What's Up?
from Stellarium.org
Summer heat and stars to see
by Gerald RezesAPOD: Saharan Starry Night
Summer update coming soon!
June 21 marked the beginning of the Summer Solstice. Our Milky Way galaxy's heart is the main attraction; filling the summer constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius and arcing across the sky. In addition, there are many Messier objects in the Milky Way's heart that are easily seen by even small telescopes M8, the Lagoon Nebula, is a large, red star forming nebula located just west of the tip of the "teapot". Slightly above M8, is M20, the Trifid Nebula. The Trifid is a beautiful rose-like red nebula along with a blue reflective part. Rounding out the emmission nebulas are M16 (Eagle Nebula) and M17 (Omega Nebula). The Hubble Telescope took a classic image of the gaseous pillars in M16.
First off is Ursa Major which contains the more familiar asterism "The Big Dipper" (both not in the illustration). The Big Dipper is a familiar site to northern observers and offers several pointers to interesting objects. The two starts of the dipper point to Polaris the North Star. Just below the last star in the handle is M51, the brilliant Whirlpool Galaxy which is actually in the constellation Canes Venatici. Finally in the handle, a test of eyesight, the middle "star" actually consists of two stars: Alcor and Mizar both are multiple star systems themselves. The Big Dipper, the handle's curve suggests a great path to several bright Spring stars. Following the handle's arc, the first bright star is Arcturus in Boötes followed by Spica in Virgo.
Moon Phases
- Jun. 22 - New Moon
- Jun. 29 - First Quarter
- Jul. 7 - Full Moon
- Jul. 15 - Last Quarter
- Jul. 21 - New Moon
- Jul. 28 - First Quarter
- Aug. 5 - Full Moon
- Aug. 13 - Last Quarter
- Aug. 20 - New Moon
- Aug. 27 - First Quarter
- Sep. 4 - Full Moon
- Sep. 11 - Last Quarter
- Sep. 18 - New Moon
- Griffith Observatory
Leo is probably one of the more familiar spring constellations. Leo is made up of a triangular grouping of stars for the lion's hind quarters while the lion's head and mane are represented by the backwards question mark. The bright star Regulus marks the "period" in the question mark. Since Regulus lies on the ecliptic, there can be many lunar and planetary conjunctions and occultations. It is suggested that perhaps the Star of Bethlehem was one such conjunction.
Hydra is one of the fainter constellation but is actually the largest. Look for the serpent's circular head in the west, just ahead of Leo, and the body winding its way down and to the east until it stops just under Spica.
Messier Marathon: There are 110 astronomical objects cataloged by Charles Messier. In spring particularly at the end of March, northern hemisphere observers are in the position to attempt to obverse all 110 Messier objects in one night. The Messier Marathon, is possible only at this time when the sun is positioned such that it is not obscuring any objects. Go about and try to find as many M numbers as you can. I personally like M104, the Sombrero Galaxy, a challenging object to spot from a suburban backyard.
Planets: Saturn is the lone planet of the evening sky. Saturn's rings have been nearly edge one since Saturn has been available for viewing back in October '08. In May, the rings will be at their maximum for the year, a tilt of 4°. Jupiter and Venus are morning "stars" rising before the sunrise; Jupiter about an hour before Venus. Jupiter & Neptune - first of three encounters: May 27
Resources: Sky Maps, S&T Interactive Chart, Clear Sky Charts and Space Weather. -->