December 2014 – Skies News

12/5/2014
December Skies by Dick Cookman

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Winter Solstice, Planet Plotting, December Moon

Focus Constellations: Cassiopeia, Perseus, Taurus, Auriga, Camelopardalis, Lynx, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Lyra, Cygnus, Pegasus, Pisces, Andromeda, Aries

Comet Journal

C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) is at 6th magnitude but is deep into the southern hemisphere skies where it will remain throughout 2015 as it moves toward the outer Solar System and diminishes in brightness.

The next relatively bright comet is the long period comet, C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), discovered on August 17, 2014. The comet is shooting up through the Solar System between the orbits of Earth and Mars. It may appear just above the southern horizon in the constellation Columba in late December and reach naked eye visibility in January. It will pass 0.469 AU (43,600,000 mi) from Earth in Eridanus on January 7th, cross the celestial equator between Eridanus and Taurus on the 9th, and reach perihelion between Perseus and Triangulum on the 30th when it may achieve 6th magnitude. The comet will then dim as it continues up and away through Andromeda and eventually returns to the Oort Belt.

Mars Landers

Between Oct. 14, 2014 (Sol 3812) and Nov. 11, 2014 (Sol 3839) Opportunity drove 792 feet southward in a journey of approximately 1.6 miles to reach Marathon Valley where orbital imagery revealed a likely location for rocks containing abundant clay minerals. If found, they may provide evidence for the nature of the ancient environments in which the rocks formed. In the process, Opportunity departed from Ulysses Crater and traversed an obstacle course through a rugged ejecta field in which two targets (Birmingham and Crimson Tide) were examined and turned out to be rocks solidified from impact melts. During its trip the rover produced incredible images of Comet Siding Springs’ close bypass of Mars. It also experienced 2 more flash memory amnesia events on Sol 3813 (Oct. 15, 2014) and on Sol 3817 (Oct. 19, 2014), neither of which impacted operations. As of Sol 3839 (Nov. 11, 2014), the rover was in good health. Solar energy dropped to as low as 434 watt hours per day during a dust storm in October but rebounded to between 505 and 516 watt hours per day in November. Total odometry on Mars for the rover is 25.56 miles (41.14 kilometers)

The sample collected by Curiosity at Mt. Sharp on Sept. 19th was analyzed by the CheMin instrument and found to contain much more hematite (Fe2O3) than any rock or soil sample previously analyzed by CheMin during the two-year-old mission. The mission landing site was inside Gale Crater, an impact basin about 96 miles (154 kilometers) in diameter with the layered Mount Sharp rising about three miles (five kilometers) high in the center.

Rocks analyzed earlier also contained iron-oxide minerals, mostly magnetite (Fe3O4). The drilled rocks at Yellowknife Bay and on the way to Mount Sharp contain at most about one percent hematite and much higher amounts of magnetite. The Mount Sharp sample has about eight percent hematite and four percent magnetite. Hematite can form from magnetite placed in oxidizing conditions. The oxidation of hematite into magnetite releases energy which can be utilized be microorganisms. Some Earth organisms depend on this as their main source of energy.

The Mount Sharp sample is only partially oxidized, and preservation of magnetite and olivine indicates a gradient of oxidation levels which could have provided a continuing source for chemical energy for microbes.

Meteor Showers

The December meteor showers include the Geminids peaking on the 13th and morning of the 14th and the Ursids peaking on the evening of the 22nd. The former has to contend with the last quarter Moon on the morning of the 14th and the latter occurs near New Moon. The Geminid meteors are derived from a 5 mile diameter asteroid called 3200 Phaethon which passes every 1.5 years and will be within 120,000 miles from Earth in 2017. They produce one of the most reliable showers which may approach a rate of 50 to 100 meteors per hour. The Ursids normally peak at 10 per hour unless their parent, Comet 8P Tuttle, is in the neighborhood such as in 1945 and 1986 when rates exceeded 100 per hour.

Minor showers in December include the Coma Berenicids and the Leo Minorids on the 16th and the 20th which typically range from 1 – 3 meteors per hour, and 4 southern hemisphere showers between December 6th and December 12th which compete with the gibbous Moon.

Winter Solstice

The solstice on December 21st at 6:03PM EST provides the longest night and shortest day of the year. The northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun which is above the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S) and only 21.5° above the south point on the horizon at solar noon on the 21st for those who live at latitude 45°N.

Since Earth’s northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, our night view in December reveals more of the sky below the plane of our orbit and we see more southern constellations and their plethora of bright, first magnitude stars than can be seen at other times. The bright stars of Orion, Canis Major, Canis Minor, and Taurus sparkle in clear winter skies.

Earth’s tilt causes Winter Solstice Full Moons to be higher above the southern horizon than at any other time of the year. The orbital plane of the Moon is slightly tilted relative to that of Earth. Imagine a person with the Sun at his or her back leaning steeply forward (23.5°) in waist deep water with a Hula Hoop tilted at 5° relative to the water surface. The water surface is the plane of Earth’s orbit, the person’s belt is Earth’s equator, and the Hula Hoop is the Moon’s orbit. The position of Earth’s equator (belt) is displaced to the south (below) of Earth’s orbital plane (water surface) by 23.5° each December. However due to the angle between the Earth’s and Moon’s orbit (Hula Hoop), the Moon is almost 5° south (below) of Earth’s orbital plane (water surface) in December, 2014, and is closer to the southern horizon than in years such as 2006 when the 5° displacement was to the north (above water surface) and December’s Full Moon was 10° farther north.

The two places where the orbits intersect of are known as the syzygies. The Moon’s orbit rotates like a Hula Hoop every 18 years so each syzygy will move 360° in this period and the next high Full Moon will occur in 2024. In December of 2015 (2006 + 9), the Moon is at its maximum distance south and even closer to the horizon.

When the Moon is at a syzygy, the Sun, Earth, and Moon will be precisely lined up causing total eclipses at New and Full Moon phases, so there is an eighteen year cycle of eclipses. If a particular type of solar or lunar eclipse occurs at a given time, a similar eclipse will occur 18 years later. The tables of astronomical events tediously recorded by the Babylonians revealed this cycle allowing them to predict eclipses even though they did not understand why they occurred.

Planet Plotting

December’s evening planets include Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus. Mercury and Venus return to the evening sky after the former passes through conjunction with the Sun on December 8th (Venus was in solar conjunction in November). Both will be low the the southwest in Sagittarius after sunset in December. Distant Mars (+1.0 to +1.1) moves through Sagittarius and into Capricornus in the southwestern sky and sets 3 hours after after the Sun in December. On the 12th, it reaches orbital perihelion which is currently on the other side of the Sun. Neptune (+7.9 in Aquarius) and Uranus (+5.8 in Pisces) are visible in the south after sunset and respectively set before and after midnight.

Jupiter and Saturn are the lone planetary denizens of the predawn sky in December. Jupiter (-2.2 to -2.4) rises in Leo at 10PM and sets well after dawn. Saturn (+0.5 to +0.6 in Libra) makes its appearance after the first week of December in the southeastern sky just before dawn after passing through solar conjunction on November 18th.

Planet……Constellation……Magnitude……Planet Passages

Sun…Scorpius, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius…-26.8…..New Moon, ………………………………………………………12/21, 8:36PM EST Mercury..Scorpius, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius..-0.6 to-1.1 ………………………………………………………Superior Conjunction …………………………………………………………12/8, 5AM EST Venus……Sagittarius………..-3.9
Mars……..Capricornus………+1.0 to +1.1
Jupiter…..Leo…………………..-2.2 to -2.4
Saturn…..Libra…………………+0.5to +0.6
Uranus….Pisces………………..+5.8
Neptune…Aquarius…………..+7.9

December Moon

Lunation 1137 began with November’s New Moon on the 22nd at 7:32AM EST and ends 29.11 days later with the New Moon of December on the 21st at 8:36 PM EST.

The Full Moon of December occurs in Ophiuchus on the 6th at 7:27AM EST. It is the “Moon before Yule” or “Long Night Moon.” The latter refers to the fact that the Full Moon is above the horizon for a longer time than any other time of the year due to the high arc that it takes through the sky as the Earth rotates. The Full Moon is highest in the sky in December for northern hemisphere observers and the Sun is lowest because the Earth is tilted away from the Sun and toward the Moon. Colonial Americans called it the “Christmas Moon” and Celts called it the “Cold Moon” and Medieval English referred to it as the “Oak Moon.” Chinese call it the “Bitter Moon” and Anishnaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) of northern Michigan call it “Manidoo-gizisoons” (Small Spirits Moon).

Apogee distance (maximum distance) is 251,395 miles (63.44 Earth Radii) from Earth on the 12th at 6:03PM EST. The Moon is nearest (perigee) in its orbit (226,675 miles or 57.19 Earth Radii) on December 24th at 11:42AM EST.

Planet..Constellation..Magnitude..Moon Passage..Moon ……………………………………………………………Phase/Age

Sun…Ophiuchus………-26.8………….8:36PM EST, 12/21 ……………………………………………………..New ~ 0 days Mercury..Sagittarius….-0.9……….7.0°N, 11AM EST, 12/22 …………………………………………Waxing Crescent ~ 0.6 days Venus…..Sagittarius….-3.9……….6.1°N, 10PM EST, 12/22 …………………………………………Waxing Crescent ~ 1.06 days
Mars…Capricornus……+1.1……….6.0°N, 3AM EST, 12/25 ………………………………………….Waxing Crescent ~ 3.27 days Jupiter….Leo…………….-2.2……….5.0°S, 11PM EST, 12/11 ………………………………………….Waning Gibbous ~ 19.21 days Saturn…..Libra………….+0.6……….1.5°N, 4PM EST, 12/19 ………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 26.92 days Uranus….Pisces…………+5.8………1.2°N, 7PM EST, 12/01 …………………………………………..Waxing Gibbous ~ 9.04 days Uranus….Pisces…………+5.8………1.2°N, Midnight EDT, 12/28 …………………………………………..Waxing Gibbous ~ 6.14 days Neptune..Aquarius……..+7.9………4.0°N, 10AM EST, 12/26 …………………………………………..Waxing Crescent ~ 4.56 days 

November 2014 – Skies News

11/5/2014
November Skies by Dick Cookman

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, November Moon

Focus Constellations: Cassiopeia, Perseus, Taurus, Auriga, Camelopardalis, Lynx, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Lyra, Cygnus, Aquarius, Pegasus, Pisces, Andromeda

Comet Journal

C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) has maintained a 6 to 7 magnitude since passing perihelion in August. After the 1st of the year it will rapidly decrease in brightness as it moves deeper into southern hemisphere skies then outward toward the outer solar system. By the summer of 2015 it will dim to 14th magnitude.

The next relatively bright comet is C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) which may reach naked eye visibility in January. It was discovered in August, will pass perihelion in January and is currently 9th magnitude in Puppis in southern hemisphere skies. It is moving northwestward and should arrive in northern hemisphere skies southwest of Taurus in January.

Comet C/2013 A1 (SIDING SPRING) has moved beyond perihelion and has decreased to 11th magnitude. It is going to stay close to the western horizon as it moves passed Ophiuchus and toward Hercules in the next few months as it continues northward toward the Oort Belt.

Mars Landers

Opportunity’s flash memory system was reformatted between August 20th and September 9th after which the rover embarked on a drive to a small crater slightly over 200 feet away called Ulysses. During the drive on Sol 3780 (Sept. 11, 2014), Opportunity experienced 3 flash memory amnesia events and two flash write errors which were considered to be relatively benign. The approach to the rim of the crater was halted by slippage on Sol 3791 (Sept. 22, 2014) causing the rover to change course and direct attention to numerous nearby surface targets in the ejecta field of the crater while experiencing intermittent benign flash amnesia events. As of Sol 3812 (Oct. 14, 2014), the rover was in good health except for the amnesia events which are still being investigated. Solar energy was maintained between 650 and 600 watt hours per day throughout the interval.

Ulysses Crater is punched into the southern end of a 500 foot long by 40 foot high ridge of ejecta material subparallel to and 600 feet away from Endeavor Crater’s western edge. Ejecta blasted out during the impact which formed Endeavor Crater makes up the large variety of rocks representing numerous layers of the terrain which preceded the impact. Ulysses Crater and its surrounding ejecta provides a convenient sampling of the varied rocks comprising Wdowiak Ridge.

On Sept. 19th Curiosity arrived at an outcrop called Pahrump Hills of the Murray formation, the basal geological unit of Mt. Sharp, the layered mountain in the center of Gale Crater. Three days later, the rover completed a “mini-drill” procedure at the selected drilling target, Confidence Hills, and determined that the rock was suitable for drilling.

