Ladd Skies: January 20, 2015 Were very happy to let you know that Ladd will be open this evening, from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. Remember: the weather is set to be cold tonight, so please dress warmer than you think you have to. Also, right before our doors open, please take a minute to look for Iridium Satellite #70, as it will become a very bright flare about a third of the way above the south-southeastern horizon. Let us know if you are able to see it. What you wont be able to see this evening is the Moon, as it is in its New phase today; however, we just might be able to capture a glimpse of our largest planet, Jupiter, right before closing. Did you notice it this morning? It was the very bright starlike object in the western sky. Its position, right next to the backwards question mark asterism that makes up the head and front of the body of Leo, the Lion, allows Jupiter to rise out of the eastern horizon earlier and earlier with each passing night. For those of you who are at Ladd later this evening, this first observation will be a treat. Looking toward the west right after sunset tomorrow, look to see if you can locate the very thin first-day waxing crescent Moon. If you have a bit of trouble finding it, as a one-day old Moon can be a challenge, look for the brilliant evening planet, Venus. The Moon will be just 6 degrees to the right of Venus. Also, Mercury, our most elusive planet, because of its proximity to the Sun and therefore its fastest motion of any planet, will be just below the Moon. If you arent sure about seeing Mercury with your eyes, try looking with binoculars. Let us know if you find it. Also, on Thursday, the Moon will shift to the left, or east, in the sky, so it will then be just about 4 degrees to the right of our nearest outer planet, Mars. Dont forget, as youre watching the Moon, enjoy the beauty of its Earthshine, the Earths reflected sunlight striking the dark side of the Moon. Once again, with a telescope, and a case of insomnia, early Saturday morning you might want to watch the shadows of three of Jupiters large - Galilean - satellites cast their shadows on the face of the planet. From 1:29 to 1:53 A.M, volcanic Io, dark Callisto and icy Europa will all be positioned such that their shadows will move right across Jupiters cloud tops. Let us know if you are able to see them. Very often, when were observing the sky, we forget that theres so much overhead that we cant see, that is beyond the limits of our naked-eye ability. This is something we should keep in mind the next several months, as we will be getting firsthand knowledge of two of our close neighbors, both dwarf planets, neither of which can be seen without telescopic help. The former planet, and former asteroid Ceres will be visited by Dawn in mid March. This craft might sound rather familiar, as it first spent a fair amount of time several years ago around another one of our small neighboring objects, the asteroid Vesta. Dawn will then spend about a year orbiting Ceres, giving us images that we cant even imagine here on Earth. And, then, in early summer, New Horizons will, after almost a decade-long trip, arrive at Pluto, once again showing us its real features. Even the Hubble telescope isnt able to resolve the surface of either of these bodies, so please stay tuned, as we will be letting you know results of these two long awaited events as they are announced. Hope to see you all tonight. Francine Jackson, Staff Astronomer
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 20:19:18 +0000
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