Written by Alyssa Whalen

The long awaited 2024 solar eclipse is upon us! Cross your fingers for clear skies on Monday, April 8th, because it will be quite a sight.

What is a Solar Eclipse?

An eclipse is when light from one celestial object is obscured to an observer by another body passing between them. In other words – the alignment of three bodies in such a way that one blocks light from another from the perspective of the third. In a solar eclipse, the Moon obscures the Sun’s light from our perspective on Earth.

When and where will it be visible?

Since the Moon is smaller than the Earth, its shadow only covers a small fraction of Earth’s surface at any given time. Areas within the Moon’s umbra are located in the path of totality, and will experience a total solar eclipse. During totality, the Moon will fully block out the Sun. Locations within the Moon’s penumbra will experience a partial solar eclipse, where the Moon will cover a fraction of the Sun’s light, but it will not completely cover the Sun.

Path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse:

Columbus, Ohio is just outside the path of totality. At the midpoint of the eclipse, the Moon will obscure 99.7% of the Sun’s light, though it is important to note that even 3/1000th of the Sun’s light is still too bright to see the best that total solar eclipses have to offer. While traffic will likely be difficult to navigate, driving ~30 minutes north or west of Columbus will allow you to experience totality. Eclipse2024.org has a useful search tool that highlights Ohio cities within the path of totality, along with facts about the eclipse’s duration and the time of totality at those locations. For all locations in Ohio, the eclipse will begin (the Moon’s first contact with the Sun) around 2 pm, and totality will begin between 3:10 and 3:15 pm. Totality only lasts between 2 and 4 minutes, so I highly recommend researching the specific start and end times for your viewing location using the link above.

What will you be able to see?

For safety information regarding viewing the solar eclipse, please visit: https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety

A total solar eclipse is divided into four phases: first contact, second contact, third contact, and fourth contact. First contact is when the Moon first begins to cover the Sun; this is when the eclipse begins. Second contact is the beginning of totality, when the Moon is completely obscuring the Sun. Third contact is the end of totality, once the Sun begins to creep out from behind the Moon. Fourth contact is when the Moon stops covering any portion of the Sun, marking the end of the eclipse.

In the seconds before totality begins, when the Sun is near completely obscured, a few fascinating phenomena occur: the Diamond Ring and Baily’s Beads. The Diamond Ring is the last of the Sun’s light, shining brightly while the Moon closes in. It appears as though the Sun is the diamond while its glow surrounding the Moon is a ring in the sky. As the diamond diminishes in brightness, you are able to see Baily’s Beads. Named for the French astronomer Francis Baily who first noted them during an eclipse in 1836, Baily’s Beads are bright spots along the edge of the Moon just before totality begins. The Moon’s surface is not smooth; it has mountains, craters, and valleys whose effects can be seen during an eclipse. The Sun can shine through these irregularities, highlighting the Moon’s rough terrain.

Diamond Ring:

Baily’s Beads:

During totality, the sky will become dark enough to view stars and planets that are not typically able to be seen during this time of year. The Sun will be located in the constellation Pisces, and Jupiter and Venus (which are currently too close to the Sun to view at night) will be visible as the sky darkens. Popular constellations such as Cassiopeia and Cygnus will be visible in the northwestern sky in the middle of the day, and Taurus, Orion, and Gemini will be visible in the east during totality. However, the crown jewel of a total solar eclipse is the ability to observe the Sun’s corona, or the outermost layer of its atmosphere. The Sun is currently in its active phase, so we may be treated to a more intense and dynamic corona than usual during the eclipse.

In the unfortunate event that Ohio weather does not cooperate on April 8th, we can still look forward to the midday darkness and temporary environmental changes that occur during an eclipse. The temperature will drop dramatically, and winds may pick up in reaction to the ‘false night.’ Some nocturnal animals, such as bats, may be seen as well due to the dark skies.

Safe travels to those of you who have plans to view the eclipse elsewhere, and happy observing!

Sources:

https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse_cities/states.php?type=partial&state=Ohio&country=USA

https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francis-Baily

https://weather.com/science/weather-explainers/news/2024-03-08-total-solar-eclipse-weather

Image Credits

Solar Eclipse Diagram: https://www.businessinsider.com/solar-eclipse-diagram-2017-8

Path of Totality: https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/

Diamond Ring:

https://thejewelerblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/21/diamond-ring-effect-will-add-excitement-to-todays-great-american-eclipse/

Baily’s Beads: https://science.nasa.gov/resource/baileys-beads/

Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Sun in Pisces: https://stellarium-web.org/

Corona with stars: https://physicsworld.com/a/the-enduring-mystery-of-the-solar-corona/

Credit: Andreas Möller

Corona: https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/sun-corona/en/

Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Constellations, Planets, and Astronomical Events Visible in February 2024

Written and Compiled by Alyssa Whalen

While winter brings cold winds and slippery sidewalks, it also brings long nights to go out and observe! However, the long nights are growing shorter with each passing day. The sun rises around 7:25 am, and sets around 6:05 pm every evening, providing 10 hours and 40 minutes of sunlight, though it varies slightly every day. On average, approximately 2 minutes and 27 seconds of daylight is added every day this month.

