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Astronomy Events – May 2013

April 30, 2013

by yaska77

Hot on the heels of an unexpected break in the weather (allowing us to see April’s partial eclipse of the Moon) we’re eager to get stuck in to another new month of astronomical events!

Now spring has finally arrived in the UK we’re hoping to be able to get some new images to show you, and if you get any snaps yourself please feel free to tweet them to us.  Is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to?

Thursday 2nd May – The Moon is at Last Quarter phase today

Monday 6th May – The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks early this morning (01:30 UTC/02:30 BST) with an expected ZHR of 10 meteors per hour as viewed from the UK (observers from more southern latitudes could see up to 55 per hour).  Appearing to originate from the constellation Aquarius (hence the name), Aquarids are known for bright tails left by fast moving meteors

Aquarid Meteor Radiant 06052013 02.30 UTC Sky-Watching.co.uk

Shown above at 02:30 UTC/03:30 BST on 6th May, the Aquarid meteor shower will be active from the end of April until the end of May (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

Thursday 9th – Friday 10th May – An annular solar eclipse occurs today when the Moon’s apparent diameter is smaller than that of the Sun (blocking most of its light) which causes it to look like a ring (or annulus)

This type of eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region thousands of kilometres wide, and will be visible from northern Australia and the southern Pacific Ocean, with the maximum of just over 6 minutes visible from the Pacific Ocean east of French Polynesia

The eclipse begins at 21:25:10 UTC

Friday 10th May – Today sees a New Moon so now is a good time for observing deep sky objects usually affected by moonlight

Saturday 11th May – Bright planets Venus and Jupiter flank the Moon just after sunset.  Shown below at 19:45 UTC/ 20:45 BST, if your NW horizon is flat enough this could be a great target for some photos!

Jupiter, Moon and Venus 11052013 19.45 UTC Sky-Watching.co.uk

Jupiter, the Moon and Venus all pay Taurus a visit soon after sunset this evening, look WNW and see if you can spot them! (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

The planet Mercury is also in Superior conjunction today, so is unobservable until later in the month

Monday 13th May – The Moon is at Apogee today at a distance of 405,825 km (252,168 miles), the farthest point in its orbit from the Earth

Saturday 18th May – This morning the Moon is at First Quarter phase

Saturday 25th May – Today’s Full Moon will experience another penumbral eclipse (where it skims the edge of the Earth’s shadow), this time however it will be virtually imperceptible unlike the partial eclipse witnessed on 25th April

Penumbral Eclipse 25042013 21.22 BST Sky-Watching.co.uk

In April the Full Moon also experienced penumbral eclipse, shown above at 20:22 UTC (21:22 BST) with the Earth’s shadow visible across the northern edge (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn

May’s Full Moon is also sometimes known as the Milk Moon, Dragon Moon or Hare Moon

Sunday 26th May – Soon after twilight this evening the planets Jupiter, Mercury and Venus should be visible forming an equilateral triangle to the WNW (West North-West)

Jupiter, Mercury and Venus 26052013 20.15 UTC Sky-Watching.co.uk

Forming an equilateral triangle in the twilight sky, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus appear close to each other just after sunset on 26th May, as shown at 20:15 UTC/21:15 BST (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

These planets will be near neighbours from 23rd to 31st of this month, but appear closest together this evening

And today the Moon is at Perigee at a distance of 358,375 km (222,684 miles), the closest point of its orbit to the Earth

Friday 31st May – Tonight sees the Moon at Last Quarter phase; and twilight planets Jupiter, Mercury and Venus appear aligned soon after sunset

Planets visible this month:

Jupiter
Saturn
Venus
Mercury

Remember, it can take your eyes up to 20 minutes to become properly dark adapted, and anything up to an hour for a telescope to reach ambient temperature outside (to ensure the best image), so give yourself plenty of time to get set up!

