Astronomy a Go Go!

Thu, 1 January 2009

Tour of the Sky: January 2009

Astronomy a Go Go! January Sky Tour

This tool displays the approximate Moon phases for a given month. For official phase times and dates for this month and past months are available from the U.S. Naval Observatory.

Astronomical Online Glossary

Download this month's sky map!

Skymaps.com is our favorite monthly skymap provider. Download either the

Northern hemisphere sky map or theSouthern hemisphere sky map so you can follow along with our viewing sessions.
Creator: Kym Thalassoudis

Southern Hemisphere Additional Information

As Astronomy a Go Go! finds its home in the higher Northern latitudes those of you who live south of the equator will benefit from these two Southern Hemisphere sites: Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site (absolutely outstanding) and
Southern Sky Watch.

Planets for January 2009

This year will be a morning viewing year but we still have bright Venus in the early evening and Saturn for late night viewers!

Early January Evening Planets (click image to enlarge)

Late January Evening Planets (click image to enlarge)

Mercury- Starts the year close to Jupiter in the evening twilight. The further south you are the easier it is to pick up this pair against the glowing horizon. Mercury reaches greatest elongation on the 4th before racing back towards the sun (passing Jupiter again) reaching inferior conjunction on the 20th. By the end of the month Mercury is with Mars and Jupiter in the morning, pre-dawn sky. They will all be quite faint, low for northern observers but better as you go further south. -0.7 mag (1st) to 5.1 mag (21st)

Venus- Venus has been distancing herself from the Sun for months, a sparkling beacon in the early evening sky, even shining through the clouds from time to time. She reaches greatest elongation on the 14th, a full 47 deg east of the Sun. On the 30th look for a pretty pairing with the crescent Moon. -4.2 mag (1st) to -4.3 mag (21st)

Mars- Mars reached conjunction with the Sun on Dec 5th, and is slowly drifting into the morning sky. Mars will play hide and seek with Mercury and Jupiter later in the month but will really start to become visible later in February. 1.3 (1st) to 1.3 mag (21st)

Jupiter- Is paired up nicely with Mercury as the year starts but quickly slides into the glare of the Sun reaching conjunction on the 24th. Look for the return of the King to the pre-dawn sky in February. -1.9 mag (1st) to -1.9 mag (21st)

Saturn- Saturn has been our "planet of the night" and those rings are continuing to flatten out. Saturn spends most of the year in Leo before sliding into Virgo in September. With the rings at a close tilt of .81 deg. Although there are those who mourn the shallow ring angle others will be using the reduction of glare to chase after Saturn's moons. (See the RASC Observing Challenge for 2009) 0.9 mag (1st) to 0.9 mag (21st)

Uranus- In Aquarius 5.9 mag (1st) to 5.9 mag (21st)

Neptune- In Capricorn 8.0 mag (1st) to 8.0 mag (21st)

Ceresand Vesta - Finder chart from the New Zealand RAS (RASNZ) great charts! Northern Hemisphere observers this time you get to flip the chart or stand on your head!
Vesta chart temporarily missing...use this one until site is corrected

Key Dates for January 2009

Days and Times in UT: (help with time)
Observations are for 10 pm for the mid-southern latitudes and for 7 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 - January 2009

1	- Saturn stationary
3	- Quandrantid meteor shower peak
4	- First Quarter Moon
	- Mercury at greatest elongation East (19 deg)
	- Earth at perihelion (closest to the Sun) 147095260 km
7	- Moon 0.8 deg N of M45 - Pleiades
10	- Moon at perigee (357497 km) expect large tides
11	- Full Moon (largest in 2009)
12	- Moon 1.5 deg South of M44 - Beehive cluster
14	- Venus at greatest elongation E (47 deg)
17	- Ceres stationary - also part of the RASC Observing challenge
18	- Last Quarter Moon
20	- Mercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun
21	- Antares 0.02 deg S of Moon, possible occultation in your area.
23	- Moon at apogee (406118 km)
	- Venus 1.4 deg N of Uranus
24	- Jupiter in conjunction with the Sun
26	- New Moon
	- Annular Solar Eclipse - NEVER look at the SUN! For safe solar eclipse viewing techniques visit Fred Espenak's (Mr. Eclipse) website.
	- Mercury 4 deg N or Mars in the pre-dawn sky
30	- Moon and Venus pair up in the evening sky

Date information courtesy of: RASC Observer's Handbook, Skymaps.com, Astronomical Calendar 2009, CalSky, Skymaps.com. sunrise and sunset times for your home*
Comparative lengths of day and night

Monthly Messier*

This month has two of my personal Messier thorns; M77 and M74. Those two are offset by a favorite; the Little Dumbell. You will need binoculars and a telescope to fully enjoy the January Messier objects.

