Tag Archives: Venus

In the Sky This Week – April 16, 2019

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This entry is part 92 of 93 in the series In the Sky This Week

Updating the Near-Earth Object stats for this post, I noticed that the number of known NEO’s has crossed the 20,000 threshold! I need to update this chart every time I talk about asteroids – note the steep angle of the discovery curve, and how the curve keeps growing… precipitously! If you get up at the crack of dawn, and look really low towards the eastern horizon, you may catch a glimpse of Mercury near Venus. Both planets will appear a bit lower in the sky each morning this week. Saturn, Jupiter and the star Antares appear in southern predawn sky all week; it’s interesting to note that for the last several weeks these all appeared in the south-southeastern predawn sky. Mars and the constellations Orion and Taurus appear in the western sky after sunset. Mars has dimmed significantly since last year; it and the two constellations appear a bit lower in the western sky each evening. Mars continues a slow crawl away … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – April 2, 2019

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This entry is part 90 of 93 in the series In the Sky This Week

Stellarium version 0.19.0 has been released; I use Stellarium to create images for every one of these posts. When I receive new outreach requests, I frequently use Stellarium to see what the nighttime sky will look like on those future dates. The new version has code optimizations, some user interface improvements, and includes 5 new sky cultures. Stellarium is free, and available for the PC/MAC/Linux. Saturn, Jupiter and the star Antares appear in south-southeastern predawn sky this week. Mars continues to appear high in the western sky by the Pleiades all week. A very thin waxing crescent Moon appears low in the western sky after sunset on Apr. 6th. Mercury and Venus appear low in the eastern predawn sky Apr. 8th. The Moon joins Mars and the Pleiades in the western sky after dark on Apr. 8th. Coma Cluster The Coma Cluster (Abell 1656) is a large cluster of galaxies that contains over 1,000 identified galaxies. Along with the Leo Cluster (Abell 1367), it is one of … Continue reading →

What Scientists Found After Sifting Through Dust in the Solar System

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Just as dust gathers in corners and along bookshelves in our homes, dust piles up in space too. But when the dust settles in the solar system, it’s often in rings. Several dust rings circle the Sun. The rings trace the orbits of planets, whose gravity tugs dust into place around the Sun, as it drifts by on its way to the center of the solar system. The dust consists of crushed-up remains from the formation of the solar system, some 4.6 billion years ago — rubble from asteroid collisions or crumbs from blazing comets. Dust is dispersed throughout the entire solar system, but it collects at grainy rings overlying the orbits of Earth and Venus, rings that can be seen with telescopes on Earth. By studying this dust — what it’s made of, where it comes from, and how it moves through space — scientists seek clues to understanding the birth of planets and the composition of all that … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – February 26, 2019

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This entry is part 84 of 93 in the series In the Sky This Week

This summer’s nationwide library reading program, “A Universe of Stories,” coincides with NASA’s 60th anniversary, and the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. The Warren Astronomical Society (Michigan) has received multiple requests from libraries for summer speakers, astronomy programs and display case setups – and they’re still coming in! I’ve reached out to other astronomy clubs and volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors in southeastern Michigan for help covering all the outreach requests. If you are looking for speakers for this summer, Solar System Ambassadors in your state, and local astronomy clubs are a great resource. You can find many clubs and events listed on the NASA Night Sky Network site. Venus and Saturn continue to spread apart this week, and the waning crescent Moon appears very near several planets in the southeastern predawn sky. Mercury can be seen very low in the western sky at dusk this week. Mars and Uranus are high in the west-southwestern sky before midnight; … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – February 19, 2019

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This entry is part 83 of 93 in the series In the Sky This Week

After a heavy snow, the full Moon put on a stunning show this frigid morning; I was able to see Jupiter out my kitchen window, but Venus and Saturn were obscured by low clouds. As I was shoveling, I thought about how my house blocks the sunlight – which never melts snow off my driveway – while the neighbors across the street have nice clear driveways, baked by the Sun… As tends to happen with me, thoughts wander to something astronomical – this time: permanently shadowed regions on the Moon and Mercury. Last Saturday, my wife and I got to see a fantastic presentation by astronaut Terry Virts about his time on the International Space Station! We got a signed copy of his book: “View from Above.” My wife Connie (@Sciteacher84) and I saw Astronaut Terry Virts (@AstroTerry) speak at @MacombCollege about his time on the @Space_Station! pic.twitter.com/oOSRBjY5Pl — Balrog's Lair (@BalrogsLair) February 11, 2019 Several planets are in the southeastern … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – February 12, 2019

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This entry is part 82 of 93 in the series In the Sky This Week

My wife likes to alter her science student’s misconceptions about what a “scientist” is, and teaches them that anyone can be a scientist! This is especially true for her female students – many of whom never thought about a career in science. Feb. 11th was International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and it was trending hard on Twitter; it was great to see all the different organizations honoring their female scientists! Saturn and Venus are low, Jupiter and the star Antares are high(ish) in the southeastern predawn sky; Venus continues to move down towards Saturn on the horizon. There’s quite a show high in the south-southwestern sky on Feb. 12th! You may note Mars and Uranus nearly on top of each other in the image below: Mars will be less then a degree from Uranus on Feb. 12th,! I expect to post images about this next week. On the evening of Feb. 13th, the Moon will be about 2 … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – January 22, 2019

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This entry is part 79 of 93 in the series In the Sky This Week

