STAR GAZER
THE INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Lorain County JVS NASA CORE / 15181 Route 58 South / 440/775-1400
/ FAX 440/775-1460 / nasaco@leeca.org / http://core.nasa.gov
Horkheimer: Greetings, greetings fellow star gazers
and yes you heard right. The second planet out from the Sun, 8,000
mile wide Earth-sized Venus, will cross the face of the Sun Tuesday
June 8th which is something that hasn't happened in 122 years.
And if you are in the right geographical location and use the
proper eye protecting equipment you'll be able to see this rare
spectacle. Let me show you.
Now most of you know that Venus is the second planet out from the Sun and our Earth is number three. And because each planet orbits at a different speed Venus always changes its position in the sky as seen from Earth. Our Earth is 93 million miles away from the Sun but Venus is only 67 1/2 million miles away from it and this coupled with Venus' higher orbital speed means it can be super far away from us on the other side of the Sun, 160 million miles away. Or it can be super close, on this side of the Sun, as will be the case, on June 8th when it will be at its closest only 26 million miles away. Now if our Earth and Venus orbited the Sun in exactly the same plane we would see Venus cross the face of the Sun every year and a half. But because their orbits are slightly tilted to one another the only time we can see Venus cross the face of the Sun, which is called a Venus transit, is when Venus passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, and is at precisely one of the two spots along its orbit that intersects the Sun-Earth plane.
Astronomer Bob Berman, who wrote a wonderful article on this Venus transit in this year's "Old Farmer's Almanac", reminds us that Venus transits always come in pairs. The last pair occurred in 1874 and 1882. So this upcoming transit is the first of a pair, which means that if you miss this one you'll be able to see the second in 2012. But after that you're going to have to wait 105 years. So what does a Venus transit look like? Well a couple of astronomers from Lick Observatory made a movie out of 147 photographs that were taken during the Venus transit in 1882 and we have been given permission to show it to you.
http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/objects/sun/graphics/Transit1882Todd640.mov http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/sun/article_1187_1.asp
Of course several hours have been compressed into about 20 seconds because it takes several hours for Venus to cross the Sun in any transit, which seems slow although in reality Venus is actually moving 22 miles per second in its orbit.
So how can you see this event? Well, nearly every one in Europe and Asia will see the whole thing but for North America it's rather spotty because most of the transit will have already occurred at sunrise. People in the far northeast will get the longest view, about 90 minutes, while Floridians will get only 20 minutes. Anyone west of the Rockies is out of luck. But despair not, because the second transit in this cycle will be visible from all of North America in 2012. One word of caution: do not, under any circumstances, look at the Sun with the naked eye, ever. Use a safe projection method. For complete info and exact times go to our website jackstargazer com. Here's to Venus between us, Keep Looking Up!
More links:
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_1021_1.asp
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/transit/catalog/VenusCatalog.html
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Horkheimer: On June 8th Earth sized 8,000 mile
wide planet Venus will cross the face of the Sun, an event which
hasn't happened since 1882. Indeed on June 8th Venus will be directly
between our Earth and the Sun only 26 million miles away, and
people all over Europe and Asia with the right viewing equipment
will be able to watch as Venus slowly passes across the Sun's
face, as we can see in this movie made out of dozens of photographs
taken in 1882. Most of North America will miss it this time but
we'll get the best show when it happens again in 2012. Go to our
website for more info and remember never look at the sun with
the naked eye! Keep Looking Up!
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* This week's Sky At A Glance and
Planet Roundup from Sky & Telescope.
This week's Sky At A Glance displays current week only.
Starry Night Deluxe was used to produce this episode
of Star Gazer
Lorain County JVS NASA CORE / 15181 Route 58 South / 440/775-1400 / FAX 440/775-1460 / nasaco@leeca.org / http://core.nasa.gov
Horkheimer: Greetings, greetings fellow star gazers. And although
you may have never thought of it before, for people who live at
mid northern latitudes across the U.S. and Europe, June is the
month of the shortest nights for star gazing because at the time
of the summer solstice the first day of summer, which this year
is Sunday June 20th, hours of daylight are longest and hours of
darkness are shortest. And in fact for many people at mid-latitudes
it doesn't even get fully dark out until 10 or 11 o'clock especially
when you factor in daylight savings time. So let's do a quick
preview of what all you who live at mid northern latitudes can
see just after it gets completely dark out.