February’s full moon occurs the night of February 24th. This full moon has two names given by Native American Tribes. The first, and most common name is the Snow moon, named for the heavy snowfall experienced during this time of year. However, the winter months also made hunting difficult, which is how it also got the nickname the Hunger moon from some tribes. February’s new moon occurs earlier in the month on February 9th. In the lucky event that the sky is clear this winter, the best time to observe is always during a new moon, since the moon’s bright shine can make fainter objects impossible to view.

February is not a great month to observe planets this year. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn are all too close to the sun to observe this month. Mercury and Mars will show themselves again in our sky next month, but Saturn won’t be visible until early May. Saturn has begun its long journey behind the sun; however it will be visible in the day during the solar eclipse on April 8th if you are able to find yourself within the path of totality with clear skies.

Jupiter is the crown jewel of the sky this month. It is nearly overheard after the sun sets, and it will set near midnight this month. Uranus is closely behind Jupiter, setting at 1am, but the ice giants Uranus and Neptune are not visible without the aid of powerful binoculars or a telescope.

Auriga is a lesser known constellation that is directly overhead between sundown and midnight. Auriga is Latin for Charioteer, and it is located on top of Taurus. In fact, the two constellations share the star Elnath, which is known as both Beta Tauri and Gamma Aurigae. While looking for Taurus is the easiest way to find Auriga, it can also be identified by the bright star Capella that is located to the west of the constellation Gemini.

Northwest of Auriga is the constellation Perseus, named for the mythological Greek hero. Perseus is most well known to be the home of the Alpha Persei Star Cluster. This cluster is found through the star Mirfak, the brightest star in Perseus; however, the star cluster contains many stars within the constellation. Another bright star cluster is visible this month: the Pleiades! This famous cluster is located in the constellation Taurus. Also called “the Seven Sisters” the Pleiades cluster contains hundreds of stars, but there are seven bright blue stars that are easily visible with the naked eye. This cluster is a beautiful sight for any astronomer on a clear winter night.

Happy Observing!

Sources:

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@5165418?month=2&year=2024

http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2024.html

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/@5165418

https://stellarium-web.org/

Image Credits:

Sunset: https://unsplash.com/s/photos/winter-sunset

Jupiter: https://www.space.com/jupiter-opposition-closest-approach-skywatching

Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley)

Winter Constellations: https://stellarium-web.org/

Pleiades: https://www.space.com/pleiades.html

Credit: Manfred_Konrad

Constellations, Planets, and Astronomical Events Visible in November 2023

Written and Compiled by Alyssa Whalen

The weather continues to grow colder as Autumn reaches its peak, but the nights are growing longer, so it’s time to bundle up and go out to observe! This month we have to remember the end of daylight savings time. On the morning of November 5th, don’t forget to set your clocks 1 hour earlier. After the clock adjustment, the sun will be rising around 7:15 am and setting around 5:15 pm. This means we will have an average of 10 hours of daylight every day this month. Each day, we will lose nearly 2 minutes of daylight. This rate will decrease until the winter solstice next month, where we will then start gaining daylight back.

This month’s full moon occurs on November 27th. It is commonly referred to as the Beaver Moon, since this is when the Native Americans would set their traps to hunt the beaver. The new moon occurs on November 13th, nearly perfect time to observe the meteor showers that occur this month.

There are two meteor showers this month: the Taurids and the Leonids. The Taurids are a minor meteor shower that produces 5-10 meteors at its peak. It is a long running shower that runs from September 7th to December 10th; this year it peaks on the night of November 4th. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus, which rises around 10pm. The third-quarter moon might make viewing difficult, so the best way to observe this shower would be from a dark sky sight. The combination of light pollution, the third quarter moon, and the low rate of meteors make this shower difficult to observe, but with some patience there should be a few visible meteors

The Leonids run annually from November 6-30, and peaks on the evening of November 17th. This year, the shower is expected to produce around 15 meteors per hour at its peak, but it is unique in that it actually varies in intensity. It has a 33 year cyclical period where the rate of meteors varies greatly, and at the peak of this 33 year period there can be hundreds of meteors every hour! The peak was last observed in 2001, so we can look forward to quite a show in November 2034. Until then, we can enjoy a moderate shower this year thanks to the waxing crescent moon keeping the sky dark. The meteors will radiate from the constellation Leo, which does not rise until the early morning, so the best time to observe the shower will be after 3 am on the morning of November 18th.

