Sky Watching Event Guide For 2015

[Natural Citizen]

Someday there will be a direct hit with a BIG one. Just a matter of time. So live it up while you can. Before you are blasted into space by the shock wave.

Meh. Maybe we'll luck out and it'll just take out Georgia or something. Heh...

 

[Suzanimal]

Someday there will be a direct hit with a BIG one. Just a matter of time. So live it up while you can. Before you are blasted into space by the shock wave.

Meh. Maybe we'll luck out and it'll just take out Georgia or something. Heh...

I guess I'd better get to living it up.

 

[Natural Citizen]

I guess I'd better get to living it up.

Oh, I was talking about Georgia, the country, Suzanimal. Why would I wish an asteroid upon you in your own thread, woman? Whatsamatter wit you?

 

[Suzanimal]

Oh, I was talking about Georgia, the country, Suzanimal. Why would I wish an asteroid upon you in your own thread, woman? Whatsamatter wit you?

Lol, enough to fill up the Personal Health forum.

 

[Suzanimal]

Four Planets Await After Sunset

Right now, in the night sky just after sunset, you have a chance to see three alien worlds at the same time.

Venus and Uranus are currently undergoing a close encounter; tonight (March 5) they’ll be a little over a degree apart, just about three times the width of the full Moon on the sky. Below them, not far away (maybe 10° or so) is red Mars.

To see them look to the west after sunset. It’s best to wait a few minutes for the sky to get dark. Venus is pretty obvious; it’s the third brightest natural object in the sky (after the Sun and Moon). Mars is still fairly bright and easy to spot below it. Uranus, though, is just on the edge of visibility to the naked eye even from dark sites, so you’ll probably need binoculars to spot it. I found it really easy to see last night using mine.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astr...d_mars_after_sunset_tonight.html?wpsrc=fol_fb

 

[Suzanimal]

The first of two lunar eclipses visible in the U.S. this year will take place early Saturday morning.

Skywatchers in the western third of the U.S. will get to see a total eclipse, while folks in the central and eastern U.S. will only see a partial eclipse before the moon sets.

You'll have to look low in the western sky to see the eclipse. As with all lunar eclipses, its safe to look at the moon during the eclipse, unlike during solar eclipses.

According to NASA, the total phase of the eclipse will only last about five minutes, making it the shortest lunar eclipse of the century. In the West, the total eclipse will begin at 4:58 a.m. Pacific Time and end 5 minutes later.

In the East, the partial eclipse lasts from 6:15 a.m. ET until the moon sets.

...

A special treat: Most of the moon will glow some shade of intense orange or red, thus the "blood" moon nickname.

"That red light shining onto the moon is sunlight that has skimmed and bent through Earth's atmosphere: that is, from all the sunrises and sunsets that ring the world at any given moment," said Alan MacRobert of Sky and Telescope magazine.

As for viewing conditions, central and southern California should be clear while clouds could ruin the view in the Pacific Northwest, according to AccuWeather. Most of the central U.S. will be okay, but much of the East and South will be socked in with clouds.

The next — and final — lunar eclipse of 2015 will be on Sept. 28.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/04/02/lunar-eclipse-blood-moon/70831278/

 

[Suzanimal]

Lyrid Meteor Shower Peaks on April 22 (Earth Day) With ‘Unpredictable’ Show

At the end of a day devoted to Earth (Earth Day on April 22, 2015), people can look to the heavens for a beautiful shower of Lyrid meteors.

The Lyrid Meteor shower will reach its peak late Wednesday night when as many as 20 meteors per hour are expected to whiz through the night sky.

“The Lyrids are really unpredictable,” Bill Cooke, director of NASA‘s Meteoroid Environment Office, said in a statement. “For the 2015 shower, I’m expecting 15 to 20 Lyrid meteors an hour.”

Peak meteor action should happen after 10:30 p.m. local time in the northern hemisphere, while Cooke said people in the southern hemisphere should be able to catch a glimpse after midnight local time.

All it takes to view the meteor shower is an unobstructed view of the sky away from artificial lights. NASA recommends bringing a lawn chair or blanket, laying back and enjoying the view.

For those who would rather stay indoors but still check out the view, NASA will be live streaming the Lyrids.

http://consciouslifenews.com/lyrid-...pril-22-earth-day-unpredictable-show/1183844/

 

[invisible]

Handy dandy list.

Wow, we get to see Uranus in October! I'm surprised no one else has remarked on that yet.

 

[Suzanimal]

Wow, we get to see Uranus in October! I'm surprised no one else has remarked on that yet.