The thinly laminated, mudcracked Murray Formation mudstone has resistant materials residing in cracks. They occur both as discrete clusters and as dendrites, where forms are arranged in treelike branching. Investigation of the shapes and chemical ingredients in these features may yield information about ancient composition of fluids at this location. The rock drilled here is softer and may contain more clay than any of the previous three targets where Curiosity collected drilled samples for analysis.

Previous rocks examined were primarily pebble conglomerates and sandstones with cross bedding evidence of deposition by flowing water. However the chemistry of these rocks is very similar to the basaltic source rocks crystallizing from volcanic lavas. Almost all rocks examined so far are sedimentary, the products of weathering, erosion, and deposition by water currents, processes which on Earth alter the basaltic chemistry of source rocks by removing sodium, calcium, magnesium, and iron ions in solution and transporting them far from where the coarser sands and pebbles are deposited. Why are the sedimentary rocks of Mars so basaltic? Was the transportation by water so sporadic and rapid that the fluids didn’t have enough time to work their magic? Clay is carried farther than sand or pebbles. If the soft rocks are found to be more enriched in the ions above which are transported even farther, answers to part of the puzzle may emerge.

Meteor Showers

The primary meteor shower of November and of the year is the Leonid Meteor Shower which lasts from the 6th to the 30th. Even though it peaks in the early evening of the 17th, you may find that meteor frequency is similar in the predawn and evening hours of the 17th and the predawn hours of the 18th. Meteor frequency is enhanced during the predawn hours because observers are facing in the direction of Earth’s orbital motion as it plunges headlong through the river of debris remaining from previous passages of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle which circuits the Sun every 33 years and last passed by the Sun in February of 1998.

The Comet was independently discovered to be a periodic comet by Ernst Tempel on December 19, 1865 and by Horace Parnell Tuttle on January 6, 1866. More recently, astronomers have determined it to be the comet observed by Gottfried Kirch in 1699 and was probably the Great Comet of 1366 which skirted passed Earth at a distance of slightly over 2 million miles. Anecdotal accounts trace its passages back as far as 902 A.D (the Arabic “Year of the Stars”).

The ancient comet’s nucleus is currently thought to have a radius of over one mile. In the 19 passages by the Sun since 1366, it has dispersed copious quantities of gas, ice, and dust along its orbit as it circuited by the Sun. Each November, Earth dives though this debris producing numerous fireballs and meteors from the pea size and smaller particles which blast into our atmosphere at speeds approaching 44 miles per second. As the slam into the air, it is heated to incandescence, producing the luminous trails of glowing gas. Occasionally, Earth may plunge into particularly dense regions of the debris river and experience meteor storms with hundreds, thousands, or 100’s of thousands of meteors per hour such as occurred in 1799, 1833, 1866, 1965 and the 1999, 2001 and 2002 stretch when rates reached more than 1000 per hour.

The apparent 33 year interval of meteor storms closely approximates perihelion times for the comet.

Planet Plotting

The evening planets of November are Mars, Neptune, and Uranus. Mars (+0.9 to +1.0) in Sagittarius is well positioned in the southwestern sky after sunset in November. It sets about three hours after the Sun. It dims slightly during the month as its apparent diameter is reduced from 5.5 to 5.1 arcseconds. Neptune (+7.9 in Aquarius) and Uranus (+5.7 in PIsces) are visible in the south and southeast respectively after sunset and set before dawn.

Saturn, Venus, Mercury and the Sun appear to play tag in Libra in the sunset and sunrise skies. Saturn is at Solar Conjunction on the 18th and is lost in the glow of sunset and dawn all month. At the beginning of November it sets less than an hour after the Sun and is already buried in the sunset for naked eye observers. It will reappear before sunrise at month’s end and will be within 2° of Mercury on the 25th when neither is visible in the glow of the rising Sun. By the 30th, it rises an hour ahead of the Sun and is more easily seen.

Like Saturn, Venus is too close to the Sun to see in November. After passing through Superior Conjunction on Oct. 25th, it sets about 10 minutes after the Sun at the beginning of the month and will remain low in the west southwest throughout November. It will appear higher in the evening sky in December.

Mercury presents its best morning apparition of the year as it moves through Virgo, Libra, and into Scorpius while brightening from -0.6 to -1.1 in the east-southeast sky before sunrise during the last week of October and the first half of November.

Jupiter (-2.1 to -2.2) in Leo is a morning planet. It rises about 1AM before the transition to standard time and at 10PM EST by the end of the month and is the brightest planet in the night skies.

Planet……Constellation……Magnitude……Planet Passages

Sun…..Virgo,Scorpius……-26.8…………New Moon, ………………………………………………………11/22, 7:32AM EST Mercury..Virgo,Libra,Scorpius..-0.6 to-1.1..Max. West. Elong. …………………………………………………………11/1, 9AM EDT ………………………………………………………..Saturn, 1.6° NNE, …………………………………………………………11/25, 7PM EST
Venus..Libra,Scorpius,Ophiuchus..-4.0/-3.9..Saturn, 1.5° NNE ………………………………………………………….11/12, 7PM EST
Mars……..Sagittarius……………+0.9 to +1.0
Jupiter…..Leo………………………-2.1 to -2.2
Saturn…..Libra…………………….+0.5…………Solar Conjunction ………………………………………………………….11/18, 4AM EST
Uranus….Pisces…………+5.7
Neptune…Aquarius…….+7.9

November Moon

The New Moon of October 23rd at 5:57PM EDT marked the start of Lunation 1136 which ends 29.57 days later with the New Moon of November 22nd at 7:32AM EST.

The Full Moon of November in Aries on the 6th at 5:23PM EST is the “Frosty or Beaver Moon.” Colonial Americans used the latter term whereas Celts called it the “Dark Moon” and to Medieval English, it was “Snow Moon.” Chinese call it “White Moon” and Anishnaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) of northern Michigan call it “Gashkadino-giizis(oog)” (Freezing Moon). In his 2014 Astronomical Calendar, Guy Ottewell quotes Bede as saying that pre-Christian English heathens called it the “Blood Moon” because “they sacrificed to their gods the animals they killed” (for winter food and to save on winter fodder).

The Moon is nearest (perigee) in its orbit (228,589 miles or 57.68 Earth Radii) on November 2nd at 7:29PM EST. Apogee distance (maximum distance) is 251,243 miles (63.39 Earth Radii) from Earth on the 14th at 8:56PM EST. The Moon again reaches perigee at 6:12PM EST on the 27th at a distance of 229,800 miles or 57.99 Earth Radii.

Planet..Constellation..Magnitude..Moon Passage..Moon ……………………………………………………………Phase/Age

Sun…….Virgo……-26.8…………………7:32AM EST, 11/22 ……………………………………………………..New ~ 0 days Mercury..Libra…..-0.9……………..2.1°NNE, 3PM EST, 11/21 ………………………………………..Waning Crescent ~ 28.88 days Venus…..Virgo…..-3.9……………….3.9°N, 9PM EST, 11/22 …………………………………………Waxing Crescent ~ 0.31 days
Mars…Sagittarius..+1.0………………..7.0°N, 5AM EST, 11/26 ………………………………………….Waxing Crescent ~ 4.16 days Jupiter….Leo……….-2.1………….5.0°S, 1PM EST, 11/14 ………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 21.79 days Saturn…..Libra……+0.5……………1.66°NNW, 11PM EST, 11/21 ………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 29.21 days Uranus….Pisces…..+5.7……………….1.3°N, 1PM EST, 11/04 …………………………………………..Waxing Gibbous ~ 11.79 days Neptune..Aquarius..+7.9…………….5.0°N, Midnight EDT, 11/1 …………………………………………..Waxing Gibbous ~ 8.25 days Neptune..Aquarius..+7.9………………4.0°N, 4AM EST, 11/29 …………………………………………..Waxing Crescent ~ 7.42 days 

October 2014 – Skies News

10/3/2014
October Skies by Dick Cookman

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, October Moon

Focus Constellations: Cassiopeia, Perseus, Camelopardalis, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Cygnus, Lyra, Aquila, Capricornus, Aquarius, Pegasus, Pisces, Andromeda

Comet Journal

C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) is at 6th magnitude. It moved southward between Leo and Cancer in July and August, passed the head of Hydra in September, and is now approaching Puppis in southern hemisphere skies where it will remain until the summer of 2015 when it will have dimmed to 14th magnitude.

Comet C/2014 E2 (Jacques) rapidly dropped from 6th to 10th magnitude in September and is now circling through Aquila as it appears to spiral outward toward the outer solar system along its 12000 year orbit.

C/2013 V5 (Oukaimeden) passed closest to Earth (less than 45 million miles) when it reached 6th magnitude below Hydra right before dawn on the 16th. It circuited through perihelion on Sept. 28th and will reappear in evening skies below Libra in October. By the end of the month the comet will be higher in the western sky but much dimmer at 10th magnitude.

Comet C/2013 A1 (SIDING SPRING) is moving northward through Scorpius and into Ophiuchus in October as it approaches perihelion on the 25th when it may reach 8th magnitude. It will graze by Mars on the 19th as it ascends through the plane of the solar system then passes perihelion and continues northward and outward as it returns to the Oort Belt.

Mars Landers

Opportunity is on the west rim of Endeavour Crater. The multiple flash memory resets experienced by the rover in mid-August caused mission scientists to attempt a flash-memory reformat such as that accomplished five years ago on Spirit. Preparation for the project required emptying of science data in the flash memory, antennae adjustment to insure predictable communication, booting the rover into a mode independent of the flash file system, copying and safely saving necessary files, reformatting files, then restoring the reformatted files to the flash memory system. All these steps were successfuly completed between August 20th and September 9th after which Opportunity was instructed to head toward a small crater slightly over 200 feet away called Ulysses on Sol 3780 (Sept. 11, 2014). During the drive, 3 benign flash memory amnesia events and two flash write errors led mission scientists to continue investigation of possible causes.

NASA’s Curiosity rover is at the base of Mount Sharp, the layered mountain in the middle of Mars’ Gale Crater. It is proceeding with its first close look at bedrock that is part of Mount Sharp. Currently the rover is located adjacent to the Pahrump Hills rock outcrop with plans to proceed westerly to Murray Buttes, began the southwesterly climb over a rock layer called the Murray Formation, and continue southward to the Hematite Ridge farther up the flank of the mountain. The Murray Formation is composed of softer rock than that making up the previously examined floor of the crater. Initial encounters with outliers at Bonanza King and at another nearby outcrop proved the formation to be too unstable for drilling and revealed that the rock has a fine grained platy surface shot through with sulfate filled veins. Orbiter images showed another exposure of the Murray Formation uphill and south of Pahrump Hills which appeared to be a good drilling site. The site is at the southern end of a sandy floored valley that Curiosity entered from the north.

Late Wednesday, Sept. 24, the rover’s hammering drill chewed about 2.6 inches (6.7 centimeters) deep into the basal-layer outcropping of Mount Sharp. The Murray Formation mudstone has accumulations of resistant materials occurring as discrete clusters and as dendrites. Investigation of the shapes and chemical ingredients of these features may provide information about the possible composition of fluids at this Martian location long ago. A powdered-rock sample was collected at the selected drilling target, Confidence Hills. “This drilling target is at the lowest part of the base layer of the mountain, and from here we plan to examine the higher, younger layers exposed in the nearby hills,” said Curiosity Deputy Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada of JPL. “This first look at rocks we believe to underlie Mount Sharp is exciting because it will begin to form a picture of the environment at the time the mountain formed, and what led to its growth.”

Meteor Showers

Of the 5 meteor showers in October including the Draconids (10/6 – 10/10), the Taurids (Southern from 9/10 to 11/20 and Northern from 10/10 to 12/10), and the Orionids (10/2 – 11/7), the latter is the best. The Draconids which typically produce minor showers generated by debris from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, peak on the 8th & 9th and have produced meteor storms such as the 300 per hour viewed in 2011. This year glare from the Full Moon will hide most of the meteors. The Taurids are also minor showers with a few meteors per hour and the Orionids range from 10 to 30 meteors per hour in dark skies and peak in the predawn skies on the 21st when they appear to emanate from the southwestern sky as the Earth plunges through the river of comet dust and debris shed during passages of Halley’s Comet in the last 30 centuries.

Planet Plotting

October evening planets are Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus. The last two are visible most of the night.
Observers may briefly view Mercury (+0.3) in Virgo just above the west-southwest horizon after sunset during the first few days of October after which it will be buried in the glow of the setting Sun.

