Astronomy_-_November_2020

ALL IMAGES BY KATRIN RAYNOR-EVANS

stamps could pay tribute to unique historical record. (RAS) celebrated its 200th collaboration with the RAS,
— particularly, astronomical Since the release of the first anniversary. Located in the images reflect scenes of
ones. After some research, I astronomy-themed stamp — a London, the RAS is an orga- discovery and research under-
realized I could bring my love blue stamp issued in Brazil in nization actively promoting taken by British astronomers
of the cosmos and this new 1887 depicting the constella- the study of astronomy, cos- and astrophysicists including
hobby together. From then tion Crux the Southern Cross mology, solar system sciences, Stephen Hawking and Dame
on, I was captivated. — countries all over the world and geophysics. Jocelyn Bell Burnell.
have been issuing stamps to
Philately is the collection celebrate the wonders of the In February, the British “Visions of the Universe,”
and study of postage stamps sky and the achievements postal service, the Royal Mail, comprises eight illustrated
and associated materials, made by humankind. issued a special set of stamps stamps with a colorful array
such as first day covers — to commemorate the group’s of astronomical objects and
an envelope or card with a Remembering historical bicentenary. Designed in phenomena, including the
stamp cancelled on the first events is exciting and impor- stunning Cat’s Eye Nebula
day that stamp was sold. tant to us. And what better (NGC 6543), rapidly rotating
Postal stationery, miniature way to recognize these mile- neutron stars, black holes,
sheets, full sets of newly stones than to look at how and the rubber-duck-shaped
issued stamps, special hand- the world has commemorated Comet 67P/Churyumov–
stamps, and autographs all them with the simple postage Gerasimenko.
contribute to the world of stamp throughout time?
stamp collecting as well. This was not the first
The Royal RAS anniversary celebrated
Small yet vibrant and edu- Astronomical with stamps. In 1970, the
cational, stamps are also a Society’s bicentennial Royal Mail issued a stamp
fantastic way of documenting commemorating the
and commemorating scien- On January 12, 2020, the
tific discoveries, providing a Royal Astronomical Society

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 51

the intention of becoming a
collectible — to celebrate the
comet. Avid collectors mailed
their covers to Cloudcroft,
New Mexico, to have them
hand stamped and mailed
back from the location where
Hale made the first discovery
of the comet.

organization’s 150th anniver- the Sun, it can develop two celebrate the 10th anniversary Comet Halley’s
sary. It depicted the Society’s tails as dust particles are of Hale-Bopp’s show. The col- 1986 return
first president, William liberated from within its lection of four stamps shows
Herschel, his son John, and icy nucleus. Solar radiation discoverers Alan Hale and Comet 1P/Halley, known to
Francis Baily, the founders of blows gas and dust from the Thomas Bopp set against vari- most as Halley’s Comet, is per-
the RAS, standing in front of comet’s center, forming an ous backgrounds, including haps the most famous short-
Herschel’s famous 40-foot tele- ion tail and a dust tail. The images of the comet and an period comet in history — its
scope. This probably won’t be Dominican Republic stamp illustration of Charles Messier, return time of 76 years has
the last time RAS is remem- depicts this occurrence, as a nod to one of the greatest allowed some people to view
bered through these small Hale-Bopp is shown with its comet hunters in history. this once-in-a-lifetime event
pieces of art, as the society has two tails of gas and dust fly- twice. Although it’s named
been a part of the astronomi- ing behind it. Some stamp collectors after astronomer Edmond
cal world for so long. even made their own covers Halley, records of the comet
In 2007, the coastal African — an envelope covered in the date back as far as 240 B.C.
The world watches country of Guinea issued a desired stamps and mailed in China. It was even embroi-
Hale-Bopp fly by set of miniature sheets to by the postal service with dered into the Bayeux Tapestry,
a famous cloth depicting hun-
Continuing our honoring of dreds of years of world events.
historical astronomical events,
Comet C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp And on January 24, 1985,
was the most observed comet amateur astronomer and
of the 20th century, slowly Astronomy columnist Stephen
traversing our skies over the James O’Meara became
course of approximately 18 the first person to visually
months. Hale-Bopp shone observe Halley’s Comet,
bright at magnitude –1 and then at magnitude 19.6, as
was visible to the naked eye, it approached the Sun for its
even in light-polluted towns February 9, 1986 return. He
and cities. used a home-built 24-inch tele-
scope on top of Mauna Kea in
In 1997, the Dominican Hawaii to spot it.
Republic issued a stamp
depicting the comet posi-
tioned against a tropical pink
and yellow sky. When a comet
nears its closest approach to

