Phil Plait has written a nice article on Comet Catalina. This comet is escaping the solar system, but making a close passage to the inner solar system on its way out. The comet can also be seen in the morning right now, but you'll need binoculars. Next month it will be visible in the late evening.
Here's the link to Phil's article.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/12/15/comet_catalina_is_your_christmas_star_for_2015.html
And here is Sky and Telescope's link, which includes finder charts.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/comet-catalina-sails-into-northern-skies111120151111/
Enjoy
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Monday, December 14, 2015
Transcript: 13 - 19 December
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the third week of December. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon passed very close to the sun last week.
PAUL
And now it reappears in the low southwest on the evening of the 13th.
RACHEL
The moon’s not even three days old yet.
PAUL
That means its thin crescent won’t show a lot of lunar detail.
RACHEL
Any craters you do manage to see through your telescope will be those near the bright edge of the moon.
PAUL
Therefore, nearly edge-on which makes them look like narrow ovals.
RACHEL
However, you stand a good chance of seeing Earthshine illuminating the dark portion of the moon.
PAUL
You’ll need to wait until around 6:45 PM on the 13th before the sky becomes dark enough to make Earthshine apparent.
RACHEL
Don’t wait much longer however, as the moon gets too close to the horizon by 7:15.
PAUL
The Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak intensity on the night of the 13th and morning of the 14th.
RACHEL
The Geminids are one of the best meteor showers because of its intensity, or the number of meteors visible per hour.
PAUL
Also because it’s radiant point is above the horizon all night.
RACHEL
The radiant point of a meteor shower is where all the meteors in the shower appear to originate.
PAUL
The position of the radiant is related to where Earth’s orbit intersects the meteor showers orbit.
RACHEL
And to the time of the year that the intersection occurs.
PAUL
In the case of the Geminids, the radiant is located in the low east early at sunset and overhead by 3:00 AM.
RACHEL
This year, the moon is a thin crescent that sets by 8:00 PM.
PAUL
Meaning the rest of the night is undisturbed by moonlight.
RACHEL
In dark skies, and on a clear night, one can expect to see upwards of 60 meteors per hour from this shower.
PAUL
So spend a little time outside on the 13th enjoying the Geminid meteor shower.
RACHEL
The moon passes through the constellation of Capricornus the Sea-Goat on the night of the 14th.
PAUL
The constellation’s brightest star is called Algedi, and it’s located to the moon’s right.
RACHEL
Hey, did you know this star appears in popular fiction?
PAUL
In Frank Herbert’s Dune novels, the name Algedi is the source for the name of the planet Giedi Prime.
RACHEL
Which is home world of the evil Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.
PAUL
The seventh planet is Uranus and its bright enough to be visible to the unaided eye in very dark skies.
RACHEL
And that means it’s visible through binoculars in most other skies.
PAUL
The problem is that the planet doesn’t announce its presence like the brighter planets.
RACHEL
Therefore, it takes something like the moon to help you locate this distant planet.
PAUL
On the evening of the 19th, you’ll find Uranus just above the moon.
RACHEL
To find it, place the moon at the bottom of the field of view of your binoculars.
PAUL
Then look up along the moon’s terminator or boundary between lunar day and night.
RACHEL
Just below the middle of you binoculars is a star that’s actually the planet Uranus.
PAUL
The distance to Uranus is 19 times greater than the distance to the sun.
RACHEL
Therefore, the light you see from Uranus left 2¾ hours ago.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of December. Next week, winter begins.
RACHEL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the third week of December. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
The moon passed very close to the sun last week.
PAUL
And now it reappears in the low southwest on the evening of the 13th.
RACHEL
The moon’s not even three days old yet.
PAUL
That means its thin crescent won’t show a lot of lunar detail.
RACHEL
Any craters you do manage to see through your telescope will be those near the bright edge of the moon.
PAUL
Therefore, nearly edge-on which makes them look like narrow ovals.
RACHEL
However, you stand a good chance of seeing Earthshine illuminating the dark portion of the moon.
PAUL
You’ll need to wait until around 6:45 PM on the 13th before the sky becomes dark enough to make Earthshine apparent.
RACHEL
Don’t wait much longer however, as the moon gets too close to the horizon by 7:15.
PAUL
The Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak intensity on the night of the 13th and morning of the 14th.
RACHEL
The Geminids are one of the best meteor showers because of its intensity, or the number of meteors visible per hour.
PAUL
Also because it’s radiant point is above the horizon all night.
RACHEL
The radiant point of a meteor shower is where all the meteors in the shower appear to originate.
PAUL
The position of the radiant is related to where Earth’s orbit intersects the meteor showers orbit.
