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sky_highlights [2015/04/28 20:53] edose add May 2015, remove March |
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| - | ====== Sky Highlights for MAY 2015 ====== | + | ====== Sky Highlights and NEKAAL Events for NOVEMBER 2016 ====== |
| - | * May 3 -- Full Moon (the "Milk Moon")\\ | + | * November 8 -- First Quarter |
| - | * May 9 -- OPEN HOUSE at Farpoint Observatory, beginning 9:00 pm\\ | + | * November 14 -- Full Moon |
| - | * May 11 -- Last Quarter (moon absent from evening sky)\\ | + | * November 21 -- Last Quarter |
| - | * May 17 -- __**New Moon**__\\ | + | * November 17 -- General Meeting, Mater Dei Catholic School, 7 pm. Join us! |
| - | * May 25 -- First Quarter\\ | + | * November 19 -- **Open House** at Farpoint Observatory, 7:30 pm to ? Join us! |
| + | * November 29 -- New Moon | ||
| - | ===== PLANETS in May 2015 ===== | + | ===== PLANETS in November 2016 ===== |
| Evening Sky: | Evening Sky: | ||
| - | * **Mercury** -- in northwest | + | * **Mercury** -- in southwest |
| - | * **Venus** -- in west, very bright | + | * **Venus** -- in southwest |
| - | * **Jupiter** -- southwest, very bright | + | * **Mars** -- in south |
| - | * **Saturn** -- southeast | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Midnight: | + | |
| - | * **Jupiter** -- in west, very bright | + | |
| - | * **Saturn** -- in southeast | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Morning Sky: | + | |
| * **Saturn** -- in southwest | * **Saturn** -- in southwest | ||
| * **Uranus** -- in east | * **Uranus** -- in east | ||
| * **Neptune** -- in southeast | * **Neptune** -- in southeast | ||
| - | |||
| - | ===== CONSTELLATIONS well placed in evening during May 2015 ===== | ||
| - | North to South, at 9-11 pm: | ||
| - | * **Ursa Minor**, the Little Bear, also the Little Dipper | ||
| - | * **Draco**, the Dragon | ||
| - | * **Ursa Major**, the Big Bear, also the Big Dipper | ||
| - | * **Canes Venatici**, the Hunting Dogs | ||
| - | * **Leo Minor**, the smaller Lion | ||
| - | * **Leo**, the Lion | ||
| - | * **Coma Berenices**, the Hair of Queen Berenice of Egypt | ||
| - | * **Virgo**, the Virgin | ||
| - | * **Corvus**, the Crow | ||
| - | * **Hydra**, the Water Snake | ||
| - | |||
| - | ===== SKY EXTRAS in May 2015 ===== | ||
| - | * Several planets grace the evening sky again in May. MERCURY pops up in the west-southwest sky for its best view of the year--but only in early May, best around May 6. VENUS remains high and bright in the west, Jupiter is higher still, and SATURN is back in the late evening--look southeast. | ||
| - | * Planet fans: At about 10:50 pm Kansas time May 27, Jupiter's moons Ganymede rudely eclipses another moon Io, so that their glows merge--and their shadows on Jupiter will merge at the same time. | ||
| - | * The Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks the morning of May 6, and while it's a pretty active shower, there will be a nearly full moon to deal with. | ||
| - | * Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) is still visible in binoculars in the north in Cassiopeia, but will fade all month. You might catch newly discovered comet C/2015 F3 (SWAN), also far in the north in Cassiopeia, but you'll need a 6-8 inch scope May 1 and a 10 inch scope by May 31. | ||
| - | * Remember: it's late springtime by day, but May evenings can be chilly, especially on the clearest ones. Take a jacket, and have more clothes than you think you'll need. But the skies are great--go look! | ||
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| - | ====== Sky Highlights for APRIL 2015 ====== | ||
| - | * April 4 -- Full Moon (the "Grass Moon" or "Egg Moon")\\ | ||
| - | * April 11 -- Last Quarter (moon absent from evening sky)\\ | ||
| - | * April 11 -- OPEN HOUSE at Farpoint Observatory, beginning 8:30 pm\\ | ||
| - | * April 18 -- __**New Moon**__\\ | ||
| - | * April 25 -- First Quarter\\ | ||
| - | |||
| - | ===== PLANETS in April 2015 ===== | ||