To make it easier to find this list of astronomical happenings you can also locate it in the “Monthly Guide” section in the menu bar to the right. Handy! :)

Guide images created with Stellarium

Archive:
Astronomy Events – April 2013
Astronomy Events – March 2013
Astronomy Events – February 2013

Posted in Astronomy, Meteor, Moon, Night sky, Planets, Resources, Space, Stars, yaska77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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Ideal SETI-target planets and K-type stars

April 25, 2013

by tte-77

The Kepler-62 system – home to two habitable zone worlds. The small shining object to the right of Kepler-62f is Kepler-62e. Image credit: NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech.

Its been far too long since I contributed to Sky-Watching on a regular basis. On that sudden note here’s the first post in a while and its exoplanet related.

In the search for extraterrestrial life, NASA’s Kepler team have announced the discovery of Kepler-62 – a multiple planet system composed of five Earth and super-Earth sized planets, two of which are habitable zone worlds, orbiting an orange dwarf or to be precise a K-type main-sequence star.

Ok, so this is cool news right, and a K-type star too.  I’m intrigued.  Has Kepler found ideal SETI-target planets?

K-type stars are of particular interest in the search for other life because they are about three to four times as abundant as sun-like stars, making planet searches easier. K-type stars are also stable on the main sequence for a very long time, around 15 to 30 billion years which is two to three times longer than our own sun  and this may create an opportunity for life to evolve on the terrestrial planets orbiting them.

An artistic view of the system seen from Kepler-62f. Image credit: Danielle Futselaar/SETI Institute

The outermost planet, named Kepler-62f (see image) is about 1.4 times Earth’s radius and has a period of 267 Earth days. If Kepler-62f is a rocky planet with a similar atmosphere to Earth, sitting in the stars habitable zone it could host liquid water on its surface. Kepler-62e, also in the habitable zone is 1.6 times the Earth’s radius with a period of 122 Earth days, it could also host liquid water on its surface.

The authenticity of this multiple planet system was confirmed by a statistical analysis based on previous discoveries of multiple planets by Kepler as the detection of these planets was indirect.  The Kepler astronomers observed gradual loss of the host star’s brightness due to the passage of a planet in the line of sight, and not the planets themselves.  Speaking about the detection process Jason Rowe, Research Scientist at the Carl Sagan Center of the SETI Institute and co-author of the work said “Such calculations are only possible because of the thousands of additional transiting extrasolar planets that Kepler has discovered”.

About the discoveries Jon Jenkins,  Senior Scientist at the Carl Sagan Center of the SETI Institute and co-author of the work said “These discoveries move us farther down the road to discovering planets similar to Earth. While we don’t know if Kepler-62e and f are rocky or whether they have liquid water pooling on their surfaces, their existence shows that the incidence of small worlds in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars is high.

Thus we can look forward to the discovery and detailed characterization of Earth’s cousins in the years and decades to come by future missions and telescopes.”

So there you go – exoplanets, K-type stars, some smart scientists from the SETI Institute, nice images and a post with a final thought…

If Kepler has found ideal SETI-target planets, sort the funding and bring on the future missions and telescopes.

Sources: SETI / spacedaily.com

Posted in Astronomy, Exoplanet, Kepler, NASA, SETI, Stars, tte-77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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Astronomy Events – April 2013

March 31, 2013

by yaska77

Unfortunately for us, since we told you about the visit of comet PANSTARRS our own skies have seen nothing but clouds! It’s been great seeing all the photos on Twitter, but we’re gutted we’ve not had chance to image it ourselves.

Still, to be a stargazer you have to keep your chin up, so we’ve listed some interesting happenings for April to whet your interest so get out there and keep your eyes on the skies!

