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 as most of you know last week on August 27th Mars was at its brightest and closest to Earth in almost 60,000 years, only 34 and 1/2 million miles away. And although it will dim down a little bit every single night throughout September nevertheless, it will still be amazingly bright and even easier to see in early evening. Plus it's Harvest Moon time and this year the Harvest Moon is shining right next to the red planet. Let me show you.
O.K., we've got our skies set up for early this week Tuesday Sept. 2 facing south where you will see an almost first quarter Moon just to the right of the bright red star that marks the heart of Scorpius the scorpion, the star Antares; which literally means "the Rival of Mars" because Mars was once called Ares. And whenever Mars and Antares were in the same part of the sky together they frequently looked the same color and brightness. And the reason I'm showing you Antares this week is because when you look at Mars this week and compare the two you will see that Mars is dozens of times brighter than Antares because it is so incredibly close. So make a note where Antares is so you can compare it to Mars.
Now on Wednesday the 3rd the first quarter Moon is just past Antares and it grows bigger and moves farther eastward every single night. Then on Monday the 8th if you go out an hour and a half instead of an hour after sunset and look southeast you'll see an almost full 2,000 mile wide Moon next to an absolutely dazzling brilliant orange-gold 4,000 mile wide Mars, still almost as bright as you'll ever see it. And on the next night Tuesday the 9th it will be on the other side of the red planet. Then ta da! on Wednesday September 10th, the Moon will officially be full and because it is the full Moon closest to the first day of fall, the autumnal equinox, it will be this year's "Harvest Moon". In fact on Thursday the 11th you'll see it also looking almost full and just above the horizon an hour and a half after sunset. And on Friday the 12th it will be hugging the almost due east horizon at the same time.
Now although strictly speaking "the Harvest
Moon" occurs on only one night, in reality the Moon looks
almost full for 4 nights, on the 8th, the 9th ,the 10th and the
11th. And the reason it's called "the Harvest Moon"
is because before the invention of electric lights farmers worked
in their fields after sunset by the light of this full Moon gathering
in their late crops. But this "Harvest Moon" is super
special because on Monday the 8th it rides with Mars across the
sky almost all night long as it will on Tuesday the 9th and Wednesday
the 10th. So get out your telescope now and don't forget to compare
Antares an hour after sunset in the southwest with Mars half an
hour later in the southeast. And shine on, shine on Harvest Moon,
on lovely Mars! I'm Jack Horkheimer, Keep Looking Up!
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Horkheimer: This year's Harvest Moon is very
special because it will ride across the sky all night with Mars
which is still at its brightest in almost 60,000 years! The name
Harvest Moon is always given to the full Moon closest to the first
day of fall. And although the Harvest Moon is officially full
only one night, for all practical purposes it is almost full for
4 nights. On the 8th it's to the right of Mars and on the 9th
to its left and on the 10th when it's officially full, farther
to Mars' left. And on any of these nights you can watch the Harvest
Moon ride across the sky all night long in the company of the
dazzling red planet. Shine on, shine on Harvest Moon on lovely
Mars 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
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 just
a quick reminder that although Mars is still the featured attraction
we'll give you something else interesting to watch from now through
the first day of autumn, which will prove to you just how fast
the Sun changes its position on the horizon every day at this
time of year. Let me show you. O.K., we've got our skies set up
for this week and next about 8 p.m. facing southeast where you'll
see an absolutely dazzling Mars. 4,000 miles wide; which is only
half the size of our planet Earth, nevertheless Mars has far more
land to explore? Why? Simple. Our Earth is almost 70% covered
by water.
Now for all practical purposes Mars will look almost as bright the next couple of weeks as it did when it was at its closest, only 34 and 1/2 million miles away on August 27th. But in fact it is rapidly moving away from us now. Indeed at the beginning of this week it was 1 million miles farther away and by the end of next week it will be 4 million miles farther away. But it's still a knockout and visible almost all night long. So please find a friend with a telescope and take a look at it now. And see it like thousands of amateur astronomers have seen it over the past few weeks. It reaches its highest point around midnight and that's the best time to look at it through a telescope because then it will be above most of the interfering wavy motions of our Earth's atmosphere.
And now let's turn our attention to the autumnal equinox which is the astronomical term for the first day of fall because the beginning of autumn is the exact moment in time when our Sun lies smack dab on the celestial equator. This year that moment occurs Tuesday September 23rd at 6:47 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time or your local equivalent. Now as you may recall on both equinoxes, the first day of autumn and the first day of spring the Sun rises exactly due east and sets exactly due west, the only two days of the year this happens. So where does the Sun rise and set before and after the equinoxes? Well the Sun rises from its northernmost point on the first day of summer just a little bit farther south every single day. But a few days before and after the equinox the Sun changes its rising and setting position more dramatically each day.
