Brian Ventrudo

Saturn and Antares Fade in the Western Sky

October 2, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Saturn, the bright star Antares, and the Milky Way as seen in early October 2015.

If you want to see planets this month, you’re best to look in the eastern sky before sunrise. There you’ll see Mars, Venus, and Jupiter congregating and brightening over the next many weeks, along with a visit next week by the waning crescent Moon. But the planet Saturn still lingers in the western evening sky in early October after sunset, tangled among the claws of the fearsome scorpion represented by the constellation Scorpius and its next-door neighbor Libra [Read more…] about Saturn and Antares Fade in the Western Sky

Share This:

Harvest Moon Eclipse

September 24, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Total lunar eclipse of April 15, 2014 (credit: Alfredo Garcia, Jr.)

On the night and morning of September 27-28, 2015, skywatchers will enjoy a total lunar eclipse at Harvest Moon, the first full Moon of northern autumn. This eclipse will be particularly striking because it peaks just an hour after the Moon makes its closest monthly approach to Earth, so it will appear 13% larger than the last total lunar eclipse on April 4, 2015. This “supermoon” eclipse will be visible for all of North and South America, western Europe, and western Africa. From extreme western North America, the Moon will rise during the eclipse. From South Africa, the Moon will set during the eclipse. For observers in Australia and New Zealand, the eclipse will not be visible [Read more…] about Harvest Moon Eclipse

Share This:

The Helix Nebula

September 18, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

The showpiece of the constellation Aquarius is the grand and elusive Helix Nebula, NGC 7293. One of the closest and apparently largest of all planetary nebulae, the Helix is one of the few sights that’s easier to see in a small telescope than in a large one. In images, like the excellent collaboration above led by Warren Keller at BillionsandBillions.com, the nebula looks like an expansive eye in deep sky. Some refer to the Helix as the “Eye of God” [Read more…] about The Helix Nebula

Share This:

Southern African Solar Eclipse of September 13, 2015

September 11, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Partial solar eclipse seen from New Zealand in 2008. (Credit: Greg Hewgill)

Observers in southern Africa will enjoy a partial solar eclipse this weekend on September 13, 2015. This eclipse will be visible from all parts of South Africa, southern parts of Madagascar, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It will also be visible for the very few observers over a wide area of the Indian Ocean and Antarctica. This is a partial eclipse– not total– so sky and Earth will not darken completely, and you will need proper solar filtering to enjoy this event [Read more…] about Southern African Solar Eclipse of September 13, 2015

Share This:

Venus Returns as the “Morning Star”

September 11, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Venus, Mars, and Jupiter rise in the eastern sky before sunrise as seen on September 12, 2015. (Made with SkySafari 4).

The planet Venus has returned to the sky at a “morning star”, shining brightly in the eastern sky before sunrise in the constellation Cancer, the Crab. Venus is by far the brightest object in the sky except for the Sun and Moon. It shines at magnitude -4.5, nearly as bright as it gets, and spans about 44″ when seen in a telescope. The face of the planet is a magnificent slender crescent shape just 18% illuminated by the Sun.

Venus is joined by Jupiter, which rises a little later and shines a little fainter. The two planets made a dramatic display in the evening sky earlier in 2015 and will now dominate the morning sky for the rest of the year. Too low in the sky to reveal much detail, Jupiter is still worth a look in binoculars or a small telescope, if just to see its fat disk and its four biggest moons make their way around the big planet. The planet now appears about 31″ across, much smaller than Venus, but fully illuminated.

Between the two bright planets, you also see the ochre glow of Mars, still relatively faint at magnitude +1.8 and just 3.8″ across. It’s far too small and distant to reveal any detail in a telescope. The planet will slowly brighten over the next 8 months on the way to opposition in May 2016. Just below Mars, closer to Jupiter, you see the icy white star Regulus in the constellation Leo, shining slightly brighter at magnitude +1.4.

Share This: