December 2009

Tony Martinez

Each month I will describe sights of interest in the night skies of South Carolina. These sights will be broken down into three sections; what you can see with the naked eye, with binoculars, and with a small telescope. The best time to view the night sky is at and around the times when the Moon is not visible, what is known as a New Moon; which will occur this month on December 16^th. For December, your best viewing nights will be from December 6^th through December 22^nd. The Star chart below is set for Florence, SC on December 15^th at 9 pm.

Meteor Showers

The November Leonids were a washout. Not only did the Leonids give a poor show, in South Carolina there were not enough meteors to even call it a meteor shower. I took a personal count of only 4 meteors per hour. To any of my readers who felt a great let down, I strongly encourage you to check out the Geminids meteor shower in December. There are only three “major” meteor showers each year: The Leonids in November, the Perseids in August, and the Geminids in December. Of the three, the Geminids get the least attention. My personal observations have shown that the Geminids are the most reliable; never overly impressive, but seldom a washout. The Geminids should peak between 1 am and sunrise on December 14. With the Geminids, it is also possible to have a good shower the night before and the night after the peak. So if your schedule work/school permits, give it your last try for 2009 meteor showers. Note: I define a good Geminids shower has 60 or more meteors per hour; good luck to us all.

Mercury

Mercury is one of the more difficult planets to view, only because of its close proximity to the Sun. So whenever there is a good opportunity to view Mercury, I will mention it in my column. It is also nice when the planet is visible just after sunset versus just before sunrise; except of course for the early morning risers. Start looking for Mercury in the southwest, right after sunset on December 17^th, but on the 18^th, you will have the advantage of a thin crescent Moon resting just above the elusive planet. Well above the crescent Moon will be the brightly shinning planet Jupiter. Start checking at 5:15 pm, but your best viewing may be between 5:30 and 5:45 pm. You can continue viewing Mercury for the next several days. If you can see a star just below Mercury, it is the star Nunki, in the constellation of Sagittarius. Your view of Mercury and the crescent Moon may look somewhat like the image shown below.

If you have a telescope, you may be tempted to view Mercury, but please do so only after the Sun has completely set. Never ever turn your telescopes anywhere in the direction of the Sun; to do so would result in severe eye damage. If you do see a telescopic view of Mercury, it will never be seen as a disk, because like Venus, it is between us and the Sun. Below is a size comparison of Mercury and the Earth.

Christmas Shopping

For all the last minute astronomy gift shoppers, I repeat some of the following thoughts/suggestions from earlier columns. Don’t buy telescopes from department stores; do buy telescopes from astronomy/telescope stores (on-line will do). When in doubt, for the beginning young or old astronomer, buy binoculars and star charts and how to guides. An established amateur astronomer always wants more accessories; ask him or her for a wish list. Astronomy software is another great gift; Starry Night software usually sets the standard in this area. Don’t forget astronomy books or magazine subscriptions. Also buy fun stuff like T-shirts and hats that show your hobby is astronomy.

Remember, careful thought and purchases can help lead a young person into a hobby that will last a lifetime. The image below may offer you some suggestions for your astronomy wish list.

To all my readers: Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Naked Eye Sights: The Geminids meteor shower. The planet Mercury. Enjoy the arrival of winter’s favorites: Orion returns to dominate the sky for the next several months. Leading Orion is the wonderful Pleiades/Seven Sisters asterism. Following Orion is the brightest star in our nighttime sky, Sirius/ The Dog Star. The striking Northern Cross/Cygnus will slowly set in the northeast this month. The Cassiopeia asterism in the northeast doesn’t know if it wants to be a W or an M this month.

Binocular Sights (7 to 10 power): The must see binocular sights for a clear December night are: The Pleiades star cluster in Taurus, the Double Cluster in Perseus, the Orion Nebula in the center of his sword, also try to find all three open star clusters in the constellation Auriga; M36, 37, and 38. Hope for the perfect night to view the Andromeda Galaxy. Finally, if you just like to “look at stars” with your binoculars, there are two great places to visit this month. First scan the “V” asterism in Taurus (between Orion and the Pleiades). This area is filled with stars associated with a broad open star cluster, the Hyades. The Hyades is the closest star cluster to Earth, and contains 300-400 main stars. Next visit the constellation Perseus high in the northeast. The brightest star in Perseus is Mirfak. Using Mirfak as your central point, scan the sky around this star, and you will find a wonderful gathering of young stars. This area is known as the Perseus Association; enjoy.