O.K., we've got our skies set up for mid June, 10 to 11 p.m. facing north. Where you'll see The Little Dipper at its very highest above the North Star. In fact, the North Star is the star in the end of the handle of the Little Dipper. Now the Little Dipper is not nearly as large or bright as the Big Dipper which is directly to its left in the northwest. Four stars mark its cup and three stars mark its handle. And once you've found it you can shoot an arrow through its handle to find the 3rd brightest star in the sky, Arcturus which is the major star of Bootes the Herdsman although the entire constellation looks something like a kite. You can extend that arrow from Arcturus over to the brightest star of Virgo, Spica. Remember? Arc to Arcturus, speed on to Spica!
Now, we can tell from the stars alone that spring is almost over because spring's most famous constellation is just above the western horizon. A sickle shaped pattern or backward question mark of stars mark the front part of spring's Leo the Lion and a triangle of stars mark his rear. And he looks like he's getting ready to lunge below the horizon before summer kicks him out of evening skies.
Next if you turn 180 degrees around and face east you can see the three incredibly bright stars which mark the points of a very large triangle, the brightest of which is Vega, the second brightest Altair and the third Deneb, the three stars which mark the points of the great Summer Triangle. And every summer in mid June just after it gets good and dark out we always see this triangle of three celestial dazzlers rising over the eastern horizon.
Of course, my personal favorite stars of summer
are always somewhere in the south southeast, due south,
or southwest. So just look south and there you'll see a giant
fish hook shaped pattern of stars which is none other than summer's
infamous Scorpius the Scorpion, which is always trailed by the
teapot shaped portion of stars which make up part of the constellation
called Sagittarius the Centaur. So there you have it, stars for
a mid-summer's night just after it gets dark out around 10 to
11 p.m. for a lot of you! I'm Jack Horkheimer, Keep Looking Up!
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Horkheimer: At the time of the summer solstice which this year is Sunday June 20th, there are not a lot of hours for star gazing because at mid latitudes it doesn't get really dark out until 10 or 11 o'clock. So what can you see? Face north and the Little Dipper will be at its highest above the North Star. And to its left, its companion, the Big Dipper whose handle points to the third brightest star in the sky, Arcturus. In the west, spring's Leo the Lion is getting ready to lunge below the horizon. And in the east we can see the three bright stars that announce the beginning of summer, the Summer Triangle. Finally look south for Scorpius the Scorpion and the Teapot of Sagittarius to complete our midsummer's night. Keep Looking Up!
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* This week's Sky At A Glance and
Planet Roundup from Sky & Telescope.Starry Night Deluxe was used to produce this episode
of Star GazerLorain County JVS NASA CORE / 15181 Route 58 South / 440/775-1400 / FAX 440/775-1460 / nasaco@leeca.org / http://core.nasa.gov
Horkheimer: Greetings, greetings fellow star gazers. Every year on the summer solstice we ask you to participate in watching and experiencing a great star rise over our Earth's horizon. A star so huge we could fit over 1 and 1/4 million Earth's inside it. We ask you to experience something that few people ever pay close attention to. And that is the rising of the only star we can see in the daytime, the star we call our Sun, a star I like to call our Day Star. This year we have chosen this Sunday, June 20th as "Day Star Day" because it is the day of the summer solstice, the first day of summer and a day when most people don't have to go to work.
Now I know that some of you are thinking, "You're talking about a sunrise and I've seen thousands of sunrises." and yes I am talking about a sunrise. But believe it or not, most people have never really experienced a sunrise, especially in our high tech society. Oh yes there are millions of you out there who get up at the crack of dawn for a days work, farmer's starting their chores, commuters catching their trains or jamming the expressways as the Sun slowly creeps over the horizon. But that is not experiencing a sunrise because to most people sunrise is simply a peripheral event and not the center of attention. So that's why we set aside one day each year as "Day Star Day" so you can experience one of the grandest events in nature, an experience which may change the way you view our star the Sun and our world forever.
