STAR WATCH for September and October, 2009

 

WCSU Observatory Schedule for Fall, 2009

Day & Date

Planetarium Show

Show Time

Sky Viewing Times (if clear)

Objects Visible

Thurs., October 1
- - - - (sky observing only) - - - - - - - - - - - - 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Moon, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Milky Way
Sat., October 10
Early Autumn Skies
6:30 p.m. 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Milky Way, autumn sky
Thurs., October 15 - - - - (sky observing only) - - - - - - - - - - - - 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Milky Way, autumn sky
Sat., October 24
Early Autumn Skies 5:30 p.m. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Jupiter, Neptune, Moon, Uranus, autumn sky
Thurs., October 29
- - - - (sky observing only) - - - - - - - - - - - - 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, autumn sky, Pleiades
Sat., November 7
Autumn and Early Winter Skies 4:30 p.m. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, autumn sky, Pleiades
Thurs., November 12 - - - - (sky observing only) - - - - - - - - - - - - 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, autumn sky, Pleiades
Sat., November 21
Autumn and Early Winter Skies 4:30 p.m. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Moon, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, autumn sky
Sat., December 5
Winter Skies 4:30 p.m. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Uranus, autumn sky, Pleiades
Thurs., December 10 - - - - (sky observing only) - - - - - - - - - - - - 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Uranus, Pleiades, Orion Nebula
Sat., December 19
Winter Skies 4:30 p.m. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Uranus, Pleiades, Orion Nebula

   

NIGHTLY CALENDAR September & October, 2009

          * or !     Interesting to very interesting events
           !!     EXCEPTIONALLY interesting events (must-see!)
           E     Important geometrical or calendar events

Sept. 28

The Moon reaches apogee at 404,432 km [251,302 miles] from Earth's center.
29
!
The waxing gibbous Moon passes 3 degrees south of the bright planet Jupiter this evening. This Moon rises about 2 hours before sunset; see if you can spot Jupiter in daylight, before the Sun goes down!
Oct. 1
*
If you are familiar with the constellation Perseus, visible in the NE sky during early evening, look for its two brightest stars MIRFAK and ALGOL. Mirfak's brightness (magnitude +1.8) is the same night after night, but every 68 hours Algol will dim by a factor of four. It is an eclipsing binary ranging from magnitude +2.1 to +3.4 . Tonight, a minimum (mid-eclipse) is predicted for 9:08 p.m.
1
!
Free WCSU Observatory Public Night -- observing only (if skies are clear), 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Call ahead (837-8672) in case skies look "iffy." Objects we might look at: Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, the Moon, summer deep-sky objects
4

FULL Harvest MOON
5
*
The planet MARS (magnitude + 0.8, peach-colored) passes near the star Pollux (magnitude +1.2, spectral type K0 (golden yellow)) in Gemini: an interersting opportunity to compare the objects' colors.
5; 8
!
The elusive planet MERCURY reaches its greatest western elongation (18 degrees west of the Sun) in the predawn sky. Look E during morning twilight. On the 8th, the zero-magnitude planet passes only 0.3 degree south of dimmer SATURN, with its rings still hardly tilted toward Earth.
10
!
Free WCSU Observatory Public Night. Planetarium show Early Autumn Skies (held rain or shine), 6:30 p.m., followed (if skies are clear) by observing with the 20-inch telescope from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Objects we might look at: Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, autumn deep-sky objects
11
!
Last Quarter Moon; the red planet MARS (magnitude +0.7) passes within 1.2 degrees of it on the night of Oct. 11/12.
13
*
The planet VENUS is near SATURN in the predawn sky this morning.
13

The Moon reaches perigee at 369,067 km [229,327 miles] from Earth's center.
15
!
Free WCSU Observatory Public Night -- observing only (if skies are clear), 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Call ahead (837-8672) in case skies look "iffy." Objects we might look at: Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, autumn deep-sky objects
16
*
The waning crescent Moon passes near both VENUS and SATURN. Look E before dawn.
18

New Moon
24
!
Free WCSU Observatory Public Night. Planetarium show Early Autumn Skies (held rain or shine), 5:30 p.m., followed (if skies are clear) by observing with the 20-inch telescope from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Objects we might look at: Jupiter, Neptune, Moon, Uranus, autumn deep-sky objects
25

First Quarter Moon; the Moon reaches apogee at 404,166 km [251,137 miles] from Earth's center.
29
!
Free WCSU Observatory Public Night -- observing only (if skies are clear), 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Call ahead (837-8672) in case skies look "iffy." Objects we might look at: Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, autumn deep-sky objects, Pleiades
Nov. 1
E
Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 a.m. Set your clocks back one hour.


PLANETARY INFORMATION

MERCURY

reappears as a predawn object in the E sky during late September and the first two weeks of October.

VENUS

blazes in the NE predawn sky during September and October, though its predawn altitude gradually decreases as it closes with the Sun again.  Venus passes near SATURN on the morning of Oct. 13, and the waning crescent Moon passes near both planets on Oct. 16.

MARS

moves through Gemini into Cancer, brightening from magnitude +0.9 in late September to +0.6 by the end of October. Mars passes near the Last Quarter Moon on the night of Oct. 11/12.

JUPITER

dominates the southern evening sky during the fall, setting in the SW after midnight. It fades a bit, from magnitude -2.7 in late September to -2.4 by the start of November, as its distance from Earth increases. Still, it remains very conspicuous low in the southern sky.

SATURN

reappears as a pre-dawn object in the  E sky during October, passing near MERCURY on the morning of Oct. 8 and VENUS on Oct. 13 . In October, Saturn's rings are tilted only 1.5 degrees (start of month) to 3.1 degrees (end of October); this angle increases to about 5 degrees by the end of 2009.

STAR WATCH is brought to you by WCSU Astronomy. Thanks for connecting! For more information, please call the Observatory line at (203) 837 - 8672
or Dr. Dennis Dawson at (203) 837 - 8671.