52 ASTRONOMY • NOVEMBER 2020

Also in 1985, on July 2, (596 kilometers) and collected Royal Mail issued a fantastic (representing seeing Halley
the European Space Agency an impressive amount of data. set of four stamps illustrated twice in a lifetime); the Giotto
launched the robotic Giotto by the famous cartoonist encounter; and the comet
spacecraft to get up close and To celebrate the comet’s Ralph Steadman. The selec- rounding the Sun.
personal with the infamous 1986 return to our night tion is colorful and imagina-
comet. The next year, between skies, countries around the tive, depicting scenes such as In addition, cachet designs
March 12 and 15, 1986, the world — from the Cook discoverer Edmond Halley — illustrations or inscriptions
spacecraft approached the Islands in the South Pacific to as a comically disgruntled stamped on an envelope —
comet to within 370 miles Paraguay in South America comet; two comets in the sky printed on first day covers
— produced stamps. The included images of the

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 53

in their spacecraft after an
oxygen tank exploded two
days into their mission. The
crew was left without oxygen
and water supplies, forcing
them and their NASA coun-
terparts on the ground to
think on their feet to get the
group back to Earth. Instead
of landing on the Moon, the
three astronauts made it
back home safely on April 17.

Romania issued a minia-
ture stamp sheet in June of
1970 which shows four value
stamps featuring the splash-
down of the lunar module
with its parachutes deployed.
Bordering these are four
non-value stamps showcasing
portraits of the crew and
the Apollo 13 emblem.

Also in 1970, the Republic
of Rwanda issued a set of
eight stamps to celebrate the
accomplishments of the space
race. The stamps tell the story
of the race to the Moon, from
humans reaching Earth orbit
to the first Moon landing.
While these stamps can’t cap-
ture the exact wonder and
amazement the Apollo era
brought, they still serve as a
nice reminder of this great
human accomplishment.

Celebrating modern
astronomical events

A number of astronomical
events took place in 2020:

comet’s orbit, as well as por- stamps for decades — and of Buzz Aldrin taken by Neil
traits of Halley and the Giotto none more so than the Apollo Armstrong.
spacecraft. missions. In 2019, the United
States Postal Service (USPS) The 50th anniversary of
Commemorating issued two Forever stamps to Apollo 13’s ill-fated flight in
the Apollo missions commemorate the 50th anni- April 1970 was marked in
versary of humans landing on 2020. Apollo 13 was supposed
Giotto wasn’t the only space- the Moon. The stamps illus- to be the third mission to
craft to receive the special trate the Apollo 11 landing land on the Moon, until
honor of becoming a stamp. site in Mare Tranquillitatis, Commander James Lovell,
Achievements in spacecraft or the Sea of Tranquility, Command Module Pilot John
development and spaceflight and the iconic photograph Swigert, and Lunar Module
have been celebrated on Pilot Fred Haise lost power

54 ASTRONOMY • NOVEMBER 2020

Eclipses, the summer solstice,
meteor showers, and planetary
observing all have a special
place on our observational
calendars, giving everyone a
chance to look into the sky
and spend a little less time on
other worries. Annually, these
events allow people to enjoy
the wonders of the universe
we live in, so much so that
they also have been celebrated
on stamps.

Six eclipses will have graced
our skies by the end of the
year. This includes the annular
solar eclipse of June 21 and the
total solar eclipse occurring
December 14. Such rare astro-
nomical events have been long
been commemorated on
stamps — for example, the
Great American Eclipse, which
was visible along a narrow
path across the United States
on August 21, 2017. A few
months before, on June 20,
2017, the USPS issued their
first Forever Stamp using
thermochromic ink, which
changes color in response
to heat, to celebrate this
eclipse. “The Total Eclipse
of the Sun” stamps depict the
Sun obscured by the Moon;
when heat is applied to the
stamp’s surface, the eclipse
image disappears, revealing
the Full Moon.

The summer solstice is cel-
ebrated across the globe, ush-
ering in the first official day
of the hot season. But it’s also

become a major holiday at the and on the 1997 “Wonders of hobby allows us to celebrate
prehistoric astronomical site the World” stamps issued by our growing knowledge of
Stonehenge, where the Sun The Republic of The Gambia. this beautiful and dynamic
peers perfectly through the universe, and even send it
stone gates while rising on the From objects in space, such around the world so that
morning of the summer sol- as comets, star clusters, and someone else can capture
stice. The iconic stone circle black holes, to the feats of the universe in a space as
itself is a favorite for astrono- human exploration, astron- small as a postage stamp.
mers and stamp collectors omy has been globally cel-
alike, as much a mystery as a ebrated on stamps for over a Katrin Raynor-Evans has
feat of astronomical engineer- hundred years. Philately is a been a fan of the night sky her
ing. Stonehenge has been fea- wonderful and vibrant way to whole life, but she now keeps
tured on a set British “World look back and catalog the the universe close to her in
Heritage Site” stamps in 2005 exceptional discoveries made stamp form.
throughout history. The

