BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy Start observing - look up!

Here's something cool - and the whole family can do it - for 2016. Make this the year that you start looking at the night sky.

Absolute Beginners - Start Observing
You'd like to know the night sky better? But you haven't a got a telescope,live in a city, don't know any constellations or can't tell a star from a planet? Time to give up? Absolutely not. Time to read on and look up.

What's of special interest in January? Jane Houston Jones tells us What's up. And it looks like what's up is Jupiter and its moons.

Although it's easy enough to spot bright Jupiter in the sky, in order to see the moons you need binoculars, or of course, a telescope if you have one.

The Quadrantid meteor shower is expected to peak on the night of January 3/4. If you catch it, the peak rate is very impressive. However, the maximum lasts just a few hours and you'll miss it if it doesn't fall between midnight and dawn in your part of the world.

The International Meteor Organization predicts a peak on Monday the 4th, centered on 3 a.m. Eastern Standard Time - and midnight on the west coast. So if they're right, this is good news for North Americans. However a different model predicts a peak 8 hours earlier, which would be great for Europe.

I guess we won't know until later in the day on Monday.

From Space.com:
At dawn on Thursday, Dec. 31, the four brightest planets outline the ecliptic, the path followed by the sun and moon. The moon visits each in turn over the next week.

(Image credit: Space.com with Starry Night software)


You can find out more about the ecliptic in ABC of Astronomy - E is for Ecliptic.

Spaceweather.com reported today:

Click to see Park's composite image of the Quadrantids that he saw in Bloomfield, Ontario.

Ian Morison from Jodrell Bank in England has a splendid collection of interesting things to see. He's now looking at the January sky, but the same URL will take you to the current month whenever you are.

What does every astronomer need? Most people would answer "a telescope." But, actually, binoculars are the best way to start observing the sky. Many experienced astronomers use them in addition to a telescope. Here is some guidance about getting started.

Start Observing - with Binoculars

Tomorrow morning - worth a look!
Venus and Saturn, brilliant in the southeastern sky before dawn, come within o.1° of each other on the morning of January 9.

This Week's Sky at a Glance January 8-16 comes to you courtesy of Sky & Telescope magazine.

Lots of ideas for things to see. I'd love to hear what you see.

Want to see all five visible planets - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn - in the sky together? It's possible for about a month starting January 20th. But you have to get up early to see them before dawn.

You can use the Moon as guide from January 27 to February 6. SeaSky has made some helpful charts for mid-northern North American latitudes, but – local conditions permitting – you can see them from anywhere.

In these 2 charts the moon appears larger than it does in the real sky. Mid-northern latitudes in Europe and Asia see the planets similarly positioned, with the moon somewhat offset toward the previous date. Spica is a star in the constellation Virgo. The green line on the above chart is the the ecliptic.

South to southwest

Southeast to south

Here is a photo taken ten days ago. The bright object is Venus. Saturn is above and to the right. The third bright object in this image – slightly below and to the right of Venus – is the red star Antares in the constellation Scorpius.

The pre-dawn sky is even better now, with five planets in it!

(Photo credit: Tom Wildoner in White Haven, Pennsylvania, taken January 11, 2016.)

Sky & Telescope magazine has some guidance to this week's sky at a glance.

It includes a diagram to seeing five planets before dawn.

Mona, might be able to see Mars and Jupiter but the others are too low on the horizon and the trees are too tall.

Angie, I like trees, but it's annoying when they're blocking my view of something I want to see. I'm surrounded by buildings, so don't have much of a sky view - oh, and cloudy skies, of course. Given a clear sky (Ha! So likely!) I'd be able to see something when I get out of the city week after next.

In What's up in February? Jane Huston Jones tells us what we can see in the sky - without optical aids, with binoculars, and - if you have one - with a telescope.

There's also a transcript of the short video in case you want to make a note of some of the events.

Bob King of Sky & Telescope writes

Have a look to find out what you can see. But don't leave it too long!

The Moon is currently waxing full – it will be full on Monday February 22nd. When the Moon is waxing full, watch out for Moon Halos. This picture of a Moon halo was taken on February 15th by Carl Richards in Northumberland, England. A Moon halo is created by ice crystals in high clouds which bend the moonlight into a ring.

A reminder from Steve Cariddi about what we can see this week:

Last night (the 23rd) we had a beautifully clear sky and were walking through a park with subdued lighting. The sky was wonderful. And I was especially taken with a luminous Jupiter close to the bright nearly-full Moon. I hope some of you were able to see it too.

Steve Cariddi tells us for this week:

Jupiter is nearing opposition, so it rises right around sunset and is visible all night. Just before dawn, Mars is visible in the south, Saturn is a little to the left (east) in the south-southeastern sky, and Venus is shining brightly low in the east-southeastern sky. The Moon will be near Mars on February 29th; on the 1st it will be between Mars and Saturn (with red Antares below it), and on the morning of March 2nd the Moon will be near Saturn.

Have you seen Jupiter yet? It's at opposition tonight, which is when it's closest to us, but it's been beautifully visible for some while and will continue to be. It rises in the east around sunset and moves westward across the southern sky - it's visible all night long (weather & local obstacles permitting). You should be able to pick out Jupiter quite easily because it's amazingly bright. Or if you can find the constellation Leo, that's where you'll see Jupiter.

