Return of the Red Planet

Red planet Mars returns to the early evening sky this month, rising over the eastern horizon about 8:00 pm at the beginning of the month. If you have trees or buildings in the way, you will have to wait an hour or two for Mars to rise above them.

Mars isn’t really deep red in color; it’s more of a pale butterscotch. Even so, Mars really stands out right now, and it’s getting brighter by the day. That’s because Earth is about to pass by Mars in its orbit. On January 29th, Mars will be at its closest to Earth this go-round. This event is called opposition, because it means that Mars will be opposite the Sun as seen from Earth, and Mars rises as the Sun sets.

Because of the two planets’ orbits, Mars reaches opposition with Earth roughly every 26 months. Some oppositions are better than others. This time, Mars’ closest approach will be 61 million miles (98 million kilometers). But in 2003, Mars was a mere 35 million miles (55 million kilometers) away from Earth.

Except during the closest oppositions such as in 2003, Mars appears as a featureless, pale pink dot in a backyard telescope. Surface features are typically very hard to see.

Fortunately we can explore the surface of Mars in unbelieveable detail thanks to the robotic explorers of the red planet. Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has been stuck in a sand trap since April 2009, but even though her future is uncertain, Spirit is still sending back valuable scientific data after six years on Mars’ surface.

Spirit’s twin Opportunity is still on the move, with the daunting goal of reaching gigantic Endeavour Crater. Estimates are it will take more than a year to reach Endeavour, if the rover lasts that long. Meanwhile, several orbiting spacecraft continue to examine the planet in unprecedented detail. To keep up with the flood of news from Mars, join us for Mars Update, now showing in the Sudekum Planetarium. For show times and links to Mars resources on the web, visit us online at SudekumPlanetarium.com.

Winter Wonders

At the beginning of January 2009, Jupiter will be a bright star, low in the southwestern sky after sunset, but it won’t be visible for long. On the opposite side of the sky, Mars appears just above the bright constellation Leo the lion rising in the east by mid-evening. As the month continues, Mars will slowly head away from Leo and toward the very faint constellation of Cancer the crab.

If you want to see any other planets, you’ll have to stay up late for Saturn, appearing in the east after midnight. Fortunately this season features plenty of bright stars and constellations to explore in the early evening sky this month.

Face south to find Orion the hunter. Orion is easy to locate - just look for the three stars in a straight line that mark his belt. Nearby are red colored Betelgeuse in his shoulder, and blue Rigel, one of his feet.

Once you have located Orion, he points the way to other star pictures. Draw a line down to the left from Orion’s belt to Sirius, the brightest star visible in the night sky from Earth. Sirius also marks the nose of Canis Major the big dog. There is also a little dog Canis Minor, whose bright star Procyon also marks the third corner of the winter triangle.

Extend Orion’s belt up to the right to orange Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus the bull. A small v-shape group of stars marks the face of the bull. Stretch the arms of the little “v” to create a big “V” to find the tips of the bull’s horns.

Continue the line from Orion’s belt through the face of the bull to the Pleiades. This pretty little open star cluster marks the shoulder of Taurus and is a lovely sight through binoculars.

While you have your binoculars out, there are a number of other objects to investigate after observing the Pleiades, the Moon, and the planets. There is a nice Double Cluster of stars near Cassiopeia the queen and the Beehive cluster in Cancer.

The Great Nebula in Orion looks like an out of focus star within the hunter’s sword. On a clear, dark, moonless night, the nebula takes on a wispy fan-shape. The Andromeda Galaxy may look like just another clouds of gas and dust, but this is the farthest object visible to the unaided eye, at a distance of more than two million light years away. To really see these winter wonders, join us for a star party.

Upcoming Star Parties

The next two FREE public star parties are Saturday, January 23 at the special events field in Edwin Warner Park, and Saturday, February 20 at Shelby Bottoms Nature Center. Both will run 7:30 to 9:30 PM. Members of the Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society will set up telescopes to provide close up views of the winter night sky. Odds are it will be cold, so dress warmly!

If the weather is cloudy or worse, the star party will be cancelled. If the weather is questionable, check our home page or call AstroLine at 615-401-5092 before traveling.

How to Use Your New Astronomy Toys

So you got an astronomy gift for Christmas. Now what? The January meeting of the Barnard Seyfert Astronomical Society will feature several local amateur astronomers who can help make the most of your new astronomy gadget.

The public is invited to attend Thursday, January 21, from 7:30 to 9:15pm. Topics will include how to set-up your new telescope and which eyepiece to use when. Find out more about BSAS at bsasnashville.com.