Wednesday 3rd April – Today is a last quarter Moon

Monday 8th April – The thin waning crescent Moon will be close to Mercury just before dawn this morning, however the planet will be lost in the brightening sky

Wednesday 10th April – The New Moon this morning rises and sets with the Sun, so it is a good time to observe deep sky objects with the glare from the Moon absent

Saturn can be a great sight through a small telescope or good binoculars, we’re hoping to image it again soon as our only successful previous attempt was a while ago!

saturn-stacked-sky-watching-co-uk

Still one of the most amazing sights to see with your own eyes, Saturn and its rings look spectacular through a scope, look South East around 22:30 UTC/23:30 BST (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn

Sunday 14th April – The waxing crescent Moon will appear quite close to the gas giant Jupiter this evening, you’ll be able to find both between the “horns” of constellation Taurus the Bull (see below)

Moon and Jupiter in Taurus (08042013) 20.00UTC Sky-Watching.co.uk

If you look due West at 20:00 UTC (21:00 BST) on 14th April you’ll see the Moon and Jupiter between the horns of the constellation Taurus (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

Monday 15th April – Today the Moon is at Apogee at a distance of 404,865 km (251,571 miles), the farthest point in its orbit to the Earth

Wednesday 17th April – The planet Mars is in conjunction with the Sun, so is unobservable for the month

Early morning at the moment comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) is located just to the bottom right of the constellation Cassiopeia (the W to the North). We’re still hopeful of catching a glimpse of this so far elusive celestial object!

Comet PANSTARRS 17042013 0230UTC Sky-Watching.co.uk

Now its brightness is diminishing comet PANSTARRS may prove difficult to spot, but it’s still there! Shown 17th April at 02:30 UTC/03:30 BST (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

Now circumpolar from the UK since the beginning of the month (meaning it doesn’t set), if it follows predictions PANSTARRS may still be naked eye visible if your skies are dark enough

Thursday 18th April – Tonight’s Moon is seen in the First Quarter phase

Sunday 21st April – For information about the Lyrid meteor shower which peaks over the next few evenings, click here

Thursday 25th April – The Full Moon tonight is also sometimes known as the Awakening Moon, Seed Moon or Wildcat Moon, which can be seen close by Saturn all evening

At around 20:00 UTC (21:00 BST) the Moon will be mid-way through a very slight penumbral eclipse, seen as a slight dimming of the Moon’s northern edge caused as it skims the bottom of the Earth’s shadow

Moon and Saturn (25042013) 23.00UTC Sky-Watching.co.uk

A Full Moon can wash out most of the stars in the sky around it, but the brightness of Saturn should still make it visible, and look out for the very partial eclipse around 20:00 UTC (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

Saturday 27th April - Today the Moon is at Perigee at a distance of 362,265 km (225,101 miles), the closest point of its orbit to the Earth

Sunday 28th April – The planet Saturn is at opposition in Libra, meaning that it’s in an opposite position to the Sun in the sky, so is observable from dusk until dawn! This is also the time of year it appears at its brightest

Tuesday 30th April – Venus returns to our evenings skies (albiet briefly) to the west just after sunset, but may be tricky to spot in the twilight

Planets visible this month:

Jupiter
Saturn
Venus

Remember, it can take your eyes up to 20 minutes to become properly dark adapted, and anything up to an hour for a telescope to reach ambient temperature outside (to ensure the best image), so give yourself plenty of time to get set up!

To make it easier to find this list of astronomical happenings you can also locate it in the “Monthly Guide” section in the menu bar to the right. Handy! :)

Guide images created with Stellarium

Archive:
Astronomy Events – March 2013
Astronomy Events – February 2013
Astronomy Events – January 2013

Posted in Astronomy, Comet, Moon, Night sky, Planets, Resources, Space, Stars, yaska77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Astronomy Events – March 2013

February 28, 2013

by yaska77

Well here we are at March already!  Spring is approaching, the days are getting longer and we’re hoping the weather also improves! This month we have the potential of a comet being visible to the naked eye, so read through below for details.

