Tour of the Sky: September 2008

Astronomical Online Glossary

Download this month's sky map!

Northern hemisphere sky map
Southern hemisphere sky map
Creator: Kym Thalassoudis

Southern Hemisphere Additional Information

James Barclay's site
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site
Southern Sky Watch.

Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune for Sept 08 (click for a larger image)

The Venus, Mars, Mecury Trio for lower latitudes, Sept 08 (click for a larger image)

Planets for September 2008

Southern and Equatorial viewers will have a splendid view of the Venus, Mars, Mercury trio-triangle early in the month in Virgo SW of Porrima (Virgo's southern shoulder). Best view of Mercury for the entire year. Those above 30 deg North will struggle to pick out Venus and Mercury in the bright twilight evening sky.

• Mercury- In Virgo. Best viewed by those in the South until mid-month. By early October Mercury will be in inferior conjunction and returning to the morning sky. 0.0 mag (1st) to 0.5 mag (21st)
• Venus- In Virgo. The brightest member of the Venus, Mars, and Mercury trio look for outstanding conjunctions on the 11th and 12 as the goddess of love pairs up with the god of war. Best for viewers south of 30 deg North -3.8 mag (1st) to -3.8 mag (21st)
• Mars- In Virgo. In addition to the groupings and conjunctions listed above, from the 15th-20th Spica joins the group for a lovely traveling quartet 1.7 (1st) to 1.7 mag (21st)
  
• Jupiter- In Sagittarius. Starts the month in retrograde (westward) motion becoming stationary on the 8th and returns to proper motion. The best planet show for the northern hemisphere -2.5 mag (1st) to -2.4 mag (21st)
  
• Saturn- In Leo. Starts the month in conjunction with the Sun but by month's end early rising viewers will find it rising in the East about two hours before the Sun. Look for Regulus and find Saturn just under 15 deg East. After about 4 months without Saturn make sure you look at the rings and see how much they have 'closed' or moved parallel to our perspective. On the 26th look for a sliver of a waning crescent Moon near Regulus. 0.8 mag (1st) to 0.9 mag (21st)
  
• Uranus-In Aquarius all year. Use the finder charts above to help you find Uranus, it is only a little smaller, optically, than Mars looks now. 5.7 mag (1st) to 5.7 mag (21st)
• Neptune-In Capricorn 7.8 mag (1st) to 7.8 mag (21st)
  Finder Charts for Neptune and Uranus -Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere

Key Dates for September 2008

Days and Times in UT: (help with time)
Observations are for 9 pm for the mid-southern latitudes and for 9 pm for the mid-northern latitudes.
Today's sunrise and sunset times or plan ahead using the US Naval Observatory Website

Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website!

Astronomical Highlights - September 2008

1	- Algol (Beta Persei) at min (8:37)
	- Venus, Mercury and Mars grouped in a triangle 5 deg from the waxing crescent Moon
2	- Double Shadow Transit on Jupiter (18:40)
4	- Saturn in conjunction with the sun - passes into the morning sky
6	- Moon to the SW of Antares, the bright red star in Scorpio. Very low on the horizon for Northern viewers.
7	- Algol at min (2:14) - thus sets the pattern for the month (2.867315 days)
	- Antares 0.3 deg N or Moon (3:00), possible occultation, check the IOTA website for occultation information for your area.
	- First Quarter Moon (14:04) Moon at apogee furtherest point from the Earth (404214 km)
8	- Double Shadow Transit on Jupiter (0:12) Jupiter stationary
9	- Pluto stationary, Jupiter 3 deg N of Moon
11	- Mercury greatest elongation E (27deg), Venus and Mars .3 deg apart (naked eye they will look almost fused)
13	- Neptune 0.8 deg S of Moon, possible occultation, check the IOTA website for occultation information for your area.
	- Uranus at opposition - visible (if you know where to look) with the naked eye at 5.7 mag in DARK skies. Use the finder charts in the section above to find the very faint blue-green diskie star.
15	- Full Moon (9:13)
20	- Moon at perigee, closest to Earth (368886 km)
	- Moon 1 deg N of Pleiades (M45)
22	- September Equinox!! (15:45) The Sun crosses the celestial equator and heads south. Autumnal in the NH and Vernal in the SH
	- Last Quarter Moon (5:04)
24	- Mercury Stationary
27	- Zodiacal Lights visible in Northern Latitudes in East before morning twilight for the next two weeks.
	- Saturn 5 deg N of waning crescent Moon
28	- Delta Aurigid
29	- New Moon (8:12)

Date information courtesy of: RASC Observer's Handbook, Skymaps.com, Astronomical Calendar 2008, CalSky.