RACHEL
And to the time of the year that the intersection occurs.
PAUL
In the case of the Geminids, the radiant is located in the low east early at sunset and overhead by 3:00 AM.
RACHEL
This year, the moon is a thin crescent that sets by 8:00 PM.
PAUL
Meaning the rest of the night is undisturbed by moonlight.
RACHEL
In dark skies, and on a clear night, one can expect to see upwards of 60 meteors per hour from this shower.
PAUL
So spend a little time outside on the 13th enjoying the Geminid meteor shower.
RACHEL
The moon passes through the constellation of Capricornus the Sea-Goat on the night of the 14th.
PAUL
The constellation’s brightest star is called Algedi, and it’s located to the moon’s right.
RACHEL
Hey, did you know this star appears in popular fiction?
PAUL
In Frank Herbert’s Dune novels, the name Algedi is the source for the name of the planet Giedi Prime.
RACHEL
Which is home world of the evil Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.
PAUL
The seventh planet is Uranus and its bright enough to be visible to the unaided eye in very dark skies.
RACHEL
And that means it’s visible through binoculars in most other skies.
PAUL
The problem is that the planet doesn’t announce its presence like the brighter planets.
RACHEL
Therefore, it takes something like the moon to help you locate this distant planet.
PAUL
On the evening of the 19th, you’ll find Uranus just above the moon.
RACHEL
To find it, place the moon at the bottom of the field of view of your binoculars.
PAUL
Then look up along the moon’s terminator or boundary between lunar day and night.
RACHEL
Just below the middle of you binoculars is a star that’s actually the planet Uranus.
PAUL
The distance to Uranus is 19 times greater than the distance to the sun.
RACHEL
Therefore, the light you see from Uranus left 2¾ hours ago.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the third week of December. Next week, winter begins.
RACHEL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Transcript: December 6 - 12
PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the second week of December. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
If you don’t mind getting up a little early on Sunday morning the 6th, you’ll find there’s a relatively bright star below the moon.
RACHEL
The star’s name is Spica and it’s the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden.
PAUL
Even farther below and to the left of the moon is an even object, Venus the Morning Star.
RACHEL
Venus is slowly approaching the sun, from Earth’s perspective that is.
PAUL
At the same time, it’s also traveling to the far side of the sun.
RACHEL
This means it’s approaching the full phase and becoming a smaller disk.
PAUL
So you’ll need a telescope to observe its shrinking disk.
RACHEL
By May of next year, Venus will reach the opposite side of the sun from our perspective.
PAUL
Or what astronomers called superior conjunction.
RACHEL
Let’s turn our attention back to the moon, which you can observe very well with just a pair of binoculars.
PAUL
Yes. Be sure to check out the moon for Earthshine using your binoculars.
RACHEL
Earthshine is that faint illumination of the dark portion of the crescent moon.
PAUL
The illumination is sunlight, but this is sunlight reaching the moon by way of Earth.
RACHEL
That’s because Earth appears very large and bright in the lunar sky.
PAUL
In fact, it’s about four times more reflective and four times larger than the moon appears to us.
RACHEL
So in other words, the full Earth reflects about 16 times as much light as the full moon.
PAUL
This amount of sunlight reflecting off of Earth illuminates the lunar surface more brightly than the full moon illuminates Earth’s surface.
RACHEL
The light is so bright on the moon that we can often see some of the lunar maria located on the dark portion of the moon.
PAUL
The moon approaches very close to Venus on the morning of the 7th.
RACHEL
You might want to take a minute before leaving to work to enjoy this very nice astronomical sight.
PAUL
That’s because brilliant Venus will only be one degree from the moon.
RACHEL
Meaning both appear together in your binoculars on the morning of the 7th.
PAUL
And Earthshine should still be prominent on the dark portion of the moon.
RACHEL
Zubenelgenubi is a wide double-star with a funny sounding name.
PAUL
Unlike many double stars, Zubenelgenubi is easy to split into a pair of stars using binoculars.
RACHEL
And it’s easy to find because the moon passes close to it every month.
PAUL
On the morning of the 8th, say around 6:30 AM, you’ll find Zubenelgenubi to the lower right of the moon.
RACHEL
Can you split it into a double star with just your eyes?
PAUL
If not, then aim your binoculars at the star.
RACHEL
After looking at Zubenelgenubi, turn your attention towards the moon.
PAUL
It’s close to the horizon and a very thin crescent.
RACHEL
That means that if dawn hasn’t begun, you should be able to see Earthshine.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of December. Next week a meteor shower reaches its peak and we’ll tell you when and where to watch the shower.
RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.