Mars (+0.8 to +0.9) moves from Ophiuchus to Sagittarius in October. Of the two bright red objects in the southwestern sky after sunset, Mars outshines and is above Antares (Alpha Scorpii) and sets about 3 hours after sunset throughout October. On October 19th, 8th magnitude Comet Siding Spring (C/2013 A1) circuits within 81,000 miles from Mars at 3PM EDT.

Saturn (+0.6 to +0.5) in Libra in the western sky sets 2 hours after the Sun on the 1st and 1 hour after sunset at the end of the month. Neptune (+7.8) in Aquarius and Uranus (+5.7) in Pisces both rise before sunset and on the 1st the former sets about 3AM and the latter sets about 6AM. Uranus is brightest at opposition on the 7th.

Jupiter (-1.9 to -2.1) in Leo is a morning planet and Mercury(-0.5) in Virgo will join Jupiter at the end of October after passing Inferior Conjunction with the Sun on the 16th. According to Astronomy magazine, Mercury will be slightly above the eastern horizon about 45 minutes before dawn on the 26th. Jupiter rises after 3AM in Cancer on the 1st and is the brightest planet in the predawn skies. Venus is at Superior Conjunction with the Sun on the 25th and is lost in its glare all month.

Planet……Constellation……Magnitude……Planet Passages

Sun……….Virgo………-26.8…………New Moon, ………………………………………………………10/23, 5:57PM EDT Mercury…Virgo…..+0.3/3.0/-0.5…….Inferior Conjunction …………………………………………………………10/16, 5PM EDT
Venus……Virgo………-3.9 to -4.0…….Superior Conjunction ………………………………………………………….10/25, 4AM EDT
Mars….Ophiuchus, Sagittarius….+0.8 to +0.9
Jupiter…..Cancer, Leo………-1.9 to -2.1
Saturn…..Libra…………..+0.6 to +0.5
Uranus….Pisces…………+5.7
Neptune…Aquarius…….+7.8

October Moon

Lunation 1135 started with the New Moon of Sept. 24th at 2:14AM EDT and ends 29.65 days later when the New Moon of October 23rd at 5:57PM EDT presents observers in the western and midwestern United States with a partial solar eclipse centered on the eastern Pacific Ocean. Northern observers will witness more than 60% of the Sun eclipsed and southern observers will see almost 40% of the Sun blocked by the Moon. It starts in the early afternoon and ends somewhat before or at sunset for western observers and the Sun will set at maximum eclipse for midwestern observers. For those on the east coast, the eclipse will start shortly before or at sunset.

The Full Moon of October in Pisces on the 8th at 6:51AM EDT coincides with a total lunar eclipse centered over the mid-Pacific Ocean. Whereas observers on the west coast will see the entire eclipse, those in the midwest will be limited to its first phases before sunrise. The Moon sets during the total eclipse phase on the east coast and at the end of totality in the midwest. West coast observers will see the entire eclipse. The penumbral phase of the eclipse starts after 4:15AM EDT in the midwest, with the partial phase beginning between 30 minutes and an hour later, and totality (lasting about an hour) follows in another hour and 10 minutes.

Both solar and lunar eclipses occur when the Moon is at one of the syzygies in its orbit. The plane of the Moon’s orbit is tilted by about 5.15° to that of the Earth. The two points where planes intersect are called the syzygies which move through space as the Moon’s orbit slowly swivels around Earth. When the line between syzygies is congruent with the line connecting Moon, Earth and Sun, the Moon will be between the Earth and Sun blocking out the Sun (Total Solar Eclipse) or Earth will be between the Moon and the Sun blocking sunlight from reaching the Moon (Total Lunar Eclipse). In October, the Moon is at a syzygy on the 8th and reaches the other syzygy on the 23rd, causing eclipses in both instances.

The Moon of October was usually the “Hunter’s Moon” in Colonial America. It succeeded the “Harvest Moon” which was the Full Moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox. In most years the Harvest Moon occurred in September but occasionally it was in October. This year the equinox was 13 days after the September Full Moon and 14 days before the October Full Moon. October gets to host the “Hunter’s Moon!”

Celts celebrated October’s Full Moon as the “Harvest Moon.” Chinese call it “Kindly Moon.” To Medieval English, it was “Blood Moon” and Anishnaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) of northern Michigan call it “Binaakwe-giizis” (Falling Leaves Moon).

The Moon is nearest (perigee) in its orbit (225,232 miles or 56.83 Earth Radii) on October 6th at 5:39AM EDT. Apogee distance (maximum distance) is 251,5910 miles (63.48 Earth Radii) from Earth on the 18th at 2:06AM EDT.

Planet..Constellation..Magnitude..Moon Passage..Moon ……………………………………………………………Phase/Age

Sun…….Virgo……-26.8…………………5:57PM EDT, 10/23 ……………………………………………………..New ~ 0 days Mercury..Virgo…..+2.9……………..0.69°SSW, 6PM EDT, 10/22 ………………………………………..Waning Crescent ~ 28.66 days Venus…..Virgo…..-4.0……………….0.12°SE, 5PM EDT, 10/23 …………………………………………Waning Crescent ~ 29.62 days
Mars…Sagittarius..+0.9………………..7.0°N, 9AM EDT, 10/28 ………………………………………….Waxing Crescent ~ 4.63 days Jupiter….Leo……….-2.0………….5.0°S, Midnight EDT, 10/17 ………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 22.91 days Saturn…..Libra……+0.5…………….1.0°N, Noon EDT, 10/25 ………………………………………….Waxing Crescent ~ 1.75 days Uranus….Pisces…..+5.7……………….1.2°N, 7AM EDT, 10/08 …………………………………………..Waxing Gibbous ~ 14.42 days Neptune..Aquarius..+7.8………………5.0°N, 5PM EDT, 10/5 …………………………………………..Waxing Gibbous ~ 11.62 days 

September 2014 – Skies News

09/3/2014
September Skies by Dick Cookman

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, Autumnal Equinox, September Moon

Focus Constellations: Cassiopeia, Perseus, Camelopardalis, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Cygnus, Lyra, Aquila, Capricornus, Aquarius, Pegasus, Pisces, Andromeda

Comet Journal

Comet C/2014 E2 (Jacques) will remain at 6th magnitude in the night sky throughout September as it moves from Cepheus, through Cygnus and Vulpecula, and into Aquila. It is close to the zenith after sunset when it can be easily viewed in binoculars and presents a bright head and teardrop shaped tail to observers. It will pass Deneb in Cygnus on September 4th – 5th.

C/2013 V5 (Oukaimeden) is a morning comet at 6th magnitude and may reach 5th magnitude in September as it approaches perihelion on the 28th. It will sweep below Procyon in Canis Minor in early September and move along the northern boundary of the Milky Way as it circuits through the southern morning sky, approaching the tail of Hydra by the end of the month. It will be easily viewed in binoculars and will pass closest to Earth (less than 45 million miles) on Sept. 16th.

C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) is a morning comet which is also at 6th magnitude. It moved southward between Leo and Cancer in July and August and is now approaching the head of Hydra as it drops into southern hemisphere skies in September. It passed perihelion on August 27th and is expected to remain a magnitude 6 for the rest of 2014.

Comet C/2013 A1 (SIDING SPRING) is another morning comet at 8th magnitude. It is moving into southern hemisphere skies below Orion and through Lepus and getting brighter as it approaches perihelion in late October.

Comet C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) is at 8th magnitude. LINEAR is currently in southern hemisphere skies and will reappear above the southern horizon in Sculptor next year as it drops away from Earth on its journey back to the Oort Belt.

Mars Landers

Opportunity is moving southward along the west rim of Endeavour Crater with plans to reach Marathon Valley, a notch in the crater rim with an abundant clay mineral signature observed from orbit. After a brief two sol investigation of a target dubbed Fairweather, the rover resumed its southward journey on Sol 3744 (August 5, 2014,) traveling a total of 1137 feet (347 meters) in the next week. From the 15th through the 19th, Opportunity experienced 3 flash memory resets after completing examination of a surface target called Mt. Edgecumbe. Nevertheless, the rover was able to travel another 157 feet during the interval. Mission scientists devoted the next eight days to analyze causes and develop plans to reformat the flash file system to correct the reset problem. Solar array energy production during August was excellent, approaching 700 watt-hours per sol.

As it approaches the second anniversary of its landing on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity rover is also approaching its first close look at bedrock that is part of Mount Sharp, the layered mountain in the middle of Mars’ Gale Crater. During its second year, it has been driving toward long-term science destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 2 miles (3 kilometers) southwest of the rover’s current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain called Pahrump Hills lies much closer — less than one-third of a mile (500 meters) from Curiosity. The rover proceeded toward the outcrop but ran into difficulty traversing the soft rippled sand in the intervening Hidden Valley. The rover team decided to reverse course and head toward Bonanza King, an alternative outcrop with a similar appearance and a similar position in the geological layers of the area. Initial investigation with the mini-drill the team revealed that the pale, flat Martian rock at Bonanza King wasn’t stable enough for drilling.

The team decided to skip the drilling and the deep sand filling Hidden Valley forced them to choose an alternative route slightly north of Hidden Valley. They then reverted to the earlier plan to proceed directly to the outcrops on the lower slopes of Mt. Sharp, 2 miles southwest of the current location of the rover.

Meteor Showers

Comet Kiess (C/1911 N1) is a long period comet that visited the inner solar system twice in the last millenium. The debris scattered in its orbit is responsible for the annual September 1st Aurigid meteor shower which normally produces less than 10 meteors per hour but stormed at 130 meteors per hour in 2007. The waxing crescent Moon produces minimal glare and will not interfere with the shower which emanates out of Auriga in the northeastern evening sky. The Perseid Meteor Shower on August 12th is succeeded by a minor shower on Sept. 9th known as the Epsilon Perseids which, like the Aurigids is likely to produce fewer than 10 meteors per hour.

Planet Plotting

The evening planets of September are Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus.

Mercury (-0.2 to 0.0) in Virgo experienced Superior Conjunction with the Sun on August 8th, and its poorest evening apparition of the year occurs in the latter part of September. It reaches a Maximum Elongation from the Sun of 26° on the 21st when it is low in the west due to the shallow angle of the ecliptic from the horizon in September. Mars (+0.6 to +0.8) in Scorpius sets slightly more than 3 hours after the Sun throughout September. Saturn (+0.6) in Libra sets 3 hours after the Sun on the 1st and 2 hours after sunset at the end of the month. Mars is within 6° of Saturn on the 1st and the separation grows as Saturn descends into the glow of sunset. Neptune (+7.8) in Aquarius and Uranus (+5.7) in Pisces are both in the sky almost throughout the night, rising before sunset and setting slightly before sunrise.

Jupiter (-1.8 to -1.9) in Cancer and Venus (-3.9) in Leo and Virgo are morning planets.

Jupiter and Venus were in a magnificent conjunction on August 18th and the two are rapidly separating as Venus drops into the glow of dawn and mighty Jupiter moves higher in the sky. The interval between the rising of Jupiter and sunrise increases from 2.5 to 4.5 hours in September.

Planet……Constellation……Magnitude……Planet Passages

Sun………Leo, Virgo………-26.8…………New Moon, ………………………………………………………9/24, 2:14AM EDT Mercury..Virgo……………-0.2/0.0…….Max. Eastern Elongation ………………………………………………………….9/21, 6PM EDT
Venus..Cancer, Leo………-3.9
Mars….Libra, Scorpius….+0.6 to +0.8
Jupiter…..Cancer…………..-1.8 to -1.9
Saturn…..Libra……………..+0.6
Uranus….Pisces…………….+5.7
Neptune…Aquarius…………+7.8

Autumnal Equinox

The equinox occurs on September 22nd at 10:29PM EDT. At that time the axis of Earth will be perpendicular to a line between Earth and Sun, causing the hours of daylight to equal the hours of night everywhere on Earth. The Noon Sun will be at the zenith at the equator, 45° above the north and south horizon at latitudes 45° N and 45° S respectively, and on the horizon at the north and south poles. Prior to the equinox the Sun is in northern hemisphere skies and afterwards the Sun is in southern hemisphere skies.

The timing of the equinox traditionally controlled the timing of the seasons. Even though it now marks the start of Autumn in the northern hemisphere, not all cultures observed the same timing. Some have considered the cross-quarter days (half way between the solstices and the equinoxes) as the beginning and ending of seasons. In this system autumn in 2014 would start on August 1st (Lamas) and end on November 11th (Martinmas.) Similarly, winter ended on February 2nd (Candlemas) which we celebrate as Groundhog Day and spring ended on April 30th (May Eve.)

September Moon

Lunation 1134 began on the New Moon of August 25th and ends 29.67 days later when the New Moon of Sept. 24th occurs at 2:14AM EDT.