I don't want to be the butt of your joke. I love Uranus, be respectful.

 

[Natural Citizen]

I'm getting ready to go outside and lay back. The last time I watched, there were some really nice ones. Purples, greens, blues, orange, red...

 

[Suzanimal]

The Best Planet Duo Of 2015 - Venus And Jupiter

They are the two brightest planets in the night sky – the cloud-covered world of Venus and the enormous gas giant Jupiter. Put them together and it’s a double delight. We are set for a stunning sight at the end of the month that’s sure to attract attention.

Over the next fortnight, the two planets will slowly make their way towards each other in the north-western sky. They are visible each evening for a few hours after sunset.

On Saturday, June 20, the thin crescent moon will sit alongside the duo, with Venus below and Jupiter above.

But by July 1, the distance between the two planets will have dramatically shrunk - the pair will mimic a splendid double star.

In real terms, the two planets are over 800 million km apart but to us here on Earth they’ll appear to be almost touching.

...

http://www.iflscience.com/space/best-planet-duo-2015-venus-and-jupiter

 

[Acala]

Venus is bright, but featureless through a telescope. The one thing that is interesting about it as a visual object is that it has phases like luna. You can see them with a modest telescope.

 

[Scrapmo]

It's been shitty weather for the telescope here in Louisiana. It's been months since we have had a haze free night.

 

[Suzanimal]

Christmas full moon rises for first time this century

If you're younger than 38, this will be your first chance to see a full moon on Christmas.

The last time it happened was 1977, and it won't happen again until 2034, according to The Weather Channel.

The Earth's pale satellite will take a nice, long trip across the sky starting Christmas Eve, just a few days after the winter solstice. Watch for it rising over Detroit in the east-northeast at 4:52 p.m. Dec. 24 and setting in the west-northwest at 7:45 a.m. Dec. 25, according to timeanddate.com.

December's full moon is called the "cold moon" because, appropriately enough, "it is the month when the winter cold fastens its grip and the nights become long and dark," according to the Farmer's Almanac.

The winter solstice occurs at 11:49 p.m. Dec. 21, which is at or near the longest night of the year before the days start to lengthen again. The day of winter solstice is exactly 6 hours and 12 minutes shorter than June's summer solstice, according totimeanddate.com.

If you're going outside to watch the full moon, or perhaps some flying caribou pulling a sleigh with a bearded man in a red suit, Detroit's sunset on Dec. 24 is 5:04 p.m.. The Christmas sunrise is at 8 a.m.

http://www.11alive.com/story/weather/2015/12/11/christmas-full-moon/77147526/

How to see the best meteor shower of the year

You can catch what astronomers are predicting will be the best meteor shower of the year Sunday evening into Monday morning.

The annual Geminids meteor shower is billed as the best because it produces more meteors per hour than other showers. The show starts around 9 or 10 p.m. and continues overnight. This year a crescent moon on Sunday will set early, making it easier to spot the meteors.

Another bonus: Near-record warmth for most of the eastern half of the nation Sunday and Monday (though some clouds could obscure the view in the East and Northwest). Through Monday morning, temperatures are not expected to drop below the freezing mark for most areas east of the Mississippi River, according to weather.com.

The Western U.S. will stay on the chilly side, however.

"The shower is showy in the sense that the meteors you get to see are usually very dramatic," said Adam Block, who manages the University of Arizona's Mount Lemmon SkyCenter.

Geminid meteors are bright and fast (79,000 mph), and the shower is famous for producing fireballs, which are meteors brighter than magnitude -4, the same magnitude as the planet Venus.

You should also be able to see meteors in the nights leading up to Sunday, although Sunday evening to Monday morning will be your best chance to see the most meteors.

The origins of the Geminids are not well understood. Most meteor showers come from icy comets, but these appear to spring from an odd, rocky object named Phaeton after the son of the Greek sun god Helios.

Here are some viewing tips:

When to view: Sunday evening, Dec. 13, after 9 or 10 p.m. into Monday morning, Dec. 14.

Where to view meteors: The meteors will appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini, but you don't need to focus your eyes only there. Meteors will appear across the sky, said Patrick Young, an associate professor at Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration. Don't use binoculars or a telescope; the fast-moving meteors will disappear quickly from view.

How to view: Get away from city lights, if possible. If you can't leave the city, find the darkest spot in your yard away from street and house lights. Meteors appear in bursts, Young said. You may see several in a short time and then not any for several minutes. Plan to bundle up against the cold and spend at least 30 minutes outside.

