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Look Up!

Planetary Treats
What's Popping Up on Saturn's Rings?
Jupiter’s Dark Chaos
Venus, Mars, the Bull
Mercury Meets Sol
Celestial Delights
Experience a splendid solstice celebration any day!
What and when is Aphelion Day?
Plus ...
Sky Lights
Printable Date Tables
Moon Dances 5/24-6/22
Moon Dances 6/22-7/21
The Night Sky ~ Home Page
Cancer Navigation Page

Planetary Treats

What's Popping Up on Saturn's Rings?

Image: Universe Today / Cyclops

Source: Culled from the Cyclops News Release 6/11/09

Saturn’s Equinox Approach Reveals Towering Ring Structures

The image above shows never-before-seen vertical structures in Saturn's rings. They are "colossal", 150 times as high as the rings are thick. These mile-high towers (1.5 kilometers) were brought into stark relief for the first time and only made possible by Saturn's approach to its August equinox.

Note: The main rings, A, B and C are only about 10 meters (30 feet) thick. Saturn's Rings Labelled

The search for ring material extending well above and below Saturn's ring plane has been a major goal of the imaging team during Cassini's "Equinox Mission," the two-year period containing exact equinox -- that moment when the sun is seen directly overhead at noon at the planet's equator. This novel illumination geometry, which occurs every half-Saturn-year, or about 15 Earth years, lowers the sun's angle to the ring plane and causes out-of-plane structures to cast long shadows across the rings' broad expanse, making them easy to detect.

These towering vertical structures in the planet's otherwise flat rings are attributable to the gravitational effects of a small nearby moon. Small moons in very narrow gaps can have considerable and complex effects on the edges of their gaps, and such moons can be smaller than previously believed.

It is one of those questions that have been nagging us since getting into orbit: Why haven’t we yet seen a moon in every gap? said Carolyn Porco, lead for the Cassini imaging team. We now think they may actually be there, only a lot smaller than we expected. Universe Today 6/16/09

Saturn is best seen above the western horizon as the sky darkens. Its golden star like glow sets around 12:30am in the beginning of Cancer and by 11:00pm at its end.

Saturn located near the hindquarters of Leo the Lion is moving easterly toward the Lion's tail. Its yellowish orb at magnitude 1.1 is similar in brightness to blue-white Regulus, the Lion's heart star, which shines to the west of Saturn at magnitude 1.35. Draw a line through Regulus and Saturn to find bluish Spica in the southwest, the brightest star in Virgo the Virgin, also at a similar magnitude, 0.98.

June 25-27, Saturday-Monday, the waxing Crescent Moon transits Leo the Lion, first west of Regulus, then between Regulus and Saturn and finally near Saturn. 6/25-27 9:30 Map ~ 6/27 9:30pm Map The First Quarter Moon lies between Saturn and Spica June 28, Tuesday. Click Moon Dances for additional maps and meditative reflections.

Look for the triangle formed by Saturn, Spica and Arcturus. Compare their color and brightness. Find the Big Dipper, arc down to bright golden Arcturus in Bootes from there spike down to dimmer blue-white Spica in Virgo. Helpful Image ~ 7/10 10pm Sky Chart  

Telescopic Saturn

Viewing Saturn's rings during July may be difficult. They are nearly closed at a ring tilt that decreases from 3.2º - 1.9º. In addition, the planet is sinking toward the horizon's turbulent atmosphere, which compromises its observation.

Note: The diminishing reflective surface of the rings plus Saturn's increasing distance from Earth are resulting in a dimming of the planet.

4 year Ring Animation 2006-2009
Diminishing, Dimming, Darkening Rings by Sean Walker

Soon the Lord of Less Rings will be lost in the Sun's glare. The rings will continue to diminish, dim and darken as the planet sinks toward the Sun. They will close to exactly edge-on in September, when the planet is out of sight in conjunction with our central luminary. The maximum ring tilt of 27º occurred in 2003.