For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the second week of December. We’re your hosts, Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
If you don’t mind getting up a little early on Sunday morning the 6th, you’ll find there’s a relatively bright star below the moon.
RACHEL
The star’s name is Spica and it’s the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden.
PAUL
Even farther below and to the left of the moon is an even object, Venus the Morning Star.
RACHEL
Venus is slowly approaching the sun, from Earth’s perspective that is.
PAUL
At the same time, it’s also traveling to the far side of the sun.
RACHEL
This means it’s approaching the full phase and becoming a smaller disk.
PAUL
So you’ll need a telescope to observe its shrinking disk.
RACHEL
By May of next year, Venus will reach the opposite side of the sun from our perspective.
PAUL
Or what astronomers called superior conjunction.
RACHEL
Let’s turn our attention back to the moon, which you can observe very well with just a pair of binoculars.
PAUL
Yes. Be sure to check out the moon for Earthshine using your binoculars.
RACHEL
Earthshine is that faint illumination of the dark portion of the crescent moon.
PAUL
The illumination is sunlight, but this is sunlight reaching the moon by way of Earth.
RACHEL
That’s because Earth appears very large and bright in the lunar sky.
PAUL
In fact, it’s about four times more reflective and four times larger than the moon appears to us.
RACHEL
So in other words, the full Earth reflects about 16 times as much light as the full moon.
PAUL
This amount of sunlight reflecting off of Earth illuminates the lunar surface more brightly than the full moon illuminates Earth’s surface.
RACHEL
The light is so bright on the moon that we can often see some of the lunar maria located on the dark portion of the moon.
PAUL
The moon approaches very close to Venus on the morning of the 7th.
RACHEL
You might want to take a minute before leaving to work to enjoy this very nice astronomical sight.
PAUL
That’s because brilliant Venus will only be one degree from the moon.
RACHEL
Meaning both appear together in your binoculars on the morning of the 7th.
PAUL
And Earthshine should still be prominent on the dark portion of the moon.
RACHEL
Zubenelgenubi is a wide double-star with a funny sounding name.
PAUL
Unlike many double stars, Zubenelgenubi is easy to split into a pair of stars using binoculars.
RACHEL
And it’s easy to find because the moon passes close to it every month.
PAUL
On the morning of the 8th, say around 6:30 AM, you’ll find Zubenelgenubi to the lower right of the moon.
RACHEL
Can you split it into a double star with just your eyes?
PAUL
If not, then aim your binoculars at the star.
RACHEL
After looking at Zubenelgenubi, turn your attention towards the moon.
PAUL
It’s close to the horizon and a very thin crescent.
RACHEL
That means that if dawn hasn’t begun, you should be able to see Earthshine.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of December. Next week a meteor shower reaches its peak and we’ll tell you when and where to watch the shower.
RACHEL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com.
For Idaho Skies this is Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Friday, December 4, 2015
This Month's Star is Rasalmothallah
Rasalmothallah is one of the few stars that we can see with our eyes that’s similar to our sun. Rasalmothallah weighs 50% more than our sun, which increases its diameter by three times, its surface temperature by 10%, and its brightness by 13 times compared to the sun. That may make Rasalmothallah seem much bigger and brighter than our sun. However, when compared to the other stars visible to the naked eye, Rasalmothallah and the sun are very much alike. Rasalmothallah is 64 light years away. Therefore, the star light you see tonight left the star in the year 1951.
Rasalmothallah is our guide to finding the Triangulum Galaxy, or M-33, a galaxy about as distant from the Milky Way as the Andromeda Galaxy (around 2.5 million light years away). M-33 is a face-on spiral galaxy, which means it looks like a stellar pinwheel. In dark skies, some people can glimpse M-33 as a dim fuzzy patch. However, because of its large size and low surface brightness, M-33 is best viewed in binoculars rather than in most telescopes.
You’ll find Triangulum high overhead in the south during December nights.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Transcript: November 30th to December 5th
RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the first week of December. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
On the night of the 29th, you’ll find the brightest and the 8th brightest star near the moon.
PAUL
The stars have a lot in common besides being bright.
RACHEL
That’s right. Both are bright because they’re relatively close to the sun.
PAUL
Both have white dwarf companion stars.
RACHEL
And both belong to dog-related constellations.
PAUL
We call the stars Sirius and Procyon.
RACHEL
Sirius is the brightest star in the sky and it belongs to the constellation of Canis Major, or the Big Dog.
PAUL
Procyon is the eighth brightest star in the sky and belongs to the constellation Canis Minor, or the Little Dog.
RACHEL
You’ll find both Procyon and Sirius located to the right of the moon on the 29th.
