Really Cool Planets

In addition to the brilliant stars that dominate the winter evening sky, those ‘wandering stars’, the planets, are putting on a show of their own. The days may be getting longer, and the nights shorter, but there’s still plenty of time to enjoy a crisp, clear, and possibly chilly night of observing.

Mercury will be hiding in the glow of the sunset at the beginning of the month. By the evening of the 10th, this elusive little gem will become visible low in the west when it sets about one hour after the Sun. Even though Mercury is the Solar System’s second-smallest planet, it will be the brightest object in western sky when it reaches magnitude -0.6 on the 23rd, setting one and a half hours after the Sun. Mercury dives back into the western horizon and into the glow of sunset before month’s end.

After glimpsing Mercury, you might want to go inside to eat dinner and do the dishes before coming back out around 9:00 PM. This will give the sky plenty of time to get dark. Your local light pollution might even become less as businesses close and fewer car headlights pass your way.

By now Saturn is high in the east, a bright beacon among the relatively dim stars of Cancer the crab. If you are concerned about confusing the planet with the many bright stars of this season, a good rule of thumb to remember is that usually stars twinkle, while planets don’t. You can also see the difference by scanning this part of the sky through binoculars. All the stars will appear as points while Saturn will have an oval or egg shape. This is because your average binoculars cannot separate the rings from the disk of the planet. (A good small telescope can provide an excellent view of the rings.) While observing Saturn, you might also notice a fuzzy patch of light nearby. Careful scrutiny with those binoculars will reveal several dozen stars that make up the Beehive star cluster, which is also known as M-44.

Back in October and November Mars was a spectacular sight, nearby Earth and very bright. Since then, though, Earth has pulled away from Mars as both planets orbit the Sun at different speeds. The distance between them has been growing daily, and so Mars has faded to a faint orange dot in the western sky that sets around 1:30 am. To help you find this pale dot, look for M-45, also known as the Pleiades star cluster.

At the start of the month, Mars appears some distance west of the Pleiades, but each night it moves a little closer. On the evening of the 16th, Mars will pass just south of this beautiful cluster of blue-white stars. (Be sure to check the Pleiades out with binoculars!) By the end of February, Mars will have moved east of the Pleiades to a location just north of the Hyades cluster that marks the face of Taurus the bull.

Mars continues to be in the news because of the continuing exploits of the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Visit http://marsrobers.jpl.nasa.gov for the latest information from the surface.

As Mars sets in the west, mighty Jupiter rises in the east-southeast. It will be at its best in the hours just before sunrise when it lies due south. Binoculars will reveal up to four of Jupiter’s brightest moons.

If you are up before the Sun admiring Jupiter, Venus will be screaming for your attention in the east-southeast. Even though it won’t get very high above the horizon, its brilliance will more than make up for low altitude.

It’s not every month we get the chance to see five planets in the night sky, so get up off the couch, grab those binoculars, and get out there under the real sky!

Spring Star Parties

FREE public star parties are scheduled throughout the Spring. Members of the Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society will provide telescopes and commentary on the Moon, planets, and other objects that might be visible. Mark your calendar, and hopefully, we will have clear skies.

• Saturday, April 1, 2006, 8:00 to 10:00 PM at the Special Events Field at Edwin Warner Park
• Saturday, April 22, 2006, 8:00 to 10:00 PM at the Visitors Center at Longhunter State Park
• Saturday, May 6, 2006, is Astronomy Day from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Adventure Science Center. Observe the Sun, meet area astronomers, explore the universe, and more
• Saturday, May 6, 2006, 8:30 to 10:30 PM at the Adventure Science Center
• Saturday, May, 20, 2006, 8:30 to 10:30 PM at the Visitors Center at Longhunter State Park

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.

• 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!