Telescope Sights (60-100mm): The planet Mercury; AFTER SUNSET! Aim at the Orion Nebula/M42, which appears to be the center star of Orion’s sword. Above 25 power, you should be able to locate four young stars that were born in this star nursery. These stars are known as the Trapezium, because they form a tiny trapezoid.

November 2009

Tony Martinez

Each month I will describe sights of interest in the night skies of South Carolina. These sights will be broken down into three sections; what you can see with the naked eye, with binoculars, and with a small telescope. The best time to view the night sky is at and around the times when the Moon is not visible, what is known as a New Moon; which will occur this month on November 16^th. For November, your best viewing nights will be from November 7^th through November 21^st. The Star chart below is set for Florence, SC on November 15^th at 10 pm.

The Leonids Meteor Shower

It is that time of year again, the arrival of the most well known meteor shower of the year, the Leonids. Unlike last year, the best news is that this year the Leonids will peak early morning on November 17^th, right after the New Moon. This will give optimum viewing of the meteor shower.

In previous years, I have discussed meteor showers, and viewing hints, but for readers who missed this information, it would be best if I give a review. First, what are meteor showers? Over the eons, comets dove toward the Sun, and many remained “trapped by our Sun’s gravity, forming long elliptical orbits. These comets periodically return to the Sun, over periods of only a few years, to seventy-six years (Comet Halley) to many thousands of years. The image below shows three such comet orbits.

Comets are really large “slush balls” containing ice, gases, and rocks. As the comets orbit the Sun, there is a continual loss of matter along their orbit, and this debris also circles the Sun in the same orbit. The rocky debris will become our meteor showers; see sketch below.

So each year, our Earth passes though several comet orbital paths resulting in a meteor shower. The Leonids occur when we pass through the orbit of the comet Tempel-Tuttle, which was first observed in 1699. Now the exciting part is that the debris field is not uniform. Therefore, on some years we pass though a thin field of rocks, and on other years, we may pass through a thick/dense field of rocky debris. The Leonid shower can range from about 50 to over 400 per hour. A “normal” Leonids should give a least one meteor per minute, or 60 per hour. Scientists are predicting from 100 to over 500(!) meteors per hour this year. However, don’t set your expectations too high; meteor shower prediction is not a very exacting science. No one really predicted the amazing Leonid meteor storm in 1966. Some observers at Kitt Peak observatory in Arizona estimated about 40 meteors per sec (144,000 per hour!) Note to my young readers, there may be similar Leonid meteor storm in 2032.

Viewing methods: Eyes only, no other visual aid such as binoculars. Use lawn chairs or even better, lounge chairs, and look toward the southeast. The meteors can appear anywhere from near the horizon to directly overhead. Hot chocolate and/or coffee also provide a good addition to viewing meteor showers.

The meteor showers are named for the constellation that appears to be in the center of the meteor shower, so look towards Leo the Lion. The best time to view a meteor shower is after midnight until dawn. The reason is that from early evening until midnight, we are looking away from the direction the Earth is moving in our orbit around the Sun. After midnight until dawn, when we look up at the sky, we are now looking toward the direction the Earth is moving. Remember in a meteor shower, the Earth runs into the rocky debris. So, at 3 am, looking toward the east, we’re hurtling straight into the comet’s orbit; like running fast in the rain, but instead of raindrops hitting our face, rocks are hitting our atmosphere. Remember I said that the Leonids seem to come from the constellation Leo the Lion, well Leo isn’t well above the horizon until 5 am. So, the best viewing times may be from 4 am until 6am, Tuesday morning the 17^th. Unfortunately, this is a school or workday. Rather than staying up late to hope to see a few meteors, it might be better to go to bed early, and set the alarm for 3-4 am; and remember, there are no guarantees that it will be a great shower this year, or any year, but it may be.