Less rings show off more of the globe crossings of Saturn's five brightest satellites.

Saturn's bright moons also continue their impressive -displays. The planet's biggest moon, Titan, remains the highlight. Once each orbit [16 days], Titan and its shadow transit Saturn's face. And half an orbit later, the massive planet eclipses Titan. Astronomy Magazine 7/09

North Americans can see three such events: Titan's shadow crossing July 1 and 17 ...Titan's eclipse July 9. Saturn's Moons Javascript Utility can guide your observations of Titan as well as Saturn's 4 other brightest satellites.

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Jupiter’s Dark Chaos

Image: Christopher Go / Sky & Telescope's Sky at a Glance 6/26–7/4, 2009

Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) is pale this year, [see upper left quadrant, in the dip] and the South Equatorial Belt, which the Red Spot sits in, looks pretty quiet. But the North Equatorial Belt (NEB, below center) is going nuts! In the parts of the NEB north of the Great Red Spot, the prominent white swirls of three weeks ago [mid-June '09] have morphed into dark chaos. Also note the very long, straight, diagonal red-brown line crossing the NEB. Christopher Go took this image at 17:54 UT [*] June 17, 2009, when the central-meridian longitude (System II) was 150°. South is up.

For all of the Red Spot's central-meridian crossing times, good worldwide, use our Red Spot calculator or print out our list for 2009. Sky & Telescope's Sky at a Glance 6/26–7/4, 2009

GREAT RED SPOT RIVAL

June 18, 2009 spaceweather.com released a labeled version of the above image that shows a potential new red spot, which Christopher Go of the Philippines has been monitoring. Labeled Image What follows is spaceweather.com's article.

Astronomers are monitoring a new red spot forming in Jupiter's northern hemisphere--a brick-red storm nearly as large as the Great Red Spot itself. On June 17th, amateur astronomer Christopher Go of the Philippines photographed it using an 11-inch Celestron telescope.

I have been monitoring the new spot since mid-April, says Go. At first it was relatively small. In late May it began to grow rapidly, and just last week John Rogers of the British Astronomical Association issued an alert for everyone to observe it.

I hope to get an 890 nanometer 'methane band' image of this object in a few days, adds Go. A good methane image will prove whether or not the new spot is a genuine anticyclonic storm. Stay tuned!

EXTRA: Jupiter's atmosphere is rich in methane (CH4), a molecule which absorbs 890 nm light. Viewed through an 890 nm filter, anticyclonic storms such as the Great Red Spot rise above the absorbing methane layer and appear bright. That is why a methane band image will reveal the nature of the new spot. spaceweather.com ... 6/18/09

Jupiter is a brilliant beacon of light at magnitude -2.8. It is located in the dim constellation Capricornus and far outshines any stars in its vicinity. The planet rises in the southeast around 11:30pm in the beginning of Cancer and at 10pm by its end. It is seen in the southern sky from 3:00am - 4:00am and afterwards in the southwest until the Sun rises.

Jupiter nearing Earth can be seen getting brighter, bigger and higher in the heavens, as the weeks unfold. The planet appears to journey westward during its retrograde, May 15 - October 11. Jupiter at closest approach reaches opposition August 14 at 11:00am PDT (18:00 UT).

Telescopic Neptune lies very near Jupiter. Both are in exact conjunction May 27 because of Jupiter's easterly motion, July 10 due to the westerly retrograde motion of Jupiter and December 21 because of Jupiter's easterly motion.

The waning Gibbous Moon guides us to Jupiter the evening/morning of July 9/10. 7/9 11pm Sky Chart July 8-13 the waning Moon approaches, conjoins and passes the Jupiter/Neptune pair. Gorgeous Jupiter and Gibbous Luna can be observed until sunrise. Click Moon Dances for an additional predawn map and meditative reflections.