M33 This is a very large (about the size of the full moon) face on spiral galaxy in the constellation Triangulum. The total light from M33 is about magnitude 5.3, but when spread out over its large area it yields a very low surface brightness. The best and easiest views of M33 can be found with a pair of binoculars. Look for a large, round hazy patch of light with little detail at first glance. M33 can be glimpsed with the naked eye in dark clear skies. Finding M33 in a telescope can be a challenge because of its size. Use the widest field eyepiece you have and look for a change in light level to identify the galaxy.

M103 This is a fairly small, sparse open cluster in Cassiopeia. Look for a tight group of stars in binoculars, being careful not to mistake it for several other clusters in the same area. Through a telescope the cluster is very sparse, four bright stars amidst the slight glow of much fainter companions.

M52 This rich open cluster in Cassiopeia is fairly easy to see in binoculars as a faint smudge of light. A small to mid telescope will begin to resolve this cluster. Look for a triangular patch of light with some stars clearly resolved, but most of the cluster members provide only a hint of graininess.

M76 Known as the little dumbell, this planetary nebula in Perseus is one of the dimmest objects in the Catalog. Look for a small, faint, oblong patch of light. Not a very obvious object, if you don't see it at first try varying magnifications in an attempt to bring it out. Fortunately M76 is located near a bright star which aids in locating the correct field to search.

M34 This is a large and bright, but sparse open cluster located in Perseus. Visible as a faint patch of light to the naked eye, it is very obvious and easy to resolve in binoculars. In fact, binoculars provide a better view of this cluster than most telescopes.

M74 This galaxy in Pisces is a smaller and fainter version of M33, a face on spiral galaxy with low surface brightness. M74 is arguably the most difficult object to find in the Catalog. You will need very dark, clear skies to easily see it, anything less than perfect conditions will make M74 nearly impossible to find. Look for a very faint fuzzy star, which is the bright central condensation, surrounded by a very faint glow. Try all of your tricks on this one; star hop to the correct field, try varying magnification, tap the scope to detect the galaxy through its motion. If all of the above fail, try again another night or seek darker skies.

M77 This is a small faint galaxy in Cetus. Possible to see in binoculars, but very difficult, look for a faint fuzzy star. Through a telescope look for a fuzzy, oval shaped patch of light, bright in the center, fading towards the edges.

From the Astronomical Connection and the Moncton Center in Canada

Comets for January 2009

85P/Boethin: ~7 mag - in Pisces, early evening
144P/Kushida: ~ 8 mag - in Taurus, evening
C/2007 N3/Lulin: ~5 mag in Libra, pre-dawn
210P/2008 X4/Christensen: ~7 mag in Ophiuchus, pre-dawn

More comet information at Seiichi Yoshida's comet website. Also checkout 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"
Three Blind Mice- "Watch Star"
Finniston- "Peace of Mind"

Earth's major motions for 2009

Perihelion		Jan 4 15(UT)
First Cross Quarter Day		Feb 2-6
Equinox		Mar 20 11:44(UT)
Second Cross Quarter Day		May 4-7
Solstice		June 21 05:45(UT)
Aphelion		July 4 02h (UT)
Third Cross Quarter Day		Aug 5-8
Equinox		Sept 22 21:18(UT)
Fourth Cross Quarter Day		Nov 5-8
Solstice		Dec 21 17:47(UT)

Planet Positions for 2009

2009

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Venus

Sgr

Cap

Aqr

Psc

Tau

Gem

Cnc

Vir

Sco

Sgr

Cap

Mars

Sgr

Cap

Aqr

Psc

Ari

Tau

Gem

Cnc

Leo

Jupiter

Cap

Saturn

Leo

Vir

Interesting Planet Pairing for 2009

December 31, 2008 - 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.

January 22nd - Venus and Uranus - After sunset 1.3 degrees apart a few days later on the 29th they are joined by a waxing crescent moon.

February 23rd - Jupiter, Mars and Mercury - In the early morning sky just before sunrise the trio are in a space about 2 degrees wide. Binoculars will be helpful but beware the quickly rising Sun. The Moon, almost invisible, will be between Mars and the Sun.

