Passion for Planets and Patterns

The Sun sets very late this time of year, around 8 pm every night. You’ll want to wait until at least 9 pm before going out stargazing. So take your time! Eat dinner, do the dishes, walk the dog, and take care of whatever else you might need to do before venturing out underneath the night sky.

This is your last chance to catch a glimpse of Leo the lion, lurking low above the western horizon in the evening sky. Near the rear end of the lion, careful observers might notice a pale yellow star, the planet Saturn.

Even though Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system, it is unusually faint right now because Saturn is almost one billion miles from Earth. Also, at this time, Earth and Saturn are oriented in such a way that we are seeing Saturn’s rings almost edge on. Without the sunlight reflecting off the bright rings, Saturn lacks some of its usual appeal.

High in the northwestern sky lies the Big Dipper, with the Little Dipper hanging from the north star Polaris. Follow the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle to locate Arcturus, and speed on to Spica low in the south. The constellations of Bootes the herdsman and Virgo the maiden are hard to see, but their bright stars stand out at this time of year.

Facing east, one can’t help but notice the three stars that make up the Summer Triangle. Deneb, Altair, and Vega are the brightest stars in the constellations of Cygnus the swan, Aquila the eagle, and Lyra the harp respectively. These star patterns will dominate the evening sky for months to come.

Scooting just above the southern horizon are the constellations of Scorpius the scorpion and Sagittarius the archer. The red star Antares marks the fiery heart of the scorpion. You’ll need a southern horizon clear of trees, buildings, or other obstructions to see these two low-lying constellations.

Shortly after 10 pm a bright star will rise in the southeast, glaring among the dim stars of Capricornus the seagoat. A quick look through binoculars will confirm what you may have already realized. This is no ordinary star! This beacon in the night is mighty Jupiter. It looks like a disk through binoculars, unlike stars, which just appear as mere points of light. Since you have the binoculars handy, scan the sky to see more than your eyes alone can reveal. On a clear, dark, moonless night, away from light pollution, your binoculars can show a variety of star clusters and nebulae in this summer sky. Check the front of the July chart for their locations.

Jupiter rules the night until around 3 am when Venus makes a grand entrance in the east. If you don’t want to stay up that late, Jupiter and Venus will still be shining in the hour before sunrise. Time to walk the dog again? Take a look up while you’re out!

Once you have located Venus, Mars will be the pale orange dot nearby. Mars is barely worth looking at right now, even if you received email from a reliable friend promising that “Mars will appear as large as the full moon this summer”. You should know better than to believe everything you read on the internet!

That email has been going around since 2003, when Mars was closer to Earth than at any time in the past 60,000 years. But even then, Mars never looked nearly as large as the full moon! However, Mars will be a nice telescope target in December and January when Earth passes Mars in its orbit. Join us for winter star parties later this year for a genuine close-up look at the red planet.

On the morning of July 18, a waning crescent Moon will appear near Venus, Mars, the Pleiades star cluster, and the Hyades. The Hyades is the V-shaped group of stars that marks the face of Taurus the bull. Aldebaran is the bright red star that represents one of the bull’s eyes. This is a good opportunity to compare the red of Aldebaran to the red planet Mars.

On July 22, 2009, depending on what else is happening around the world, the news media might devote a little bit of time talking about a total solar eclipse. This eclipse will last more than six and a half minutes, but unfortunately, it will only be visible from India, China, and the Pacific Ocean.

For those of us who are not globetrotters, there will be total solar eclipse visible from Nashville, southern Kentucky, and many other locations across the U.S. on August 21, 2017. Totality is much shorter, only about two minutes, but the travel is so much more convenient. Mark your calendars now!

Summer Star Parties

The next free public star party is set for Saturday evening, July 25, from 8:30-10:30 PM at the Visitor’s Center at Longhunter State Park. Featured objects include the crescent Moon, Saturn, and summer star clusters.

After that, the next star party will be from 8:30-10:30 PM on August 15 at the Special Events Field at Edwin Warner Park. Jupiter will rise later in the evening, and if you watch carefully, you might see a few Perseid meteors streak across the sky.

The Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society will set up telescopes so everyone can enjoy these celestial sights. The best part: it’s all FREE!

Directions to both star party locations are available on our star parties page. Be sure to wear bug spray and comfortable clothes to the star party. No spike heels or neck ties allowed! Please note that star parties may be cancelled due to poor weather. If the weather is questionable, visit our web site or call AstroLine at (615) 401-5092 before leaving home.