Mercury is too close to the sun to easily observe at the start of November, but it will continue to move further to the east, so it will become more visible in the evenings later in the month. Venus is still easily visible in the morning sky before sunrise, but it is moving closer to the sun so there will be a time soon when it is invisible in our sky. Mars is still behind the sun, and it will be impossible to observe until next May.

Both Jupiter and Uranus are in opposition this month. Opposition means that a line can be drawn from the Sun, through Earth, to the planet. From our perspective, the surface of the planet will be fully illuminated by the sun, and it will rise at sunset, and set at sunrise. Jupiter’s opposition occurs on November 3rd, and Uranus’ opposition occurs on November 13th. Opposition is the best time to observe planets, since they will be at their brightest. However, Uranus will still not be visible without the aid of a telescope since it is extremely far away, and therefore very dim.

Saturn is starting the night closer to the western horizon. This means it is starting to set only a few hours after sunset. Soon, Saturn will make its journey behind the sun where it will be invisible to stargazers on Earth, just as Mars is right now. Neptune is slightly further east than Saturn. It will be up at sunset and it will set around 2:30 am; but it is too faint to observe without the aid of a telescope.

It is time to say goodbye to the summer triangle. It will still be visible in the western sky at sundown this month, but it will continue to begin the night closer to the horizon. By mid-November, it will no longer be observable until it rises again next summer. However, the end of the summer constellations means the beginning of the winter constellations! The famous hunter, Orion, is visible in the late night/early morning. He chases Taurus the Bull toward the western horizon. These famous winter constellations currently rise around 10 pm, but as we approach the winter season, they will continue to rise earlier in the night.

Sources:

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@5165418?month=11&year=2023

http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2023.html

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/usa/columbus

https://stellarium-web.org/

Images:

Full Moon: https://inews.co.uk/news/long-reads/beaver-moon-full-november-2021-meaning-names-why-science-explained-448478

Meteor Showers: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide/

Jupiter/Galilean Moons: https://www.thoughtco.com/tour-of-jupiters-moons-3073639

Image Credit: Carolyn Collins Petersen

Taurus/Orion: https://stellarium-web.org/

Constellations, Planets, and Astronomical Events Visible in October 2023

Written and Compiled by Alyssa Whalen

Happy autumn! With the September equinox behind us, we have passed into the astronomical start of the fall season! For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the sun is now below the horizon more than above it. The sun rises around 7:45 am and sets around 6:50 pm, providing 11 hours of sunlight throughout the day. However, the sunrise/sunset times vary greatly throughout the month. Every day, we lose an average of 2 minutes and 30 seconds of sunlight. Nights will continue to grow longer until the winter solstice in December, but longer nights means more time to go out and observe!

There is a solar eclipse occurring this month! A solar eclipse is when the moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth. When this happens, the moon’s shadow falls on a fraction of the Earth’s surface, and creates a path of darkness as it moves across the sun. This path is called the path of totality, and it is the best place to view the full spectacle that a solar eclipse creates. Solar eclipses are especially interesting on Earth because our moon happens to have the right combination of size and distance to appear nearly the same size as the Sun; however, the moon’s apparent size does have some variation since its orbit around Earth is not completely circular. This variable moon size is what differentiates a total solar eclipse from an annular solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse is when the moon completely blocks the sun’s light, allowing people in the path of totality to see the sun’s corona which is typically invisible to the unaided eye. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon appears smaller than during a total eclipse, so it does not completely block the sun. The moon still casts its shadow, but the edges of the sun’s surface can be seen behind it creating a ‘ring of fire.’

This month there is an annular solar eclipse on October 14th. Sadly, the ring of fire will not be visible in Ohio; here we will only see a partial solar eclipse. From our perspective, the moon will cover between 30-40% of the sun at its peak. For those in Columbus, the eclipse will begin at 11:46 am, and it will reach its peak at 1:07 pm. This partial eclipse will still dim the sun drastically, but Ohioans will have to wait until April 8th, 2024 to see a total eclipse. Mark your calendars and hope for clear skies, because that should be a sight to behold!

The new moon occurs at the same time as the solar eclipse on October 14th. The moon’s phases as viewed from Earth show us where the moon is in its orbit relative to the sun. Just as half of the Earth is always day and half is always night, the moon has a day side and night side too. When the moon is full, it is on the opposite side of the sun, so the side that is facing Earth is fully illuminated. When it is a new moon, the moon is between the sun and Earth, so we can only see its night side. Solar eclipses can only occur during new moons, because the moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun. On the other hand, lunar eclipses can only occur during full moons because that is when the Earth is between the moon and Sun. October’s full moon occurs on the night of October 28th. This moon is nicknamed the Hunter Moon, because this is the time of year that game is hunted.