It's Moon Shadow Season on Jupiter

In 2009 Earth is moving through the plane of Jupiter's satellites, allowing the its Galilean Moons to line up in their special 6-year geometry. These moons, passing one in front of another, plus their shadows crossing the surface of Jupiter are grabbing the attention of those with telescopes. Professional astronomers are organizing a worldwide observing campaign to record as many of these events as possible. Click here for details.

Jupiter's 2009 Satellite Phenomena ~ Complete List

Jupiter’s Moons
Sky & Telescope’s JavaScript utility helps
locate Jupiter’s four brightest satellites anytime
between January 1900–December 2100.
It also lists the satellite phenomena for the chosen day.

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The Goddess “Eyes” the Bull ~ The Warrior Rides the Bull
Morning Mars and Venus – Looking East – 5:00am
Saturday-Wednesday, July 11-15
Last Quarter Luna Conjoins Eris
Wednesday, July 15

Image: Starry Night Online / Adapted with Adobe Photoshop

* Printable Image *

Numbered Dots: These represent the approximate
positions of Mars and Venus on the given dates in July.

Generate Star Maps
Just enter your zip code!

Mars the warrior is located near the shoulder of the Taurus the Bull, which is marked by the Pleiades star cluster also known as the Seven Sisters. It's as if this warrior planet is riding on the back of the cosmic Bull. Binoculars add to one's viewing pleasure of the Pleiades and show off the color of the Red Planet.

Venus the goddess of love is positioned near the Bull's eye, marked by the red star of enlightenment, Aldebaran. It's as if Venus has become the wide open, brilliant second eye of the heavenly Bull. Hmmm ... Venus "eyes" Taurus the Bull! Binoculars accentuate the brightness and color differences of Venus and Aldebaran.

Note: Though Mars and Venus appear to be sinking toward the horizon, what is actually happening is the constellations are rising a little higher above the horizon each day. Venus hovers around 20 degrees above the horizon, while Mars ascends about 1 degree from July 11-15. July Animation - Venus, Mars

BTW: West of Venus and Mars July 8-13, you'll find the Gibbous Moon in the vicinity of gorgeous Jupiter. Click Moon Dances for a map and meditative reflections.

7/13 5am Sky Chart
Create new sky charts from this one.
Generate sky charts for your area.

Last Quarter Luna conjoins Eris the morning of July 15. Learn More.

Rise and Set Times ~ Major Bodies

Venus and Mars our predawn planetary pair, in exact conjunction on the summer solstice, June 21 at 6:10am PDT (13:10 UT), separate during Cancer. Mars ascends 20-30 degrees above the horizon, while Venus hovers around 20 degrees.

The predawn duo rises in a dark sky. Mars appears over the northeastern horizon at 3:00am in the beginning of Cancer and around 2:30am by its end. Venus follows, rising around 3:15am at both the beginning and end of Cancer. Binoculars are helpful in first spotting the Red Planet in dawn's early light. Much better views of our Red Planet occur at the end of the year.

Venus and Mars move from the dim constellation Aries to the bright stars of Taurus. Dazzling Venus shines 100x brighter than Mars, which is similar in color and brightness to Aldebaran the eye of Taurus the Bull. As seen in the map above, Venus becomes the second eye of the Bull July 11-15! The close proximity of these celestial bodies makes it a great time to compare Aldebaran, Mars and Venus.

Reflections ~ Mars, the Pleiades ~ Venus, Aldebaran

It is said the Pleiades are the nurses of Mars, the commander of the celestial armies. Perhaps after traveling nearly 2 years around the zodiacal wheel, Mars becomes weakened from all the interaction and action with opposing forces. Perhaps the nursemaid Pleiades, linked to Sirius and thusly known for transmitting the light of God (universal mind) into our solar system, revive Mars the spiritual warrior with the power of illumination to begin anew. Some say Mars near the Pleiades can be a time for peacemaking.

