Astronomy News, Astronomy Events, Planetary Report, Constellation Report, The Utah Skies Report

Report for 2005-08-19

Brought to you from beautiful Park City, "View-tah".

Contents

This Weeks Issue

The Utah Skies Website

Astronomical Times
Viewing Outlook
Space Weather Update
Mission Update
Lunar Phase
Planetary Report
Hubble Vision
Constellation Report
IDA-Utah Light Pollution Update

Astronomical Times (Mountain Standard)

Sunrise:	6:41 am		Sunset:	8:21 pm
Astronomical Twilight Begins:	4:59 am		Astronomical Twilight Ends:	10:03 pm
Moonrise:	8:46 pm		Moonset:	6:19 am

Viewing Outlook

This week in Utah Skies…

We find ourselves under a full moon. The moon will be 100% illuminated when it rises just before noon. The moon will completely dominate the night sky... from sundown till sun up. Don't even try to fight it. Make a point to checkout Earth's nearest celestial neighbor at some point. No special equipment is required. Just head outside and look to the east around sunset... currently about 8:15pm. Moonrise can be especially beautiful... as Earth's atmosphere often distorts the moons appearance while its low in the sky. Often times, it will appear to be yellowish... or even orangish. Throw in the fact that the moon illusion makes the moon look much larger than normal, and you've got a recipe for some sweet views.
Those of you with a telescope or binoculars are in for a treat of course as well. The moon offers up far more detail than any other celestial object in even the most modest of instruments. Be sure to make use of a lunar filter if you've got one as the moons incredible brightness will overwhelm much of the surface detail otherwise. You can see numerous craters and mare... darker areas on the moons surface that were once believed to be oceans. You can also see several mountain ranges without much effort.

As you study the moon's surface, be sure to take note of the incredible amount of destruction that has rained down upon its surface... the evidence of which sits in plain view. Be thankful that our atmosphere protects us from the vast majority of destructive collisions we'd otherwise encounter.

Finally, there are a couple of other solar system neighbors to look for this weekend. The planet Venus can be found in the western sky shortly after sunset. It continues to climb higher and higher each night... sticking around longer and longer.. allowing us to get a better view of it. Venus will continue to climb throughout the summer and fall... dominating the night sky for the remainder of the year.

Also on a planetary note, views of the red planet Mars continue to improve on an almost daily basis. Mars is now spanning 13”... presenting us with some spectacular views. Mars is also several times brighter than the brightest stars in the sky making it an easy target for you to find. Mars is currently rising in the east around 11:30pm... though best views will be had just before first light when it sits hight and towards the south. If you've never seen the red planet before, you're in for a treat. Surface detail on Mars can be seen in even modest telescopes.

Tell A Friend About Utah Skies

Utah Skies is continuing its member drive. If you received this report via e-mail.. why not pass it on to some of your friends & family. No doubt, you know someone who'd appreciate it. With the warmer weather finally upon is, now's the time when most people are able to get out and view the night sky. Tell them to just click on the Subscribe Link... fill out the short form.. and send it in.

Seeing The Lights

The northern lights as imaged by Daryl Pederson of Girdwood, Alaska

Daryl Pederson of Girdwood, Alaska snapped this incredible display of the northern lights. Earth is currently being buffeted by a high speed solar wind. Skywatchers (especially at higher latitudes) should be alert for aurora. Checkout Spaceweather.com for more information.

SOHO Catches Comet #1000

1000 comets have been discovered to date using the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. The SOHO spacecraft, a joint effort between NASA and the European Space Agency, has accounted for approximately one-half of all comet discoveries with computed orbits in the history of astronomy. Checkout this NASA Press Release for all the details.

Filaments and Vortices

The orbiting Cassini Spacecraft snapped this exquisite shot of filaments and vortices in Saturn's cloud tops. Also note the dramatic storms seen swirling around the lower reaches of this image. Astronomers aren't quite able to explain all that is going on in this image. Checkout NASA's Planetary Photojournal for more details.