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 55

SECRET SKY Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) measurements have
fingered Raikoke’s 2019 eruption as the primary source
“Fire” in the sky for the sunset-boosting materials. Scientists are now
seeing the strongest stratospheric enhancement in mid-
Let’s examine volcanic and mock-volcanic twilights. northern latitudes since the 1991 eruption of Mount
Pinatubo in the Philippines.
ABOVE: Dutch Lucky are those who have seen Mother Nature
skywatcher Michiel paint Earth with fire during twilight. A year That event injected 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide
de Boer captured this ago, Northern Hemisphere twilights became into the stratosphere, and it created colorful volcanic
view of a volcanic infused with incendiary glows capped with simmering twilights across the globe for some 18 months. Satellite
twilight from the purple sheens. These colors were created by sunlight observations from early 2020 show that Raikoke’s
Dutch Dunes, interacting with gases injected into the Earth’s strato- plume ascended 16 miles (26 kilometers) and dispersed
complete with sphere by a potpourri of volcanic events: Ambae (July throughout the Northern Hemisphere. But at the time
crepuscular rays. 2018, Vanuatu), Raikoke (June 2019, Russia), and of this writing, many observers have already reported
Ulawun (July 2019, Papua New Guinea). And since their that the visual effects have greatly waned.
MICHIEL DE BOER first known recording in 1553, they have inspired poets,
artists, and skywatchers alike. Southern skies aglow
RIGHT: The mock
volcanic twilight at An example Intense fires in southeastern Australia during
lower right over December 2019 and January 2020 led to an atmospheric
Maun, Botswana, In September 2019, Michiel de Boer of the Netherlands phenomenon for the record books. Fires have been
on May 20, 2020, was driving home after watching a “fairly uneventful known to create an updraft of superheated, fast-rising
was caused by sunset” from the coastal Dutch Dunes. That’s when a air, which can turn into enormous pyrocumulonimbus
smoke injected peculiar orange glow in the sky caused him to turn clouds in the troposphere. On January 20, 2020, how-
into the stratosphere around. He made it just in time to watch the orange sky ever, CALIPSO, a joint environmental satellite con-
by intense fires in turn red. “This could only be a volcanic sunset,” he structed by NASA and the French National Centre for
southeastern thought, as the red glow combined with scattered blue Space Studies, observed smoke from the Australian
Australia. light to create a mild purple hue. “As the eye adapts to fires continuing to rise into the stratosphere.
colors,” he said, “the purple was best seen when first
STEPHEN JAMES O’MEARA looking in the other direction for half a minute.” Three months later, mock volcanic twilights began
occurring over Botswana. A check with NASA atmo-
BY STEPHEN Clouds below the horizon also caused shadow gaps spheric scientist Colin Seftor confirmed that the
JAMES O’MEARA in the higher volcanic aerosol layer, creating crepuscu- colorful sunsets were due to smoke from Australia’s
Stephen is a globe- lar rays, against which were projected colorful contrail “unprecedented fire activity.” The fires lofted between
trotting observer who cirrus. “Though I’m generally not a fan of man-made 300,000 and 900,000 metric tons of smoke into the
is always looking clouds, this was an exception,” de Boer said. “The colors stratosphere.
for the next great were so vivid it was hard to capture.”
celestial event. Since the initial outbreak, the vast stratospheric
When powerful volcanic eruptions inject large smoke plumes have encircled the Southern Hemisphere,
amounts of ash or sulfur dioxide into Earth’s strato- creating twilight glows that mimic volcanic events — but
sphere, thin veils of dust or sulfuric acid droplets can only minor ones. Indeed, to date, I have not observed
linger for years, spreading over the entire globe. Light any fiery reds in the afterglow with my unaided eyes.
This may be related to the fact that wildfire smoke has
a different composition than volcanic dust. Smoke is
more sooty black carbon than lighter colored sulfates.

If you’ve made observations of either of these rare
twilight effects, I’d love to hear from you. As always,
send reports to [email protected].

BROWSE THE “SECRET SKY” ARCHIVE AT
www.Astronomy.com/OMeara

56 ASTRONOMY • NOVEMBER 2020

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OBSERVING BASICS opportunity occurs around November 10, when
Papagena is less than a degree from the 5th-magnitude

star 67 Ceti. Alternate views between your finder chart

and eyepiece to “star-hop” your way to the asteroid’s

Target asteroid predicted location. If you’ve done everything correctly,
you should spot the 9th-magnitude space rock.

Don’t start celebrating yet, though. You can never be

Papagena CETUS 100 percent sure you’ve spotted an asteroid until you’ve
detected its motion. I don’t count an asteroid as
observed unless I’ve seen it on two or three evenings to

Find the space rock in the belly of the Whale. confirm its motion against the background stars. On
more than one occasion, I was disappointed to discover

that my suspect from the evening before hadn’t moved,

5° 3h i 2h forcing me to renew my search.