The Double Cluster:

There are several deep sky objects that Messier did not feel the need to report, one of which is the Double Cluster in the constellation Perseus. This cluster is one of the beautiful sights of the autumn. It is quite easy to find with a pair of binoculars because of its close proximity to the constellation Cassiopeia. Perseus may not be too obvious to new astronomers, but the “W” asterism of Cassiopeia is easily spotted. You can see its position of the clusters on the image below.

The Double Cluster is two closely packed open star clusters. They are officially named NGC 869 and NGC 884; in another column I will discus the NGC objects. On any clear night this month check out the Double Cluster. They are best observed at low power and in a dark location. If you live or travel away from the cities, they are easily visible to the naked eye. The image below is a wide field view at about 25 power.

Naked Eye Sights: The Leonids meteor shower.

Binocular Sights (7 to 10 power): The Double Cluster

Telescope Sights (60-100mm): If you get up early to see the Leonids, or if you normally rise early, Mars is getting bright, and is in front/to the right of Leo. Saturn is below and to the left of Leo, and you will note that the ring is just beginning to “open up” again. Also, Jupiter is still a great target in the early evening.

See you next month!

October 2009

Tony Martinez

Each month I will describe sights of interest in the night skies of South Carolina. These sights will be broken down into three sections: what you can see with the naked eye, with binoculars, and with a small telescope. The best time to view the night sky is at and around the times when the Moon is not visible, what is known as a New Moon; which will occur this month on October 18^th. For October, your best viewing nights will be from October 9^th through October 23^rd. The Star chart below is set for Florence, SC on October 15^th at 10 pm.

Jupiter: As of this writing, there is still significant humidity present in the night skies. As I mentioned last month, October may give us some clearer viewing of the planet Jupiter. So keep trying to find the “perfect” night to view the clouds bands of Jupiter.

The Andromeda Galaxy: October and November are great months to view the Andromeda Galaxy, also known as the Andromeda Nebula, and Messier 31 (M31). The Andromeda Galaxy is 2.5 million light years away, and is the farthest object that the unaided human eye can see. It is also the closest spiral galaxy to our Milky Way. Most recent data show that it is twice the size of our Milky Way. Another interesting fact is that the Andromeda Galaxy is blue-shifted. You may remember the term red-shift. When an object moves away from us at very high speeds, the light we observe shifts toward the red end of the spectrum (Doppler Effect). Most deep sky objects show a significant red-shift, demonstrating that the universe is rapidly expanding. However, the Andromeda Galaxy’s blue-shift means that it is headed right at us, and present data shows that the Andromeda Galaxy will collide with the Milky Way in about 2.5 billion years. The speed that we are approaching each other is 190 mi/sec, or 11,400 mi/minute, or 684,000 mi/hour. So every day we get over 16 million miles closer to collision!

So how do you observe the Andromeda Galaxy? Since you know you can see it with the naked eye, use the chart below, or other charts on the Internet, and try to find the Andromeda Galaxy using only your eyes. It is really easy to see if you can get away from the city lights. The chart below on the left shows the southeast at 10 pm on October 15th. Start by finding the “W”, Cassiopeia, and then move right to the “Great Square of Pegasus,” and finally work your way down the long “V” of the constellation Andromeda. The image on the right shows how you may see the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye at a very dark viewing site.Next try to view the Andromeda Galaxy through a pair of 7 to 10 power binoculars. Using simple binoculars will allow you to see the Andromeda Galaxy, even with some city lights around. Most people who have seen the Andromeda Galaxy saw it through simple binoculars, or with low power telescopes, and it looks similar to the image shown below.

Now for some surprises: Let’s look at a typical professional astronomer’s image of the Andromeda Galaxy, shown below; wow!

