Skywatching 2018

[Kimbo]

Feb 10/11: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

A penumbral lunar eclipse is hard to see with the naked eye and is often mistaken for an ordinary Full Moon. The eclipse will be visible from Europe, most of Asia, Africa, and most of North America.


Feb 26: Annular Solar Eclipse

The typical ring of fire of an annular solar eclipse will be visible in a narrow belt stretching from southern and western Africa, much of South America, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and Antarctica. In surrounding areas, a partial solar eclipse will be visible.

March 20: March Equinox

The March equinox is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of fall in the Southern Hemisphere by astronomical season definitions.

April 22/23: Lyrid Meteor Shower

The Lyrid meteor shower is expected to peak between April 22 and 23, 2017. A Waning Crescent Moon will make it dark enough to see the shooting stars, as long as the weather is good.

May 5/6: Eta Aquarid Meteors

The best time to see shooting stars from the Eta Aquarid meteor shower is in the early morning, just before dawn, on May 5 and 6, 2017.
Full Moon and branches against a dark sky.

June 9: Micromoon

The Full Moon is at apogee, the farthest point from Earth, making June's Strawberry Moon a Micromoon. This Full Moon looks around 12 to 14% smaller than its counterpart, the Supermoon.

Moon phases: Lunar calendar
People around the world converge at the Stonehenge, England to celebrate the June Solstice.

June 21: June Solstice

This solstice is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is the longest day of the year.

In the Southern Hemisphere, it's the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year.

July 3: Earth at Aphelion

At 20:11 (8:11 pm) UTC on July 3, 2017, Earth will be at aphelion: the furthest point from the Sun in its yearly orbit.

The opposite happens in January when Earth reaches perihelion.

Aug 7/8: Partial Lunar Eclipse

The partial lunar eclipse on August 7 to 8, 2017 will be visible from most parts of southern and eastern Asia, Europe, Africa, and Australia.

Aug 12/13: Perseid Meteors

The shooting stars of the Perseid meteor shower, are known as the most active and brightest meteor showers of the year.

Aug 21: The Great American Eclipse

The total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, has been nicknamed the Great American Eclipse as it will be visible in a path spanning all across the United States from the East Coast to the West Coast.

Totality will only be seen in a narrow belt, and surrounding areas will see a partial solar eclipse.

Protect your eyes: Make a pinhole projector to safely watch the eclipse.


Aug 21: Black Moon

The New Moon causing the Great American Eclipse is a Black Moon because it is the 3rd New Moon in a season with 4 New Moons. However, like a Blue Moon, there are several definitions.

September 22: September Equinox

The September equinox is the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of spring in the Southern Hemisphere by astronomical season definitions.

Solstice & equinox times worldwide

Oct 8: Draconid Meteor Shower

The best time to see the shooting stars of the peaking Draconids is just before nightfall on October 8, 2017.


Oct 20/21: Orionid Meteors

The Orionids are visible from October 2 to November 7, but the shower peaks the night between October 20 and 21, 2017.

Nov 17/18: Leonid Meteor Shower

The Leonids' shooting stars will peak on the night of November 17 and early morning of November 18 in 2017.
Illustrative comparison of a Supermoon and Micromoon.

Dec 3/4: Supermoon

The Full Moon on the night between December 3 and 4, 2017 coincides with the Moon's closest approach to Earth; also called perigee. This makes December's Cold Moon a Supermoon.

A Supermoon looks around 12 to 14% larger than its counterpart, the Micromoon.
Shooting stars on a dark night sky reflected in a lake.

Dec 13/14: Geminids Meteors

The shooting stars of the Geminids will peak between the evening of December 13 and early morning hours of December 14, 2017.

A Waning Crescent Moon will make viewing conditions good for the shooting stars.

Dec 21: December Solstice

The December solstice is winter solstice and the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is summer solstice and the longest day of the year.

Dec 23/24: Ursid Meteors

Catch the shooting stars of the last major meteor shower of the year, the Ursids, when it peaks on the night of December 23 and 24, 2017.

ENJOY THE UNIVERSE!!!

[ilan]

Nice, Laser. Keep your eyes to the skies!

[Kimbo]

Looking forward to the 26 of February!!

[ilan]

Yes, sir... I'll have to the solar filter ready! :)

[Kimbo]

Keeping the eyes on the sky today!!

[Kimbo]

Very nerdy excited for this eclipse on the 21st!!!:cool:

[ilan]

Same here! I hope the weather isn't a spoiler...