_ a 7 To be sure you’ve found Papagena, refer to the finder
0° Jan 1, 2021 chart to study where it should appear over the next few
CETUS nights. Take out your sketch pad and draw the field,
28 including your candidate and field stars within at least a
b degree of its future path. (The fewer field stars, the better,
21 as you might mistake them for Papagena on a later night.)

14 Confirmation comes on the next clear night when
you revisit the field. If you see nothing where your sus-
Sep 1, Mira 7 pect was the previous night, raise your fist in triumph.
2020 k 28 Dec 1 Now turn to tonight’s predicted location. If you see a
“star” in that location and your sketch shows nothing
–5° 14 7 Asteroid 471 21 was there the first night, raise both fists in triumph and
21 write “Gotcha!” on the page. You’ve captured Papagena.
Papagena 7 14
28 As is the case with its kindred asteroids, Papagena is
14 21 28

Oct 1 7 Nov 1 67 Ceti

much more than a stellar speck. With a diameter of over

Often, the best way to One of my favorite astronomical activities is 90 miles (145 kilometers), it’s roughly comparable in size
spot an asteroid is to observing asteroids. My first success was in the to the state of Connecticut. Fortunately for us, Papagena
wait until its predicted summer of 1971, when I spotted 4 Vesta. Since will never get closer than its opposition distance of
path brings it near a then, I’ve notched 126 asteroids — tracking most of them 120 million miles (193 million km). A main-belt asteroid
bright star. Asteroid down with a modest, 3-inch f/10 reflector. (one whose orbit lies between Mars and Jupiter),
471 Papagena comes It’s hard to explain my fascination with something Papagena circles the Sun once every 4.9 years.
within a degree of that, through an eyepiece, looks like just another star.
5th-magnitude 67 Ceti Maybe it’s the knowledge that the “star” is in fact a huge In catalogs, asteroids are assigned a number that
around November 10, space rock dozens to a few hundred miles in diameter. indicates the order of their discovery. Ceres, the first
just a few weeks after asteroid discovered, therefore bears the designation
it reaches opposition 1 Ceres. And as you might expect, the brightest asteroids
on October 27.

ASTRONOMY: ROEN KELLY

Maybe it’s the pleasure I derive from following the tended to be discovered first, so they were assigned the

night-to-night motion of an asteroid traversing the lowest numbers. But some slipped through the cracks,

starry background. Who really knows? only coming to light later. One such elusive

If you’ve never seen an asteroid, though, asteroid was Papagena, hence its relatively

it’s time to get in the game. So, this month, It’s time to high designation of 471 Papagena. In fact,
your assigned target is asteroid 471 Papagena. get in the Papagena eluded visual discovery until it
As November begins, it is just days past was photographically found by German
opposition in the constellation Cetus, but it game. astronomer Max Wolf on June 7, 1901. He

remains brighter than 10th magnitude all named it after a character in the Mozart

month. Here are the steps you’ll need to take opera The Magic Flute.

in order to move Papagena to your “observed” list. I hope your experience with Papagena spurs your

Begin by assembling your asteroid-hunting gear. interest in asteroids. And if so, you’ll be glad to know

You’ll need a telescope rigged with a low-power eyepiece that Astronomy features a bright, currently visible aster-

that yields a field of view at least 1° (about twice the oid every month in our Sky This Month section. This

BY GLENN CHAPLE diameter of the Moon) across. A big scope isn’t neces- month’s selection is asteroid 8 Flora.
Glenn has been an sary; even a common 2.4-inch refractor will suffice. Questions, comments, or suggestions? Email me at
avid observer since Add a clipboard, paper, a pencil, a red-filtered flash-
a friend showed light, and this finder chart, and you’re ready to go! [email protected]. Next month: More astronomy
him Saturn through guides. Clear skies!
a small backyard The first thing you’ll need to do once you’re set up is
scope in 1963. locate Papagena. Point your scope toward the bright star BROWSE THE “OBSERVING BASICS” ARCHIVE
nearest its predicted location. A favorable window of AT www.Astronomy.com/Chaple

58 ASTRONOMY • NOVEMBER 2020

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BINOCULAR UNIVERSE neighboring Sculptor to find spiral galaxy NGC 253.
The dominant member of the Sculptor Galaxy Group

— the closest galactic collection to our own Local

Group — NGC 253 is a showpiece in the Southern

A whale’s tale Hemisphere’s November sky, but proves challenging to
spot from mid-northern latitudes.

Take the journey to NGC 253 in steps. First, place

Return to Cetus to explore the other surprises this whale Deneb Kaitos along the northern edge of your field of
and its neighbors have to offer. view. Doing so should center a small triangle of
5th-magnitude stars. Then step again by moving that

triangle to the field’s northern edge. NGC 253 should

then be just south of that field’s center.

