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Happy Friday the 13th, DMV! Do not worry, it is prudent to go out and see the heavenly procession of visible planets known to our ancestors – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – that honor us heaven overnight.
Mercury and Venus to the west just after sunset; Venus is the brightest of the two. If you have a Western horizon free of obstruction and a pair of binoculars, see if you can spot them 20-30 minutes after sunset. You will find Mercury in the west, down to the right of Venus, not too far above the horizon.
After sunset, the thin crescent moon will slide near Mercury on July 14th and will join Venus for a breathtaking sky show on July 15th. Be sure to look for "Earthshine" on the Moon. a ghostly glow projected on the back half of our only natural satellite by sunlight bouncing off the oceans and clouds of the Earth. It should be easily visible since the Moon has reached the perigee – its closest monthly approach point to Earth – on July 13th.
Then there is the mighty Jupiter in the southern sky. Jupiter is currently the fourth brightest object in the night sky – only the moon, Venus and mesmerizing Mars are brighter.
If you have binoculars, look at Jupiter and you should notice up to four little "stars" next to it. These are the four main moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo in January 1610. You can download a free software that will tell you the moons you see. For binoculars, select the "live image" view.
On the left (east) of Jupiter is the Saturn dimmer, which is becoming more visible as the sky darkens. If you have a chance to come, be sure to take a look at the planet surrounded by a telescope. It will be a sight you will never forget. Saturn is a yellowish-white color that stands out in the eastern limit of the Milky Way – a glorious spectacle in the dark skies of the countryside.
If you look at the sky from a dark area, the Milky Way is in its glory of summer. now. Beginning after 22 hours, the Milky Way stretches across the sky from north-east to south and is quite the sight to behold. Light pollution obscures the milky way of about 80% of humans in North America. In the relatively unpolluted sky of Shenandoah National Park, the vast clouds of interstellar dust and star currents of our home galaxy are easily visible on a clear night. The Eastern Shore also offers good visibility.
Saving the best for last, Mars (March is named after March) also rises around 10 pm. At the South-East. Mars is orange-red and will become increasingly clear over the weeks as it will be closest to the Earth since 2003 on July 31st. Mars is hypnotizing, as you see in the fiery and brilliant sky. It is no wonder that the Romans called the planet "God of War" – one could imagine that the planet is on fire.
Mars is still plagued by a global dust storm that threatens the Mars Opportunity rover that is solar powered. Opportunity, also known as "Oppy", is still in a low power sleep mode while it comes out of a storm thick enough to completely steal the rover from the sun's energy. It is hoped that the opportunity will survive. Meanwhile, NASA's Nuclear Curiosity is doing well and continues to comment on the storm.
Come this summer to Shenandoah National Park for a variety of events related to astronomy, including some by you. If you want to see dark skies, look through telescopes, and witness the Milky Way, Shenandoah is the place to be.
Save the date : August 10-12, 2018 The Shenandoah National Park will be There will be telescopes, astronomy activities led by Ranger and, most importantly, the Perseid Meteor rain that will culminate in the night of August 12th to August 13th. Check out the link for updates on the schedule. We will see you there!
Follow my daily blog to follow the latest news in astronomy and space exploration. You can email me at [email protected]
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