Looking at the two images above, one would logically conclude that the galaxy is just so far away, that the binoculars are just not powerful enough to see the Andromeda Galaxy as the professionals can. So one day you may advance in your hobby, and invest in a more powerful telescope, maybe like our 10-inch Dobsonian. Then you crank up the power, look at the Andromeda Galaxy and surprise, it will be a little bigger, but it still looks similar to what you saw with your simple binoculars! At this point, you may be confused. Allow me to explain. Your binocular view as shown above, is not a distant view of a large galaxy; it is the view of the bright central core of a large galaxy. Even at 2.5 million light years away, a spiral galaxy measuring 200,000 light years across fills an impressive piece of the sky. Such an object would span at least seven Moon widths! Due to the low surface brightness of the Andromeda Galaxy, we don’t see the full diameter. If the Andromeda Galaxy was brighter, and our Moon passed near by, the image below is what you would see through your binoculars!

So, can you see the Andromeda Galaxy this large, (of course without the bright Moon in the way) using only amateur equipment; yes. First, stay away from high power, the galaxy is just too large; stay at 20 to 25 power. Next you need significant light gathering, so a small narrow refractor will not do. A large Dobsonian has a lot of light gathering, but it has too much power. Finally, if you can use two eyes instead of one, you will have even a better shot at success. All these suggestions add up to a 20 to 25 power pair of binoculars with 70 to 100 mm objective lenses as your best equipment to see the full expanse of the Andromeda Galaxy. The last requirement is out of your control, a clear night with a transparent atmosphere. If it is the “perfect night,” you might be able to succeed with just a pair of 7 or 10 X 50mm binoculars.

On a personal note: The image below represents the actual view I saw through my 25 X 100 mm binoculars in October 2003 at a campground star party only 40 miles north of the city of Philadelphia, PA. It was after a storm front had moved through, and it was indeed the perfect night. It was the only time in my life of viewing that I saw the entire Andromeda Galaxy.

Naked Eye Sights: Try for a naked view of the Andromeda Nebula.

Binocular Sights (7 to 10 power): The Andromeda Nebula. Jupiter’s moons.

Telescope Sights (60-100mm): Jupiter.

See you next month!

September 2009

Tony Martinez

Each month I will describe sights of interest in the night skies of South Carolina. These sights will be broken down into three sections; what you can see with the naked eye, with binoculars, and with a small telescope. The best time to view the night sky is at and around the times when the Moon is not visible, what is known as a New Moon; which will occur this month on September 18^th. For September, your best viewing nights will be from September 12^th through September 23^rd. The Star chart below is set for Florence, SC on September 15^th at 10 pm.

Jupiter: Although Jupiter was in opposition last month, this month should be a better month for Jupiter watching. First, Jupiter will rise earlier in the evening. Through most of the month, it will be in a good viewing position by 9 pm, and even better at 10 pm. Second, hopefully the humidity will lessen, allowing for clearer viewing. We always see the beautiful large images of Jupiter as I posted last month, but what can you expect to see through your own telescopes? The images below show two good views of Jupiter through amateur scopes. Remember, if you can’t see the cloud bands, it may not be a problem with your telescope, but it may just be a bad viewing night; keep trying.

Telescope Finding Scopes: I have mentioned finding scopes briefly in previous columns, but allow me to expand on this subject. 

Many of the readers of this column most likely have a telescope. All of your scopes have to be aimed at your target of choice. New amateur astronomers have to take the time and have patience to learn the night sky. Eventually you will be able to point to a spot in the sky and know that that is where M27 is, or the Hercules Cluster, or the Coathanger asterism, etc. However, no matter how good you become, you still have to be able to aim your telescope at your target. This should be a simple matter. Every telescope comes equipped with some type of “finding scope.” Traditionally, these finding scopes attach to the side of your scope, and are just small low power telescopes, usually 6 to 8 power, and they almost always have crosshairs in the lens to aid in locking the telescope on your target. Now the “problems”:  These small finding scopes usually give an upside down and reversed image, which may or may not match the image of your actual telescope. In addition, and probably the most frustrating is that in general, finding scopes give too small an angle of view. Note: In a small box, in my attic is every finding scope that came with every telescope I have purchased.

So how do you aim your scopes? There are two very effective aiming devices. The simplest and cheapest is a Red Dot Finder. The better and more expensive device is a scope mounted Green Laser.