PAUL
Procyon is the bright star only half as far away from the moon as Sirius.
RACHEL
Sirius and Procyon appear so bright because they’re among the stars closest to the solar system.
PAUL
That’s right. Sirius is the 5th closest star at 8.6 light years away.
RACHEL
And Procyon is the 10th closest star at 11.5 light years away.
PAUL
If you stay up late enough on December 2nd, you’ll find the third quarter moon parked next to Regulus, the heart of Leo the Lion.
RACHEL
Farther below and close to the eastern horizon is Jupiter disguised as a bright star.
PAUL
Don’t forget that the third quarter moon and Jupiter make great targets for your binoculars, spotting scope, and small telescope.
RACHEL
On the 4th after 3:00 AM, you’ll find that Jupiter and the moon are very close together.
PAUL
So close in fact that you can observe both at the same time in your binoculars.
RACHEL
Be sure to look closely at Jupiter with your binoculars because you’ll see its largest satellite, Callisto below Jupiter.
PAUL
More difficult to see because of its closeness to bright Jupiter is a second satellite, Europa.
RACHEL
It will be located above the planet in your binoculars.
PAUL
Listeners can see three morning planets forming a line on Saturday morning, December 5th.
RACHEL
The moon will be there to boot.
PAUL
Check them out after 5:00 AM, once they’ve all had a chance to clear the horizon.
RACHEL
...and before 7:00 AM when the dawn becomes too bright.
PAUL
You can’t miss Jupiter and Venus; they’re the two brightest star-like objects in the east.
RACHEL
However, you might mistake Mars for a star.
PAUL
To identify Mars, look below the moon for a vertical line of two stars.
RACHEL
The top star is just a star and its name is Porrima.
PAUL
The star at the bottom, which is slightly brighter and slightly yellowish, is Mars.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of December. Next week presents several opportunities to observe the thin crescent moon and Earthshine.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
Welcome to Idaho Skies for the first week of December. We’re your hosts, Rachel...
PAUL
...and Paul.
RACHEL
On the night of the 29th, you’ll find the brightest and the 8th brightest star near the moon.
PAUL
The stars have a lot in common besides being bright.
RACHEL
That’s right. Both are bright because they’re relatively close to the sun.
PAUL
Both have white dwarf companion stars.
RACHEL
And both belong to dog-related constellations.
PAUL
We call the stars Sirius and Procyon.
RACHEL
Sirius is the brightest star in the sky and it belongs to the constellation of Canis Major, or the Big Dog.
PAUL
Procyon is the eighth brightest star in the sky and belongs to the constellation Canis Minor, or the Little Dog.
RACHEL
You’ll find both Procyon and Sirius located to the right of the moon on the 29th.
PAUL
Procyon is the bright star only half as far away from the moon as Sirius.
RACHEL
Sirius and Procyon appear so bright because they’re among the stars closest to the solar system.
PAUL
That’s right. Sirius is the 5th closest star at 8.6 light years away.
RACHEL
And Procyon is the 10th closest star at 11.5 light years away.
PAUL
If you stay up late enough on December 2nd, you’ll find the third quarter moon parked next to Regulus, the heart of Leo the Lion.
RACHEL
Farther below and close to the eastern horizon is Jupiter disguised as a bright star.
PAUL
Don’t forget that the third quarter moon and Jupiter make great targets for your binoculars, spotting scope, and small telescope.
RACHEL
On the 4th after 3:00 AM, you’ll find that Jupiter and the moon are very close together.
PAUL
So close in fact that you can observe both at the same time in your binoculars.
RACHEL
Be sure to look closely at Jupiter with your binoculars because you’ll see its largest satellite, Callisto below Jupiter.
PAUL
More difficult to see because of its closeness to bright Jupiter is a second satellite, Europa.
RACHEL
It will be located above the planet in your binoculars.
PAUL
Listeners can see three morning planets forming a line on Saturday morning, December 5th.
RACHEL
The moon will be there to boot.
PAUL
Check them out after 5:00 AM, once they’ve all had a chance to clear the horizon.
RACHEL
...and before 7:00 AM when the dawn becomes too bright.
PAUL
You can’t miss Jupiter and Venus; they’re the two brightest star-like objects in the east.
RACHEL
However, you might mistake Mars for a star.
PAUL
To identify Mars, look below the moon for a vertical line of two stars.
RACHEL
The top star is just a star and its name is Porrima.
PAUL
The star at the bottom, which is slightly brighter and slightly yellowish, is Mars.
RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the first week of December. Next week presents several opportunities to observe the thin crescent moon and Earthshine.
PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter at Idaho Skies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Paul...
RACHEL
...and Rachel.
PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.
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