold clear air of winter; along with its 4 large Moons, looking like jewels surrounding it.
In the eastern morning sky Venus will appear first and be visible for about 3 hours before sunrise.  Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius appears below Venus on the 1st of January, and then as Venus moves in its orbit, it will be seen above Antares by the 6th.
Mercury will be low to the eastern horizon before dawn and below and left of Venus on January 5th, with the waning crescent moon below Mercury of the 9th.  In late January Mars will appear to rise out of the eastern horizon around January 20th; left of Mercury.  Then the orbits of each planet will bring the two closer to each other until January 27th, when they will be almost touching.  In fact, through a telescope or binoculars, both planets may be seen within the same field of view!  Binoculars will help us find both as they will be low to the eastern horizon; left of bright Venus.
The Quatrantids Meteor Shower peaks January 4th.  Look northeast between 4 and 6 am; about halfway up from the horizon.  Twenty to thirty meteors per hour are typical.  This shower is named after a now defunct constellation that lay in the area of the upper part of the constellation Bootes.
Across the south take in the beautiful big and bright winter constellations starting with mighty Orion, halfway up from the horizon, with Taurus above and right; Canis Major below and left of Orion; Auriga up near the zenith; and Gemini below and left of Auriga.
January Full Moon is on the 25th.

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 Giant Planets and Winter Stars by Dennis Herrmann

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Winter season officially arrives on December 21st at 10:27 pm.  Night-time darkness is at its greatest this time of year, and we can begin to look for night sky sights at an earlier time.  The December Full Moon is on the 26th, the day after Christmas.  And the Geminid meteor shower peaks on the 14th.

The meteor shower appears to come from the sky where we see the zodiac constellation Gemini, which is well up in the eastern sky by 9 pm.  Rates of meteors will increase as we move toward midnight.  One hundred meteors per hour may be counted just after midnight and up to 50 per hour in the time before and after midnight.  This is about as good as it gets for meteor watchers, so take some time to scan the eastern sky from 10 pm to 2 am.  Dress warmly!

The gas giant planets take most attention for us all month and both of them, Jupiter and Saturn are easy to find.  Saturn is high up in the southern sky by nightfall and best seen from then until it sets around 9 pm at the end of December.  On the 17th look for a nice crescent Moon just below Saturn.  If you have a telescope get out and catch its beautiful rings. Jupiter will be visible almost all night.  It will be well up in the eastern sky as soon as it gets fully dark and will be the brightest object there.  Through a telescope its disk will be seen with its colored bands of clouds across its surface.  Watch over several minutes as our atmosphere steadies an more detail is revealed.  Binoculars will allow sky-watchers to see Jupiter’s 4 largest moons and how they appear to change position over time, and from night to night as they orbit the giant planet.  Telescopic views of both of these planets are never disappointing.
On the nights before and after Christmas look just above the horizon in the north-western sky.  You will see Cygnus the Swan, actually a summer constellation that still lingers there, with its head tucked into the horizon.  Cygnus’s alternate name is the Northern Cross; and indeed it looks like a big Christian cross.  I always think it interesting to see this on the nights close to when we celebrate the Birth of Christ, who came and ultimately died as Our Savior on a cross.
The beautiful group of bright winter constellations are rising proudly in the East now and gaining altitude with each passing night.  By January, they will all be placed in the sky directly south.  The best known is Orion the hunter with it big hour-glass shape and 3 equally bright stars forming a belt at his waist.  Above and to Orion’s right as we look at him is Taurus the Bull; with its V-shaped head, and the Pleiades star cluster just to its right.  Below and left of Orion is the brightest star we see from Earth, Sirius, in Canis Major, the larger of Orion’s 2 hunting dogs.  Gemini the twins is spread away and left of Orion’s left arm (as we look at him), and very near the zenith(top of the sky) is a large 5-sided constellation called Auriga, with another very bright star called Capella.  Within these bright winter constellations we can count 8 of the 20 brightest stars we can see from Earth!  It is a real holiday treat to see!
In the first two weeks of December Mercury makes a brief appearance, but we will need a clear view to the southwest horizon to find it.  And it sets only 45 minutes after sunset.  Use binoculars to find it as twilight ends.
Venus remains unmistakably bright in the pre-dawn eastern sky and the Moon will be seen just below it on the 9th of December.
Our annual Planetarium Christmas Program will be presented at the Kent County High School Planetarium at 7:00 pm December 14; 15; 18; and 19.  Our 35th annual show is all new once again, so take time to stop in.  free admission and refreshments too!
To all my faithful sky-watcher friends and readers.  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year under the Stars!

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Planet Watch and Summer Triangle by Dennis Herrmann

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Peak viewing season for the “naked eye” giant planets continues this month, with Saturn visible all night, Jupiter, rising later, dominating the eastern sky before dawn. Meantime, Venus becomes even brighter in the early morning sky, and by the end of September will be joined by Mercury.

Saturn, which just passed opposition August 27th, remains at its best visibility for 2023 all month among the dim stars of zodiac constellation Aquarius. From the southeastern sky at sunset it appears due south by midnight early in September. By the end of the month it will be due south by 10 p.m. On September 23rd the growing gibbous Moon will appear just below Saturn.

Jupiter rises around 10 p.m. in early September and it will be well up in the eastern sky by 10 p.m. by September 30th. Among the faint star of Aries the ram it is unmistakable. Both Jupiter and Saturn are beautiful in small telescopes all month.

Venus is so bright in the eastern sky and hour and a half before dawn that it cannot be mistaken. On September 11th a very thin crescent Moon appears just above the planet an hour before the Sun rises. Mercury rises above the eastern horizon too, brightening all the while from September 6th to September 22nd, gaining altitude steadily. It does not get as high as Venus but it can be found below Venus 30 minutes before sunrise on September 29th.

The autumnal equinox is marked on September 23rd when the Sun appears above the Celestial Equator (the equator of the sky). At that time the Sun at noon will be found exactly 50 degrees above the southern horizon. Thereafter with each passing day the Sun will appear below the sky’s equator until it reaches its lowest point at Winter Solstice (solstice means “Sun stop.”) on December 22nd. For us then, at 39 degrees North Latitude, the Sun will only be 26 1/2 degrees above the southern horizon at noon.

Look nearly overhead September nights and spot Vega (in Lyra the harp), the brightest star of summer. Cast your eyes left (east) to another bright star Deneb (in Cygnus the Swan); and then down to find Altair, brightest star in Aquila the eagle. Then look back up to Vega. You will have traced the “Summer Triangle” —– a beautiful asterism formed by these 3 first magnitude stars. It will remain visible, appearing to move into the west as we move into fall and on into Early December.

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