To participate here's all you have to do. Simply mark Sunday June 20th as the day you'll get up 15 minutes before twilight begins, while it's still dark out. And whether you live in the heart of a city or out in the country makes no difference because it's not the Sun itself you're going to observe but the effects of sunrise on everything around you as night slowly turns into day. It is better to be outside but if not just sit by an open window. Now for the rules, which are absolutely essential: no radio, no television, no doing your normal wake up routine. All distractions must be eliminated. Simply sit quietly inside or outside and when you see the skies slowly start to brighten, look, listen and feel what happens all around you. Watch the delicate interplay of light, color and shadow. Listen to the different sounds of our world and its creatures waking up. Feel the wind change, the temperature change, and much, much more as night slowly slips into day.
Keep track of all the subtle changes you notice and record your observations on paper or into a tape recorder. And then read or listen to your observations a few days later. And believe me, if you've never done this before, you're in for a pleasant surprise because really experiencing the effects of a sunrise using all of your senses and your full attention is one of the most wonderful experiences this planet has to offer. Trust me you'll be amazed at what a star rise over a small planet can do for you. I'm Jack Horkheimer, Keep Looking Up!
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Horkheimer: Every year on the first day of summer we ask you to celebrate the rising of our local star the Sun because most people have never really experienced a sunrise. So this Sunday get up before twilight begins to observe not the Sun itself but the incredible effects of a sunrise on everything all around you. Forget your normal routine. Sit quietly and tune in with all your senses. Listen to the different sounds of nature as our Earth and its creatures wake up. Feel the wind and temperature change and watch the delicate interplay of light, color and shadow. Trust me, if you've never done this before, you'll be amazed at what you've missed. Happy "Day Star Day" and Keep Looking Up!
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* This week's Sky At A Glance and
Planet Roundup from Sky & Telescope.Starry Night Deluxe was used to produce this episode
of Star GazerLorain County JVS NASA CORE / 15181 Route 58 South / 440/775-1400 / FAX 440/775-1460 / nasaco@leeca.org / http://core.nasa.gov
Horkheimer: Greetings, greetings, fellow star gazers, and as you regular PBS viewers know, any appearance of the 'Three Tenors' is always a must-see. And likewise, I think, every summer a cosmic trio makes its annual appearance which is also a must-see. Let me show you:
O.K, we've got our skies set up for any clear evening in late June and early July around 10 o'clock your local time and if you look due east high up off the horizon you will see 3 bright stars which, if you draw imaginary lines between them, make up what we call the great Summer Triangle. And if you're far, far away from city lights on a moonless night you will notice that two of these stars are embedded in that faint ribbon of celestial light we call the Milky Way, while the brightest of the three is just off to the side of it. Now these three stars are named, in the order of their brightness: Vega, Altair, and Deneb. And in ancient times they were each part of constellations that represented birds. And although Altair is still the brightest star in the constellation Aquila, the Eagle and Deneb is the tail star of Cygnus the Swan, the bird of which Vega was the brightest star has since been changed into Lyra the Harp. Even so, I still think of these three stars as three summer birds flying together across summer skies. But these stellar birds are birds of a different feather!
For instance, if they were all the same distance away from Earth we could safely assume that their size would follow the same order as their brightness which would mean that Vega would be the biggest, Altair the second biggest and Deneb the smallest in size. But since we now know that all stars lie at different distances from Earth and that they vary greatly in size, their apparent brightness is extremely deceiving. For instance, although Vega appears the brightest, dimmer Altair is actually closer. Indeed, while Altair is only 16 light years away, Vega is 26 light years away. And although Altair is about 1 1/2 times the size of our Sun, Vega is 2 1/2 times its size, which makes more distant Vega much brighter in Earth's skies than Altair.
But Deneb has them both beat hands down because although Deneb is the dimmest in Earth's skies, it is simply because of its incredible distance; indeed it is not a mere 16 light years away like Altair or a mere 26 light years away like Vega, but 1,800 light years beyond. And if Deneb was the size of either Vega or Altair we couldn't even see it with the naked eye, the only reason we see it is because it is a whopping 115 times the diameter of our Sun or if you'd like to think of it this way whereas Altair is 10 times as bright as our Sun and Vega is 50 times as bright as our Sun, Deneb is a blinding 80,000 times as bright as our Sun, proving that in heaven as well as on Earth appearances are deceiving. In fact if Deneb were as close to Earth as Vega or Altair it would be the brightest star in the sky. So get thee outside to experience these three wonderful stars of summer. Just face east after it gets dark out and Keep Looking Up!