First the red dot finder. The red dot finder does not use a red laser. It uses a red LED light. The LED is somewhat hidden in the back, and a reflection of the light is seen on a plain glass section in the front. As you look through the finder, you will see the red dot on the glass surface. You then simply overlay this red dot on the dark sky, and place it on your target of choice. The initial setup is best done in the daylight. Mount the red dot on your scope, aim your scope at a simple distant target, such as a street light or mailbox, etc and use the vertical and horizontal adjusting screws in the red dot to overlay the dot on the object seen in the center of your scope’s field of view. The red dot finder A below is about $38, and finder B about $65. Finder B has a larger field of view (not really necessary), and also has four different red shapes to overlay on the sky, which is a nice touch. (C below) There is another plus for the red dot finders. Usually, you don’t know exactly where you target is, so you place the red dot in the area where the target should be, and using charts, you search for the target. Once you locate the object in your scope, look through the red dot finder with both eyes open. You will now know the exact location of the object in the sky with the naked eye; this cannot be done with a traditional finder.

Second, the Green Laser Finder. The green laser has been a great tool for teaching astronomy. However, attaching a green laser to your telescope is also a great way to aim your scope. You can see exactly where your scope is pointing as you stand next to your scope and move it around; we use a green laser on our Dobsonian  telescope.  Allow me to describe a “trick” I use with the green laser. To locate a deep sky object such as the Dumb Bell nebula (M27), you point your scope mounted laser near the place in he sky where it is located based on your star charts, and turn it off. Next, use a pair of 7 or 10 power binoculars to find the object, and while holding the binoculars on the target, turn the laser finder back on and move the laser until you see the laser through the binoculars, “touch” M27. Your scope is now on your target. Note: This method is much easier to do with two people.

The complete laser and mount shown on the left below sells for $120.

Naked Eye Sights:  Enjoy Jupiter, and wait for someone to ask you, “What is that bright star?”

Binocular Sights (7 to 10 power):  Jupiter’s moons.

Telescope Sights (60-100mm):  This month and the next may give you your best views of Jupiter. Look for the cloud bands.

See you next month!

August 2009

Tony Martinez

Each month I will describe sights of interest in the night skies of South Carolina. These sights will be broken down into three sections; what you can see with the naked eye, with binoculars, and with a small telescope. The best time to view the night sky is at and around the times when the Moon is not visible, what is known as a New Moon; which will occur this month on August 20^th.  For August, your best viewing nights will be from August 12^th through August 25^th. The Star chart below is set for Florence, SC on August 15^th at 10 pm.

ScienceSouth’s New Astronomy Program! The Sidewalk Astronomer

Update: Our Sidewalk Astronomy Program continues each month.  On July 3^rd we were in Hartsville at the Emmanuel Baptist Church 4^th of July celebration. Because of the event timing and fireworks, we spent most of the time with our solar telescope. Since the Sun is very quiet right now, we were very pleased to see three solar prominences. One was especially exciting because it formed a loop. The following image is similar to the sight we saw that evening.

After the Sun set, we brought out a 120mm refractor, and let people enjoy the view of the waning gibbous Moon, until the fireworks began.  In general, it was a good evening for all.

Jupiter:

Without question, Jupiter will be the best planetary target for this year. The reasons are as follows: First, it is the largest planet, making it easier to see as a disk. Second, although Jupiter is cloud covered, its clouds exist as beautiful bands, containing swirling features, and hurricane like circular storms. Third, because of its rapid rotation, you should be able to see features move over a period of an hour or so. Fourth, its four major (Galilean) moons can be seen to change each night as they spin around Jupiter. Fifth, because of its size and distance, you can enjoy viewing this planet using simple telescopes; even seven power binoculars will suffice to see its four moons!  