September’s Full Moon is in Aquarius on the 8th at 9:38PM EDT. The Moon of September was the “Harvest Moon” in Colonial America. The Full Moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox is now defined as the “Harvest Moon.” This year the equinox is 13 days after the September Full Moon and 14 days before the October Full Moon. September wins and gets to host the “Harvest Moon!”

Celts designated September’s Full Moon as the “Singing Moon.” Chinese call it “Crysanthemum Moon.” To Medieval English, it was “Barley Moon” and the Anishnaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) of northern Michigan call it “Manoominike-giizis” (Rice Moon).

The Moon is nearest (perigee) in its orbit (222,692 miles or 56.19 Earth Radii) in September on the 7th at 11:31PM EDT. The highest tides of the month (Spring Tides) occur during New and Full Moon. The Full Moon is within 22 hours of perigee and appears larger than normal. It is not as close as last month and is not classified as a Supermoon which Richard Nolle defined as “ a New or Full Moon with the Moon within 90% of its closest approach to Earth”. The closer Moon exerts more gravitational force on the Earth than normal so expect high tides to be slightly higher than those typically expected.

Apogee distance (maximum distance) is 252,180 miles (63.63 Earth Radii) from Earth on the 20th at 10:22AM EDT.

Planet..Constellation..Magnitude..Moon Passage..Moon ……………………………………………………………Phase/Age

Sun…….Virgo……-26.8…………………2:14AM EDT, 9/24 ……………………………………………………………..New ~ 0 days Mercury..Virgo…..+0.1……………………4.0°N, 6AM EDT, 9/26 ………………………………………….Waxing Crescent ~ 1.82 days Venus…..Virgo…..-3.9…………………3.8°SSW, 1PM EDT, 9/23 ………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 29.12 days Mars…….Libra……+0.6…………………4.1°N, 1PM EDT, 9/1 …………………………………………..Waxing Crescent ~ 7.12 days
…………..Scorpius..+0.8………………..6.0°N, 1PM EDT, 9/29 ……………………………………………Waxing Crescent ~ 5.45 days Jupiter….Cancer….-1.9……………….5.0°S, 7AM EDT, 9/20 ………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 25.87 days Saturn…..Libra……+0.6…………….0.7°S, Midnight EDT, 9/27 ………………………………………….Waxing Crescent ~ 3.20 days Uranus….Pisces…..+5.7……………….1.1°N, 10PM EDT, 9/10 …………………………………………..Waning Gibbous ~ 18.49 days Neptune..Aquarius..+7.8………………5.0°N, 8AM EDT, 9/8 …………………………………………..Waxing Gibbous ~ 13.91 days 

August 2014 – Skies News

08/9/2014
August Skies by Dick Cookman

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, August Moon

Focus Constellations: Cassiopeia, Perseus, Camelopardalis, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Cygnus, Lyra, Hercules, Corona Borealis, Bootes, Ophiuchus, Aquila, Pegausu, Andromeda

Comet Journal

The brightest comet of August is Comet C/2014 E2 (Jacques) at 6th magnitude in the predawn skies. It will move along the north side of the Milky Way from Auriga to Cepheus by the end of the month. After discovery in March, it passed through perihelion on July 3rd and swooped by Venus on the 13th. It will be closest to Earth when it crosses our orbit on August 28th (52,000,000 mi) after which it continues outward to the Oort belt on its 22,000 year journey around the Sun. Best viewing will be in the latter half August when it will be near the zenith in the predawn skies.

C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) is next brightest at 7th magnitude. It is descending into the plane of the solar system as it moves southward from Cancer into Hydra in August. It will reach perihelion on August 27th and achieve maximum brightness of 6th magnitude in autumn southern hemisphere skies as it continues on the outward trip below the Earth in September. .

C/2013 V5 (Oukaimeden) was discovered in November, 2013 and rapidly increased brightness from 19th magnitude to 10th magnitude by July. It is expected to reach 7th magnitude in August. It is moving along the Milky Way between Orion and Gemini and will be in Canis Minor by the end of the month. It will be easily viewed in binoculars and will pass closest to Earth (less than 45 million mi.) on Sept. 16th. At perihelion in late September the comet may approach 5th magnitude.

Comet C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) is at 9th magnitude. LINEAR is currently in southern hemisphere skies and will reappear above the southern horizon in Sculptor next year as it drops away from Earth on its journey back to the Oort Belt.

Mars Landers

After completing investigation of the aluminum-hydroxyl clay mineral area on the west rim of Endeavour Crater, Opportunity proceeded southward on the west rim of the crater toward a feature called Broken Hills on Sol 3711 (July 2, 2014). The rover’s journey in July was targeted on another clay rich mineral area called Marathon Valley which was spotted from orbit. Between Sol 3710 (July 1, 2014) and Sol 3738 (July 30, 2014), the rover managed to travel 0.41 miles (660 meters) of the 1.2 mile journey to the valley.

On the way, Opportunity collected numerous Panoramic Camera (Pancam) images, Navigation Camera (Navcam) panoramas, InSIGHT atmospheric opacity measurements, Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaics and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) readings of the surface targets Rosebud Canyon and Trebia, and atmospheric argon measurements with the APXS.

Flash memory amnesia events occurred on Sol 3724 (July 15, 2014) and Sol 3727 (July 19, 2014). However, the science data were recovered with subsequent second readouts. Solar array energy production during July was excellent, ranging between 650 and 775 watt-hours per sol.

According to NASA’s JPL website, Curiosity landed inside Gale Crater on Aug. 5, 2012, PDT (Aug. 6, 2012, EDT). During its first year of operations, it fulfilled the major science goal of determining whether Mars ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. The mission made important discoveries by finding evidence of ancient lake and river environments. Clay-bearing sedimentary rocks on the crater floor in an area called Yellowknife Bay yielded evidence of a lakebed environment billions of years ago that offered fresh water, all of the key elemental ingredients for life, and a chemical source of energy for microbes, if any existed there.

In early May, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover approached a sandstone slab in the middle unit of a rock layer (called Winjana) which surrounds the base of a small 16 foot tall butte called Mount Remarkable at “the Kimberley.” The coarser grains in the sandstone slab and the more abundant magnetite compared to the previous lakebed samples analyzed are indicative of a more active depositional environment such as river or wave environments which would remove clays and preferentially deposit coarser sand grains and denser magnetite grains.

As it approaches the second anniversary of its landing on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity rover is also approaching its first close look at bedrock that is part of Mount Sharp, the layered mountain in the middle of Mars’ Gale Crater. During its second year, it has been driving toward long-term science destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 2 miles (3 kilometers) southwest of the rover’s current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer — less than one-third of a mile (500 meters) from Curiosity. The rover team is calling the outcrop Pahrump Hills.

“We’re coming to our first taste of a geological unit that’s part of the base of the mountain rather than the floor of the crater,” said Curiosity Project Scientist John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. “We will cross a major terrain boundary.”

Meteor Showers

The Perseid Meteor Shower on the 12th will have to compete with the glare of the almost full waning gibbous Moon in Capricornus. Best viewing will be when Perseus is slightly east of the zenith before and after 5AM on the 13th as the Moon sets about an hour or so before sunrise. Expect 1 or 2 meteors/minute in dark skies. The Earth orbits through the residual river of debris from previous passages of Comet 109P Swift-Tuttle from July 17th to Aug. 24th and drives through the densest debris in the center of the river on the night of the 12th and 13th.

The Perseids provide more bright fireballs the any other shower. Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis is an apt descriptions of these fireballs which result from large meteoroids broken off of the huge 16 mile wide comet nucleus by solar heated gases, vaporized ices, and dust blasted from the comet.

Planet Plotting

Mars and Saturn are evening planets in August. Mars (+0.4 to +0.6) in Virgo sets before midnight in early August. Saturn (+0.5 to +0.6) in Libra sets about midnight on the 1st and both set 2 hours earlier at the end of the month. Mars catches up with Saturn as they orbit the Sun in August and passes the ringed planet on the 27th when they are within 4° of one another at 9AM EDT.

Jupiter (-1.8) in Cancer was in conjunction with the Sun on July 24th. It is within 0.2° of Venus at midnight on the 17th when both rise slightly before the Sun. In late August it will rise 2 to 3 hours before sunrise. Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Neptune are the other morning planets. Venus in Cancer and Leo is visible in the east before dawn all month long at magnitudes (-3.8 to -3.9). Mercury disappears from the evening sky in early August, reaches Superior Conjunction on the 8th and reappears in the predawn skies at month’s end. Neptune (+7.8) in Aquarius and Uranus (+5.8) in Pisces are in the southwestern predawn skies.

Planet……Constellation……Magnitude……Planet Passages

Sun………Cancer, Leo………-26.8…………New Moon, ………………………………………………………8/25, 10:13AM EDT Mercury..Cancer, Leo, Virgo..-1.5/-0.3….Superior Conjunction ………………………………………………………….8/8, Noon EDT
Venus..Cancer, Leo………-3.8/-3.9……..Jupiter, 0.2°S, ……………………………………………………..8/17, Midnight EDT
Mars……..Virgo…………….0.4 to +0.6…..Saturn, 4.0°N, ………………………………………………………8/27, 9:00AM EDT
Jupiter…..Cancer…………..-1.8…………….Venus, 0.2°N,
………………………………………………………8/17, Midnight EDT
Saturn…..Libra……………..+0.5 to +0.6…Saturn, 4.0°S, ………………………………………………………8/27, 9:00AM EDT
Uranus….Pisces…………….+5.8
Neptune…Aquarius…………+7.8…………..Solar Opposition, ………………………………………………………8/29, 11:00AM EDT

August Moon

Lunation 1133 began on the New Moon of July 26th and ends 28.65 days later when the New Moon of Aug 25th occurs at 10:13AM EDT.

The Full Moon of August is in Capricornus on the 10th at 2:09PM EDT. The August Moon was traditionally named the “Dog Days Moon” in Colonial America because Sirius in Canis Major rises with the Sun in early August. Ancient Egyptians observed that this coincided with the timing of the yearly Nile floods which provided critical nutrients for their flood plain farm fields and enabled them to establish the first Sun based annual calendar.

For Celts the August Full Moon was the “Dispute Moon.” Chinese call it the “Harvest Moon.” To Medieval English it was the “Corn Moon.” Anishnaabe people (Odawa and Ojibwe) of northern Michigan call it “Miini-giizis” (Berry Moon).
The Moon is at the nearest point (perigee) in its orbit (221,765 miles or 55.96 Earth Radii in August) on the 10th at 1:43PM EDT. The highest tides of the month (Spring Tides) occur during New and Full Moon. Since the Full Moon coincides with perigee the closer Moon appears larger (Supermoon) and exerts more gravitational force on the Earth so expect high tides to be higher than normal.

Apogee distance (maximum distance) is 252,602 miles (63.74 Earth Radii) from Earth on the 24th at 2:09AM EDT. This apogee is the most distant of the year so the Spring Tide due to New Moon (32 hours earlier) will be lower than normal.

Planet..Constellation..Magnitude..Moon Passage..Moon ……………………………………………………………Phase/Age

Sun…….Leo………-26.8…………………10:13AM EDT, 8/25 ……………………………………………………………..New ~ 0 days Mercury..Leo…….-0.4……………………3.0°S, 2AM EDT, 8/27 ………………………………………….Waxing Crescent ~ 1.66 days Venus…..Leo…….-3.9…………………..6.0°S, 2AM EDT, 8/24 ………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 27.30 days Mars…….Virgo……+0.4…………………2.0°N, 6AM EDT, 8/1 …………………………………………..Waxing Crescent ~ 4.47 days
…………..Libra……..+0.6………………..4.0°N, 8PM EDT, 8/31 ……………………………………………Waxing Crescent ~ 6.41 days Jupiter….Cancer…….-1.8……………….5.0°S, 1PM EDT, 8/23 ………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 26.76 days Saturn…..Libra………+0.5……………….0.7°S, 7AM EDT, 8/4 ………………………………………….Waxing Gibbous ~ 8:12 days ……………Libra………+0.6……………….0.4°S, 3PM EDT, 8/31 …………………………………………..Waxing Crescent ~ 6.20 days Uranus….Pisces……..+5.8……………….1.2°N, 1PM EDT, 8/14 …………………………………………..Waning Gibbous ~ 17.76 days Neptune..Aquarius….+7.8………………5.0°N, 10PM EDT, 8/11 …………………………………………..Waning Gibbous ~ 15.54 days 

July 2014 – Skies News

07/9/2014
July Skies by Dick Cookman

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, July Moon

Focus Constellations: Cassiopeia, Camelopardalis, Lynx, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cepheus, Draco, Cygnus, Lyra, Hercules, Corona Borealis, Bootes, Virgo, Ophiuchus, Aquila

Comet Journal

July skies glisten with 4 comets brighter than 10th magnitude.