*The time when the Sun reaches the point along the ecliptic where it crosses into the southern celestial hemisphere marking the start of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and Spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

sunrise and sunset times for your home*
Comparative lengths of day and night

Monthly Messier*

This month our monthly Messier hits some big easy targets, eight more globular clusters, all are possible in binoculars, and two of these are the finest globulars which can be seen from northern locations.

Sagittarius is the home of many globular clusters which surround the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Seven of the these globulars appear in the Messier catalog, we will be visiting five of them this month. When you complete the search for these objects be sure to spend some time scanning this region with binoculars or a telescope and see what other sights you can discover. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

• M13 - The great globular cluster in Hercules is bright enough to be seen with naked eye and typically the first GC found by amateur astronomers in the NH. Binoculars easily show this cluster as a bright fuzzy ball. M13 is partially resolvable in small aperture telescopes and becomes a fantastic swarm of tightly packed individual stars through large scopes.
• M92 - Another globular cluster in Hercules, M92 is easy to find in binoculars appearing slightly dimmer and smaller than M13. As with M13 it is partially resolvable in small scopes and is a fine sight in large instruments.
• M14 - A small, bright globular cluster in Ophiuchus. It is a difficult binocular object, look for a small fuzzy patch of light. Through a telescope M14 is an even patch of light, the stars not resolvable except through large scopes.
• M22 - This is the other great globular in our tour this month. Located just above the teapot asterism in Sagittarius, M22 can be seen with no optical aid. M22 is easy to find in binoculars, and easy to resolve in telescopes, with about the same impressiveness as M13.
• M28 - Located near M22 in Sagittarius, this is a small bright globular. A tough binocular object, look for a small fuzzy patch. Easily seen in a telescope, but requires large aperture to resolve individual stars.
• M69, M70, M54 All of these are small bright globular clusters laying along the bottom of the teapot in Sagittarius. Very similar in appearance to M28, these are all tough binocular objects requiring dark skies and possibly averted vision to see. M54 is slightly brighter and appears more star like through binoculars than the other globulars. These are all easily seen in telescopes, though not easily resolvable.

From the Astronomical Connection and the Moncton Center in Canada

Comets for September 2008

Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pages
Skyhound Comet pages

Historical and Current Events

...Did you know?

Mark has developed his own website so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us this month!

Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hat

or write us a favorable review in iTunes of Podcast Pickle or iPodder!

 

Music Scottish Guitar Quartet -"Romance within you"
Mathew Ebel- "Trees" and "Drive Away"

Astronomical Highlights for 2008

Earth's major motions for 2008

Perihelion		Jan 3 00h(UT)
First Cross Quarter Day		Feb 2-6
Equinox		Mar 20 05:48(UT)
Second Cross Quarter Day		May 4-7
Solstice		June 20 23:59(UT)
Aphelion		July 4 08h (UT)
Third Cross Quarter Day		Aug 5-8
Equinox		Sept 22 15:44(UT)
Fourth Cross Quarter Day		Nov 5-8
Solstice		Dec 21 12:04(UT)

Planet Positions for 2008

2008

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Venus

Sgr

Cap

Aqr

Psc

Tau

Gem

Cnc

Vir

Vir

Sco

Sgr

Cap

Mars

Tau

Tau

Gem

Gem

Cnc

Leo

Leo

Vir

Vir

Vir

Sco

Oph

Jupiter

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Saturn

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

 

Interesting Planet Pairing for 2008

• January (first two week) - Mars, Betelgeuse and Aldebaran - Mars will be moving westward into this red triangle, pausing at the end of the month and then returning to regular Eastward motion at the beginning of February.
• February 1 (start watching in early January) - Jupiter and Venus - Start this early in January with Jupiter just off the horizon and watch as they creep closer and closer. On the 1st of Feb early in the morning, about one hour before sunrise in the east, Jupiter and Venus are less than one degree apart in the constellation Sagittarius. They will be outstanding and you could imagine all sorts of symbolism that could be associated with this conjunction.
• February 27 - Mercury and Venus - Rising just one hour before the Sun in the East in the constellation Capricornus. Venus and Mercury will be just over one degree apart and then Venus will speed off, with Mercury in hot pursuit.
• March 24 - Mercury and Venus...again - Mercury catches up to Venus again, this time less than one degree apart and in the constellation Aquarius. They will also be rising above the horizon only a half hour before the sun, so seeing them will be quite a challenge.
• July 10 - Mars and Saturn - In the constellation Leo yellowish-white Saturn and reddish Mars will be less than one degree from each other. The pair is still up two hours after sunset and are bright so it should be easy to see.
• August 13 - Venus and Saturn - Less than one degree apart in the constellation Leo. Venus will be the brighter of the two.
• August 14 (watch from 10-16th)- Venus, Mercury, and Saturn - Just after sunset a triple conjunction! The three planets will be less than three degrees apart in the constellation Leo and almost in a line. Venus will be the highest and brightest Saturn the middle object and Mercury will be the lowest of the three but surprisingly brighter than Saturn. If you want to make this even more interesting look for Mars 16 degrees to the SW the trio.
• August 19-21 - Venus and Mercury - The two planets will be about one degree apart for three days. VERY low on the western horizon at sunset.
• September 11 (watch from 5-18)- Venus and Mars - Venus will come right next to the Red Planet, with the two less than one degree apart Mercury lying three and a half degrees away from the pair and shining brighter than Mars. The whole group will set just one hour after sunset.
• December 1 - Venus and Jupiter - All within Sagittarius, the two planets will be two degrees apart and they don't set until three hours after sunset. As a bonus, a 15%-lit moon will lie three degrees away from Venus.
• December 31 - Jupiter and Mercury - After sunset a little more than one degree apart in Sagittarius. Pull out the binos and telescopes because Mercury will be a mere 15 arcminutes from the globular cluster M75. All three will be together in one field of view in most home binoculars.