Jupiter makes its return to our night sky, rising in the southeast.  If you observe early in the month, and early in the evening, Jupiter will likely be too low in the sky, and viewing will be affected by atmospheric haze. The best date for viewing any planet is usually at opposition, which is when the planet is directly opposite the Sun as viewed on the Earth. Opposition will occur on August 14^th. However, to maximize your chances for a spectacular view of the planet that night, you should view Jupiter at or about 1 am. The reason being, is at that time Jupiter will reach its highest point in the sky, thereby allowing you to view through the thinnest layer of atmosphere. Actually, many people may prefer waiting to view Jupiter in September and October when it is higher in the sky earlier in the evening.  I will discuss Jupiter further next month.

GoTo or not GoTo?

A question was posed to me just recently concerning whether or not one should purchase a GoTo telescope, so I decided to discuss it here.  A GoTo telescope is one that is linked to a computerized controller.  Once the telescope is aligned, you simply type in your target, click goto, and the telescope will find the target and track/follow it for as long as you want. I own a GoTo scope (ETX-125), shown below.

Some other GoTo telescopes are shown below.

GoTo’s are quite popular with catiotropic scopes, such as is the ETX-125, however, they can also be used with standard Newtonian reflectors, and with refractors. A GoTo type controller can be used on a Dobsonian reflector, but the nature of a Dob will not allow for motorized tracking.

So this is great, right? No more searching through star charts, trying to learn the constellations, fumbling with finding scopes (which is up/down, left/right?). Want to see the Hercules Cluster, just type in its name, or type in M13, and the telescope finds it for you! Want to see the Orion nebula/M42 this month, just type it in, and the controller tells you it is not visible this time of year; luckily, it will not laugh at you for asking. 

The question about GoTo scopes was asked by a beginner amateur astronomer, and I have still not given him a definitive answer.  Beginners sometimes have a lot of trouble finding some wonderful celestial objects such as the Ring nebula (M57 or the Whirlpool galaxy (M51). These two objects would be found in seconds with a GoTo telescope. So why has my ETX-125 GoTo been collecting dust for several years?  If you only wish to enjoy viewing the vast number of celestial wonders, then perhaps you should invest in a GoTo scope.  However, if you want to find your way around the night sky, then you have to do it the “hard” way with charts and diligence and time. Note:  If there was a computer that you could set up in the woods, type in a name of any bird, and it would find it for you, would bird watching still be enjoyable. I have no answer.  So I posted the question asked of me, but I will leave it up to each reader to decide to GoTo or not GoTo.

Naked Eye Sights:  Expect someone this month to ask you “What is that bright star?” at which time you will explain that is not a star, but is the planet Jupiter.  Meteor Shower: Check out the famous Perseids meteor shower late night on the 12^th, and early morning on the 13^th, but it may be quite lessened by the presence of a 55% gibbous Moon.

Binocular Sights (7 to 10 power):  Watch the four Galilean moons of Jupiter as they change positions each night. 

Telescope Sights (60-100mm):   Begin your enjoyment of the planet Jupiter, marking your calendar for the view at opposition on the 14^th.

See you next month!

July 2009

Tony Martinez

Each month I will describe sights of interest in the night skies of South Carolina.  These sights will be broken down into three sections; what you can see with the naked eye, with binoculars, and with a small telescope. The best time to view the night sky is at and around the times when the Moon is not visible, what is known as a New Moon; which will occur this month on July 21. For July, your best viewing nights will be from July 14 through July 28. The Star chart below is set for Florence, SC on July 15 at 10 pm.

ScienceSouth’s New Astronomy Program! The Sidewalk Astronomer      

Update:  Our Sidewalk astronomy program continues each month.  In June we were at St. Anthony Church, for lunar observing. The Moon was a waxing gibbous, and we had great views of the crater rims and the mountain ranges. 

On June 20, we were at Lynches River Park with our big Dob, and my personal 25 X 100 binoculars.  Although there were no significant clouds, the viewing was poor due to the high humidity. There was a brief clear spell at about 10 pm, which allowed us to resolve some of the stars in the Hercules Cluster (M13), and just barely resolve the Ring Nebula (M57). 

We will continue to venture out around the Florence area, but the summer humidity may limit us to the Moon and the planets until autumn. 