The brightest is Comet C/2014 E2 (Jacques) at 6th magnitude in the predawn skies in Taurus on July 2nd when it is at maximum brightness. It will move into and through Auriga as it circuits along the southern edge of the Milky Way during July and rises above the plane of the Solar System. It will pass about 8,000,000 miles from Venus on July 13th and will still be almost magnitude 6 when closest to Earth on August 28th (52,000,000 mi).

Comet C/2013 UQ4 (Catalina) is next brightest at 7th magnitude. It is rapidly moving northward in eastern Andromeda and will shoot by Lacerta, pass Cepheus, and move through Draco as it approaches and skirts Bootes in July. The comet passes perihelion on July 5th and will pass within 30 million miles above Earth when in Cepheus on July 10th. It rises in the late evening and is best viewed in early morning skies well before dawn. Initially defined as an asteroid when discovered on Oct. 23, 2013, it was determined to be a long period “Dark Comet” which is now departing from the inner solar system on a 500 year counter clockwise orbit originating in the Oort or Kuiper Belt. Dark Comets appear asteroid-like because a deficiency of lighter elements and dust that were blown away during previous approaches to the Sun.

Comets C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) and C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) are at 8th and 9th magnitude respectively. PanSTARRS is descending into the plane of the solar system as it moves southward between Leo and Cancer in July. It may reach 6th magnitude in autumn southern hemisphere skies. It will reach perihelion on August 27th and achieve maximum brightness on its outward trip below the Earth in September as it moves passed the head of Hydra. LINEAR is south of Piscis Austrinus and will continue southward into southern hemisphere morning skies in July as it drops away from Earth on its journey back to the Oort Belt.

Mars Landers

Opportunity is exploring southward on the west rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover is conducting a contact science campaign with rocks in the northern part of a the region of aluminum/hydroxyl clay minerals measured from orbit. Upon arrival at the hypothetical aluminum-hydroxyl clay mineral area Opportunity approached a region with extended rock outcrops to conduct detailed investigation for the presence of clay minerals which may preserve residues of organic chemistry. From Sol 3662 (May 13, 2014) to Sol 3710 (July 1, 2014) the rover traveled over 686 feet as it examined the area. Starting on Sol 3664 (May 15, 2014), the rover began its surface campaign in this region with the collection of a Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic and the placement of the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on the surface target, called Bristol Well, a light-toned vein. On Sol 3671 (May 22, 2014) the rover began investigation of Sarcobatus Flat and also continued with a process of correcting the spacecraft clock by a few seconds each day (sol) to gradually offset the accumulated drift since the beginning of the mission.

Between Sol 3674 (May 25, 2014) and Sol 3693 (June 14, 2014), a series of Flash memory amnesia events occurred. Each was followed by a Flash memory reset in which data was recovered so there were no impacts to operations and no loss of science data. Opportunity is in good health with proper wheel currents, ample energy and no resets or faults.

On Sol 3707 (June 28, 2014), a (MI) mosaic was collected of the surface target Sodaville, followed by analysis with the (APXS). Opportunity then collected a (MI) mosaic and (APXS) of the target Tuscaloosa and proceeded to investigate a target near Sodaville with another (MI) mosaic and (APXS). Solar array energy production was maintained at levels between 650 and 761 watt-hours per day during the 2 month interval.

In early May, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover approached a rock layer surrounding the base of a small 16 foot tall butte called Mount Remarkable at “the Kimberley.” A sandstone slab in the “middle unit” called Winjana was targeted for the drilling after camera and X-ray spectrometer observations. The drilling produced a powdered sample from the rock’s interior which was delivered to onboard laboratory instruments for chemical analysis in the middle of May. Principal investigator David Blake states that subsequent studies reveal that Windjana has more magnetite than previous samples analyzed causing the powder to be darker colored. “A key question is whether this magnetite is a component of the original basalt or resulted from later processes, such as would happen in water-soaked basaltic sediments….”

Preliminary indications are that the rock contains a more diverse mix of clay minerals than found in the mission’s only previously drilled rocks, the mudstone at Yellowknife Bay. Windjana also contains an unexpectedly high amount of the mineral orthoclase, a potassium-rich feldspar that is one of the most abundant minerals in Earth’s crust. It had never before been definitively detected on Mars. This implies that some rocks on the Gale Crater rim from which the Windjana sandstones may have been derived experienced complex geological processes such as multiple melting episodes.

On June 27, 2014, NASA Mars rover Curiosity drove out of the 4 mile by 12 mile ellipse mapped as safe terrain for its 2012 landing inside Gale Crater as it proceeded on its drive toward the long-term destination on the slopes of Mt. Sharp at the center of Gale Crater.

Meteor Showers

The Piscis Austridid Meteor Shower on the 28th is a minor shower emanating from close to Fomalhaut, the 1st magnitude star in Piscis Austrinus which is on the southern horizon for observers in the northern United States. The shower seldom achieves more than 5 meteors per hour.

The Southern Delta Aquarid Meteors will shower us an hour or two before dawn on the night of the 29th/30th with 15 to 20 meteors/hr. The shower coincides with the crescent waxing Moon which sets just after sunset. Lunar glare will be absent enhancing visibility of the meteors. The meteors are suspected to result from ices, dust, and other debris shed by Comet 96P Machholz which orbits the Sun every 5.3 years and was last at perihelion on July 14, 2012.

Planet Plotting

Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are evening planets in July. Jupiter (-1.8) in Cancer sets soon after the Sun early in the month and is in conjunction with the Sun on the 24th. Mars (0.0) in Virgo sets slightly after midnight in early July and at about 11PM EDT on the 31st. Best viewing is an hour or so after sunset when it is relatively high in the southwestern sky. Saturn (+0.2) in Libra sets well after midnight on the 1st and about midnight at the end of the month. Mars is catching up with Saturn as it orbits the Sun, the gap between the two narrows from 28° to 12° during July. On the 12th, Mars lies within 1.5° of the first magnitude Spica in Virgo. The contrast in color between blue-white Spica and significantly brighter orange Mars produces a stunning sight in binoculars.

Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Neptune are morning planets. Venus in Taurus is spectacular at magnitudes (-3.9 to -3.8) and nearby Mercury ranges from a relatively dim +2.5 magnitude in early July to a bright -1.4 magnitude at month’s end. The two are within 6.2° of one another on the 16th. After reaching a maximum elongation of 21° from the Sun on the 12th, Mercury will maintain a brightness in excess of magnitude 0.0 for the remainder of July. Neptune (+7.8) in Aquarius and Uranus (+5.8) in Pisces are high in the southern sky before sunrise.

Planet……Constellation……Magnitude……Planet Passages

Sun………Gemini, Cancer………-26.8…………….New Moon, …………………………………………………………..7/26, 6:42PM EDT Mercury..Taurus, Gemini..+2.5/-1.4…..Max. Western Elongation, ……………………………………………………………7/12, 2PM EDT
…………………………………………………..Venus, 6.2°ESE, 7/16, 7PM EDT Venus.Taurus, Gemini..-3.9 to -3.8..Mercury, 6.2°WNW, 7/16, 7PM ED Mars……..Virgo…………….0.0 to +0.4
Jupiter…..Cancer…………..-1.8
Saturn…..Libra……………..+0.4 to +0.5
Uranus….Pisces…………….+5.8
Neptune…Aquarius…………+7.8

July Moon

The New Moon on June 27th at 4:08PM EDT was the beginning of Lunation 1132 which ends 29.61 days later with the New Moon on July 26th at 6:42PM EDT.

July’s Full Moon is in Sagittarius on the 12th at 7:25AM EDT. The July Moon was traditionally named “Summer Moon” in Colonial America. For Celts it was “Moon of Claiming.” Chinese call it “Hungry Moon.” To Medieval English it was “Mead Moon.” Anishnaabe people (Odawa and Ojibwe) of northern Michigan call it “Aabita-niibino-giizis” (Raspberry Moon).

Lunar perigee, when the Moon is at the nearest point in its orbit (222,612 miles or 56.17 Earth Radii in July), occurs on the 13th at 4:26AM EDT. The highest tides of the month, which are known as Spring Tides, occur during New and Full Moon due to the lining up of the Moon and Sun which causes their gravitational attractions to act in the same direction. Statistical analyses reveal that earthquakes are more frequent during Spring Tides. Tidal surges around the world will be further enhanced in July by the proximity of Earth and Moon which intensifies this effect.

Apogee distance (maximum distance) is 252,629 miles (63.74 Earth Radii) from Earth on the 27th at 11:28PM EDT. This apogee is the most distant of the year so the Spring Tide due to New Moon (19 hours earlier) will be lower than normal.

Planet..Constellation..Magnitude..Moon Passage..Moon ……………………………………………………………Phase/Age

Sun…….Gemini………-26.8……6:42PM EDT, 7/26 ……………………………………………………………..New ~ 0 days Mercury..Gemini…….-0.9……..5.0°S, 2PM EDT, 7/25 ………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 28.41 days Venus…..Gemini…….-3.8………4.0°S, 2PM EDT, 7/24 ………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 27.41 days Mars…….Virgo…………0.0………0.2°N, 9PM EDT, 7/5 …………………………………………….Waxing Gibbous ~ 8.70 days Jupiter….Cancer…….-1.8………5.3°SSW, 8PM EDT, 7/26 …………………………………………..Waxing Crescent ~ 0.05 days Saturn…..Libra………+0.4………0.4°S, 10PM EDT, 7/7 …………………………………………..Waxing Gibbous ~ 10.74 days Uranus….Pisces……..+5.8………1.4°N, 6AM EDT, 7/18 …………………………………………..Waning Gibbous ~ 21.08 days Neptune..Aquarius….+7.8……..5.0°N, 1PM EDT, 7/15 …………………………………………….Waning Gibbous ~ 18.37 days 

June 2014 – Skies News

05/29/2014
June Skies – by Dick Cookman

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, Summer Solstice, June Moon

Focus Constellations: Cassiopeia, Camelopardalis, Lynx, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cepheus, Draco, Cygnus, Lyra, Hercules, Corona Borealis, Bootes, Canes Venetici, Coma Berenices, Virgo, Ophiuchus

Comet Journal

C/2014 E2 (Jacques) is lost in the glow of the setting Sun in June and will reappear in the predawn skies in July after passing perihelion in Taurus on July 2nd when it may reach maximum brightness (+4.0?). It will then rise above the plane of the Solar System and pass about 8,000,000 miles from Venus on the 13th. It may still be visible to the naked eye at magnitude 5 – 6 when closest to Earth on August 28th (52,000,000 mi).

Comet C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) and Comet C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) are at 8th magnitude and will remain that bright until July. PanSTARRS moves through Leo Minor and will continue above the head of Leo in July. After reaching perihelion on the other side of the Sun on August 27th it may be 6th magnitude when closest to and below Earth in November southern hemisphere skies. LINEAR, south of the ecliptic in southern Aquarius, will move into Pisces Austrinus in June as an early morning apparition. It will be nearest to Earth on June 27th in Pisces Austrinus and not visible from northern latitudes.

Comet C/2013 UQ4 (Catalina) is in western Pisces and may reach 7th or 8th magnitude prior to and after passing perihelion on July 5th. It rises in the wee hours well after midnight on the 1st and closer to midnight on the 30th. It was discovered on October 23, 2013 and initially designated as an asteroid. It exhibited cometary activity in May, 2014 and was redefined as a dark comet. Dark comets are comets which have lost their sizzle, they can occasionally make comebacks and develop tails like normal comets. Astronomers predict that it will be 1.08 A.U. from the Sun at perihelion and within 0.31 A.U. from Earth on July 10th. They determined that it is probably a long period comet which is coming into the inner solar system on a 500 year counter clockwise orbit originating in the Oort or Kuiper Belt.

Mars Landers

Opportunity has been making tracks since April 15th in order to reach an area south of Solander Point on the rim of Endeavor Crater where orbital imagery revealed the presence of clay minerals. From Sol 3635 (April 15, 2014) to Sol 3662 (May 13, 2014) the rover traveled over 1500 feet southwestward along the ridge in order to approach the clay minerals. After experiencing elevated motor currents in the right-front wheel and heating the actuator to slightly reduce the current draw, the rover completed the last 2/3rds of the journey by driving backwards to further reduce current demand.

Upon arrival at the aluminum-hydroxyl clay mineral area Opportunity approached a region with extended rock outcrops to conduct detailed investigation for the presence of clay minerals which may preserve residues of organic chemistry.Solar array energy production improved almost 16% during the month to 761 watt-hours per day.