Back in Michigan and recovered from my trip to Tucson to help with Vatican Observatory Foundation’s 2019 Faith and Astronomy Workshop (#FAWVOF), only to be thrust into face-biting arctic-like conditions for the total lunar eclipse on Jan. 20th. The shape of the weeks-long conjunction of Jupiter, Venus and the star Antares in the southeastern predawn changes drastically this week, as Venus moves away from Jupiter and Antares. Venus appears to move away from Jupiter, and Saturn appears a little higher each morning. Venus was simply brilliant all week at the FAW! You may note how it’s getting just a little brighter each morning at 7:00 AM; this fact is not missed by my parrots – who scream for attention at the first hint of morning’s light. A waning gibbous Moon appears near the star Regulus in the predawn sky on Jan. 22nd and 23rd. An almost third quarter moon appears near the star Spica high in the southwestern predawn sky on Jan. 26th. … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – January 8, 2019

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This entry is part 77 of 93 in the series In the Sky This Week

A thin crescent Moon will appear low in the southwestern sky at dusk on Jan. 8th. There will be a conjunction of Jupiter, Venus and the star Antares in the southeastern predawn sky all week – each morning, Venus will appear to creep slowly closer to Jupiter. Mars remains high in southwestern sky after sunset all week; the Moon will appear near Mars on Jan. 12th. M51 – The The Whirlpool Galaxy M51 is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with an active galactic nucleus. The galaxy is in the constellation Canes Venatici, and was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. Its distance is estimated to be between 15 – 35 million light-years. The Whirlpool’s most striking feature is its two curving arms, a hallmark of so-called grand-design spiral galaxies. Many spiral galaxies possess numerous, loosely shaped arms that make their spiral structure less pronounced. These arms serve an important purpose in spiral galaxies. They are star-formation factories, compressing hydrogen gas and creating clusters of new stars. In … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – January 1, 2019

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This entry is part 76 of 93 in the series In the Sky This Week

Happy New Year! The first day of 2019 is one for the record books – a spacecraft has flown-by the most distant object in the solar system to date, and another spacecraft has entered into orbit around an asteroid! The Moon joins the multi-planet conjunction in the eastern predawn sky on the morning of Jan 1st. The Moon will appear very near the planet Venus on the morning of Jan. 3rd. Mars is high in southern sky after sunset all week; Mars continues to move slowly to the west and dim as the Earth pulls away from it in its orbit. Altair and Vega are the first stars visible in the western sky at dusk. The constellation Cassiopeia is high in the north-northwestern sky at 9:00 PM on Jan. 1st. Several other recognizable constellations are also in that direction. Today, the New Horizons spacecraft flew-by Kuiper belt object 2014 MU69, nicknamed “Ultima Thule.” This is the farthest object in the solar … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – December 26, 2018

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This entry is part 75 of 93 in the series In the Sky This Week

Merry Christmas everyone! Sorry this post is a tad late, I’ve been a bit preoccupied the last couple days… The multi-planet conjunction in the eastern predawn sky continues this week. Mars remains high in southern sky after sunset all week; Mars is now at magnitude 0.39, down significantly from -2.78 during opposition at the end July 2018. The stars Altair and Vega battle for the title of “evening star” in the western sky at dusk. The Moon appears in the constellation Leo at midnight Dec. 27th. Observing Target: M64 – The Black Eye Galaxy M64 is a spiral galaxy located 17 million light years away in the constellation of Coma Berenices. “A collision of two galaxies has left a merged star system with an unusual appearance as well as bizarre internal motions. Messier 64 (M64) has a spectacular dark band of absorbing dust in front of the galaxy’s bright nucleus, giving rise to its nicknames of the “Black Eye” or “Evil Eye” galaxy. Fine details of the dark band are … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – December 11, 2018

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This entry is part 73 of 93 in the series In the Sky This Week

Mercury joins Venus and Spica in the southeastern predawn sky this week. Mars remains high in southern sky after sunset all week; the Moon will appear near Mars on Dec. 14th. See if you can spot all these objects in the south-southwestern sky at dusk on Dec. 11th. Observing Target: Fomalhaut The star Fomalhaut (see above image) is one of the brightest stars in the sky; it is a main sequence class A star approximately 25 light-years from the Sun. In a small telescope, it looks pretty much like any another bright star – but this star has a story! A ring of dust was discovered around this star, being shepherded by a large exoplanet with a 2000-year orbit! This exoplanet has be directly imaged using the Hubble Space Telescope. This humorous video about exoplanet Fomalhaut B was released before Halloween 2012: The Moon The Moon is a waxing crescent, visible toward the southwest in early evening. The Moon will be … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – December 4, 2018

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This entry is part 72 of 93 in the series In the Sky This Week

A very thin waning crescent Moon joins the weeks-long conjunction of Venus and Spica in the southeastern predawn sky on Dec. 4th. Mars remains high in southern sky after sunset all week; Mars is slowly fading in brightness as the Earth pulls away from it in its orbit (see solar system image below). The very thin waxing crescent Moon will appear near Saturn in the southwestern sky at dusk on Dec. 8th. The constellation Orion is high in the southeastern sky at midnight. Observing Target: M33 – The Triangulum Galaxy Messier 33 (or NGC 598) is a spiral galaxy located approximately 3 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Triangulum. The Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, which includes the Andromeda Galaxy and our Milky Way. M33 is one of the most distant objects that can be viewed with the naked eye. NGC 604 is a large star-birth region within The Triangulum Galaxy. NGC 604 is similar to the Orion Nebula in our Milky Way galaxy, but nearly 100 times larger! More … Continue reading →