Hot Spot Found

During a recent fly-by, the Cassini orbiter noticed a very unexpected hot-spot on Saturn's moon Enceladus. The moon has long been considered a dead, frozen chunk of rock, but is apparently quite geologically active! Check out this Yahoo article for details.

Positive Perseid

Northern Utah had beautiful, clear skies and warm weather for the peak of the Perseid meteor shower last night. This shot was captured by Utah Skies contributor Brian Jolley when a meteor streaked just below the power lines in the image. Meteor activity will continue, with decreasing activity through August 24th.

Solar System

The Sun, Our Star

Planetary Report

Mercury, the 1st Planet

Venus, the 2nd Planet

Earth, the 3rd Planet

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone NP as imaged by Lisa Arrigo

Yellowstone National Park is an incredible place... anytime of year. Its especially beautiful in the summer though... as all its residents go about their busy lives. As you hike and drive through the park... you have no choice but the think of the incredible forces at work under you

Lunar Phase

The Moon as imaged by Anthony Arrigo of Utah Skies

The moon will be full around 10:20am this morning.. .meaning that it will be 100% illuminated when it rises around 8:15pm. The moon is starting to take control of the night sky, but.. should get out of our way around midnight. Tonight's full moon is referred to as the Sturgeon Moon.

Here's a shot of a rising full moon... just about how it could look tonight. The moon will start rising later and later over the coming days :-)

Mars, the 4th Planet

Jupiter, the 5th Planet

Saturn, the 6th Planet

Uranus, the 7th Planet

Neptune, the 8th Planet

Pluto, the 9th Planet

Deep Sky

Hubble Vision

The Hubble Space Telescope has distinguished itself as a premier source of astronomical images. Amazing HST images have graced the covers of major magazines and newspapers worldwide. In recognition of the amazing advances in astronomy and physics which have come from Hubble discoveries, we'd like to devote a section of this report to some of these incredible images, and share some of them with you. Our latest comes directly from the Hubble Heritage Team.

Hot White Dwarf Shines in Young Star Cluster

A dazzling "jewel-box" collection of over 20,000 stars can be seen in crystal clarity in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image, taken with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. The young (40 million year old) cluster, called NGC 1818, is 164,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. The LMC, a site of vigorous current star formation, is an ideal nearby laboratory for studying stellar evolution.

In the cluster, astronomers have found a young white dwarf star, which has only very recently formed following the burnout of a red giant. Based on this observation astronomers conclude that the red giant progenitor star was 7.6 times the mass of our Sun. Previously, astronomers have estimated that stars anywhere from 6 to 10 solar masses would not just quietly fade away as white dwarfs but abruptly self-destruct in torrential explosions.

Hubble can easily resolve the star in the crowded cluster, and detect its intense blue-white glow from a sizzling surface temperature of 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Credit: Rebecca Elson and Richard Sword, Cambridge UK, and NASA (Original WFPC2 image courtesy J. Westphal, Caltech)

If you are able to find all of these objects, you may be one of the few, the proud, the Deep Sky Obsessed.
E-mail your findings to DeepSkyObservations@UtahSkies.org.

IDA-Utah Light Pollution Update

Starry Night Lights

Outdoor Home Lighting by Starry Night Lights

Outdoor Home Lighting by SPJ Lighting

This weeks Light Pollution Update is brought to you by the folks at Starry Night Lights... The First & Only Night Sky Friendly Lighting Store, Checkout their wide selection of ordinance compliant, night sky friendly outdoor lighting products such as this metal wall sconce made by SPJ Lighting. It's available in either brass or copper (your choice) plus a wide range of attractive finishes. Attractive, night sky friendly exterior wall sconces add a special touch to any location.

Utah Skies. A valuable resource for astronomers. Lots of astronmy images, star charts and The Weekly Utah Skies Report. Also, a great light pollution resource

Stay up to date on astronomical happenings by regularly checking the Utah Skies website at http://www.UtahSkies.org