In fact on the week before and after the equinox
the Sun changes its rising and setting position on the horizon
each day by a full Sun's width, which is over half a degree. Of
course you have to be careful not to stare at the Sun as it rises
or sets. So go out the week before the equinox and see how dramatically
the Sun changes its rising and setting position on the horizon
each day. On the equinox it will rise due east and set due west,
but then the following week watch it again dramatically change
its rising and setting position on the horizon each day as it
moves from due east toward the south and you'll be absolutely
amazed! I'm Jack Horkheimer, Keep Looking Up!
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Horkheimer: At the time of the autumnal equinox
the Sun rapidly changes its rising and setting position every
day. This year the autumnal equinox, the first day of fall, occurs
on September 23rd. It is one of the two days when the Sun rises
exactly due east and sets due west. But the week before and after
the equinox the Sun changes its rising and setting position on
the horizon by a full Sun's width every day. So go out the week
before and after the equinox and watch just how dramatically the
Sun changes its rising and setting position. Of course, never,
ever stare directly at the Sun. Only observe where it rises and
sets on the horizon. You'll be amazed. 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 if you like to do your star and planet gazing just before sunrise rather than just after sunset have we got some goodies for you. Because starting this weekend you'll be able to see 3 lovely cosmic objects lined up in a row, all of which will be joined by an exquisite crescent Moon on the morning of the autumnal equinox, the first day of fall. Let me show you. O.K., we've got our skies set up for Saturday September 20th one hour before sunrise facing east where close to the horizon you'll see the royal king of the planets 88,000 mile wide Jupiter. And directly above him though not nearly as bright but intrinsically much more impressive the royal star that marks the heart of Leo the lion, and whose name literally means "Little King", Regulus. A star 1 1/2 million miles wide and so huge we could fit almost 4,000 Jupiters inside it. So you decide which is the real "Little King".
At any rate if you have a clear flat horizon, look below the two and you'll see the planet named for the messenger of the gods, 3,000 mile wide Mercury just beginning to rise. But if you wait for 24 hours it will be even higher on Sunday September 21st . In fact, Mercury and Jupiter will be at their closest on Sunday and Monday the 22nd. And you'll notice that the 3 of them are almost lined up in a row. Plus if you look above them you'll see an exquisite crescent Moon getting ready to visit them. In fact, the next day Tuesday September 23rd, the day of the autumnal equinox, autumn begins at 6:47 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, and you can celebrate this first hour of autumn by watching an incredibly beautiful slender crescent Moon complete with earthshine which will look like a dark full Moon nestled in the bright crescent hovering in the early morning autumn air just above our celestial threesome.
Please don't miss this because you'll never
again celebrate the first moments of autumn with a cosmic lineup
like this. But if it's cloudy on Tuesday never fear because on
Wednesday the 24th the second day of autumn an even skinnier slender
sliver of a crescent Moon, also complete with earthshine will
be huddled just to the side of and almost between the king of
the planets and the messenger of the gods making an exquisite
cosmic triangle. Once again, during the first hour of autumn the
Moon will hover above a regal star, the king of the planets and
the tiny first planet out from the sun. And as you gaze at them
I'd like you to think of this. Although cosmic objects frequently
look clustered close to each other, nothing could be farther from
the truth. In fact, on the first morning of autumn the Moon will
be 233 thousand miles away, while Mercury will be 80 million miles
away, Jupiter 584 million miles away but Regulus will be a whopping
462 trillion miles! Something to think about as you welcome in
the first day of fall. I'm Jack Horkheimer, Keep Looking Up!
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Horkheimer: During the first hour of the first
day of fall three cosmic goodies will be joined by a crescent
Moon. Autumn begins at 6:47 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Tuesday,
September 23rd. And if you look east an hour before sunrise you'll
see an exquisite crescent Moon hovering above Leo the lion's brightest
star Regulus, and the biggest planet Jupiter and the tiny pink
planet, Mercury all lined up in a row. But even though they look
clustered together, in fact the Moon will be 233,000 miles away,
Mercury 80 million miles away, Jupiter 584 million miles away
and Regulus a whopping 462 trillion miles away! What a way to
welcome in the first day of fall. 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. What would you say if I told you that you could actually have a planetarium in your own home for free. Sound to good to be true? Well, it's not because our major underwriter is offering absolutely free for a limited time a Star Gazer special edition working planetarium for your computer. Let me show you.
O.K., we've got our skies set up for this Saturday September 27th, 8 p.m. your local time facing due north. Directly in front of you will be the North Star, the end star of the handle of the Little Dipper. And to the Little Dipper's left you'll see the seven stars of the Big Dipper and to the Little Dipper's right you'll see the 5 bright stars of the constellation Cassiopeia. Here at Star Gazer we use a special computer program to help us recreate the stars and planets for any given date and hour, from any location. And the special edition Star Gazer software can do most of the very same things.
For instance, on your home computer if you type in this Saturday, Sept. 27th, 8 p.m. looking north, you'll see this. And then if you use some of the incredible tools on this program you can do things like draw in the constellation figures and their names. But what's really nifty is that you can speed up time and watch the stars and constellations change their position minute after minute, hour after hour as they rotate around the North Star. Plus you can even change your viewing direction. Look east and you can watch the stars as they rise over the horizon, or if you'd like to watch the stars as they set, look west. Really nifty, huh?