March 23rd - Mars, Moon, Neptune, and Jupiter - Makes a nice line-up in the morning sky with Neptune just off the tip of the waning crescent moon.

April 21st - Venus, Mars, Uranus, waning crescent Moon, Neptune and Jupiter - all in the pre-dawn sky together. First the right triangle of Venus, Mars, and Uranus followed by the waning crescent Moon and then finally by Neptune and Jupiter. Mars will be a faint 1.41 mag so binoculars will be helpful. The next day, possible occultation of Venus by the Moon. Check the IOTA website for occultations in your area.

May 25th - Jupiter and Neptune - Jupiter is less than 1/2 degree South of Neptune in the morning sky. If you have ever had problems finding Neptune this would be a good time to try, between now and June.

June 19th - Venus and Mars - In the pre-dawn sky just south of a waning crescent Moon. Closer to the Sun is Mercury and the Pleiades.

August 17th - Saturn and Mercury - Very close to the Sun low in the evening sky. Much better view for Southern viewers.

September 3rd UT 4:43 - Jupiter hides its Galilean moons. Not until 2019 will all of Jupiter's Galilean moons orbit in such a way.

September 4th - Saturn - Not exactly a pairing but the Earth will cross the plane of the rings from south to north making the rings invisible

October 16th - Mercury, Venus, and Saturn - All lined up in the pre-dawn sky close to the horizon. A faint waning crescent is just south of the trio.

December 24th - Jupiter and Neptune - Just after sunset Jupiter and Neptune sit side-by-side just north of delta Capricornus and east of the "42,44,45 Cap Wall"

Phases of the Moon 2009

(click to enlarge)

Universal Time

      NEW MOON    FIRST QUARTER       FULL MOON     LAST QUARTER

       d  h  m          d  h  m         d  h  m          d  h  m
       
                 JAN.   4 11 56   JAN. 11  3 27   JAN.  18  2 46
JAN.  26  7 55   FEB.   2 23 13   FEB.  9 14 49   FEB.  16 21 37
FEB.  25  1 35   MAR.   4  7 46   MAR. 11  2 38   MAR.  18 17 47 
MAR.  26 16 06   APR.   2 14 34   APR.  9 14 56   APR.  17 13 36  
APR.  25  3 23   MAY    1 20 44   MAY   9  4 01   MAY   17  7 26
MAY   24 12 11   MAY   31  3 22   JUNE  7 18 12   JUNE  15 22 15
JUNE  22 19 35   JUNE  29 11 28   JULY  7  9 21   JULY  15  9 53  
JULY  22  2 35   JULY  28 22 00   AUG.  6  0 55   AUG.  13 18 55  
AUG.  20 10 02   AUG.  27 11 42   SEPT. 4 16 03   SEPT. 12  2 16
SEPT. 18 18 44   SEPT. 26  4 50   OCT.  4  6 10   OCT.  11  8 56  
OCT.  18  5 33   OCT.  26  0 42   NOV.  2 19 14   NOV.   9 15 56  
NOV.  16 19 14   NOV.  24 21 39   DEC.  2  7 30   DEC.   9  0 13  
DEC.  16 12 02   DEC.  24 17 36   DEC. 31 19 13

Eclipses for 2009

2009 January 26 [ Solar: Annular ]	2009 February 09 [ Lunar: Penumbral ]	2009 July 07 [ Lunar: Penumbral ]
2009 July 21-22 [ Solar: Total ]	2009 August 05-06 [ Lunar: Penumbral ]	2009 December 31 [ Lunar: Penumbral ]

January 26 - Annular Solar Eclipse ( see map, times, and animation!): The first solar eclipse of 2009 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in western Capricornus. An annular eclipse will be visible from a wide track that traverses the Indian Ocean and western Indonesia. A partial eclipse will be seen within the much larger path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes the southern third of Africa, Madagascar, Australia except Tasmania, southeast India, Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

February 09 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times): The first lunar eclipse of 2009 is one of four such events during the year. The first three eclipses are penumbral while the last (on Dec. 31) is partial. The Feb 09 event is the deepest penumbral eclipse of the year with a penumbral magnitude of 0.899. It will be easily visible to the naked eye as a dusky shading in the northern half of the Moon. The times of the major phases are listed below.

July 07 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times.): July's penumbral eclipse is only of academic interest since the magnitude is just 0.156. Although the Moon will be above the horizon from most of Canada, the eclipse is so minor as to be completely invisible to the naked eye.

