This is Dudley Observatory’s Skywatch Line for Friday, September 26, through Sunday, August 28, written by Alan French. Weather permitting; the Albany Area Amateur Astronomers hold public star parties at Landis Arboretum in Esperance at 8:00 pm on Friday, September 26, and Saturday, September 27. This is a lovely time of year for star gazing. The temperatures are still reasonable, the biting insects are gone, and itgets dark at a reasonable hour. (Although temperatures are not terribly low, it is easy to get chilled when inactive under the clear night sky, so extra clothing and a warm winter hat are recommended.) At a star party amateur astronomers set uptelescopes to provide guests with views of celestial sights, including star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, and double stars. There will be a short introductory program starting about 8:15 pm in front of the meeting house. It will include hints for getting the best telescopic views and a short tour of the prominent constellations. These star parties will be held in the Meeting House field at Landis Arboretum. You can find directions to Landis here. Once you see the farm house on your right and a parking area on you left, continue up Lape Road about 100 feet. Turn into the Meeting House driveway on your right. Star parties are open to all and there is no admission fee, although we do encourage guests to make a donation to our fine hosts, Landis Arboretum. A donation box is next to the south door on the Meeting House. If you’re up early on Monday there is a fine pass of the International Space Station visible in the pre-dawn skies. The ISS will first appear just after 5:38 am moving out of the Earth’s shadow when 23 degrees above the west northwestern horizon. It will be highest at 5:40 am when 71 degrees above the southwest horizon – appearing essentially overhead – and will disappear in the southeast at 5:43:25 am. The space station will first appear near the lower right (northern) corner of the Great Square of Pegasus, will move up the side of the square, then past Perseus, between Auriga and Taurus, and above Orion. As I write three astronauts are on the ISS, with three more on the way aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. By the time you see the ISS, all six astronauts should be on board.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 14:50:08 +0000
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