[Kimbo]

Same here! I hope the weather isn't a spoiler...

I agree, it has been all over the place here!!

[Capt.Kangaroo]

Cant wait, the schools here are going to extend the school day by 30 minutes for the educational experience.
But, kids can stay home and watch with their parents (what we are doing) and not be counted absent.
Here in North Georgia, we will get about 97% totality.
Hope everyone gets a great show. Good luck.

[Kimbo]

the schools here also will be doing special arragments for this. Ilan said praying for some good weather!!

[Capt.Kangaroo]

the schools here also will be doing special arragments for this. Ilan said praying for some good weather!!
I too will be praying for good weather. My weather luck usually doesn't work out very well for celestial events, I'm hoping that changes for this :eek:
I"ve been doing good deeds lately hoping karma will notice...:)

[Capt.Kangaroo]

The meteor shower is a bust so far. Only saw a few.
The moon is too bright. Gonna try again near dawn,Maybe the moon will be setting by then and Persious (the shower radiant) will be nearly overhead. Hope y'all have better luck/

[Kimbo]

Nothing more peacefull then clear skies and a good telescope :rolleyes:

[ilan]

Went out last night, but between the clouds and the moon it was also a bust here.

[Capt.Kangaroo]

Maybe we'll all have better luck with the eclipse on the 21st.

[ilan]

Here is one of the latest, advanced weather forecasts...

https://accuweather.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7ec451c/2147483647/resize/590x/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Faccuweather-bsp.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd2%2Ffc%2F8c392846426587235 0bfede02e09%2Fsolar-eclipse-viewing-graphic.14.8.30%20AM.jpg

[ilan]

Latest weather update...

https://accuweather.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b2a11d2/2147483647/resize/590x/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Faccuweather-bsp.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe5%2F68%2F31aac64848adb0855 9e3268bdc01%2Fstatic-monday-eclipse-viewing-conditions-9am-wed.jpg

[Kimbo]

Well there are 4 tropical storms in the atlantic so it's going to be interesting...

[ilan]

Yes, and two of them look like they have their sights on the Gulf. That is not a happy thought!

[ilan]

In case you can't see or don't want to see the eclipse from your back yard, here are a few sites that offer a view of the eclipse, some with expert commentary....



http://earthsky.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e56e7a92b1c5790f7343ef95a&id=75cba48b95&e=3085c76ee9

[Kimbo]

Public libraries giving away free eclipse glasses here and also some eye doctor offices,

[ilan]

Last minute item... For those wondering when the eclipse will begin at a location and what degree of totality will be experienced there, here is a handy site. Just enter the location (City, State) in the edit box at the upper left.



https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/@4207783

[Kimbo]

Happier than a pig on s..t , great event. Fun had by all, the sky was mostly clear, great pictures taken, lot of kids got to feel the excitement of this scientific event and hopefully a new wave of star gazers were born today!!

[Capt.Kangaroo]

Was good for us too. Nice pics and good times.:)

[ilan]

It was cool. At 85% magnitude, day didn't turn into night, but the surroundings sure looked and felt different.

We'll have to bide our time until 2024 for the next, less pervasive go 'round.

[Kimbo]

2024, okay until next time

[ilan]

Cassini's final approach and demise: There are several worthwhile links in this article, so I will post a link to the page, rather than reinterpreting it...



http://earthsky.org/space/cassini-finale-sept-15-2017-how-to-follow-online?mc_cid=a2c28121ad&mc_eid=3085c76ee9

[ilan]

Goodbye Cassini... You are now a legend and the fabric that is Saturn.

[Kimbo]

Venus and Jupiter Will Meet in the Early Morning Sky Monday: How to See It


Venus and Jupiter will get together in the November sky, and early risers with a clear view of the eastern horizon can catch a view of this celestial rendezvous.
Just before sunrise Monday (Nov. 13), Venus and Jupiter will pass within 17 arc minutes (0.28 degrees) of each other in the sky, or just over half the apparent width of the full moon. The two planets will also be fairly close to each other in the days just ahead of and just after the conjunction.

The actual conjunction (the point at which the planets are closest together in the sky) will happen at 1:05 a.m. EST (0605 GMT) on Nov. 13. Neither planet will have risen for observers on the U.S. East Coast by then — that won't happen for another few hours, at about 5:30 a.m. EST (1030 GMT). Jupiter and Venus will be in the constellation Virgo, roughly southeast, and west of the moon, which will be a small crescent.