July 21-22 - Total Solar Eclipse ( see map, times, and animation!): To make up for the anemic lunar eclipse earlier in the month, a major total eclipse of the Sun occurs two weeks later. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow extends across India, China, a handful of Japanese islands and the South Pacific Ocean (Espenak and Anderson, 2008). A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Ocean.

August 05-06 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times): A shallow penumbral eclipse occurs 15 days after the total solar eclipse. Since its magnitude is only 0.402, it will not be visible to the naked eye.

December 31 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times): The last eclipse of 2009 occurs on New Year's Eve. This minor partial lunar eclipse takes place in Gemini, and is visible primarily from the Eastern Hemisphere (Figure 8). Greatest eclipse takes place at 19:23 UT when the eclipse magnitude will reach 0.0763.

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

2009 Meteor Shower Calendar

Shower	Activity Period	Maximum		Radiant		Velocity	r	ZHR	Class	Moon
		Date	S. L.	R.A.	Dec.	km/s
Antihelion Source (ANT)	Dec 14-Sep 07	-	-	-	-	30	3.0	3	II	-
Quadrantids (QUA)	Dec 26-Jan 13	Jan 03	283°16	15:20	+49°	42	2.1	120	I	6
Alpha Centaurids (ACE)	Jan 28-Feb 21	Feb 07	319°2	14:00	-59°	56	2.0	5	II	12
Delta Leonids (DLE)	Feb 15-Mar 10	Feb 25	336°	11:12	+16°	23	3.0	2	II	0
Gamma Normids (GNO)	Feb 25-Mar 22	Mar 13	353°	16:36	-51°	56	2.4	4	II	16
Lyrids (LYR)	Apr 16-Apr 27	Apr 23	033°	18:12	+33°	46	2.1	18	I	27
Pi Puppids (PPU)	Apr 15-Apr 28	Apr 23	033°5	07:20	-45°	18	2.0	var	III	27
Eta Aquarids (ETA)	Apr 27-May 23	May 07	047°	22:36	-01°	68	2.4	60	I	12
Eta Lyrids (ELY)	May 06-May 14	May 10	050°	19:22	+43°	43	3.0	3	II	15
June Bootids (JBO)	Jun 22-Jul 02	Jun 27	095°7	14:56	+48°	18	2.2	var	III	5
Piscis Austrinids (PAU)	Jul 15-Aug 10	Jul 28	125°	22:44	-30°	35	3.2	5	II	7
Alpha Capricornids (CAP)	Jul 12-Aug 08	Jul 28	125°	20:20	-10°	24	2.5	4	II	7
Delta Aquarids (SDA)	Jul 21-Aug 30	Jul 30	127°	22:42	-17°	43	3.2	20	I	9
Perseids (PER)	Jul 13-Aug 26	Aug 12	140°	03:12	+58°	59	2.6	100	I	20
Kappa Cygnids (KCG)	Aug 03-Aug 25	Aug 17	145°	19:04	+59°	25	3.0	3	II	25
Alpha Aurigids (AUR)	Aug 28-Sep 03	Sep 01	158°6	06:06	+39°	65	2.6	7	II	11
September Perseids (SPR)	Sep 06-Sep 13	Sep 10	168°	03:12	+40°	65	2.9	5	II	19
Delta Aurigids (DAU)	Sep 18-Oct 10	Sep 29	186°	05:52	+49°	64	2.9	2	II	13
Draconids (GIA)	Oct 06-Oct 10	Oct 08	195°4	17:28	+54°	20	2.6	var	III	18
Southern Taurids (STA)	Sep 18-Nov 26	Oct 11	198°	02:18	+09°	29	2.3	5	II	21
Epsilon Geminids (EGE)	Oct 18-Oct 21	Oct 20	207°	06:48	+28°	71	3.0	2	II	2
Orionids (ORI)	Sep 28-Nov 10	Oct 21	208°	06:22	+16°	68	2.5	23	I	3
Leo Minorids (LMI)	Oct 17-Oct 27	Oct 23	209°	10:40	+37°	61	2.7	2	II	4
Northern Taurids (NTA)	Oct 20-Nov 29	Nov 13	231°	03:52	+22°	29	2.3	5	II	25
Leonids (LEO)	Nov 07-Nov 28	Nov 18	236°	10:16	+22°	71	2.5	var	III	1
Alpha Monocerotids (AMO)	Nov 15-Nov 25	Nov 21	239°32	07:48	+01°	65	2.4	var	III	4
Dec Phoenicids (PHO)	Nov 28-Dec 09	Dec 06	254°25	01:12	-53°	18	2.8	var	III	18
Puppid/Velids (PUP)	Dec 01-Dec 15	Dec 07	255°	08:12	-45°	40	2.9	10	I	19
Monocerotids (MON)	Dec 06-Dec 20	Dec 07	255°	06:32	+09°	41	3.0	2	II	10
Sigma Hydrids (HYD)	Nov 22-Dec 23	Dec 09	257°	08:24	+03°	60	3.0	3	II	21
Geminids (GEM)	Dec 05-Dec 19	Dec 14	262°2	07:36	+32°	35	2.6	120	I	26
Coma Berenicids (COM)	Dec 10-Jan 25	Dec 19	268°	11:40	+25°	64	3.0	5	II	3
Ursids (URS)	Dec 16-Dec 25	Dec 22	270°7	14:34	+75°	32	3.0	10	I	5