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Horkheimer: Every summer my favorite cosmic
trio makes its annual appearance. Around 10 o'clock, look due
east, and you'll see three bright stars, which mark the three
points of the great Summer Triangle. Their names in order of brightness
are: Vega, Altair and Deneb. And although Vega and Altair appear
brighter than Deneb don't let appearances fool you. Vega is 2
1/2 times the size of our sun and Altair is 1 1/2 times our Sun's
size but Deneb is a whopping 115 times our Sun's size. Or if you'd
like to think of it this way, Altair is 10 times our Sun's brightness,
Vega 50 times as bright and Deneb a blinding 80,000 times as bright.
It's only because Deneb is so far away that it looks the dimmest.
Keep Looking Up!
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* This week's Sky At A Glance and
Planet Roundup from Sky & Telescope.
This week's Sky At A Glance displays current week only
Starry Night Deluxe was used to produce this episode
of Star Gazer
Lorain County JVS NASA CORE / 15181 Route 58 South / 440/775-1400 / FAX 440/775-1460 / nasaco@leeca.org / http://core.nasa.gov
Horkheimer: Greetings, greetings fellow star gazers and mark these dates on your July calendar: Saturday and Sunday the 3rd and 4th for a close meeting of the brightest planet and the eye star of Taurus the Bull, Monday July 5th our Earth will reach aphelion, and Saturday July 10th the M&M planets have an absolutely super close meeting you won't want to miss. Let me show you.
O.K., we've got our skies set up for this weekend Saturday July 3rd and Sunday the 4th, one hour before Sunrise facing east where just above the horizon you will see the most brilliant planet of them all, Venus. Which is almost always mistaken for a UFO when it appears just before dawn. And right next to it, only one degree away, which means that we could fit only two full Moons between them because one full Moon is half a degree wide, is Aldebaran the bright red eye star of Taurus the bull. But whose usual brightness will be outdazzled by brilliant Venus. And once again I must remind you that this close meeting is only an illusion because in reality this weekend 8,000 mile wide Venus will be only 35 million miles away while Aldebaran, which is as wide as Venus is distant from us, 35 million miles wide , will be 68 light years away, which is 11 1/2 million times farther away than Venus. Don't miss this pre-dawn sight.
Next up on Monday July 5th at 7 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time our Sun will be at aphelion which means that it will be at its farthest point away from our Earth for the entire year. Almost 3 million miles farther away than it was when it was at perihelion, its closest, last January 4th. And then get ready for a super goodie on Saturday night, July 10th, at dusk, about 30 to 40 minutes after sunset because for a brief few minutes you'll be able to see the two M&M planets, tiny 3,000 mile wide Mercury and only slightly larger 4,000 mile wide Mars in an absolutely super close spectacular meeting. Look west northwest and they will be only two tenths of one degree apart, which means that less than half a Moon could fit between them. But once again even though they'll look as if they're almost touching, it's only an illusion because of our perspective here on Earth. In fact, on Saturday the 10th tiny Mercury will be only 103 million miles away from Earth while Mars will be a whopping 238 million miles away.
Now I advise that you use a pair of binoculars to find them and make sure you look while it's still light out because they'll be below the horizon when it gets dark out. And might I also remind you that the farther north you live above the equator the more difficulty you'll have in finding them because they'll be closer to the horizon the farther north you are. So there you have it, a super meeting this weekend between Venus the goddess of love and Aldebaran, the red eye of Taurus the bull, Earth at its farthest from the Sun on Monday the 5th, and on July 10th at dusk a super close meeting of the M&M planets. What a way to begin July. I'm Jack Horkheimer, Keep Looking Up!
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Horkheimer: Mark several dates on your July
calendar for cosmic goodies. This weekend one hour before sunrise
face east and you'll see dazzling Venus parked only one degree
away from Aldebaran the eye star of Taurus the Bull. But their
closeness is just an illusion because 8,000 mile wide Venus will
be 35 million miles away while Aldebaran which is as wide as Venus
is distant, will be 11 1/2 million times farther away than Venus,
68 light years! On the 5th our Earth will reach its farthest point
from the Sun, 3 million miles farther away than it was in January.
Then on July 10th at dusk Mercury and Mars will have a super close
meeting, only 2 tenths of one degree apart. That's close! Happy
July and Keep Looking Up!
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* This week's Sky At A Glance and
Planet Roundup from Sky & Telescope.
This week's Sky At A Glance displays current week only
Starry Night Deluxe was used to produce this episode
of Star Gazer
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