What’s Up ??? The Sun, Moon, and planets are very active this fall.
The Sun generated a major explosion that caused the northern lights
( Aurora Borealis ) to be visible and photographed ( at right )
by Mark Watson from Silver Creek on November 20th. More activity
is possible this month. Go to
spaceweather.com for more info. |
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The planets Saturn and Mars stand guard over our evening sky
this month, and they are easily seen with the naked eye. This month
we also get a holiday gift from above on the 25th as Venus pairs
with the crescent moon in our twilight sky. Here’s how to
unwrap our gifts.
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| Venus is unmistakable as a celestial beacon, beaming through the
south-western twilight between 5:40 and 6:20 PM. You can’t miss it,
only the Sun and Moon are brighter. Even a child’s telescope is powerful
enough to show the phases of Venus this month. Venus is passing Earth
on the near side of the Sun – thus making it appear as a large crescent.
On December 25th, we will receive an offering from above, as Venus
and a slim crescent moon will hover side by side in our evening sky.
Anyone who hasn’t seen Venus by Christmas day, here is an EASY opportunity
to unwrap a celestial gift. Mars is still with us after its closest approach to Earth in 57,000 years back in August. The ‘Red Planet’ deserves its name – can you see its rustic color ? Mars, the roman ‘God of War’ stands prominently as-if a sentry on guard. Mars keeps watch over the landscape from darkness until midnight all this month. Finding Mars is not difficult, as it also glows brighter than all but a few other lights in our sky this month. Look to the southwest for the ‘Great Square’ of Pegasus– which is currently a diamond, and use the adjoining map to locate it. |
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| November was an interesting month for sky watchers, and December
will be the same. Learning the basic constellations and things in
the sky is not much harder than learning a map of the states and their
major cities. I did it in a few weeks in Junior High School (without
others’ help). You can do it too. Go outside and explore. Exploration
has always been a pursuit of mankind. We have ‘Explored Our
World’, as the Discovery Channel advises, however, there is
still so much more to explore. After all, our “complete”
address might read something like this:
Your Name Keep looking up! --Dave Billups |
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David Billups is somewhat of a ‘Jack of all Trades’.
Originally from Huntington, West Virginia, he currently resides in
Richmond, KY. He has been an avid sky watcher and amateur astronomer
since the age of 13. At the age of 19, he was given the opportunity
to work for NASA for 18 months mapping the concentration and temperature
of NO (the 5th leading killer of ozone). Without the responsibilities of a significant other or any dependants, he is currently pursuing his many interests and hobbies. In his free time, David enjoys fly-fishing, backpacking, photography, sky watching, and seeking general knowledge in a wide variety of academic fields. He is an avid sports enthusiast and enjoys participating as well as watching. For the future, David is considering a career in meteorology, as well as possibly expanding his current freelance photography business. |