Location and sky conditions are important when it

comes to viewing NGC 253. From my suburban yard,

where the galaxy never gets higher than 25° above the

light-polluted southern horizon, I can just make out a

uniform glow through my 10x50 binoculars. But travel

to a darker site and NGC 253 really pops. Through

those same 10x50s, I spy a brighter central core sur-

rounded by the galaxy’s fainter galactic disk. Moving

up to my 16x70s makes those features more evident,

while my 25x100s begin to hint at some texture, or

mottling — evidence of the disk ’s complexity,

seen in images.

While you are admiring NGC 253, glance to the

southeast without shifting aim. Do you see a soft,

Bursting with new Last month, we visited the famous long-period circular glow? That’s the globular cluster NGC 288. It
star formation, variable star Mira. Although Mira’s constel- appears just 1¾° from NGC 253. Of course, their align-
NGC 253 is one of the lation, Cetus the Whale, is inconspicuous ment is purely coincidental. NGC 253 is estimated to be
brightest galaxies for even under dark skies, it holds a few other surprises for 11.4 million light-years away, while NGC 288 is only
any observer armed binocular observers. 28,700 light-years from us.
with binoculars and Let’s begin with the constellation’s brightest star, Beta
a dark night sky. Although few observers make the effort to find
NGC 288, binoculars show it readily — again, provided
R. JAY GABANY

(β) Ceti. That’s right — just as Rigel (Beta Orionis) the sky is dark and the air is clear and dry. My 10x

outshines Orion’s alpha star, Betelgeuse, Beta Ceti beats binoculars reveal its soft, circular glow, about half as

Alpha (α) Ceti by half a magnitude (magnitude 2.0 large as NGC 253 is long.

versus 2.5). Although history is silent on how the Finally, let’s try for NGC 246, a great binocular

German astronomer Johann Bayer made challenge. This planetary nebula, 7° due

these errors when he was assigning Greek Beta Ceti north of Deneb Kaitos, is perfect for a
letter designations in his catalog of 1603, Halloween stargaze because of its nickname,

it might have been due to each star’s puts on a the Skull Nebula. The nebula’s odd structure
southern position. in images, likely caused by shock waves as the
In addition to its Bayer discrepancy, Beta colorful expanding cloud interacts with its
show surroundings, lends it the appearance of a
Ceti also has an identity crisis: It has two through human skull.
proper names. Traditionally, it is referred to binoculars.
as Deneb Kaitos, which means “tail of the You’ll have to strain to see this one. Sources

whale” (or sea monster). But in 2016, the list it as 8th magnitude, but that is deceiving.

International Astronomical Union sanc- Its relatively large diameter cuts its surface

tioned an alternate name, Diphda, meaning “second brightness, and therefore visibility. It has always evaded

frog.” Brighter Fomalhaut (Alpha Piscis Austrini) to the my 10x50 binoculars. I have, however, spotted its dim,

west is the “first frog.” oval disk through my tripod-mounted 16x70s using

Call it what you will, Beta Ceti puts on a colorful show averted vision — but only after I jury-rigged two

through binoculars. That’s because Deneb Kaitos (I’m narrowband filters over the eyepieces.

a traditionalist) is a type-K0 orange giant. In its prime, I would enjoy hearing your experiences with these

BY PHIL Beta Ceti was a type-A white main sequence star. But and other targets. Contact me through my website,
HARRINGTON now, having exhausted its supply of fusible hydrogen in philharrington.net. Until next month, remember that
Phil is a longtime its core, it relies on helium fusion to generate energy. As two eyes are better than one.
contributor to it evolved, it also expanded in size and dropped in
Astronomy and the surface temperature to produce its golden glow. BROWSE THE “BINOCULAR UNIVERSE” ARCHIVE AT
author of many books. www.Astronomy.com/Harrington
From Deneb Kaitos, shift 7° southeastward into

60 ASTRONOMY • NOVEMBER 2020

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The Advertiser Index is provided as a service to Astronomy Curious about Gravity?
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page numbers.
Explore the symmetry of
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Variations of Space-Energy

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 61

A S K A S T R O Astronomy’s experts from around the globe answer your cosmic questions.

— including photons

(light) — via gravity. This

causes an effect called

gravitational lensing,

which occurs when light

from a distant background

object passes near a mas-

sive object, whose gravity

bends it. On Earth, we see

that the background

object’s image appears dis-

torted — it may be spread

out, smudged, magnified,

or even duplicated. Based

on the image we see,

astronomers can calculate

the amount and distribu-

tion of mass it took to

create the distortion.