But that's just the beginning because you can go back and forward in time hundreds of years. Suppose you want to know what stars and planets were visible on the night you or anybody you know was born. No problem. Or suppose you want to know what planets are visible at any hour of any night, just click in your date and time and the program will find and identify the planets for you. For instance, with Jupiter you can zoom in and identify and see where it's 4 biggest moons are at any given time in relation to Jupiter as they constantly change their position hour after hour night after night. Plus you can see where our Moon was and the phase it was in any night in the past, present or future. Or if you like just put it on automatic and let it run all night long. And the stars on your screen will be exactly where they are in the sky at any moment of the night.
To get your free planetarium software write to Meade at 'Free "Star Gazer" Software, Meade Instruments 6001 Oak Canyon, Irvine, Ca 92618' and please remember to include $1.00 for postage and handling. We also have the address posted on our home page at jackstargazer.com. It will take about 6 weeks to get it and once you've used it I'd love to have you e-mail me with your reaction. The universe awaits you and will be at your command. Turn your self and your children on to Star Gazing. I'm Jack Horkheimer, Keep Looking Up!
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Horkheimer: Grab a pencil and paper because we're
gonna tell you how you can get a planetarium in your own home
for free. We use special software to help us recreate the stars
and the planets for any hour of any night, any year, past, present
or future. It can draw constellations figures and their names
and speed up time so we can watch the stars as they rise and set
all night long. We can change the viewing direction, zoom in on
the planets and much more. To get your free Star Gazer Software
go to jackstargazer.com. Or write to Free Star Gazer Software,
Meade Instruments 6001 Oak Canyon, Irvine, CA 92618. Include $1.00
for postage and handling. Keep Looking Up!
How did you like this episode?
Please give us your comments. (Click
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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. Autumn is getting off to a wonderful start because we have four of the five naked eye planets visible right now with the fifth about to emerge plus a wonderful meeting occurs between the Moon and Mars on Sunday and Monday October 5th and 6th. Let me show you.
O.K., for the first time in over 25 years of doing Star Gazer I'm going to tease you because instead of giving you a specific date to look for some cosmic occurrence I'm going to give you an opportunity window because an exact date is unpredictable. So look west any clear night 15 to 30 minutes after sunset the next 4 weeks and if you've got a really clear flat horizon sometime in October you may be the first to see the dazzling 2nd planet from the sun 8,000 mile wide Venus as it comes out from hiding and makes its appearance as a brilliant so-called evening star. And don't be surprised if it fools you into thinking that you've spotted a UFO.
So what can you see in early evening right now? Mars, of course, which is still extremely bright. Look southeast this week and next an hour and a half after sunset and you can not fail to notice this dazzling ruby gold 4,000 mile wide planet. And if you want a real treat look for it this Sunday October 5th when it will be joined on its right by a stunning waxing gibbous Moon. And also look the next night Monday the 6th when an equally beautiful Moon will be on the other side of Mars. What's even more fun is you can watch the Moon and Mars travel across the sky together all night long on Sunday and watch as the Moon slides closer and closer to Mars hour after hour. Then on Monday you can again watch the Moon and Mars glide across the sky together all night as the Moon pulls farther and farther away. Watch Mars as often as you can because it is rapidly moving away and getting a little less bright every night, even though it is still brighter and closer than it's been at some of its close approaches, though not as close as it was on August 27th when it was only 34 and 1 /2 million miles away. In fact, on October 1st it is 42 million miles away but by October 31st, Halloween, it will be 58 million miles away.
And now for you early birds we have three planets for you about an hour before sunrise. Go out any morning this week and next and high in the southeast you'll see the 75,000 mile wide ringed planet Saturn forming an almost perfect isosceles triangle with the two brightest stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux. Then if you look due east you'll see brilliant 88,000 mile wide Jupiter and just below it hugging the horizon the tiny, 3,000 mile wide pink iron planet Mercury. So there you have it, a Venus watch just after sunset, a Mars up-all-night and an hour before sunrise, Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury. Ladies and gentlemen start your telescopes. I'm Jack Horkheimer, Keep Looking Up!
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Horkheimer: Right now 4 planets are visible and
the Moon takes a ride with Mars. On Sunday, October 5th a waxing
gibbous Moon will be parked to the right of Mars and on the next
night to Mars' left. And on both nights you can watch the Moon
and Mars travel across the sky together all night long. Then an
hour before sunrise you can see 75,000 mile wide Saturn make a
triangle with Gemini's two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux.
Below them you'll see 88,000 mile wide Jupiter and below Jupiter
the tiny 3,000 mile wide pink iron planet Mercury, Mars and the
Moon up all night and 3 planets before sunrise. Ladies and gentlemen,
start your telescopes and Keep Looking Up!
How did you like this episode?
Please give us your comments. (Click
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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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