On April 16th, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover approached a rock layer surrounding the base of a small 16 foot tall butte called Mount Remarkable at “the Kimberley.” There are four different intersecting rock types in an this area which is a destination targeted after it was first observed from orbit in early 2013. “The Kimberley” is thought to be ideal for studying rock clues about ancient environments that may have been favorable for life.

The rock layer surrounding the base of Mount Remarkable is known as the “middle unit” because its location is intermediate between rocks that form buttes in the area and lower-lying rocks that show a pattern of large scale striations produced by a succession of parallel ridges and valleys resulting from differential erosion of rock layers of varying resistance.

The first two Martian rocks drilled a year ago were mudstone slabs in Yellowknife Bay, about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) northeast of the current location. Those two rocks yielded evidence of an ancient lakebed environment with key chemical elements and a chemical energy source that provided conditions billions of years ago favorable for microbial life.

A sandstone slab in the “middle unit” called Winjana was targeted for the third drilling after observations with the camera and X-ray spectrometer. Dust was brushed from a patch on the rock and readings of composition at various points on the rock were made with an instrument that fires laser shots. The drilling goal is to produce a powdered sample from the rock’s interior which can be prepared and delivered to onboard laboratory instruments for chemical analysis. “We want to learn more about the wet process that turned sand deposits into sandstone” said Curiosity Project Scientist John Grotzinger, of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. “What was the composition of the fluids that bound the grains together? That aqueous chemistry is part of the habitability story (that) we’re investigating.”

By the middle of May, portions of powdered rock collected by drilling into a sandstone target last week were delivered to laboratory instruments inside NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover. Other instruments on the rover inspected the rock’s interior exposed in the hole and in drill cuttings heaped around the hole. The camera and spectrometer at the end of Curiosity’s robotic arm examined the texture and composition of the cuttings. The instrument that fires a laser from atop the rover’s mast zapped a series of points inside the hole with sharpshooter accuracy for measurement of chemical composition.The rover will soon resume its drive toward the long-term destination on the slopes of Mt. Sharp.at the center of Gale Crater.

Meteor Showers

The Bootid Meteor Shower on the 27th coincides with the last stages of the waning Moon which rises about 4AM EDT.The minimal lunar glare will enhance visibility of the meteors. Meteor rate has been extremely variable. Prior to 1927 it was a relatively consistent shower but was dormant from 1927 to 1998 when it produced up to 100 meteors per hour. In 2004 it appeared again with rates approaching 50 meteors per hour. The meteors result from debris thrown off by Come 7P Pons-Winneke which orbits the Sun every 6 years and was last at perihelion in 2010. Since the showers seem to occur when the comet is close to perihelion, there may not be much of a show by the relatively slow moving meteors. Hopefully it may be better than the meteor sprinkle produce by the newborn Camelopardalids last month.

Summer Solstice

The solstice is at 6:51AM EDT on the 21st when Earth’s axis is oriented at maximum tilt toward the Sun resulting in longest day and shortest night for the year for the northern hemisphere. At latitude 45° N, the Sun is 68.5° above the south point on the horizon at noon, its highest altitude of the year. In contrast, on the winter solstice the Sun is only 21.5° above the horizon at noon. Since we view the sky in the opposite direction at night, the Moon and planets traverse the sky at their lowest altitude of the year mimicking the winter solstice path of the Sun.

Planet Plotting

Evening planets in June include Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. Mars (-0.5) in Virgo sets before 3AM EDT on the 1st and slightly after midnight on the 30th. Saturn (+0.2) in Libra sets about 4:30AM on the 1st and slightly after 2:00AM at the end of the month. Jupiter (-1.9) in Gemini sets about 11:00PM EDT on the 1st and by 9:00PM EDT on the 30th. Mercury (+1.2) in Gemini disappears into the glow of sunset before 10PM EDT in early June before lining up with the Sun in Taurus on the 19th. Mercury reappears in morning skies in early July.

Earth circuited passed Mars during opposition in April and is rapidly distancing the red planet which grows smaller and dimmer with each passing month. Although surface details can still be easily seen in telescopes more than 5 inches in diameter, Mars will be less than one sixth as bright when at its greatest distance from Earth in the summer of 2015.

Venus, Uranus, and Neptune are morning planets. Magnificent Venus (-4.0 to -3.9) in Aries rises after 4:00AM on the 1st and and after 3:00AM on the 30th. Neptune (+7.9) in Aquarius rises about 1:30AM EDT on the 1st, followed 1.5 hours later by Uranus (+5.9) in Pisces.

Planet……Constellation……Magnitude……Planet Passages

Sun………Taurus, Gemini………-26.8…………….New Moon, …………………………………………………………..6/27, 4:08PM EDT Mercury..Gemini, Taurus..+1.2/+3.4/+2.7..Inferior Conjunction, ……………………………………………………………6/19, 7PM EDT Venus……Aries, Taurus….-4.0 to -3.9 Mars……..Virgo…………….-0.5 to 0.0 Jupiter…..Gemini…………..-1.9 to -1.8 Saturn…..Libra……………..+0.2 to +0.4 Uranus….Pisces…………….+5.9 Neptune…Aquarius…………+7.9

June Moon

The New Moon of May on the 28th marked the start of Lunation 1131 which ends 29.56 days later with the New Moon on June 27th at 4:08PM EDT.

The Full Moon of June occurs in Ophiuchus (the generally unrecognized 13th zodiacal constellation) on the 13th at 12:11AM EDT. The June Moon was traditionally named the “Rose Moon” in Colonial America. For Celts it was “Moon of Horses” and Chinese call it the “Lotus Moon.” To Medieval English it was “Dyan Moon” and the Anishnaabe people (Chippewa and Ojibwe) of northern Michigan call it “Ode’imini-giizis” (Strawberry Moon).

There are 2 apogees in June. The Moon is at the farthest point in its orbit, 251,627 miles (63.49 Earth Radii) from Earth on the 3rd at 12:25AM EDT and even farther on the 30th at 3:10PM EDT when it is at 252,233 miles (63.65 Earth Radii). Perigee distance is 224,977 miles (56.77 Earth Radii) on the 14th at 11:29AM EDT.

Planet..Constellation..Magnitude..Moon Passage..Moon ………………………………………………………………….Phase/Age

Sun…….Taurus………-26.8……….4:08PM EDT, 6/27 …………………………………………………………………..New ~ 0 days Mercury..Taurus…….+1.1…………0.27°N, 8AM EDT, 6/26 ……………………………………………Waning Crescent ~ 28.72 days Venus…..Taurus…….-3.9………….1.3°S, 9AM EDT, 6/24 ……………………………………………Waning Crescent ~ 26.76 days Mars…….Virgo………-0.3………….1.6°S, 9PM EDT, 6/7 …………………………………………….Waxing Gibbous ~ 10.26 days Jupiter….Gemini…….-1.9………….6.0°S, 4AM EDT, 6/1 …………………………………………….Waxing Crescent ~ 3.56 days Jupiter….Gemini…….-1.8………….5.0°S, 11PM EDT, 6/30 ……………………………………………..Waxing Crescent ~ 3.79 days Saturn…..Libra………+0.3………….0.6°S, 3PM EDT, 6/10 ……………………………………………..Waxing Gibbous ~ 13.01 days Uranus….Pisces……..+5.9………….1.6°N, 11PM EDT, 6/20 ……………………………………………..Waning Crescent ~ 23.35 days Neptune..Aquarius….+7.9…………5.0°N, 6AM EDT, 6/18 …………………………………………….Waning Gibbous ~ 20.64 days 

May 2014 – Skies News

05/5/2014
May Skies by Dick Cookman

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, May Moon

Focus Constellations: Cassiopeia, Camelopardalis, Lynx, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cepheus, Draco, Lyra, Hercules, Corona Borealis, Bootes, Canes Venetici, Coma Berenices, Virgo, Leo

Comet Journal

C/2014 E2 (Jacques) was discovered on March 13, 2014 and rapidly ascended to 8th magnitude as it moved parallel to the Milky Way and into northern hemisphere skies in April. It is currently in Monoceras and will move toward Orion in May, possibly reaching naked eye visibility by the end of the month when, right after sunset, it will be near the horizon in the west – northwest. As it approaches perihelion on July 2nd, Comet Jacques will reach maximum brightness (+4.0?). It will then rise above the plane of the Solar System and pass about 8,000,000 miles from Venus on the 13th. It may still be visible to the naked eye at magnitude 5 – 6 when closest to Earth on August 28th (52,000,000 mi).

Comet C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) and Comet C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) are both at 8th magnitude and will remain that bright until July. PanSTARRS is moving through Ursa Major below the handle and cup of the Big Dipper in May and is visible throughout the night. It reaches perihelion on the other side of the Sun on August 27th and may reach 6th magnitude when closest to and below Earth in southern hemisphere skies in November. LINEAR is moving into southern hemisphere skies in May and is an early morning apparition as it moves southwesterly along a path between Aquarius and Capricornus. It will be nearest to Earth on June 27th in Pisces Austrinus and not visible from northern latitudes.

Mars Landers

Opportunity is near Solander Point on the rim of Endeavor Crater. It is on the crest of the highest hill encountered during the mission’s ten years on Mars. The hill is part of Murray Ridge rising southward from Solander Point as a ridge forming an elevated portion of the western rim of the 14 mile (22 kilometer) diameter crater.

From Sol 3609 (March 19, 2014) to Sol 3635 (April 15, 2014) the rover traveled almost 500 feet southwestward along the ridge in order to approach a local ridge top, a vantage point offering a view with an entire sweep of Endeavour Crater. The vantage point provides an opportunity to collect a spectacular color panorama of Endeavour. On Sol 3623 (April 3, 2014), the rover moved about 52 feet (16 meters) in a clockwise arc around some obstacles in an approach to a large rock outcrop. Moving closer to the outcrop would be difficult, so it was decided to document the outcrop with imagery and then back away and continue to the local ridge top. After completing the panoramic photo shoot, Opportunity traveled another 650 feet in order to approach an area of clay minerals imaged from orbit but experienced elevated motor currents in the right-front wheel. Since heating of the actuator did not resolve the issue, the rover switched to driving backwards, reducing the current demand.

Solar array energy production rose about 14% during the
interval to 658 watt-hours per day.

On April 2nd, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover drove the final 98 feet feet (30 meters) on its trip to “the Kimberley,” a planned destination observed from orbit in early 2013. It has four different intersecting rock types in an area which may be ideal for studying rock clues about ancient environments that may have been favorable for life.

The mission’s investigations at the Kimberley are planned as the most extensive since Curiosity spent the first half of 2013 in an area called Yellowknife Bay where drilling produced samples of the underlying mudstones which were then subjected to detailed chemical and textural analyses. The Kimberley is characterized by a tilted sequence of sandstone layers exhibiting differential erosion where some of the exposed edges of the layers on the ground surface are eroded more deeply than others creating a series of parallel ridges and valleys.

Rock layers can be differentially eroded due to the nature of the cementing materials between the sand grains. Some cements are hard, resisting erosion and causing ridge formation, others are soft allowing deeper erosion of the layers which produces small valleys. The nature of these cements reveals the different types of wet environmental conditions and processes active in the lithification (rock formation) of the preexisting sediments from which the rock layers were formed. Quartz cement between quartz sand grains produces much harder rock that that produced by calcite (carbonate) cement or by cements comprised of silt or clay. Erosion resistant sandstone forms a capping layer of mesas and buttes. The sandstones could even hold hints about why Gale Crater has a large layered mountain, Mount Sharp, at its center.

By the end of April, preliminary drilling sites were selected. Preparatory activity produced a hole about 0.8 inch (2 centimeters) deep in the target called “Windjana.” The rover team plans to decide whether to proceed with deeper drilling of this rock in coming days.

Meteor Showers

Another dagger in the heart of the Aristotelian view that the heavens are perfect and unchanging may be evident in May with a new meteor shower (storm) emanating from celestial north before dawn on the 24th. According to Guy Ottewell’s 2014 Astronomical Calendar, meteor scientists Esko Lyytinen and Peter Jenniskens calculated the orbit of Comet 209/Linear, which passed by the Sun in 1803 and 1924 and is projected to return to perihelion on May 6th, and hypothesized that an intense meteor shower approaching 400 meteor per hour might result. The May issue of Astronomy magazine speculated more conservatively that Comet 209P/Linear meteors could approach rates of over 100 meteor per hour at the peak.