October is a busy month for astronomical events; on top of the eclipse, there are two minor meteor showers peaking this month. The first is the Draconids shower. This minor shower runs annually from October 6-10, and it is caused by the remnant dust from the comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner. This year, the Draconids peak the night of October 8th with a rate of approximately 10 meteors per hour. Due to its low rate, it will be difficult to observe from light polluted areas, but it should make for a pleasant evening shower if you find yourself in a dark sky area.

The second shower this month is the Orionids. This shower runs annually from October 2nd – November 7th annually, and this shower is caused by the remnants of the famous Halley Comet. It peaks the night of October 20th, but the first quarter moon will make evening viewing more difficult. At its peak, there is expected to be around 20 meteors per hour, and it will best be observed in the early mornings as the moon sets and the constellation Orion rises higher in the sky.

Mercury will be difficult, but possible to observe in the first week of October before it is too close to the sun. With each passing day, Mercury moves closer to the sun, but it is slightly visible in the early morning before sunrise. Venus will continue to be perfectly visible every morning throughout the month. In fact, Venus reaches its greatest western elongation on October 23rd, meaning it is located at its furthest west point from the sun in our sky. It will rise approximately 4 hours before sunrise. On a clear night, Venus is so bright it is possible to cast shadows. Besides the sun and moon, Venus is the brightest object in our sky, which gives it its nickname: the Morning Star. Mars remains too close to the sun to observe. Relative to Earth, Mars is beginning its journey behind the Sun. It won’t be visible again until late January where it will begin to rise in the mornings before sunrise.

Both Jupiter and Saturn are perfectly visible throughout almost the entire night. Jupiter rises about 2 hours after sunset, and will remain in the sky through sunrise. Saturn will already be above the eastern horizon once the sun sets, and it will set in the early morning near 3:30 am. The Ice Giants Uranus and Neptune will both be up during the night, but they are both nearly impossible to observe with the naked eye alone. Uranus rises 30 minutes behind Jupiter, and it is located in the constellation Taurus. Neptune rises an hour after Saturn, but it will still rise before sunset. It is located on the western edge of the constellation Pisces.

This month, I am going to step back and discuss the zodiac constellations. As Earth orbits the Sun, the position of the Sun in our sky changes. With respect to the stars, the sun moves slightly further east every day. Over the course of a year, the sun will make a full loop, and return to the same position in our sky. The path the sun takes as it moves throughout the year is called the ecliptic. The zodiac constellations are the constellations that the ecliptic passes through. The twelve zodiacs are made popular by horoscopes and astrology; however, there is a thirteenth zodiac constellation that is excluded from popular culture. A portion of the constellation Ophiuchus falls in the path of the ecliptic, and it is dismissed.

The zodiac constellations we know today were created by the Babylonians 3,000 years ago, and even then they knew about the 13th constellation in the sun’s path; they chose to omit it so that the zodiac would neatly match their 12 month calendar. In most cases, stars in a constellation have no relation to one another; they happen to appear in some formation in our sky, and ancient humans used the formations they saw to tell stories. Different cultures saw different pictures in the stars, and told different stories – such as Maui’s Hook as opposed to Scorpius in Polynesian culture. While the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has officially recognized constellations, they are mostly derived from Middle Eastern, Greek, and Roman culture. The constellations that fall upon the ecliptic could have been much different if IAU decided to use other cultures’ interpretations of the sky.

Sources:

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@5165418?month=10&year=2023

http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2023.html

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/about-eclipses/types/

https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/Science/Resources-for-Science/2024-Solar-Eclipse#:~:text=On%20Saturday%2C%20October%2014%2C%202023,partial%2C%20annual%20and%20total%20eclipses.

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/ohio?iso=20231014

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/usa/columbus

https://stellarium-web.org/

https://time.com/5867647/nasa-zodiac-star/

https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/skytellers/constellations/#:~:text=Most%20of%20the%20constellation%20names,and%20objects%20of%20their%20stories.

Images:

Annular Eclipse: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/overview/

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Dunford

Eclipse Path: https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/october-14-2023

Image Credit: Michael Zeiler

Moon Phases: https://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/pogge.1/Ast161/Unit2/phases.html

Draconids: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-draconid-meteor-shower/

Orionids: https://earthsky.org/clusters-nebulae-galaxies/everything-you-need-to-know-orionid-meteor-shower/

Venus (Morning Star): https://earthsky.org/sky-archive/venus-spectacular-in-morning-sky/

Image Credit: Larry Estes

Zodiac Diagram: https://phys.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Astronomy__Cosmology/Astronomy_1e_%28OpenStax%29/02%3A_Observing_the_Sky_-_The_Birth_of_Astronomy/2.01%3A_The_Sky_Above