In the case of El Gordo,

Much of the mass in Spotting astronomers measured the
the El Gordo galaxy dark matter
cluster is actually mass of the galaxy’s normal matter using data from
dark matter, shown Q I IN YOUR MAY FEATURE, “IS THE
here artificially BIG BANG IN CRISIS?” DARK many observations. These include optical and infrared
colorized in blue. MATTER IS CALLED INVISIBLE. HOW
Scientists determined WAS THE DARK MATTER IN THE STORY’S light, which reveal the amount of mass in stars and dust,
the location and IMAGE OF THE EL GORDO GALAXY
concentration of the CLUSTER DETECTED AND COLORIZED and X-rays, which show the amount of mass in hot gas
cluster’s dark matter IF IT IS INVISIBLE?
by observing how its that often permeates galaxy clusters. Researchers then
mass distorted the William P. Gerhold
light from distant Hewitt, New Jersey observed how the light from background galaxies that
galaxies behind
the cluster. NASA, ESA, A I It is true that we cannot see dark matter traveled through and around the cluster is distorted,
directly. The blue color in the image of the El
AND J. JEE (UNIVERSITY OF Gordo galaxy cluster (above) was artificially added to and calculated the mass required to reproduce any
show where the cluster’s dark matter resides. Similarly,
CALIFORNIA, DAVIS) you’ve probably seen composite images that include warping they saw. The difference in the total mass
colorized X-rays, radio waves, and infrared light.
Because the human eye can’t see all these wavelengths required and the mass observed shows where the dark
of light, astronomers take data at different wavelengths
and combine it into a single image using different colors matter resides in the galaxy cluster, as well as where it
to show where unseen material exists.
is most concentrated or spread out. The result is a map
To colorize the location of the dark matter,
astronomers looked at visible matter (i.e., distant of the galaxy’s dark matter, which was colorized (in this
galaxies) behind the El Gordo cluster. Dark matter
neither absorbs nor gives off light, which is why case, blue) and overlaid on an optical image to show
astronomers have named it dark. But because dark
matter has mass, it does interact with normal matter where the dark matter is located. Alison Klesman

Senior Associate Editor

Q I HOW MANY SATELLITE GALAXIES
HAVE NOW BEEN DETECTED THAT
ARE GRAVITATIONALLY BOUND TO OUR
MILKY WAY GALAXY? ARE WE ABLE TO
DETECT ANY AROUND THE ANDROMEDA
GALAXY?

Patrick Clough
Wichita, Kansas

A I The largest satellite galaxies to our Milky Way
are the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small

Magellanic Cloud, which are easily spotted with the

naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere. But the

exact number of satellite galaxies surrounding the

Milky Way is still relatively unknown and has been a

62 ASTRONOMY • NOVEMBER 2020

I3 First Quarter

I4 Waxing Gibbous I2 Waxing Cresent

point of near-continuous study in astronomy since the View from space
discovery of the Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy in the 1930s.
Moon 432
While the exact number is uncertain, astronomers 5 Earth 1
have currently identified at least 14 satellite galaxies, 5I Full 1I New
thanks in large part to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the
Dark Energy Survey, and the Panoramic Survey Telescope 67 8
and Rapid Response System. Yet, astronomers think it is
likely that even more satellite galaxies are waiting to be I6 Waning Gibbous I8 Waning Cresent
found with deeper imaging surveys in the future.
I7 Third Quarter The inner ring (black)
As with the Milky Way, the exact number of satellites of this illustration
that surround the Andromeda Galaxy is not certain. View from Earth shows from above
There are at least 19 confirmed dwarf galaxies orbiting how the Moon orbits
our neighbor, the brightest and largest of which is NGC Q I WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MOON Earth, with the Sun
205 (sometimes called M110). DURING NEW MOON? illuminating half the
Michael Gardner Moon at all times.
Determining exactly how many satellite galaxies Dublin, Ireland (The Sun is located to
both the Milky Way and Andromeda have is crucial for the right of Earth and
testing current cosmological models. Recently, A I From Earth, we only ever see one side of the the Moon.) The outer
astronomers discovered that both galaxies are a bit Moon. This is because the time it takes the ring (blue) shows the
surprising when it comes to the distribution and Moon to revolve around its own axis happens to be phases of the Moon
velocities of their satellites: While simulations predict as we see them from
a random distribution, observations show that both the the same amount of time it takes for the Moon to orbit Earth as our satellite
Milky Way’s and Andromeda’s satellites lie in a narrow orbits around us.
plane perpendicular to their respective disks and rotate Earth: one month. This phenomenon is known as
within this plane. Co-rotating planes like these occur ASTRONOMY: ROEN KELLY,
in less than 1 percent of simulations, so it brings into tidal locking. Since we only see one side of the Moon, AFTER NASA/BILL DUNFORD
question whether cosmological predications are correct
or if our Local Group of galaxies is weird. As it turns how much of the Moon is visible to us over the course SEND US YOUR
out, the same unexpected behavior occurs in a third QUESTIONS
galaxy, Centaurus A, making it likely that these satellite of a month depends on which part of the Moon is
planes are not an exception and instead a rule. Send your
reflecting light from the Sun. And that depends on astronomy questions
Caitlyn Buongiorno via email to askastro@
Associate Editor where the Moon is in its orbit around Earth. astronomy.com, or
write to Ask Astro,
The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) floats among satellite galaxies In the image above, the Sun lights up only the half of P.O. Box 1612,
M32 (center, right below the galaxy) and NGC 205 (above and to Waukesha, WI 53187.
the right of the galaxy’s nucleus). ESA/HUBBLE & DIGITIZED SKY SURVEY 2. the Moon that faces our star. From Earth, we see only Be sure to tell us
your full name and
ACKNOWLEDGMENT: DAVIDE DE MARTIN (ESA/HUBBLE) the portion of the Moon that is both facing our planet where you live.
Unfortunately, we
and reflecting light. cannot answer all
questions submitted.
In the case of a New Moon, the Moon is between