Information and Table Template Courtesy The American Meteor Society, International Meteor Organization, and Meteors Online.

Explanation of the 2009 Meteor Shower Calendar

Shower: named for the constellation or closest star within a constellation where the radiant is located at maximum activity.

Activity Period: the dates when the ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rates) are equal to or greater than one.

Maximum: the date on which the maximum activity is expected to occur.

S.L.: the equivalent solar longitude of the date of maximum activity. Solar longitude is measured in degrees (0-359) with 0 occurring at the exact moment of the spring equinox, 90 at the summer solstice, 180 at the autumnal equinox, and 270 at the winter solstice.

Radiant: the area in the sky where shower meteors seem to appear from. This position is given in right ascension (celestial longitude) and declination (celestial latitude).

Velocity: the velocity at which shower meteors strike the Earth's atmosphere. The velocity depends on the angle meteoroids (meteors in space) intersect the Earth. Meteoroids orbiting in the opposite direction of the Earth and striking the atmosphere head-on are much faster than those orbiting in the same direction as the Earth. This velocity is measured in kilometers per second.

r: The Population Index, An estimate of the ratio of the number of meteors in subsequent magnitude classes. Simply stated: the lower the "r" value, the resulting overall mean magnitude of each shower will be brighter. "r" usually ranges from 2.0 (bright) to 3.5 (faint).

ZHR: Zenith Hourly Rate, the average maximum number of shower meteors visible per hour if the radiant is located exactly overhead and the limiting magnitude equals +6.5. Actual counts rarely reach this figure as the zenith angle of the radiant is usually less and the limiting magnitude is usually lower. ZHR is a useful tool when comparing the actual observed rates between individual observers as it sets observing conditions for all to the same standards.

Class: A scale developed by Robert Lunsford to group meteor showers by their intensity:

Class I: the strongest annual showers with ZHR's normally ten or better.

Class II: reliable minor showers with ZHR's normally three or better.

Class III: showers with widely variable rates. They may be strong one year and totally inactive the next.

Class IV: weak minor showers with ZHR's rarely exceeding three. The study of these showers is best left to experienced observers who use plotting and angular velocity estimates to determine shower association. Observers with less experience are urged to limit their shower associations to showers with a rating of I to III. These showers are also good targets for video and photographic work.

Moon: the age of the moon in days where 0 is new, 7 is first quarter, 14 is full, and 21 is last quarter. Meteor activity is best seen in the absence of moonlight so showers reaching maximum activity when the moon is less than 10 days old or more than 25 are much more favorably observed than those situated closer to the full moon.

Information from the "Observer's Handbook 2009" RASC

Direct download: AAGG_sky_tour_Jan_09.mp3
Category:Sky Tours -- posted at: 11:32 PM

Thu, 1 January 2009

Happy 2009!

Astronomy a Go Go! 2009 Preview

Earth's major motions for 2009

Perihelion		Jan 4 15(UT)
First Cross Quarter Day		Feb 2-6
Equinox		Mar 20 11:44(UT)
Second Cross Quarter Day		May 4-7
Solstice		June 21 05:45(UT)
Aphelion		July 4 02h (UT)
Third Cross Quarter Day		Aug 5-8
Equinox		Sept 22 21:18(UT)
Fourth Cross Quarter Day		Nov 5-8
Solstice		Dec 21 17:47(UT)