Summer Viewing:

As mentioned above, it is nice to be out stargazing on a warm summer night, but the humidity sometimes prevents clear viewing.  Remember that the sky sometimes clears right after a strong rainstorm, so look outside to check this out after the next rain.  Remember also some of the indicators of good sky viewing, such as the stars of the Little Dipper.

On a poor viewing night, you will only see three stars in the Little Dipper, Polaris, Kochab, and Pherkad.  If you can see more than these three, especially all seven, then the skies are good for viewing.  Of course any night that you can see the Milky Way is a great night for stargazing.

Except for the potential summer humidity problems, summer always gives us a great opportunity because we are looking toward the center of our galaxy when we look to the south.  This region is filled with a mixture of nebulae and star clusters.  The image below is much more than you can hope for in our local viewing location.

Each summer I will remind you to wander with your binoculars through the summer Milky Way, above Sagittarius and Scorpius.  Look for the many fuzzy objects in the region, knowing that each is either a nebula or star cluster.  If these fuzzies intrigue you, then bring out your telescope for a better view. 

Messier Perspective:

If you love amateur astronomy, then you enjoy searching out the many deep sky objects (DSO’s).  As you work through your Messier list, you may enjoy having a better perspective of exactly where are these objects.  If you have ever wondered about this, there is a simple freeware program that you can download which will show you where the Messiers are located, in and out of our galaxy.  The program is called “Where is M13?”  This freeware is available at http://www.thinkastronomy.com/.  The program is small, simple/intuitive, and user friendly.  Below is a screen shot of the program, showing the Galactic View locations of M13, M57 (the Ring Nebula), and the directions to the Andromeda and Sombrero Galaxies. If you switch to Galactic Map, you will see the locations of the Messiers as are shown on standard star charts. Check this program out!

The Summer Triangle:

The Summer Triangle asterism has risen; formed by the stars Deneb, Vega and Altair, as shown in the image below. This simple, but well known asterism rises almost exactly on the summer solstice each year; however, you can continue to see this triangle of three bright stars until it sets in mid to late December. 

Here are four fun targets in or near the Summer Triangle.

First, and the only one visible to the naked eye, the star Albireo.  I have mentioned this star in previous columns, but it is a target that one always revisits on any clear night.  Albireo is in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan, and would represent the head of the swan, or the foot of the Northern Cross asterism.  What makes this star so special is that it is a colorful double star with one having a deep blue color and its companion a yellow/gold color; quite striking through any telescope.

The second target is the Coat Hanger asterism, located in the constellation Vulpecula. This upside down coat hanger is best viewed with a simple pair of binoculars, check it out.

The third target is the Dumbell Nebula (M27) visible with binoculars, and with a reflecting telescope.  This remnant of a dead star is in a class called planetary nebulas.  On a clear night with a good pair of binoculars, M27 gives a 3D optical illusion of standing out in front of the background stars.

The fourth target is just slightly outside the Summer Triangle, the Ring Nebula (M57), and is a favorite target for telescopes that can handle 50 to 100 power. This is also a planetary nebula.

The cluttered image below will help you locate the above targets.

Naked Eye Sights:  Look toward the south, and hope for skies clear enough to see the Milky Way.  Locate the Summer Triangle.

Binocular Sights (7 to 10 power):  Wander through the region above Sagittarius, and to the left of Scorpius, to view a very rich star field.  Check out the Coat Hanger asterism, and the Dumbbell Nebula.

Telescope Sights (60-100mm):   If available, use a small Dobsonian to view the clusters and nebulae of the summer Milky Way.  Also locate the Ring Nebula, M57.

See you next month!

June 2009

Tony Martinez

Each month I will describe sights of interest in the night skies of South Carolina.  These sights will be broken down into three sections; what you can see with the naked eye, with binoculars, and with a small telescope. The best time to view the night sky is at and around the times when the Moon is not visible, what is known as a New Moon; which will occur this month on June 22nd.  For June, your best viewing nights will be from June 16^th through June 30^th. The Star chart below is set for Florence, SC on June 15^th at 10 pm.