There should be something for everyone to enjoy so keep your eyes on the skies! :)

Monday 4th March – Today is a last quarter Moon and Mercury is in Inferior Conjunction so is not currently visible until towards the end of the month

Tuesday 5th March – The Moon is at Perigee today at a distance of 369,955 km (229,879 miles), the closest point in its orbit to the Earth

Monday 11th March – This evening it’s a New Moon which rises and sets just before the Sun, making it a good time to observe deep sky objects without interference from the Moon’s glare

One such object that looks great through binoculars or a small telescope is M44, the Beehive Cluster (also known as Praesepe)

M44 Beehive Cluster 11032013 2100UTC Sky-Watching.co.uk

Look high to the South around 21:00 UTC and you should be able to spot it! (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

We imaged the Beehive Cluster when Mars was passing in front of it in October 2011, and it looked great! If you’re going to try image this object yourself, why not tweet your results to us on Twitter!

mars-and-the-beehive-cluster

The Beehive Cluster is one of the nearest open clusters to our Solar System, approximately 577 light years away (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn

Wednesday 13th March – Discovered in June 2011, Comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) reaches Perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun) on 10th March. However, as it is close to our star on this date our best chance of spotting it is from 12th March onwards as it moves away into twilight skies

On 13th March it will appear below the crescent Moon soon after sunset

Friday 15th March – Appearing slightly higher in the sky than on the 13th, the position of Comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) is shown below. Should it have developed a tail it will point towards the Moon, and if predictions prove true should be visible to the naked eye!

Comet PANSTARRS 15032013 1900UTC Sky-Watching.co.uk

Shown above at 19:00 UTC close to the Western horizon on 15th March, comet PANSTARRS will appear higher each day, but will also diminish in brightness (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

Sunday 17th March – Tonight’s Moon is seen in the First Quarter phase

Tuesday 19th March – Today the Moon is at Apogee at a distance of 404,260 km (251196 miles), the farthest point in its orbit to the Earth

Wednesday 20th March – Today is the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere

Comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) should be visible in slightly darker skies after 19:30 UTC, and we are praying for good weather (and to find a flat Western horizon with less light pollution) so we can try and image it! Exciting!

Comet PANSTARRS 20032013 1930UTC Sky-Watching.co.uk

If you look from the middle of the W shaped constellation Cassiopeia and through the Andromeda galaxy you should find the comet just above the horizon, as shown above at 19:30 UTC (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

By the end of the month (and into April) it will appear just below the Andromeda galaxy

Wednesday 27th March – The Full Moon this evening is also sometimes called the Fish Moon, Sleepy Moon or Chaste Moon

Thursday 28th March – The planet Venus is in Superior Conjunction, and Uranus is in conjunction with the Sun

Sunday 31st March – British Summer Time (BST) begins, with the clocks going forward one hour at 01:00 UTC (becoming 02:00 BST).  The Moon is also at Perigee for the second time this month today at a distance of 367,495 km (228,351 miles), and Mercury is at its greatest Western Elongation meaning it may be visible in the Eastern sky before sunrise

Planets visible this month:

Mercury
Jupiter
Saturn

Remember, it can take your eyes up to 20 minutes to become properly dark adapted, and anything up to an hour for a telescope to reach ambient temperature outside (to ensure the best image), so give yourself plenty of time to get set up!

To make it easier to find this list of astronomical happenings you can also locate it in the “Monthly Guide” section in the menu bar to the right. Handy! :)

Guide images created with Stellarium

Archive:
Astronomy Events – February 2013
Astronomy Events – January 2013
Astronomy Events – December 2012

Posted in Astronomy, Comet, Moon, Night sky, Planets, Resources, Space, Stars, Supernova, yaska77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

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Astronomy Events – February 2013

February 1, 2013

by yaska77

A new month is upon us which means as usual we’ve highlighted below some great astronomical events throughout February to keep your eyes on the skies!