| - | Evening Sky: | ||
| - | * **Mercury** -- in west | ||
| - | * **Venus** -- in west | ||
| - | * **Mars** -- in west, bright orange | ||
| - | * **Jupiter** -- high in south, very bright | ||
| Midnight: | Midnight: | ||
| - | * **Jupiter** -- in west, very bright | + | * **Uranus** -- in southwest |
| - | * **Saturn** -- in southeast | + | * **Neptune** -- in west |
| + | |||
| Morning Sky: | Morning Sky: | ||
| - | * **Saturn** -- in southwest | + | * **Jupiter** -- in southeast |
| - | * **Uranus** -- in east | + | |
| - | * **Neptune** -- in east | + | |
| - | ===== CONSTELLATIONS well placed in evening during April 2015 ===== | + | |
| - | North to South, at 9-11 pm: | + | ===== CONSTELLATIONS well placed in evening during November 2016 ===== |
| + | North to South, at 8-10 pm: | ||
| * **Ursa Minor**, the Little Bear, also the Little Dipper | * **Ursa Minor**, the Little Bear, also the Little Dipper | ||
| - | * **Ursa Major**, the Big Bear, also the Big Dipper | + | * **Cepheus**, the King of Ethiopia |
| - | * **Camelopardalis**, the Giraffe | + | * **Cassiopeia**, the wife of King Cepheus |
| - | * **Lynx**, //not a Lynx//--so named because you need Lynx eyes to see it | + | * **Draco**, the Dragon |
| - | * **Leo Minor**, the smaller Lion | + | * **Lacerta**, the Lizard |
| - | * **Leo**, the Lion | + | * **Cygnus**, the Swan |
| - | * **Cancer**, the Crab | + | * **Sagitta**, the Arrow |
| - | * **Sextans**, the Sextant | + | * **Pegasus**, the Winged Horse |
| - | * **Hydra**, the Water Snake | + | * **Delphinus**, the Dolphin |
| + | * **Aquarius**, the Water Bearer | ||
| + | * **Capricornus**, the Sea-Goat | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== SKY EXTRAS in November 2016 ===== | ||
| + | * Still LOTS of evening planets in November! Check out the planet list above. Uranus is easily visible in binoculars, even visible naked-eye with deep dark-vision adaptation, from very dark skies. Jupiter's back with us, but you'll have to see it in the morning now, low in the eastern twilight. | ||
| + | * Best evening comet should still be C/2016 A8 (LINEAR), fairly high in the southern sky and large but fading slowly, so you'll need a scope of at least 8" aperture, an eyepiece giving low magnification...and patience. | ||
| + | * The Leonids meteor shower peaks November 17, but a nearly full moon once again washes out the show. | ||
| + | * And speaking of bright moons--the November 14 full moon is only 2.5 hours after the closest perigee (approach to earth), so this will be the largest full moon of 2016. | ||
| - | ===== EXTRAS in April 2015 ===== | ||
| - | * In April, especially in evenings with no moonlight, you can still see the evening **zodiacal light**, reaching almost vertically from the west horizon. Look about 45 minutes after sunset. | ||
| - | * Several planets continue to grace the evening sky in April. Jupiter is up very high, and Venus and Mars are is low in the west. Saturn is up by midnight. Mercury's back too, after April 18, just above the west horizon. | ||
| - | * We finally get a meteor shower break in April: the Lyrids peak near New Moon! Look for them April 22/23, especially after the moon sets around midnight. Best times will be 2-6 am, very high in the sky. | ||
| - | * There's a lunar eclipse April 4 before dawn. In Kansas, the moon becomes totally eclipsed at 6:54 am, and then right away sets at 7:13 am. Look west, and be quick! | ||
| - | * Comet C/2012 Q2 (Lovejoy) is fading and very low in the north all night. Probably best to catch it around 9:30-10 pm low in the NW sky, with binoculars or a small scope. Otherwise tough going for comets in April. | ||
| - | * Venus passes close to the Pleiades cluster around April 10. | ||
| - | * Remember: it's springtime by day, but April can be winter-like on clear nights. Take and put on more clothes than you think you'll need, and take a break now and then. But the skies are great--go look! | ||
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