Constellations, Planets, and Astronomical Events Visible in September 2023

Written and Compiled by Alyssa Whalen

The astronomical start of the fall season is fast approaching! The Autumnal Equinox occurs on September 23rd. Equinox gets its name from the fact that the sun spends equal time above and below the horizon on this day. The equinox and solstices, as well as the seasons themselves, are caused by the tilt of the Earth. Earth rotates around its axis, and orbits the sun, but there is an angular difference between the rotational and orbital axes, a ‘tilt’ of approximately 23.5 degrees. As highlighted in the diagram, the equinoxes occur when the entire day-side of the Earth is receiving sunlight at the same angle. The solstices (and the summer and winter seasons) occur when one hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, therefore one hemisphere receives more direct sunlight than the other. This is also why seasons are switched in the northern and southern hemispheres.

After the blue moon in August, the next new moon occurs September 15th. Especially due to the string of supermoons this season, observing during a new moon is much better to view fainter objects. The full moon occurs on September 29th, and this will be the last supermoon of the year. A supermoon occurs when there is a full moon at perigee, or the closest point to Earth in the moon’s orbit. Since the moon is closer to the Earth than average, it appears larger and brighter in the sky. The image below shows the difference in size of the moon at perigee (closest point) and apogee (furthest point).

Mercury has shifted to its point of greatest western elongation. While it is still extremely close to our sun, the best chance to observe the planet will be in the early morning before sunrise on September 22nd. Venus will also be visible in the early mornings before sunrise; it will rise on the eastern horizon around 4:15 am. Venus is much brighter than Mercury, and further from the sun in our sky, so it is much easier to view this month.

Photo of Mercury

Mars sets only an hour after sunset, so it is only visible for a short time during the night. Soon, Mars will be behind the sun, and it will be completely unobservable for a long stretch of time. Jupiter and Saturn are perfectly visible this month. Jupiter rises around 10 pm; Saturn will have already risen and be located high in the sky at sundown. The gas giants are extremely bright; they are popular observing targets with the aid of binoculars or telescopes.

Uranus rises shortly after Jupiter; however the ice giants cannot be easily observed with the naked eye. Neptune is in opposition this month on September 19th. Opposition is theoretically the best time to observe planets, as this is when they are fully illuminated by the sun. Neptune will still not be visible with the naked eye due to its distance from Earth (29 AU or 2.7 billion miles), but the use of a telescope will greatly improve the ability to take advantage of Neptune’s illumination.

Photo of Neptune

A popular constellation to observe in the fall is Cassiopeia. This constellation depicting the vain Greek queen is above the horizon year-round in Ohio, but this season it begins the night far above the north-eastern horizon for easy viewing. Cassiopeia is known for its zig-zag shape of bright stars that can be seen even in areas with considerable light pollution. Cassiopeia is another popular guide constellation; it points the way to the Andromeda Galaxy to the south and the constellation Perseus to the east.

The fall and winter seasons are the best time to view some popular star clusters in this area of the sky. The brightest star in Perseus, called Mirphak or Alpha Persei, is the home of a popular star cluster. In the fall, the Alpha Persei star cluster is above the horizon from sundown to sunup, and it will begin the night higher in the sky as the month progresses.

Another popular star cluster is beginning to make its appearance in the night sky: the Pleiades! This cluster is located in the constellation Taurus, and it rises above the horizon around midnight this month. The Pleiades is an extremely bright star cluster that is visible with the naked eye; though binoculars or a telescope will help in heavily light polluted areas. It is one of the oldest celestial objects to be discovered due to its brightness, and it is a popular target for astrophotographers. As the autumn season progresses and turns to winter, these star clusters will continue to brighten our sky and provide excellent opportunities to go out and observe!

Sources:

http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2023.html

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/usa/columbus

https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20230919_12_100

https://stellarium-web.org/

Images Credits:

Orbit Diagram: https://www.weather.gov/cle/Seasons

Moon Size: https://moon.nasa.gov/diy-moon-orbit/

Mercury: https://science.howstuffworks.com/46004-mercury-explained.htm

Neptune: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/neptune/overview/

Constellations: https://stellarium-web.org/

Pleiades: https://astrobackyard.com/m45-the-pleiades/#:~:text=The%20Pleiades%20star%20cluster%20can,and%20noticeable%20as%20the%20Pleiades.

Constellations, Planets, and Astronomical Events Visible in August 2023

-Written and Compiled by Alyssa Whalen

Happy August! The days are long and hot, but the nights have perfect weather for stargazing. The days are steadily growing shorter since the solstice has passed. The sun rises around 6:40 am, and sets at 8:30. As each day passes, the amount of daylight changes by approximately 2 minutes and 15 seconds. This rate of change will continue to increase until the equinox next month, but the nights will continue to get longer until the winter solstice in December.