There should be something below for everyone to enjoy :)

Sunday 3rd February – Today is a last quarter Moon

Thursday 7th February – The Moon is at Perigee today at a distance of 365,315 km (226,996 miles), the closest point in its orbit to the Earth

Friday 8th February – Planets Mercury and Mars appear in conjunction this evening, low down towards the west at sunset (shown below at 17:30 UTC)

Mars Mercury Conjunction 08022013 17.30 UTC (Sky-Watching.co.uk)

The conjunction of Mars and Mercury on the 8th of February could be a great photo target, if your western horizon is flat enough! (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

Sunday 10th February – This evening it’s a New Moon which rises and sets with the Sun. This makes it a good time to observe deep sky objects like M1 (the Crab Nebula), a supernova remanant in the constellation of Taurus

m1-crab-nebula-sky-watching

Located about 6,500 light years from Earth, the supernova that created the Crab Nebula was recorded by Arab, Chinese and Japanese astronomers in 1054 and was visible during the day! (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/A.Welbourn

To help you find it we’ve added a location guide below, shown due south at 20:00 UTC on 10th February. The nebula can be found directly up from the “head” of Orion and to the left of Jupiter

M1 Crab Nebula location 10022013 20.00 UTC (Sky-Watching.co.uk)

Draw a line from the southern horizon up through the “head” of Orion at 20:00 UTC to help find M1 (The Crab Nebula) in the constellation Taurus (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

Friday 15th February – Near Earth Asteroid 2012 DA14 passes close by the Earth today at a distance of around 34,100 km (21,189 miles) and may be visible through good binoculars or a small telescope

Best spotted soon after it appears over the eastern horizon around 20:00 UTC, keep an eye out for a star like object that moves over the course of a few minutes

Look for it directly below the star Denebola (the end of the tail of the constellation Leo) around 20:00 UTC and you should be able to find it!

Asteroid 2012 DA14 1502103 20.00UTC (Sky-Watching.co.uk)

Brightest as it appears across the horizon, 2012 DA14 will get fainter as the evening progresses (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

The asteroid may disappear from view for around 18 minutes as it passes through the Earth’s shadow, within the ring of geosynchronous satellites around our equator

You can track the asteroid live from 19:00 UTC at the NASA JPL Video feed by clicking here

Saturday 16th February – The planet Mercury is at its Greatest Eastern Elongation today, meaning it’s a good opportunity to see it after sunset low down to the west

Sunday 17th February – This evening sees a First Quarter Moon

Monday 18th February – The waxing gibbous Moon and Jupiter are companions all day today. Rising just after noon the planet should be visible near the Moon with either binoculars or a good zoom lens. Then in the evening both can be found between the bright star Aldebaran in the Hyades cluster, and the nearby Pleiades cluster, shown below at 20:00 UTC

Waxing Gibbous Moon with Jupiter 18022013 20.00 UTC (Sky-Watching.co.uk)

Close to both Hyades and Pleiades clusters, the Moon and Jupiter should make a good image target this evening (click to enlarge) – Credit: Sky-Watching/Stellarium

Tuesday 19th February – Today the Moon is at Apogee at a distance of 404,575 km (251,391 miles), the farthest point in its orbit to the Earth

Thursday 21st February – Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun

Monday 25th February – The Full Moon this evening is also sometimes called the Storm Moon, Hunger Moon or Candles Moon

Planets visible this month:

Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune

Remember, it can take your eyes up to 20 minutes to become properly dark adapted, and anything up to an hour for a telescope to reach ambient temperature outside (to ensure the best image), so give yourself plenty of time to get set up!

To make it easier to find this list of astronomical happenings you can also locate it in the “Monthly Guide” section in the menu bar to the right. Handy! :)

Guide images created with Stellarium

Archive:
Astronomy Events – January 2013
Astronomy Events – December 2012
Astronomy Events – November 2012

Posted in Asteroid, Astronomy, Moon, Nebula, Night sky, Planets, Resources, Space, Stars, Supernova, yaska77 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

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