The Eta Aquarid Meteor shower is on the 6th. It normally averages 40 meteors per hour and may even reach levels comparable to the storm of 2013 which reached 140 meteors per hour in dark skies. The Eta Aquarids are comprised of debris shed from Comet 1P Halley which last passed this way in 1986 and will make a return trip in 2061. Comet Halley is currently approaching its aphelion (farthest from the Sun position) between Neptune and Pluto well below the plane of the Solar System. Inasmuch as it moves much more slowly in the outer part of its orbit than when close to the Sun, it will reach aphelion in 2023 and then start the long return journey.

Planet Plotting

Saturn is at opposition on the 10th at 2PM EDT and at its brightest (magnitude +0.1) for 2014. The planet is tilted away from Earth presenting spectacular views of the underside of its rings.

The magnitude scale is exponential and ranges from 1st magnitude to 6th magnitude for visible celestial objects. Any magnitude designated by a number greater than 6 is too dim to see. Sixth magnitude includes magnitudes 5.50 through 6.49 and 1.0 magnitude objects are 100 times brighter than 6.0 magnitude objects. A difference in magnitude of 1.0 is equivalent to a difference of brightness of approximately 2.5 (the difference between 6 and 1 is 5 and the fifth root of 100 is 2.512). Saturn will be visible in Libra throughout the night of the 10th and 11th when it rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. Magnitude +0.1 is about twice as bright as Saturn’s normal magnitude which ranges from +0.6 to +0.9.

Evening planets in May also include Mercury, Jupiter, and Mars. Mercury appears at magnitude 0.0 to +1.1 in Taurus in the latter half of May right after the Sun sets. It is at greatest eastern elongation on the 25th when it is 23° away from the Sun and sets two hours after sunset. Jupiter sets in Gemini in the latter part of the evening ranging from an hour after midnight on the 1st to 11PM EDT at month’s end. It dims slightly from magnitude -2.0 to -1.9 during the interval. Mars drops from magnitude -1.2 to -0.5 during May after its April opposition as Earth is rapidly distancing itself as it moves ahead of Mars in its orbit. Quite bright in Virgo, Mars outshines 1st magnitude Spica by 6 times in early May and by 4 times on the 31st.

Brilliant Venus (-4.4 to -4.2), Uranus (+5.9) in Pisces, and Neptune (+7.9) in Aquarius are morning planets. Neptune rises 3 hours before the Sun on the 15th, followed 1.5 hours later by Venus and Uranus which are separated by about 1°.

Planet……Constellation……Magnitude……Planet Passages

Sun………Aries, Taurus……………-26.8…………New Moon, ………………………………………………………….5/28, 2:40PM EDT
Mercury..Aries, Taurus, Gemini..-1.8 to +1.1…Max. Eastern ……………………………………………………………….Elongation ……………………………………………………….5/25, 3:00AM EDT
Venus……Pisces…………………….-4.1 to -4.0…Uranus, 1.3°N, …………………………………………………………..5/15, 9AM EDT
Mars…….Virgo………………….-1.2 to -0.5
Jupiter….Gemini………………..-2.0 to -1.9
Saturn…..Libra………………….+0.1 to +0.2
Uranus…..Pisces……………….+5.9………………….Venus, 1.3°N, …………………………………………………………….5/15, 9AM EDT
Neptune…Aquarius……………+7.9

May Moon

Lunation 1130, kicked off by the April 29th New Moon at 2:14AM EDT, provided an annular Solar Eclipse for the Indian Ocean and Antarctica. It ends 29.52 days later with the New Moon of May 28th at 2:40PM EDT. An exceptionally thin 30 hour old waxing crescent Moon is near the western horizon right after sunset on the 29th. It will be slightly south of where the Sun set.

The Full Moon of May occurs in Libra on the 14th at 3:16PM EDT. The May Full Moon was traditionally named the “Milk Moon” in Colonial America, probably because of the ancient tradition in England of milking the cows three times a day on May 1st. For Celts it was “Bright Moon” and Chinese call it the “Dragon Moon.” To Medieval English it was “Hare Moon” and the Anishnaabe people (Chippewa and Ojibwe) of northern Michigan call it “Waabigwani-giizis” (Blossom Moon).

The Moon is at the farthest point in its orbit, 251,232 miles (63.39 Earth Radii) from Earth at apogee on the 6th at 6:24AM EDT. Perigee is at a distance of 228,107 miles (57.56 Earth Radii) on the 18th at 7:27AM EDT.

Planet….Constellation…Magnitude..Moon Passage..Moon Phase/Age

Sun…….Taurus……..-26.8…………2:40PM EST, 5/28
…………………………………………….New ~ 0 days
Mercury..Taurus…….+1.1……….,,.6°S, Noon EDT, 5/30
………………………………………,,.Waxing Crescent ~ 1.9 days
Venus……Pisces……-4.0…………2.0°N, Noon EDT, 5/25
…………………………………………Waning Crescent ~ 26.41 days
Mars………Virgo………-0.9……..3.0°S, 10AM EDT, 5/11
…………………………………………Waxing Gibbous ~ 12.32 days
Jupiter…..Gemini……..-2.0……..5.0°S, 10AM EDT, 5/4
…………………………………………Waxing Crescent ~ 5.32 days
Saturn…..Libra………..+0.1……..0.6°S, 8AM EDT, 5/14
…………………………………………Waxing gibbous ~ 15.24 days
Uranus…..Pisces……..+5.9……..1.9°N, 4PM EST, 5/24
…………………………………………Waning Crescent ~ 25.57 days
Neptune…Aquarius….+7.9……..5.0°N, Midnight EDT, 5/21
………………………………………….Waning Gibbous ~ 22.91 days 

April 2014 – Skies News

04/1/2014
April Skies by Dick Cookman

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Galaxies Galore, Planet Plotting, April Moon

Focus Constellations: Cassiopeia, Camelopardalis, Lynx, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cepheus, Draco, Bootes, Canes Venetici, Coma Berenices, Virgo, Leo, Cancer,

Comet Journal

Comet C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) and Comet C/2012 K1 (PanSTARRS) are the spring comets for 2014. Both are at 8th magnitude and will remain that bright until July. PanSTARRS circuits on a path north of Bootes and below the handle of the Big Dipper in April and is visible throughout the night. LINEAR is an early morning apparition as it moves westerly along a path north of Capricornus.

PanSTARRS is dropping into the plane of the solar system along a steeply inclined orbit. It passes above Earth in April, reaches perihelion on the other side of the Sun on August 27th and may reach 6th magnitude when closest to and below Earth in southern hemisphere skies in November. LINEAR is on a similar less inclined path and will descend through the solar system plane in May and be nearest to Earth on June 27th.

Mars Landers

Opportunity is on Solander Point on the rim of Endeavor Crater. It is climbing the highest hill encountered during the mission’s ten years on Mars. The hill is part of Murray Ridge rising southward from Solander Point as a ridge forming an elevated portion of the western rim of the 14 mile (22 kilometer) diameter crater. The ridge materials were uplifted by the great impact that excavated the crater billions of years ago, reversing the common geological pattern of older materials lying lower than younger ones.

The rover is analyzing a number of rocks and rock outcrops on the ridge. Between Sol 3588 (Feb. 26, 2014) and Sol 3609 (March 19, 2014) Opportunity traveled 158 ft. (50 meters) in the process of examining targets at four different sites.

Solar array energy production rose about 10% during the interval to 558 watt-hours per day as a result of a wind-induced solar panel dust cleaning event in mid-March.

In search of a smoother route to avoid escalation of the damage done by sharp rocks to the aluminum wheels since landing on Mars, the Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, cut through a shallow valley called Dingo Gap blocked by a 3 foot high sand dune. After crossing the dune on February 9th, Curiosity proceeded southwestward along the smoother route toward Kimberly, the next drilling site.

On Feb. 18th mission scientists turned the rover around and initiated a backwards drive of 329 ft. (100.3 meters) as a test for more extensive backwards driving which may be required on rougher routes. During the trip, the rover passed a tilted sequence of layered rocks dipping in the direction of travel toward Mt. Sharp. The rock layers were overturned by the impact that excavated Endeavor Crater so the “downdip” direction of travel which typically leads to younger rock layers in this case produces older rock layers which are turned upside down. The impact peeled back preexisting rock layers and flopped them over as if a bomb were fired into a gigantic layer cake.

Meteor Showers

April hosts the Lyrid meteor shower first recorded by the Chinese in 687 BC. The shower is refueled every 415 years by debris lost from Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher which last visited the inner solar system in 1861. The Lyrids, which peak on the morning of the 22nd and can be seen between the 16th and 25th, typically produce 15 to 20 meteors per hour in dark skies. The shower seldom approaches displays of 100 or more meteors/hr., but over 250 meteors/hr appeared for a short period of time in 1982. Lyra rises in the northeast after 10PM EDT and the best viewing will be high in the south in the predawn hours.

Galaxies Galore

April is one of the best months for evening observation of galaxies. A band of some of the most magnificent bright elliptical and spiral galaxies visible from Earth can be scanned north-northeastward from the gigantic Virgo Supercluster of galaxies. The band streches along a line sub-parallel to the axis of our galaxy. It passes by the tail of Leo and extends to the north pole of the Milky Way in Coma Berenices, then through Canes Venetici and the cup of the Big Dipper to M-81/M-82 northwest of Dubhe in Ursa Major.

Planet Plotting

In April, the evening planets which span the sky from west to southeast include Jupiter (-2.2 to -2.0) in Gemini, Mars (-1.3 to -1.4 to -1.2) in Virgo, and Saturn (+0.3 to +0.1) in Libra.

Mars is at opposition at 5PM EDT on the 8th when Earth is precisely between Mars and the Sun. Mars is closer to Earth and brighter than at any other time during the 4 year interval between the last opposition in 2012 and the next one in 2016. The Red Planet rises at sunset and sets at sunrise, and even small backyard telescopes will reveal surface patterns and details normally restricted to larger instruments.

Mars oppositions differ in terms of distance from Earth and apparent size and brightness of the disk. When closest, Mars can equal or even exceed Jupiter’s brightness. During the last 60 years close oppositions occurred in 1956, 1971, 1988, and 2003. The latter was the closest of the four at 34.69 million miles, a distance matched only 4 times in the last 400 years.

I was fortunate enough to witness the 1956 opposition when Mars was 35.25 million miles distant. Martian proximity initiated my interest in astronomy, inspiring me to purchase a telescope and embark on a extended program of Mars observation and sketching.

Bright Jupiter rises in the afternoon and sets after midnight, and Saturn rises in mid-evening and sets after sunrise. Jupiter dominates the evening sky in the southwest and west and Saturn is easily seen in the east and southeast.

Morning planets are limited to brilliant Venus (-4.4 to -4.2) in Capricornus and Aquarius and Neptune (+7.9) in Aquarius. Venus rises two hours before sunrise in April while Neptune rises an hour and a half before the Sun on the 1st and 2.5 hours earlier than sunrise on the 30th.

Uranus in Pisces and Mercury in Capricornus and Aquarius are buried in twilight. Each planet has a conjunction with the Sun on April 2nd and April 21st respectively.

Planet……Constellation……Magnitude……Planet Passages

Sun………Pisces, Aries……………-26.8…………New Moon, ………………………………………………………….4/29, 2:14AM EDT
Sun………Pisces, Aries……………-26.8…….Uranus Conjunction, ………………………………………………………..4/2, 3:00AM EDT
Mercury..Aquarius, Pisces, Aries..-0.2 to -1.6…..Superior …………………………………………………………Conjunction, 4/21,
……………………………………………………………………11PM EDT
Venus..Capricornus, Aquarius..-4.4 to -4.2…Neptune, 0.7°S, …………………………………………………………..4/12, 4AM EDT
Mars…….Virgo………………….-1.3 to -1.4 to -1.3..Opposition, …………………………………………………………..4/8, 5PM EDT
Jupiter….Gemini………………..-2.2 to -2.0
Saturn…..Libra………………….+0.3 to +0.1
Uranus…..Pisces……………….+5.9…..Solar Conjunction, 4/2,
……………………………………………………………………3AM EDT
Neptune…Aquarius……………+7.9………….Venus, 0.7°N,
…………………………………………………………..4/12, 4AM EDT

April Moon

The New Moon on March 30th marks the beginning of Lunation 1129 which ends 29.20 days later with the the New Moon of April on the 29th at 2:14AM EDT. The New Moon of April coincides with an annular Solar Eclipse limited to the southern Indian Ocean and Antarctica.

The Full Moon of April is the first full moon after the Spring Equinox so the following Sunday is Easter. The Full Moon in Virgo on the 15th at 3:41AM EDT passes through the shadow of the Earth and is totally eclipsed for observers in western South America, Central America and most of North America excepting New England, Maritime Canada and Alaska. Mid eclipse at the zenith occurs slightly north of Easter Island. The next Total Lunar Eclipse in October will be less accessible for observers in eastern North America as it is centered farther west in the Pacific.