Sunrise will occur mostly between 6:30 a.m. and 6:50 for observers in the continental U.S. according to timeanddate.com; if the horizon is relatively flat, skywatchers can get a good view of the two planets (unobscured by the sun's direct light) until daybreak. For mid-northern-latitude skywatchers, both planets will have an altitude of about 11 degrees above the horizon — or just about the width of a fist at arm's length — when the sun is just below the horizon.

In Los Angeles, the conjunction will be well below the horizon when it occurs, though, on the morning of Nov. 13, Venus and Jupiter will rise at 5:19 a.m. and 5:18 a.m., respectively. Sunrise is 6:24 a.m., and Venus and Jupiter will be slightly higher above the eastern horizon than in New York; Venus' altitude will be 12.5 degrees and Jupiter's 12.7 degrees.

Londoners will see Venus rise at 5:56 a.m. local time, followed by Jupiter 2 minutes later, with the moment of conjunction occurring at 6:05 a.m. The sun rises at 7:15 a.m. local time. The maximum altitude is about 11 degrees above the horizon, which requires a relatively unobstructed eastern view.

In the video from JPL, the narrator notes that skywatchers should be careful because the sun will rise on the heels of the planets, and of course, you should never look directly at the sun, especially with binoculars or a telescope.

The STScI video outlines several other planets that will be visible in November. Saturn will be in the western sky in the evening, along with the zodiac constellations Pisces and Aries. Mars will also rise well before the sun this month.

[Capt.Kangaroo]

MARS

Though we won't get to see the lunar eclipse, we will enjoy a bright and beautiful Mars! At 1:07 a.m. Eastern Time tonight, Mars reaches opposition. This means that the planet will be directly opposite the Sun as seen from Earth. It will also be passing the closest to earth since 2003, making it appear especially big and bright. Clouds will cooperate for viewing tonight and tomorrow, so take a few minutes and look up tonight for the bright red planet! The NASA scientist I spoke with today told me the best viewing time will be around Midnight.

Source:Katie Walls
WSBTV2

PS, sorry Ilan, didn't see your similar post in the Space pics until I posted this....:(

[ilan]

Find the Teapot, and the galaxy’s center
Bruce McClure in TONIGHT | August 3, 2018

http://en.es-static.us/upl/2018/07/2018-teapot-saturn-scutum.jpg

Tonight, or on any moonless evening during a Northern Hemisphere summer or Southern Hemisphere winter, you can look in the evening hours toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. It’s located in the direction of Sagittarius the Archer, which happens to contain a famous asterism – or noticeable pattern of stars – called the Teapot. From the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll be looking south during the evening hours for this star pattern.

From the Southern Hemisphere, look for the Teapot to climb high overhead around mid-to-late evening.

If you’re blessed with a dark sky, finding all this will be easy. In a dark sky, you’ll see a broad boulevard of stars – the edgewise view into our own Milky Way galaxy – which broadens and brightens in the direction of the galaxy’s center.

Or maybe you know the planets? If you have that dark sky, know that, in 2018, the starry band of the Milky Way passes between the Teapot and the golden planet Saturn. It lies about midway between the spout of the Teapot and Saturn this year.

Don’t know Saturn and don’t have a dark sky? The chart below via AstroBob expands the view to include the constellation Scorpius, which is relatively bright and easy to spot for its curved Scorpion’s Tail. Sagittarius the Archer – and its Teapot asterism – is next door to Scorpius on the sky’s dome.


http://en.es-static.us/upl/2014/08/Teapot-galaxy-center-Milky-Way-cp-e1469703857591.jpg

We can’t really see the galactic center. It’s heavily veiled by intervening stars, star clusters and nebulae (vast clouds of gas and dust). The center of our Milky Way looms some 26,000 light-years away. But we can gaze toward this direction in space, and – if your sky is dark enough – it’s a sight to behold!

By the way, the Teapot makes up the western half of the constellation Sagittarius the Archer. Modern eyes have an easier time envisioning a teapot than an Archer with a drawn-out bow. See the sky chart of Sagittarius below.

From temperate latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s pretty easy to make out the Summer Triangle asterism rather high in the eastern sky at nightfall. This huge star formation consists of three brilliant stars – Vega, Deneb and Altair – and can oftentimes withstand the glare of the full moon or light-polluted city.

If you are otherwise lost on some starry night but can find the Summer Triangle, let this signpost star formation escort you to the Teapot …


http://en.es-static.us/upl/2016/07/2016-summer-triangle-teapot.jpg