Earth and the Sun, so the side of the Moon facing the

Sun isn’t facing us. We can’t see any portion of the lit-up

Moon during this phase. (When the Sun and Moon

exactly line up, as viewed from Earth, we get a special

experience known as a solar eclipse.)

You can simulate the phases of the Moon yourself at

home with a lamp and baseball. Place the lamp (without

its shade) on one end of a darkened room and stand on

the opposite end of the room. By raising the baseball at

arm’s length in front of you (so it faces the lamp), you

can move slowly in a circle and see it go through the

same phases as the Moon. Caitlyn Buongiorno

Associate Editor

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 63

READER GALLERY

Cosmic portraits

1 2

1. STELLAR ART
NGC 3572 is a star cluster and
emission nebula in the constellation
Carina the Keel. The intense
radiation and stellar winds of the
cluster’s young stars are sculpting
the gas into a variety of shapes.
NGC 3572 lies some 9,000 light-
years away. • Kfir Simon

2. DARK AND DUSTY
Although this cloud of interstellar
dust and cold gas appears dark,
it’s actually the 468th object in a
catalog of bright nebulae compiled
by American astronomer Beverly T.
Lynds. LBN 468 lies in the
constellation Cepheus the King,
near that pattern’s border with
Draco. • Gerald Rhemann

64 ASTRONOMY • NOVEMBER

3 3. FRIGID BEAUTY
4 Venus appears brilliant as
always as it sets behind a
7 house in Tatamagouche, Nova
Scotia, on October 29, 2018.
The photographer captured
this 30-second exposure
as the temperature dipped
below 0 degrees Fahrenheit
(-18 degrees Celsius).
• Barry Burgess

4. FACE OFF
NGC 2835 is a face-on spiral
galaxy in the constellation
Hydra the Water Snake. It lies
within a rich star field some
35 million light-years away,
spans 65,000 light-years, and
glows at magnitude 10.5.
• Adam Block/Telescope Live

5. CRANK IT UP!
The Headphone Nebula, also
known as Jones-Emberson 1
and PK 164+31.1, is a planetary
nebula in the constellation
Lynx. It glows meekly at
magnitude 17, so creating
this image required 36 hours
of exposures. • Douglas J.
Struble

6. BARELY THERE
This ultra-thin crescent Moon,
only 0.4 percent illuminated,
was a scant 15 hours old

5 6 when the photographer
captured it April 23, 2020, at
11:30 A.M. MST. To image it so
close to the Sun, he extended
the tube of his 10-inch
Newtonian reflector by 6 feet
(1.8 meters) with chromed
bubble wrap sheet stock.
• Chris Schur

7. REFLECTIONS
Jupiter (brightest), Saturn
(farthest left), and Mars form
a small triangle just to the
left of the Milky Way in this
20-second exposure taken
March 28, 2020, at 5:15 A.M.
EDT from Chatham,
Massachusetts. • Chris Cook

SEND YOUR IMAGES TO:
Astronomy Reader Gallery,
P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha,
WI 53187. Please include
the date and location of the
image and complete photo
data: telescope, camera,
filters, and exposures.
Submit images by email to
readergallery@
astronomy.com.

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 65

BREAKTHROUGH

ARE YOU OUT THERE, BATMAN?

If the Caped Crusader happened to glance at Serpens the Serpent, he would no doubt leap into action. Tucked into the
constellation’s northeastern corner is a striking silhouette that bears an uncanny resemblance to a bat’s wings, the distress
signal used to summon Batman. In reality, the feature (at upper right in this Hubble image) is the shadow of a planet-forming
disk cast by the young star HBC 672 onto the surrounding Serpens reflection nebula. Starlight escapes perpendicular to
the disk, but gets absorbed by the structure’s gas, dust, and rock. Recent observations show the shadow moves like a bat
flapping its wings; astronomers suspect a planet causes this motion as its gravity warps the disk. NASA/ESA/K. PONTOPPIDAN (STSCI)

66 ASTRONOMY • NOVEMBER 2020

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SOUTHERN SKY BY MARTIN GEORGE