Once in a blue moon is here at last! When two full moons occur in the same calendar month, the second is called a blue moon. This phenomena is possible because the time it takes for one full cycle of the moon’s phases, or one orbit of the moon around the Earth, is 29.5 days. It also happens that both of the full moons this month are supermoons!. The full moon is continuing to occur when the moon is at its closest point to Earth, causing it to appear larger and brighter than usual. The first full supermoon occurred on August 1st, which is known as the Sturgeon moon, as this is when the Native Americans would catch the fish in the Great Lakes. The second full moon has many titles: The full super-blue moon. However, since it is also in August, it would not have another nickname like the other full moons have, since there are only 12 nicknames used to describe the full moons of the year.

Despite its nickname, the blue moon does not actually have a blue hue. The name comes from the 16th century saying “when the moon is blue” meaning something is impossible; although, it is true the moon can have a blue or green tint due to dust in the atmosphere. After a real blue-tinted moon was observed after a volcanic eruption in Indonesia in the late 1800’s, the phrase shifted to mean a rare event. The term “blue moon” was only used to describe the occurrence of two full moons starting in the mid 1900s. If you were ever wondering how often “once in a blue moon” is, it is about once every 33 months, or 2.75 years.

The new moon occurs on August 16th; this day and the surrounding days when the moon is in its crescent phases are the best time to stargaze if the weather permits. Especially since the full moons are supermoons, their brightness will make observing faint celestial objects very difficult.

There is a meteor shower occurring this month! The Perseids shower is a popular meteor shower known for a high frequency of bright meteors that should be visible even from light polluted areas. The shower runs annually from July 17th to August 24th, but its peak is on the night of August 12th this year. At its peak, it is expected to produce around 60 meteors per hour. The shower will radiate from the constellation Perseus, which can be found near the northeastern horizon at sundown. The constellation will rise further above the horizon as the night goes on, so the best viewing will be near midnight or later at a dark sky sight. However, the waning crescent moon provides very little light to interfere with the show, so viewing is still possible from light polluted areas.

The Perseid meteor shower comes from the debris of the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. This comet was discovered in 1862, and orbits the sun every 133 years. Sadly, we will never see the comet again in our lifetimes, but we will continue to enjoy the meteor shower caused by its remnants every year.

Mercury is visible once again. As the innermost planet in our solar system, Mercury orbits the sun in only 88 days, but it is also too close to the sun most nights. Only during its greatest elongation will it be visible. This is when the planet is at its furthest point from the sun in our sky, and even at this time it is still difficult to observe. Mercury will be in greatest eastern elongation on August 10th. This means the planet will be visible in the western sky for a few moments after sundown.

Venus is currently difficult to view. It is directly in front of the sun for most of the month, but it will be visible in the early morning before sunrise at the end of the month. Mars is also too close to the sun to observe. It won’t be easily visible again until next year.

Unlike the terrestrial planets, Jupiter and Saturn are more easily visible this month. Jupiter is perfectly visible once it rises after midnight, and Saturn is in opposition on August 27th. Opposition means the planet is opposite the Sun in our sky. Saturn will rise at sunset, and set at sunrise, meaning it will be visible all night.

As always, the ice giants Uranus and Neptune are difficult to observe without binoculars or a telescope. Uranus rises just past midnight, only slightly to the east of Jupiter for the whole month. Neptune rises at 10 pm, and will be found between Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation Pisces

The most useful constellations for night sky navigation are the Big and Little Dippers. In Ohio, and further north, the Dippers never set below the horizon. They are in the northern sky all night long and all year long. Stars that never set are called circumpolar stars. Polaris, the North Star, is in line with Earth’s north pole. As Earth rotates, Polaris stays still in the northern sky, and all the stars appear to move around it. This becomes apparent when astrophotographers take exposures of the sky that last hours; the stars leave a trail that show their path around Polaris. Because of this, constellations like Draco and Ursa Major/Minor are useful all year round.

The Big Dipper is likely the most common constellation in the northern sky; however it is not a constellation. There are only 88 officially recognized constellations, but anyone can connect the dots in the sky to make a shape. These shapes are called asterisms. Ursa Major is a recognized constellation, but the ladle of the Big Dipper is only a section of the constellation that has been given a nickname, therefore it is an asterism. The Big Dipper is notable because it is made up of bright stars that can be seen even in light polluted cities, and its stars are helpful to guide a stargazer to other constellations. For instance, the two stars at the edge of the ladle point directly to Polaris, which is the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper. Winding between the two Dippers is Draco the Dragon. Another example is that the handle of the Big Dipper arcs over to the bright star Arcturus in the constellation Böotes (pronounced Boh-oh-teez). These are only a few examples of using guide stars to navigate through the sky.

