Starship Asterisk*

The biggest thing going down this month is the total Lunar eclipse on the 27th, which will reach maximum at 11PM Eastern Time. This should provide a great viewing chance even with binoculars. An 8" telescope will provide fantastic views of shadows on the craters.

As we approach mid-October, Saturn is rising in the Gemini constellation shortly before midnight and is visible on pretty much any telescope. Jupiter will be more visible as we approach November--currently it only rises for a short time each night and isn't placed well.

Venus can be seen i the early morning sky and on into the day--if you know where to look you can see it in full daylight.

The Leonid meteor shower is coming up on November 15th. Hopefully we'll get as many great meteor images on CONCAMs as we did for the Perseids. Also, since we now have two CONCAMs in Hawaii, we should be able to calculate velocities and enterance angles.

The view at sunset on Mauna Kea in Mid-October will be nearly what most observers in the Northern Hemiphere will see just after sunset during October. Here it is:


If you stand with your back to the north and hold this plot over your head, the above image is close to what you will see. The Moon might be in the picture, though.

Sun: The western horizon is bright because the sun just set there.

Planets: No bright planets are visible at sunset just now.

Stars: Right above your head is the Summer triangle: Vega, Deneb, and Altair.

Milky Way: The main band of the our Galaxy will run right overhead. To see this you need a dark sky and dark-adapted eyes.

Famous Constellations: The Little Dipper (OK, really an asterism) is visible above Polaris, the North Star. Pegasus, Cygus, and Sagittarius should all be visible.

Can't see anything: Get away from street lights and city lights.

It's cold: Go inside and put on a sweater under your jacket.

- RJN

Dan Cordell wrote:The Leonid meteor shower is coming up on November 15th.

November 15th? I thought it was the 19th.

This year's Leonids are predicted to be weak, with a low ZHR. The "best" shower in 2004 will probably be the Geminids. The peak is December 13, 22h 20m UT with a ZHR of 120. Locations in the Northern Hemisphere are preferred, because the radiant is visible all night long (culminates at 02 local). The maximum is about one day wide, so all CONCAMs have a good chance to see the meteors.

The Geminids are associated with an asteroid, 3200 Phaethon, that is a Near-Earth Object. The reflectivity of this body appears "stony"but the orbit is comet-like and so is the association with a meteor shower. Phaeton might be an ancient cometary nucleus. It may be an extinct or dormant comet that has accumulated a thick crust of interplanetary dust grains.

CONCAM observations, mainly of the light curves, may show whether the meteoroids that produce the bright meteors are single solid pieces of rock or collections of dust grains glued together.

Noah Brosch

Dan Cordell wrote:The biggest thing going down this month is the total Lunar eclipse on the 27th, which will reach maximum at 11PM Eastern Time. This should provide a great viewing chance even with binoculars. An 8" telescope will provide fantastic views of shadows on the craters.

As we approach mid-October, Saturn is rising in the Gemini constellation shortly before midnight and is visible on pretty much any telescope. Jupiter will be more visible as we approach November--currently it only rises for a short time each night and isn't placed well.

Venus can be seen i the early morning sky and on into the day--if you know where to look you can see it in full daylight.

The Leonid meteor shower is coming up on November 15th. Hopefully we'll get as many great meteor images on CONCAMs as we did for the Perseids. Also, since we now have two CONCAMs in Hawaii, we should be able to calculate velocities and enterance angles.

So what is up for 2005?