Really Cool Planets

Mars stands out high in the sky after sunset this month. Although it is not as bright as it was in October and November 2005, it’s still brighter than any other point of light in the area of Taurus the Bull and Pisces the Fishes. Be careful not to confuse Mars with the orange-red star Aldebaran, which marks the eye of Taurus. Mars will be the brighter of the two.

Lower in the east, you’ll find ringed planet Saturn near the center of the faint constellation of Cancer the Crab. You won’t see the rings with your unaided eyes, or even with most binoculars. However, a good small telescope can provide a fantastic view of the rings.

Early birds can also find Jupiter, which rises this month before 3:00 am. People who prefer to be asleep at this time can look forward to the giant planet making a return to evening skies in the spring. Finally, after the middle of the month, you may catch a glimpse of Venus rising in the east just before sunrise.

Brrrr....

January 4 this year marks perihelion for Earth, the date when Earth reaches its closest approach to the Sun for the year. Strange, then, that it’s still so cold!

Actually, the Earth-Sun distance has very little to do with the weather, and is absolutely not the cause of our changing seasons. At perihelion, the Earth is about 1.5 million miles closer to the Sun than average. That sounds like a big difference, but Earth’s average distance to the Sun is about 92.9 million miles. 1.5 million either way isn’t really going to make much of a difference.

Instead, it’s the tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation that makes the difference. Day and night, throughout the year, the axis of the Earth points in the same direction in space. (The north end of the axis points almost directly to the North Star, otherwise known as Polaris.)

Right now the Northern Hemisphere of Earth is tilted away from the Sun - so that from here, the Sun doesn’t get very high in the sky, sunlight comes in at a shallow angle and gets spread out, and the days are relatively short. The result: frosty weather for us in the Northern Hemisphere.

But at the very same time, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun. Long days and direct sunlight give residents of the Southern Hemisphere warm weather - it’s summer down under!

Six months from now, while we’re enjoying warm summer weather, the Southern Hemisphere will be experiencing colder temperatures. In between the extremes of summer and winter are spring and autumn.

Of course, the weather isn’t as simple as just ‘hot’ and ‘cold’. The Sun’s energy interacts with air, water, and even the geography of the Earth. The result is a complex, dynamic system that can bring beautiful, calm, sunny days or ferocious storms.

To learn more about how our weather works, you’ll want to see the new planetarium show, Blown Away: The Wild World of Weather, opening January 9 and running through the end of March. Blown Away: The Wild World of Weather is a production of the New Detroit Science Center. Check our schedule page for show times.

Hubble's Images of the Infinite

We had already planned to present Hubble: Images of the Infinite January through March when we found out that the Space Telescope Science Institute is releasing a stunning new image of a VERY popular celestial object. It is tentatively scheduled to be revealed on January 11, 2006.

You will certainly see this picture on the evening news and on the pages of newspapers and magazines. But to get the full effect and experience the awesome beauty of the cosmos, visit the Sudekum Planetarium where a 4 x 4 foot high-resolution print will be on display.

PLEASE NOTE: The Planetarium will not be running programs January 11 through 13 for annual star projector maintenance.

You Just Gotta Hear These Speakers

The Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society meets at the Adventure Science Center on the third Thursday of each month. Visitors are always welcome to attend the programs. Meetings start at 7:30 pm unless otherwise noted.

• January 19, 2006 - Dr. Todd Gary from Tennessee State University will speak on the topic of astrobiology.
• February 16, 2006 - Barbara Wilson of the Houston Astronomical Society will present a program on visual observing. One of her claims to fame is viewing all of the Messier objects through opera glasses!

Wonderful Winter Star Party

The next FREE public star party is scheduled for Saturday evening, January 28, 2006, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. Join the Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society at the Special Events Field at Edwin Warner Park for a close look at the night sky. Saturn and Mars will be visible, along with a host of other celestial sights. Dress warmly, it will be cold!