Too cold to go outside? You can participate in a live online tweetchat hosted by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The show starts at 11 p.m. ET (10 p.m. CT, 9 p.m. MT, 8 p.m. PT) on Sunday.

http://www.11alive.com/story/tech/2015/12/11/geminid-meteor-shower/77166742/

 

[Danke]

If I am traveling and working over Christmas, I'll keep my eye out for one.

 

[Suzanimal]

Perseid Meteor Shower Expected To Be The Best In Many Years

The annual Perseid meteor shower is back again, and the shooting stars promise to be especially spectacular this time around.

Up to 200 meteors per hour are expected on the peak night of Aug. 11-12, a NASA spokesperson said. That’s double the normal rate, making this the first Perseid “outburst” since 2009.

The Perseids ― so named because they seem to come out of the constellation Perseus ― return every summer, when Earth crosses paths with the wake of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Tiny particles in the wake are zooming along at about 132,000 miles per hour, and when they hit our planet’s atmosphere they disintegrate with a brilliant flash of light.

This year more shooting stars than usual are expected because Earth will pass closer to the middle of the comet’s debris stream rather than its edge.

The shower will be live-streamed starting at 10 p.m. EDT on Aug. 11 and again at the same time on Aug. 12.

But if it’s a cloudless night, why not head outside between midnight and dawn on either night to see the shooting stars with your own eyes? Find a dark area, lie flat on your back and look up.

Some experts say to look straight up, but not everyone agrees.

“Unfortunately the column of air directly above you is the thinnest slice of atmosphere, therefore producing the least number of meteors,” according to an American Meteor Society blogger. “You are better off centering your field of view at approximately one-half the way up in the sky, high enough to avoid anything that may block your view.”

...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...cience&section=weird-news&utm_hp_ref=science&

 

[Suzanimal]

I hope the clouds clear up around here, I love watching these things and I live far enough out of the city to get a great view.

I also occurred to me that this may be a teaser from SMOD. [MENTION=5822]Lucille[/MENTION] [MENTION=8481]GunnyFreedom[/MENTION]

Perseid meteor shower will bring 100 – 200 meteors per hour

Astronomers are expecting an outburst of Perseid meteors, with the peak viewing times being late Thursday night August 11th into Friday morning, August 12th. This outburst may show up to 200 meteors per hour, which is double the usual rate. NASA says there are more meteors than usual this year because Jupiter’s gravity has tugged some streams of comet material closer to Earth.


Once the moon sets Thursday night/Friday morning at 1:08am PT, start to look up in the northeast direction towards the constellation Perseus, the stars Capella and Aldebara, and the Pleiades star cluster. The meteors will radiate from Perseus.

What causes this meteor shower every year? It’s because the Earth will collide with material coming from the ancient Comet Swift-Tuttle. That comet orbits the sun every 133 years, leaving behind a trail of particles as it goes. Most of those particles have been around for a thousand years. According to NASA, when Earth crosses paths with Swift-Tuttle’s debris, specks of comet hit the atmosphere and disintegrates in flashes of light. The meteors are called Perseids because they seem to fly out the constellation Perseus.

How to prepare for viewing meteor showers: If you live anywhere near a major metropolitan city, drive to the nearest darkest place you can find, avoid looking at headlights or any lights at all for 30 – 45 minutes so your eyes can get adjusted to the darkness. Some viewers may carry a light that emits a red color, which allows them to see but has the least impact on disturbing your night vision.

If you can’t get out to a dark area, or if clouds are in the way, you can also watch online through NASA MSFC’s Ustream channel here. We've also embedded the live feed below:
(at link)

While you’re out looking at the night sky, Saturn, Mars and our moon are very close to each other as seen from Earth. Mars will be the bright red object just below the moon, and the fainter Saturn will be located just below and to the left of the Moon, forming a triangle between the Moon and Mars.

While looking for meteors, check out the Andromeda Galaxy near Cassiopeia – north of where the meteors will radiate. Even though it’s 2.5 million light years from Earth, the Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest galaxy to ours and is a very faint cluster of a trillion stars, at least twice the number of stars in our own galaxy. There’s also the Double Cluster near the constellation Cassiopeia as well.

http://www.fox5atlanta.com/weather/188658801-story

 

[oyarde]

Supposed to rain cats & dogs here Sat , 2 to 4 inches

 

[oyarde]

I ended up with 6 1/2 inches of rain

 

[Danke]

I ended up with 6 1/2 inches of rain

Your rain dancing, correlation vs causation.