Venus, a Green Flash, and a Micro Dipper

Venus has been blazingly bright in the western sky after sunset since September 2008. Now this ‘evening star’ is preparing to relinquish its rule, as it appears slightly lower in the west each night.

Careful observing through binoculars or a small telescope will reveal the same things Galileo Galilei saw 400 years ago when he first pointed his small telescope at the sky. Galileo saw that Venus shows phases, similar to Earth’s Moon. From this, he correctly deduced that Venus orbits the Sun (not the Earth) and is closer to the Sun than the Earth.

Over the next few months, Venus will pass between the Earth and Sun. For right now, Venus appears as a thinning crescent in the evening sky. If have a clear view of the horizon, without trees or buildings in the way, watch closely at the moment Venus sets. You may just see the brilliant light from Venus refracted through the thick haze of Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in a brief green or blue flash of light. Venus sets just before 9:00 PM early in the month and just after 8:30 PM by the end of the month.

On the evening of February 27, a slim crescent Moon will join Venus in the western sky. Impress your friends and neighbors by telling about this event in advance.

Another pretty pair to look for in binoculars will appear on the evening of February 3, when a first quarter Moon will pass close by the Pleiades star cluster.

Many people mistake the Pleiades for the Little Dipper, which can be found in the northern sky. Even so, the Pleiades could also be described as a kite or a micro-dipper.

The Pleiades are commonly called the Seven Sisters, but only six stars are visible to the unaided eye in this open star cluster. Through binoculars, more than 100 stars can be seen in this tiny patch of sky.

Normally, planets are easy to spot, like Venus, but that is not always the case. Saturn is currently near the rear end of Leo the lion, but it is unusually dim because we are currently seeing the rings of the planet edge-on. This alignment occurs every fifteen years. Without sunlight reflecting off the vast surface area of the rings, Saturn appears unexpectedly faint.

Ready for an observing challenge? If the eastern pre-dawn sky is clear February 22-24, patient and keen observers might be able to spy Mars, Mercury and Jupiter together less than ten degrees above the horizon. All three planets will fit in the field of view of average binoculars. The time for observing this is very slim, between 6:00 and 6:15 AM, before the sun rises. A very thin crescent Moon will lie slightly higher and to the right of the planets on the morning of February 22.

The International Year of Astronomy:
Great Observatories Image Unveiling

Galileo’s birthday was February 15, 1564. He began his observations of the sky through a small telescope in 1609, making this year the 400th anniversary of his discoveries that changed the world.

The stunning photographs of the spiral galaxy known as Messier 101 commemorate the International Year of Astronomy and will be unveiled at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville on February 19, 2009, at 7:30 pm at the monthly meeting of the Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society.

One 6-by-3-foot image shows three striking full-color images that showcase the galaxy’s features in the infrared light observed by the Spitzer Space Telescope, the visible light observed by the Hubble Space Telescope, and the X-ray light observed by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The images show not only the details of the grand design spiral structure for which the galaxy is famous, but also the underlying giant clouds where stars are born, as well as the hidden locations of black holes and exploded stars. These multi-wavelength views provide both stunning beauty and a wealth of scientific information not even dreamed of by Galileo.

Another 3-by-3-foot image of Messier 101 combines the view from all three telescopes into one amazing composite. It’s like seeing with your eyes, night vision goggles, and X-ray vision all at once!

The International Year of Astronomy Great Observatories Image Unveiling is made possible by special funding from NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. The project is a collaboration between the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Spitzer Science Center, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Party Under the Stars

The next FREE public star party is set for Saturday, February 28, 2009, from 7:30 - 9:30 PM, at Shelby Bottoms Park. Admission is FREE, but please call the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center at (615) 862-8539 to reserve your place.

Be prepared to observe deep-sky objects such as the Andromeda Galaxy, the Orion Nebula, the Pleiades star cluster, and more. Members of the Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society (BSAS) provide the telescopes.

Visit our star parties page for handy tips for enjoying a star party. If it is cloudy or raining, the star party will be cancelled. If the weather is questionable, visit our web site or call AstroLine at (615) 401-5092 before leaving home.