According to Alan MacRobert in April’s Sky & Telescope Magazine, the eclipse starts with the penumbral stage at 1:20AM EDT and is followed by the partial stage at 1:58AM EDT. Totality begins at 3:07AM EDT with mid-eclipse at 3:45AM EDT and ends at 4:25AM EDT. The exiting partial stage ends at 5:33 AM EDT followed by the exiting penumbral stage. The Moon may assume a reddish color due to light passing around the solid Earth and through our atmosphere. During passage, the blue end of the spectrum is scattered by Earth’s atmosphere. The residual light which is shifted toward the red is refracted so that which passes Earth and heads toward the Moon can be reflected back to Earth. The color may be intensified and darkened by volcanic eruptions occurring prior to and during the eclipse, and observers may even see ephemeral shadows caused by clouds in the atmosphere along the Earth’s rim.

The April Moon was traditionally named the “Planter’s Moon” in Colonial America. For Celts it was “Growing Moon” and Chinese call it the “Peony Moon.” To Medieval English it was “Seed Moon” and the Anishnaabe people (Chippewa and Ojibwe) of northern Michigan celebrate it more realistically for 2014 as “Iskigamizige-giizis(oog)” (Broken Snowshoe Moon).

The Moon is at the farthest point in its orbit, 251,334 miles (63.42 Earth Radii) from Earth at apogee on the 8th at 10:52AM EDT. Perigee, at a distance of 229,761 miles (57.97 Earth Radii), is on the 27th at 8:24PM EDT.

Planet….Constellation…Magnitude..Moon Passage..Moon Phase/Age

Sun…….Aries………..-26.8…………2:14AM EST, 4/29
…………………………………………….New ~ 0 days
Mercury..Aries……….-1.9……….,,.1.6°S, 2PM EDT, 4/29
………………………………………,,.Waning Crescent ~ 26.69 days
Venus…Aquarius……-4.2…………4.0°N, 7PM EDT, 4/25
…………………………………………Waning Crescent ~ 25.90 days
Mars………Virgo………-1.4……..3.0°S, 2PM EDT, 4/14
…………………………………………Waxing Gibbous ~ 14.69 days
Jupiter…..Gemini……..-2.2……..5.0°S, 7PM EDT, 4/6
…………………………………………Waxing Crescent ~ 6.90 days
Saturn…..Libra………..+0.2……..0.4°S, 3AM EDT, 4/17
…………………………………………Waning gibbous ~ 17.23 days
Uranus…..Pisces……..+5.9……..2.0°N, 7AM EST, 4/27
…………………………………………Waning Crescent ~ 27.40 days
Neptune…Aquarius….+7.9……..5.0°N, 6PM EDT, 4/24
………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 24.85 days 

March 2014 – Skies News

03/3/2014
March Skies by Dick Cookman

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Spring Equinox, Planet Plotting, March Moon

Focus Constellations: Lynx, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Camelopardalis, Perseus, Auriga, Taurus, Orion, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Coma Berenices, Bootes

Comet Journal

The comets of 2013 visible to the naked eye are history. Comet Ison evaporated as it passed through the Sun’s corona in November and Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy will gradually drop from 9th to 12th magnitude as it moves southward in the predawn skies though Serpens Cauda and leaves the inner Solar System by June.

An outburst of Comet C/2012 X1 ( LINEAR ) in late October suddenly increased its magnitude by 250 times from 14 to 8 before it passed closest to the Sun at perihelion on Feb. 21st. As it moves through Aquila and Aquarius in the morning skies in March, April and May, scientists expect it to remain at magnitude 8 until June 27th when closest to Earth.

11th magnitude Comet C/2012 K1 ( PanSTARRS ) is dropping into the plane of the solar system along a steeply inclined orbit. It passes above Earth in April, reaches perihelion on the other side of the Sun on August 27th and may reach 6th magnitude when closest to and below Earth in southern hemisphere skies in November. It is currently tracking northwestward through Hercules in evening skies and will approach Bootes at the end of March. The comet may reach 9th magnitude in northern Bootes when at opposition on April 15th.

Mars Landers

Opportunity is on Solander Point on the rim of Endeavor Crater. It is climbing the highest hill encountered during the mission’s ten years on Mars. The hill is part of Murray Ridge rising southward from Solander Point as a ridge forming an elevated portion of the western rim of the 14 mile (22 kilometer) diameter crater. The ridge materials were uplifted by the great impact that excavated the crater billions of years ago, reversing the common geological pattern of older materials lying lower than younger ones.

On Sol 3541 (Jan. 8, 2014), while investigating a target in the Cape Darby area called Cape Elizabeth, mission scientists observed a jelly donut shaped rock dubbed Pinnacle Island which had not been visible in earlier images. They eliminated the proposal that angry Martians were stoning the rover for driving through sacred grounds when they noticed that Pinnacle Island probably broke off of an adjacent similar appearing overturned rock sitting in the rover’s tracks. Investigation of the donut shaped rock with available instruments revealed high levels of elements such as manganese and sulfur. These water-soluble ingredients were probably concentrated in the rock by the action of water. “This may have happened just beneath the surface relatively recently,” said Deputy Principal Investigator Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis, “or it may have happened deeper below ground longer ago”.

Opportunity analyzed three more rocks on the ridge in detail by Sol 3588 (Feb. 26, 2014). Solar array energy production rose during the interval from 360 to 464 watt-hours per day.

Curiosity, the Science Laboratory rover, sustained damage to its aluminum wheels as it drove over sharp rocks during the 3 miles of travel since its August 2012 landing. Recent orbital images revealed a nearby relatively smoother path to Mt. Sharp, the long range destination of the mission. This path also leads to KMS-9 (Kimberly), the next proposed drilling site where three terrain types and a relatively dust-free surface are exposed according to science team collaborator Katie Stack of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.

The intervening ridge separating the original route from the smooth topography is cut by a shallow valley called Dingo Gap which is blocked by a 3 foot high sand dune spanning the gap. The rover crossed the dune on Feb. 9th after confirming the smooth route on the other side. From the 9th to the end of February, Curiosity traveled over one mile southwestward along the smoother route between Dingo Gap and Kimberly, passing numerous outcrops displaying layered rock.

Meteor Showers

March is about the poorest month for meteor showers. The Gamma Normids on the 14th are a weak shower for observers in the southern hemisphere. The meteors will be lost in the glare of the waxing gibbous Moon.

Spring Equinox

March 20th marks the Vernal Equinox of Spring at 12:57 PM EDT when the Sun enters the astrological sign of Aries which no longer coincides with the constellation Aries. The Sun, Earth, and the constellation Pisces are currently lined up on the Vernal Equinox as we are now in the Age of Pisces. We were in the Age of Aries approximately 2000 years ago when the Sun, Earth and Aries were lined up on the Vernal Equinox. The Age of Aquarius will arrive in about 600 years when the precession of Earth’s axis causes the line up of Sun, Earth, and Aquarius on the Vernal Equinox when the axis is positioned at 90° from a line connecting Earth and Sun causing equal day and night over the entire planet.

Planet Plotting

Evening planets in March include Uranus which sets soon after the Sun but can be seen through binoculars at magnitude 5.9 in Pisces. Jupiter in Gemini rises before sunset and sets well after Midnight, dominating the evening sky. Mars in Virgo rises about 9:30PM and sets after sunrise. It is growing ever brighter as it approaches opposition next month. Saturn in Libra which rises before Midnight and sets after sunrise, is also becoming brighter in March.

Venus in Capricornus and Mercury in Capricornus and Aquarius are 1st magnitude morning planets which rise well before the Sun during the first part of March but rise slightly closer to sunrise as the month progresses. Neptune rises just before sunrise in early March and is better observed in late March when it rises earlier. It is within 1.2° of Mercury on the 22nd.

Planet……Constellation……Magnitude……Planet Passages

Sun………Aquarius……………-26.8…………New Moon, ………………………………………………………….3/1, 3:00AM EST
Sun………Pisces………………-26.8……………3/30, 2:00PM EDT
Mercury..Capricornus, Aquarius..+0.8 to -0.2…..Greatest …………………………………………………………Western Elongation
…………………………………………………………..3/14, 3AM EDT
…………………………………………………………Neptune, 1.2°N, …………………………………………………………..3/22, 8AM EDT
Venus…..Capricornus………..-4.8 to -4.4
Mars…….Virgo………………….-0.5 to -1.3
Jupiter….Gemini………………..-2.4 to -2.2
Saturn…..Libra………………….+0.4 to +0.3
Uranus…..Pisces……………….+5.9
Neptune…Aquarius……………+8.0………….Mercury, 1.2°S,
…………………………………………………………..3/22, 8AM EDT

March Moon

The March 1st New Moon introduces Lunation 1128 at 3AM EST. It ends 29.49 days later with the second New Moon of March on the 30th at 2PM EDT. The March 1st New Moon occurs 1.5 days after the February 27th perigee when the Moon was nearer to Earth than at any other time in February. Both Jan. 1st and Feb. 1st New Moons were closer to perigee, resulting in higher tides than those of March 1st. Both January 30th and March 30th New Moons are known as “Black Moons” because each is the second New Moon of their respective months.

The Full Moon of March is in Leo on the 16th at 1:08PM EDT. It was traditionally referred to as the “Fish Moon” in Colonial America. Celts referred to it as “Moon of Winds” and Chinese call it “Sleepy Moon.” To Medieval English it was the “Chaste Moon” and Anishnaabe (Chippewa and Ojibwe) of northern Michigan celebrate it as “Bebookwaadaagame-giizis(oog)” (Snow Crust Moon).

The Moon is at the farthest point in its orbit, 251,881 miles (63.56 Earth Radii) from Earth at apogee on the 11th at 3:47PM EDT. Perigee, at a distance of 227,238 miles (57.34 Earth Radii), is on the 27th at 2:34PM EDT.

The gyroscopic effect of Earth’s rotation acts to hold Earth’s rotational axis in a tilted position where it points to Polaris.

The varying distances of the Moon and Sun as the Moon and Earth respectively travel in their monthly and annual elliptical orbits cause varying gravitational attraction for the Earth from each. The gravitational effects of the Moon and Sun act to position Earth’s axis so that it is at right angles to the line connecting Earth, Sun and Moon.

The results of these conflicting forces are twofold. The first effect is the precession or wobbling of Earth’s axis and the second is the gradual slowing of Earth’s rotation.

Precession of axis is a 26,000 year cycle during which the lineup of the Sun and Earth on the Equinoxes and Solstices progresses through the Zodiacal constellations at a rate slightly over one constellation per 2000 years.

The slowing of Earth’s rotation causes a reduction of one day per year for each million years. In the Devonian Period fossil evidence indicates that there were 400 days per year in contrast to the 365 days per year at present.

The variation of gravitational attraction between Earth and the Sun and Moon results in variation of the rate of Precession and variation in the rate of slowing of Earth’s rotation. The consequences are rather erratic minor changes in axial tilt and rotation rate. These erratic changes are supplemented with other changes due to earthquake activity and occasional impacts of cometary and asteroid material. The long term result is instability of Earth’s orbit (and those of the other planets which are similarly influenced by their neighbors).

This instability suggests that the current arrangement and contents of the Solar System will probably change rather catastrophically through time. Read the science fiction story by Fritz Leiber called “A Pail Of Air” for an example of one scenario.

Planet….Constellation…Magnitude..Moon Passage..Moon Phase/Age

Sun…….Aquarius….-26.8…………3:00AM EST, 3/1
…………………………………………….New ~ 0 days
Sun…….Pisces……..-26.8…………2:00PM EDT, 3/30
…………………………………………….New ~ 0 days Mercury..Aquarius….-0.2……….,,.6.0°N, 1AM EDT, 3/29
………………………………………,,.Waning Crescent ~ 27.92 days
Venus…Capricornus..-4.4…………4.0°N, 6AM EDT, 3/27
…………………………………………Waning Crescent ~ 26.12 days
Mars………Virgo………-0.9……..3.0°S, 11PM EDT, 3/18
…………………………………………Waning Gibbous ~ 17.83 days
Jupiter…..Gemini……..-2.4……..5.0°S, 7AM EDT, 3/10
…………………………………………Waxing Gibbous ~ 9.17 days
Saturn…..Libra………..+0.3……..0.2°S, 5PM EDT, 3/20
…………………………………………Waning gibbous ~ 19.83 days
Uranus…..Pisces……..+5.9……..2.0°N, 6AM EST, 3/3
…………………………………………Waxing Crescent ~ 2.12 days
Neptune…Aquarius….+8.0……..5.0°N, 10AM EDT, 3/28
………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 27.29 days