While Mars gives humanity the opportunity for relationship, Venus establishes right relationship. With Venus near Aldebaran the star of enlightenment, and with the addition of its loving-wise emanations to the visionary and transformational axis of Aldebaran and Antares, we can expect that the governing bodies of humanity will be undergoing a realignment for the greater good.

Mars and Venus representing the male and female energies are working together with the light of Taurus the Bull to awaken a spiritually aspiring humankind.

Imagine humanity and its governing bodies having "ah-ha, light bulb" moments that establish a greater good on Earth.

The waning Crescent Moon guides us to the Pleiades, Mars and Venus July 18. 7/18 4am Map Click Moon Dances for an additional map and meditative reflections.

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Mercury Meets Sol

Image: PC Win

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and currently the smallest planet in the solar system, about the size of our Moon. Traveling around the Sun faster than any other planet, it was named after Mercury the swift messenger of the gods in ancient Greek mythology. Mercury's thin atmosphere consists of atoms blasted off its surface by the solar wind. It's cratered body appears very similar to the Moon. Its temperature variations are the most extreme in the solar system ranging from about -300°F (-184°C) (on the side away from the sun) to about 800°F (427°C), at one or more points on the side facing sunward. The planet can only be seen from Earth just before sunrise or just after sunset.

NASA Sends a MESSENGER to Mercury!
This is NASA’s first trip to the planet in 30 years.
Successful Launch ~ August 2/3, 2004
Orbital Arrival ~ March 2011
News Center

Mercury, though it glows brighter during Cancer, is a challenge to see because of its low altitude and close proximity to the Sun. This elusive planet disappears from view within the first few days of July and is in superior conjunction July 13.

The Planets
Is it a planet? ... What planet? When you look up at the night sky, how do you know you are looking at a planet? Learn what a plutoid is. Click here.

 

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Celestial Delights

Celebrating the Solstice

Image: Student Britanica

Stonehenge is an ancient monument in England that includes a circular setting of massive stones. They were precisely aligned in relation to the rising of the sun on the summer solstice.

The Summer Solstice occurs on Friday, June 20, at 10:46pm PDT; 05:46 UT 6/21, when the Sun enters Cancer and the Northern Hemisphere of Earth is tilted most toward the Sun. It is also when the Sun's path along the sky curves the most from the NE to overhead to the NW. Image

The Summer Solstice
What's unique about the Sun and its shadows now?
What's it like at the North and South Poles during this solstice?
Learn lotsa solstice trivia to impress your friends!
Participate in a wonderful solstice celebration any day!
What's the spiritual significance of summer?
Participate in solstice global meditations.

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Happy Aphelion Day!

Image: Earth-Sun Geometry Blog

On Aphelion Day we are 94.5 million miles away from the Sun, which is 3 million miles further away than when our Earth was at perihelion.

Aphelion Day is the day that the Earth and Sun are at their furthest distance from each other. Every July the Earth is at aphelion, the furthest from the Sun for the year and in January it is at perihelion, the closest to the Sun for the year. In 2009 the exact time of aphelion is July 3 at 7:00pm PDT (02:00 UT 7/4).

Learn More
How does distance affect the intensity, appearance of the Sun?
Why is it hotter in the Northern Hemisphere in July than in January?
Does the Southern Hemisphere have a hotter summer in January?

We build a lighted world and therein dwell ...
United in the Glory of the One!

Printable Date Tables

Lunar Cycle 5/24/09-6/22/09

Lunar Cycle 6/22/09-7/21/09

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I'd like to know your thoughts about The Night Sky and
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May your Night Sky traveling always be filled
with Celestial Delights and Treats!
Susan Sun

Getting Started in Astronomy
Includes a downloadable Moon map and bimonthly star charts.

At Skymaps.com download a current monthly guide, evening sky map & calendar.

Link to Sky and Telescope's This Week's Sky at a Glance.

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