Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars
The very bright “star” that is visible in the evening
in the southeast and then high in the south around midnight is actually
Jupiter. On Sunday, Sept. 26, it was at
opposition, which means it was directly opposite the Sun in relation to the
Earth, however it will remain bright in the night sky for some time.
Given that it is so bright, it is a good target for
binoculars. Jupiter has four bright
moons, the so-called Galilean moons in honour of Galileo who first observed
them through a telescope. They have very
short orbits around Jupiter so their relative positions change noticeably from
night to night. It can be quite
interesting to observe them over a few nights with binoculars as they do the
celestial dance from one side of Jupiter to the other.
Saturn is not as bright as Jupiter but it can be
picked out in the southeastern or southern sky though the evening. It is only about 25 degrees above the horizon
at its highest (around 10:30 p.m.), but it is a bit brighter than any of the
stars near it in that part of the sky.
With any small telescope or spotting scope you may be able to make out
its rings.
Mars is now rising in the east northeast just after 10
p.m. It will rise a bit earlier each
evening and will become brighter and brighter as it does so.
Venus and Mercury rise in the east just ahead of the
Sun, so cannot be easily seen right now.
The Moon helps identify the planets
We had a New Moon on Sept. 25, so in a couple days you
can look for a thin crescent Moon low in the west just after sunset. It will reach First Quarter (half-lighted) on
Oct. 3. On Tues/Wed, Oct. 4 & 5, you
can use the Moon to help you find Saturn.
On Tuesday, Saturn will be just the width of your fist at arm’s length
to the upper left of the Moon. A day
later, it will be a bit closer but to the Moon’s upper right.
On Friday, Oct. 7, Jupiter will be a fist’s width to
the upper left of the Moon, and on Saturday, Jupiter will be only half that
distance to the Moon’s upper right.
On Thursday, Oct. 13, the Moon will be just below the
Pleiades, a pretty little star cluster, which by the way is what is represented
by Subaru’s logo.
On Saturday, Oct. 15, the Moon will rise around 9
p.m. Reddish hued Mars can be picked out
very close to the Moon’s lower right throughout the rest of the evening.
International Space Station (ISS)
There are several evening passes of the ISS between 8
and 10 p.m. over the next week or so for Vancouver Island and the lower BC
mainland. Here are the best of them.
Tonight (Sept. 26), ISS rises in the west at 8:01 and
climbs very high towards the north, skirting very close to Polaris, the North
Star, at 8:05, after which it will drop towards the eastern horizon,
disappearing at 8:09.
Tuesday, 27 Sept., ISS will rise in the WNW at 8:50
and climb almost directly overhead, passing between the two bright stars that
make up the top of the Summer Triangle, Vega and Deneb respectively. Shortly after passing Deneb, ISS will fade
from sight as it enters Earth’s shadow.
Wednesday, 28 Sept., ISS rises in the WNW at 8:00 and
climbs very high in the north, passing by the end of the handle of the Big
Dipper five minutes later, and then crossing through the Great Square of Pegasus
in the east before fading from sight at 8:08.
Sept. 29, Thursday, will see the ISS rise in the WNW
at 8:49, climb past bright Arcturus low in the west, and then finish our tour
of the Summer Triangle by passing very close to Altair, the lowest of the three
bright stars making up this shape.
Moments later it will fade from sight as it enters Earth’s shadow.
The final great pass will be on Friday, Sept. 30. ISS will rise in the WNW at 8:00, climb above
Arcturus, pass through the four stars that make up the “drinking cup” shape in
Hercules, and then pass through the Summer Triangle, disappearing just above
the ESE horizon at 8:07.
SpaceX Star Link Satellites
Some of you have been observing lines of satellites
crossing the night sky. These are
constellations of small satellites, each set launched by SpaceX on a single
rocket. They continue to orbit in their
close configuration which provides us with a rather unusual sight.
Clear skies.
David
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