Sources:

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@5165418?month=8&year=2023

http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2023.html

https://www.britannica.com/science/blue-moon-astronomy

https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower/

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/usa/columbus

https://stellarium-web.org/

Images:

Sturgeon Moon: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-62517894

Image Credit: Graham Wiffem

Blue Moon: https://www.space.com/15455-blue-moon.html

Image Credit: Herken Herken

Position Diagram: http://alicesastroinfo.com/2007/01/mercury-at-greatest-elongation-2007/

Saturn: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/saturn/overview/

Perseids Radiant Point: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower/

Big Dipper/Little Dipper/Draco/Bootes: https://stellarium-web.org/

Star Trails: https://fuzzy.photos/astrophotos/42-star-trails-at-the-celestial-pole

Image credit: Frederick Steiling

Constellations, Planets, and Astronomical Events Visible in July 2023

-written and compiled by Alyssa Whalen

Now that the solstice has passed, it is now officially summertime! Enjoy the long days and warm weather, and hopefully the summer nights will be clear enough to go out and observe. The sun will rise around 6:15 am, and set near 9:00 pm everyday; although the days will now begin to slowly grow shorter. Since we are still in the height of summer, we are losing daylight at a rate of only 1 minute and 20 seconds per day, but that rate will increase as we approach the autumnal equinox in September.

The full moon this month is a supermoon! Supermoons are full moons that occur when the moon is at its closest approach to Earth. This is only possible because of the slight ellipticity in the moon’s orbit around Earth. When the full moon is at perigee and full in the same night, it is called a supermoon. The July supermoon occurs the evening of July 3rd. It is often nicknamed the Buck moon, as this is the time of year that male deer grow their antlers. The new moon occurs on July 17th. With clear skies and some luck, this will be the best time to observe during the month.

There is a meteor shower this month! The Delta Aquarids meteor shower runs annually from mid-July to late August. This year, the shower peaks the night of July 29th with a peak rate of around 20 meteors per hour. While the shower peaks on the 29th, the rate of meteors should be fairly constant throughout the shower’s duration. The radiant point of the meteor shower is in the constellation Aquarius, though it will be possible for meteors to appear anywhere. Aquarius will be slightly southward from the eastern horizon around 11 pm the night of the 29th, but the best time to view the meteor shower will be during the early morning of the 30th between 2-4 am when the constellation is higher in the sky. There is a full moon in early August that will make viewing the fainter meteors difficult, so finding a dark sky in the earlier days of the shower (or later in mid-August) when the moon is nearly new might prove to be a better strategy. With enough patience, there should be a number of bright meteors that make a good show even during the full moon.

Mars and Venus are in conjunction this month. On July 1st, the two planets will make their closest approach to one another. The conjunction will be visible in the evening for a few hours after sundown, and the planets will remain close together in the sky. Both planets will be visible at sundown; Venus will set first around 11:20 pm on July 1st, with Mars disappearing below the horizon shortly after at 11:35 pm. They will both set earlier in the night as the month goes on.

Mercury is too close to the sun to be visible at the beginning of the month, but, in the later days of the month, it will begin to appear slightly above the western horizon after sunset. Jupiter continues to rise earlier in the night; now it is above the horizon around 1:45 am. Saturn is becoming more easily observable, as it now rises around 11 pm. Uranus is difficult to observe this month since it does not rise above the horizon until 2:15 am. Neptune rises near midnight; however, both ice giants are not visible without the aid of a telescope or binoculars due to their distance from Earth.

While Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are always above the northern horizon to help guide our stargazing, this time of year there is another popular way to get around. The Summer Triangle is an asterism (a group of stars that form a shape/pattern, but are not officially recognized constellations) made up of the bright stars of three constellations in the summer sky: Vega in the constellation Lyra, Deneb, in the constellation Cygnus, and Altair in the constellation Aquila.These stars are very bright, and can even be seen clearly in light polluted cities, which makes them popular guide stars. The name ‘Summer Triangle’ comes from the fact that these constellations are nearly directly overhead at sundown, and are visible all night during the summer months.