ScienceSouth’s New Astronomy Program: The Sidewalk Astronomer

Update:  Our Sidewalk astronomy program continues each month.  On May 7^th we were at the Truck Hauling Event at the Florence Civic Center late afternoon and early evening with our solar telescope and solar projection apparatus available. We had to contend with a broken cloud cover, resulting in short views of the Sun. More bothersome was the continued quiet activity of the Sun, showing only a few small prominences, and no sunspots.  Some of the people, however, did enjoy watching the clouds move in front of the Sun on our solar projection apparatus.

On May 19^th, we had the Dob outside Indigo Joe’s in Florence.  Result: another cloudy night.  I should note that at this location, we were literally bathed in high intensity parking lot lights.  Having anticipated this light problem, we had selected the planet Saturn as our only possible target for the evening.  I felt confident that our 10-inch Dob could peer through the light pollution, but there was a definite concern on the ability to aim the scope under the bright lights.  However, our green laser, though barely visible, still allowed us to aim the Dob.  We did have two small breaks in the clouds, both in the area of Saturn.  We observed Saturn from 100-150 power, and the view was quite sharp, although as you well know, the rings were almost edge on.

Dwarf Planets:  Remember when our Sun had nine planets?  As of 2006, we now have only 8 planets; so what happened?  As our technology increased, we began to detect significant objects beyond the planet Pluto.  Everything was fine until Eris was discovered in 2005, and Eris is larger than Pluto, so now we had 10 planets!  However, there was a concern that we would continue to find more objects like Eris, and our planet count would steadily increase.  To prevent this, a new class of solar system objects was proposed, the dwarf planets, and since they definitely wanted to include Eris, and Eris is larger than Pluto, then Pluto had to be demoted to a dwarf planet.  A dwarf planet had to revolve around the Sun and be of sufficient size to coalesce into a sphere, but it could not be a satellite of a planet.  The accepted diameter size range of dwarf planets has not yet been defined. As of today there are five known dwarf planets.  It would appear that the average amateur would have no chance of ever viewing a dwarf planet; but this is not so.  You can view an official dwarf planet this month with a small telescope, or even a pair of binoculars.  The five dwarf planets are: Pluto, Eris, Makemake, Haumea, and Ceres. The first four listed above are much too small and far away for amateur viewing; but Ceres is the largest asteroid in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and has a diameter of about 600 miles. 

The asteroid belt, shown below, contains millions of pieces of rocky debris revolving around the Sun between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars.  It was once thought that a planet had formed there, and was then torn apart by the gravitational effects of Jupiter and Mars, or the newly formed planet was destroyed by a massive impact.  The current view is that the material in the asteroid belt could have coalesced into a planet such as the Earth did, but it was unable to do so because of the effect of Jupiter’s gravity.

So this month, let’s try to see the dwarf planet, Ceres.  Below is a Hubble image of the asteroid, now dwarf planet, Ceres.

Below is a depiction of the relative size of Ceres versus the Earth and Moon.

The reason that I chose June 2009 to direct you at Ceres is that in late June it is passing nearby an easy to locate star.  That star is Chort, also called theta Leonis, in the easy to find constellation Leo.  Leo is defined as a backward question mark and a triangle, Chort, is in the triangle; as is shown below.

Note that the circle around Chort in the above and below images is the field of view at 15 power (telescope or binoculars).  The following images show the positions of Ceres on the nights of June 19^th, and 20^th.  If you live in a dark sky area, first try to locate Ceres with binoculars, if not use a telescope at low power.  Not only is Ceres near a well-known star, but when you look through your binoculars or telescope, it is the brightest star like object that close to Chort.  Once you think you found it, make a simple sketch, and check back in several hours, or the following evening.  If the object has moved, congratulations, you have found the dwarf planet Ceres.

Please note, other asteroids can also be easily seen throughout the year, but only Ceres is an official dwarf planet.

Naked Eye Sights:  Look for the rising of two well-known constellations, Scorpius in the south, and Cygnus in the east.

Binocular Sights (7 to 10 power):  Try for Ceres!  Wander through the region above and to the left of Scorpius, a very rich star field.

Telescope Sights (60-100mm):  Your goal is to locate and track the dwarf planet Ceres.

See you next month!