2008 Phases of the Moon

Universal Time

      NEW MOON   FIRST QUARTER        FULL MOON     LAST QUARTER

       d  h  m         d  h  m          d  h  m          d  h  m
       
JAN.   8 11 37   JAN. 15 19 46   JAN.  22 13 35   JAN.  30  5 03
FEB.   7  3 44   FEB. 14  3 33   FEB.  21  3 30   FEB.  29  2 18
MAR.   7 17 14   MAR. 14 10 46   MAR.  21 18 40   MAR.  29 21 47
APR.   6  3 55   APR. 12 18 32   APR.  20 10 25   APR.  28 14 12
MAY    5 12 18   MAY  12  3 47   MAY   20  2 11   MAY   28  2 57
JUNE   3 19 23   JUNE 10 15 04   JUNE  18 17 30   JUNE  26 12 10
JULY   3  2 19   JULY 10  4 35   JULY  18  7 59   JULY  25 18 42
AUG.   1 10 13   AUG.  8 20 20   AUG.  16 21 16   AUG.  23 23 50
AUG.  30 19 58   SEPT. 7 14 04   SEPT. 15  9 13   SEPT. 22  5 04  
SEPT. 29  8 12   OCT.  7  9 04   OCT.  14 20 02   OCT.  21 11 55
OCT.  28 23 14   NOV.  6  4 03   NOV.  13  6 17   NOV.  19 21 31
NOV.  27 16 55   DEC.  5 21 26   DEC.  12 16 37   DEC.  19 10 29
DEC.  27 12 22       

Eclipses for 2008

 

2008 February 07 [ Solar: Annular ]

2008 February 21 [ Lunar: Total ]

2008 August 01 [ Solar: Total ]

2008 August 16 [ Lunar: Partial ]

 

February 07 - Annular Solar Eclipse ( see map, times, and animation!): The first solar eclipse of 2008 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in Capricornus. An annular eclipse will be visible from a wide track, that traverses Antarctica and southern regions of the Pacific Ocean. A partial eclipse will be seen within the much larger path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes the southeastern third of Australia, all of New Zealand and most of Antarctica.

 

August 1 - Total Solar Eclipse ( see map, times, and animation!): On Friday, 2008 August 01, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half the Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in Canada and extends across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, and China. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes northeastern North America, most of Europe and Asia. Special website with extra information and links to live eclipse webcasts can be found at the NASA Eclipse Website for the August 1st Eclipse

February 20th - Total Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times.): The first lunar eclipse of 2008 is perfectly placed for observers throughout most of the Americas as well as western Europe. The eclipse occurs at the Moon's descending node, midway between perigee and apogee. During the eclipse, Saturn lies about 3° northeast of the Moon and shines brightly (mv = +0.2) because it is near opposition. Special website with live broadcast can be found at the NASA Eclipse Website

August 16 - Partial Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times): The last eclipse of 2008 is a partial lunar eclipse at the Moon's ascending node in Capricornus. It is visible primarily from the Eastern Hemisphere as well as eastern South America

Eclipse information from: NASA Eclipse Homepage, Eclipses Online (HM Nautical Almanac Office, UK in coordination with the U.S. Naval Observatory)

Meteor Showers for 2008

All times are UT

 

Name	Date of Peak Time in UT (help with time)	Moon Phase
Quadrantids	January 4, 7h	Waning Crescent
Lyrids	April 22, 4h	almost Full
Eta Aquarids	May 5, 18h	New Moon
Perseids	August 12, 11h	Waxing Gibbous
Orionids	October 21, 4h	Last Quarter
Leonids	November 17, 10h	Waning Gibbous
Geminids	December 13, 23h	Full Moon

Information from the "Observer's Handbook 2008" RASC