Sources:

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@5165418?month=7&year=2023

http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2023.html

https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-delta-aquarid-meteor-shower/

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/usa/columbus

https://stellarium-web.org/

Image Credits:

Sunset: Alyssa Whalen

Buck Moon: https://science.howstuffworks.com/buck-moon.htm

Credit: JOHN FINNEY PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES

Meteor Shower Radiant: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-delta-aquarid-meteor-shower/

Mars/Venus: https://www.businessinsider.com/see-mars-venus-align-planetary-conjunction-2021-7

Aquarius/Pegasus: https://stellarium-web.org/

Cygnus/Lyra/Aquila: https://owlcation.com/stem/Exploring-the-Summer-Triangle-in-the-Night-Sky

Constellations, Planets, and Astronomical Events Visible in June 2023

-Written and Compiled by Alyssa Whalen

Happy Summer! In terms of the astronomical calendar, summer begins after the Summer Solstice. This means summer begins on the longest day of the year, June 21st. While all days have about 24 hours, we call the solstices the longest and shortest days due to the amount of daylight we see. The Summer Solstice creates the “longest day” because the Earth’s northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun. Therefore, the sun will appear higher in the sky, and stay above the horizon for a larger fraction of the day. This causes warmer temperatures and longer stretches of daylight in the northern hemisphere, but it has the opposite effect on the southern hemisphere. On the day of the solstice, there will be approximately 15 hours of daylight in Ohio, but the amount of daylight varies by latitude.

June’s full moon occurs the evening of June 3rd. There are many nicknames the moon has this month, but the most common is the Strawberry Moon. This nickname was given by Native Americans, as this is the time of year when the strawberries would ripen and be ready to harvest. The Rose moon is the Celtic nickname for June’s full moon, since it is the height of the rose blooming season. The new moon occurs on June 18th, so the moon will not be visible in the night sky. The moon is the brightest object in Earth’s sky after the Sun, so the days surrounding the new moon will always be the best times to observe fainter objects. In cities, the light pollution makes the difference between the sky during a new and a full moon very small, but if there is an opportunity to stargaze away from the big cities, the difference is staggering.

A supernova has been spotted in the Pinwheel Galaxy! M101 is located in the constellation Ursa Majoris, and is a popular object for astrophotographers due to the nearly face on spiral arms. The supernova was spotted by amateur astronomers the night of May 19th.

Supernovae occur when a massive star reaches the end of its life. The star’s core becomes unstable, eventually leading to the collapse and explosion of the star. Supernovae are some of the highest energy processes that happen in space, so the event is extremely luminous. The pinwheel galaxy is 21 million light years away, yet the explosion of this star is visible to us with an amateur 4.5 inch telescope. This also means the star we are observing went supernova over 21 million years ago. This is a fairly rare occurrence to witness, as supernovae occur approximately once every 50 years per galaxy.

Mercury is too close to the sun to be observed this month. Since it is the closest planet to the sun, there are only a few select windows of time that it is far enough away to observe properly. Sadly, it won’t be visible again until early August. Venus, however, was in greatest eastern elongation on June 4th. This means Venus is as far away from the sun as possible in our sky. Venus will be 45.5 degrees away from the sun and will appear bright in our evening sky. Greatest elongation is the best time to view Venus, and it will be visible in the western sky between sundown and midnight.

Mars will also have decent observing conditions this month. While not in conjunction (yet), Mars and Venus are very close in the sky this month. Mars is slightly eastward from Venus, and it will be visible in the western sky between sundown and slightly past midnight. Jupiter is finally coming back from its journey behind the sun, though it is still fairly difficult to observe. The signature gas giant will rise around 3 am, so it will be visible for a small window of time in the early morning before sunrise. Saturn continues to rise earlier in the morning, but you’ll still have to get up pretty early. Saturn rises around 1 am, and will have good observing conditions until sunrise. Uranus rises slightly after Jupiter, around 4 am. However, due to its distance from Earth and its position relative to the sun in our sky, it will be nearly impossible to observe. Neptune will rise around 2 am, but, as usual, it is too far away from Earth to view without a telescope or binoculars.

Now that the summer season has returned, so has the milky way’s center returned to our night sky. In Ohio, the milky way’s center is near the southern horizon, but the galaxy’s band stretches across the whole sky. While the milky way is impossible to see in cities due to light pollution (and still difficult to spot with the naked eye in darker skies), there are many reliable ways to spot it for an exposure.

The easiest way to find the Milky Way’s center is through the constellation Sagittarius. The upper body of the centaur is often compared to a teapot, whose spout points directly to Sagittarius A*, which is the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center. It is also common to hear that the Milky Way is the steam that floats out of the teapot.

Another way to find the Milky Way is through the constellation Cygnus. Connecting Deneb (the swan’s tail) to Alberio (the swan’s beak) reveals the plane of the Milky Way. An easy way to remember it is that the swan is flying along the milky way towards its center, since Cygnus is one of the easier constellations to identify.

Sources:

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@5165418?month=6&year=2023

http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2023.html

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/strawberry.html

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/bright-supernova-blazes-in-m101-the-pinwheel-galaxy/

https://www.space.com/6638-supernova.html

https://stellarium-web.org/

Image Credits:

Orbit Diagram: https://www.weather.gov/cle/Seasons

Pinwheel Galaxy (Supernova): https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

Credit: Craig Stocks

Constellations: https://stellarium-web.org/