Steve Caridi of the Year in Space has some hints on

The Sky this Week
Jupiter shines steadily in the eastern sky as night begins. The Moon passes by on Monday evening. Don't confuse Jupiter with similarly bright Sirius, which is farther west (right) and closer to Orion. Mars and Saturn rise around midnight local time. Look for them in the south before sunrise, about 11° apart (Mars on the right, Saturn on the left). The star Antares is below them, forming the apex of an inverted triangle. Antares is dimmer than the Red Planet, but shines with a similar reddish hue.

Mars is still a bright object in the night sky - it definitely has a reddish color to it. But have a look out for Saturn too, which is also quite bright. You may see it with a slightly yellowish tinge. Brian Ventrudo tells you how to find it. The planet is closer than usual and even a small telescope should let you see its rings.

Brian Ventrudo tells us about celestial sights for August.

He points out that August is possibly the best month for sky-watching because


And of course the big treat of August is the Perseid meteor shower, expected to peak on the night of August 11-12. There will be more about the Perseids in a separate forum thread. But in fact the Perseids are already active now, so if you have a nice dark sky - I wish I did! - you might see a few if you're outdoors at night.

Come on, everybody. August is a great time to look at the sky - and you won't get as cold as you do in winter. In this video Jane Houston Jones of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory gives you the lowdown on what you can see in August.

If you want a transcript or download of the content, here is the page for What's up - August 2018.

There are five planets planets and the Moon in the evening sky from August 7th-11th. How much of this alignment you can see depends on things like what time the Sun sets, how much light pollution you have and of course, how clear the sky is.

Yuri Beletsky's photo caught three planets and the Moon over the bright lights of Santiago, Chile on August 6. He could also see Saturn and Mars, but not get them in the frame.

SpaceWeather.com has a sky map showing tonight's alignment.

Beautiful photo over Santiago, Chili.

Angie, have you been able to see any of this planetary alignment. A friend in London reported seeing a nice little grouping with the Moon. I have a nice view to the southwest, but alas all I see each evening is the clouds rolling in to hide it. Sigh.

The sky has been very dark here at night - It has been overcast and showery.

Mona, Tonight we had a heavy shower but this evening the sky is not cloudy. The moon doesn't have a halo so I know it was clear. I could see the moon and to the south there were two bright lights (Mars and Saturn?) and to the northwest (I'm guessing my directions) a very bright start which I would guess is the North Star?

{They aren't labeled like on the photo. }

Angie, I have long thought that the celestial sphere could be greatly improved by some smart labeling!

But have a look at the website Heavens-above. You can get a sky chart not only for your location but for the time you were observing. That would give you a good idea of what you were seeing. I doubt that the bright star was Polaris, as it's not all that bright. Might even have been another planet. I haven't seen anything but clouds - an occasional glimpses of the Moon - for so long, I can't really visualize it. I do know I haven't seen any stray Perseids.

If you have questions about the website which the article doesn't cover, just ask.

It was pretty bright - the sky was clear last night but I saw only the planets, I guess. Stars don't really show up well.

The night sky app showed the moon, two planets to its left and one bright object to its right. There are so many trees on my street. Guess I will have to drive to an open location but there are few of them.

I sent my son the email about the night sky and they did go out to look. Today people tend to stay indoors; many are watching the Olympics. Tonight I will try again and with binoculars.

Brian Ventrudo tells us what to look for in the October sky. As the nights are getting noticeably longer in northern skies, there are more opportunities for looking up!

Sierra Club's Kelly Kizer Whitt offers some October viewing highlights. (Click on the link to see the full article. The following is a summary.)

1. The Orionid Meteor Shower
It will peak overnight from October 21 to 22, but you might catch Orionid meteors any night between October 2 and November 7. The dust and debris burning up in Earth’s atmosphere is left over from Halley’s Comet.

2. The Moon
October’s full moon (Hunter’s Moon) is on October 15. Being mid-month, there are - in some places - new moons at the beginning and end of October. The first one was actually on September 30 in the USA, but on October 1 farther east. On October 30 there is another new moon, sometimes called a “black moon”. On Halloween night, you may catch a sliver of the young crescent moon in the west just before it sets. Bright Venus will also be in the west, with Saturn to its upper right.

3. Moon Pairings
On October 18, the moon rises in the constellation Taurus—specifically in the Hyades cluster of stars. Over the course of the evening and into the morning hours, the moon will get closer and closer to the bright star Aldebaran, actually passing in front of it or just skimming by, depending on your location.

4. The Galaxy Next Door
Fall is the season for seeing our nearest spiral galaxy, Andromeda. It’s part of the constellation of the same name. To find it, locate the W shape of the nearby Cassiopeia constellation, and follow the right half down to its end point. The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) can be seen without any optical aid, but it’s best to look with a telescope or binoculars first to nail down the location.

If you have a clear fairly dark sky, you should be out looking for Orionids this week. You're most likely to see them in the late evening - for insomniacs and shift workers, around midnight can be good!

The peak of the Orionid meteor shower is expected on either Thursday night/Friday morning or Friday night/Saturday morning. Either night should produce some meteors if the sky is clear. In fact, there have been Orionids around for the last two weeks.

Brian Ventrudo tells us about November highlights. There are three meteor showers, though probably none of them are likely to be spectacular. I'm looking forward to seeing a bright Venus reappear after sunset, always a beautiful sight.

Were you looking up at the sunset sky last night (November 2)? The crescent Moon, Venus and Saturn made a lovely triangle, bright enough to be seen even in urban areas.

Photo credit: Jingpeng Liu, Lincoln, Nebraska USA

Wow, beautiful picture!