Post by bsimon615 on Oct 24, 2018 15:31:16 GMT -6
We, of course, set the dates for the Deep South Star Gaze, years in advance of our event each year and those dates are dictated by the phase of the Moon. Quite simply we do not want a brightly illuminated Moon interfering with the darkness of the night sky so "No Moon is a Good Moon". Having said that a thin old Moon (before new) or a thin young Moon (after new) can often be seen. This year is no exception. We will have a "New Moon" on November 7th (Wednesday) so we will have an ultra thin crescent visible for a brief period of time on Friday, the 9th and a slightly more illuminated crescent Moon visible for a little longer on Saturday the 10th.
The Moon on Friday the 9th at 6 pm will be just 10 degrees above the horizon possibly hidden by trees or just above it. As this is just 49 minutes after sunset it will still be twilight and the Moon could be difficult to find. On Saturday the 10th at the same time the Moon will be 17 degrees up and close to Saturn. About a half hour later it will slip behind the trees. If clear it will make for a pretty sight.
The Planets -
Jupiter will be too low to observe realistically after sunset and hard to find. If you are well aligned it is not too hard to find in daylight and you may be able to pick out some banding and perhaps it's larger moons. Following it down you may be able to pick out some surface detail before it slips behind the trees.
Saturn will be higher and you will probably be able to observe it up to about 7:20 pm before it disappears behind the trees. If the air is steady it may show reasonable detail but catch it early.
Mars will be visible and observable for much of the evening up until about 11 pm to 11:30 pm although it will be dimmer and smaller.
Uranus rises around 4:30 pm and will be high between 10 pm and midnight. As it's magnitude is 5.7, if you know where to look you should be able to see it naked eye.
Meteor Showers - the S. Taurids peak just before the start of the DSSG and the N. Taurids peak just after the end of the DSSG so we may not see any of them but a dollar will get you a donut that if you watch the sky long enough on a good night we are sure to see some random meteors not associated with any shower and when you see a good one it is a view that you will remember.
Weather permitting we will have plenty of good stuff to observe and photograph in the night sky so we should be very happy with the sky. Work on Len Philpot's Observing List and you will not run out of things to do and see.
Barry Simon
The Moon on Friday the 9th at 6 pm will be just 10 degrees above the horizon possibly hidden by trees or just above it. As this is just 49 minutes after sunset it will still be twilight and the Moon could be difficult to find. On Saturday the 10th at the same time the Moon will be 17 degrees up and close to Saturn. About a half hour later it will slip behind the trees. If clear it will make for a pretty sight.
The Planets -
Jupiter will be too low to observe realistically after sunset and hard to find. If you are well aligned it is not too hard to find in daylight and you may be able to pick out some banding and perhaps it's larger moons. Following it down you may be able to pick out some surface detail before it slips behind the trees.
Saturn will be higher and you will probably be able to observe it up to about 7:20 pm before it disappears behind the trees. If the air is steady it may show reasonable detail but catch it early.
Mars will be visible and observable for much of the evening up until about 11 pm to 11:30 pm although it will be dimmer and smaller.
Uranus rises around 4:30 pm and will be high between 10 pm and midnight. As it's magnitude is 5.7, if you know where to look you should be able to see it naked eye.
Meteor Showers - the S. Taurids peak just before the start of the DSSG and the N. Taurids peak just after the end of the DSSG so we may not see any of them but a dollar will get you a donut that if you watch the sky long enough on a good night we are sure to see some random meteors not associated with any shower and when you see a good one it is a view that you will remember.
Weather permitting we will have plenty of good stuff to observe and photograph in the night sky so we should be very happy with the sky. Work on Len Philpot's Observing List and you will not run out of things to do and see.
Barry Simon