January 2021

Mars rules the evening sky

As the third decade a better view — the planet puts barely 10" across and appears Pierre Méchain discovered this
of the 21st century gets on a magnificent show in the nearly full. nebula in 1780 just 2.5° north-
underway, you can catch the predawn sky during late northeast of magnitude 1.7
solar system’s two largest February and March. The starry sky Zeta (ζ) Orionis, the eastern-
planets hanging low in the most belt star. I find M78 to be
west-southwest during evening After straining to see these I’ve spent decades observing a tricky object through binocu-
twilight. Jupiter and Saturn three planets during twilight, through various telescopes, but lars if even a little light pollu-
stand 10° above the horizon a Mars offers some welcome I still love to explore the night tion intrudes on the sky.
half-hour after sunset. Jupiter relief. The Red Planet shines sky with binoculars. That’s the
shines at magnitude –2.0, some prominently in the northwest way I started as a child, using The belt stars form a
10 times brighter than magni- as darkness falls. It begins my father’s 8x25 binoculars. I remarkable asterism — a recog-
tude 0.6 Saturn, from its perch January at magnitude –0.2 and later acquired some 7x50s, a nizable pattern of stars separate
just 1.2° to the ringed planet’s dims to magnitude 0.4 by nearly perfect size for binocu- from a constellation — but
upper right. month’s end, which still places lar astronomy. Orion harbors another superb
The two worlds dip lower it among the brightest objects example. Shift your gaze 11°
with each passing day and dis- in the night sky. The summer months pro- north of the belt and you’ll be
appear into the Sun’s glare by vide some great binocular tar- face to face with the head of the
midmonth. Before they exit the Mars continues to move gets in Orion the Hunter. Even celestial Hunter: a lovely little
evening stage, however, they eastward, crossing the border better, this magnificent constel- triangle comprised of the stars
have one final hurrah: As the from Pisces the Fish into Aries lation stands high in the north Lambda (λ), Phi1 (ϕ1), and Phi2
giant planets descend, Mercury the Ram on January 5. If you’re on January evenings. (ϕ2) Ori. Between Lambda and
rises to meet them. January 9 looking for a viewing challenge, Phi1 lies a beautiful short line of
finds the magnitude –0.9 inner try to spy 6th-magnitude There’s no better place to three stars. You’ll need binocu-
planet 2° to Saturn’s left. Two Uranus using Mars as a guide. start than Orion’s Sword, which lars to track these down
days later, Mercury passes 1.5° On the evenings of January 21 lies a few degrees south of the because they glow at magni-
to Jupiter’s upper left. Although and 22, the outer planet resides Hunter’s conspicuous belt. The tudes 7.6, 7.5, and 6.7, respec-
you might have a hard time less than 2° south of Mars. middle of the sword features tively, from north to south.
seeing the trio with your naked You’ll need binoculars to see the stunning Orion Nebula
eye, binoculars should deliver Uranus and a telescope to dis- (M42), which is as much of a Our final object this month
nice views if you have a clear cern its diminutive blue-green treat through binoculars as it lies 12° west of this group,
and unobstructed horizon. disk. Also plan to target the is through a telescope. though it’s easier to find by
Unfortunately, the low altitude Red Planet through a telescope looking approximately halfway
of the planets means a telescope this month to get perhaps your M42 provides a wonderful between Gamma (γ) Ori and
won’t deliver crisp views. final good view of the surface. illustration of the benefits of Gamma Tauri, the star that
After these close passages, Its disk spans 10.4" on the 1st using averted vision. The tech- marks the tip of the V-shaped
Mercury continues its ascent as but only 7.9" on the 31st. nique involves looking slightly Hyades star cluster in Taurus.
it approaches a January 24 away from a dim source of light English astronomer William
greatest elongation. On that You’ll have to wait until to let the rods in your eyes Herschel discovered open clus-
date, the innermost world lies morning twilight to see Venus. reveal more. If you gaze toward ter NGC 1662 in 1784. The
19° east of the Sun and appears The inner world shines at mag- the edge of a field centered on object’s description in the New
6° above the western horizon nitude –3.9 all month, so it’s M42, the nebula will appear General Catalogue is quite fit-
30 minutes after sundown. For bright enough to pierce the twi- brighter and more extensive. ting: “cluster of large and small
Southern Hemisphere observ- light glow. But it sinks closer to scattered stars.” I can spot it
ers, this is one of Mercury’s the Sun’s glare as the month Return now to the three belt through binoculars without
worst apparitions in 2021. But progresses and becomes harder stars, which fit quite nicely in a much difficulty. At first glance,
you won’t have to wait long for to see. By January 31, it rises binocular field. This region it appears as a patch of light
only an hour before the Sun. boasts a profusion of 6th- to about half the apparent diam-
A telescope doesn’t help much, 8th-magnitude stars that makes eter of the Full Moon.
showing a disk that measures for an attractive field. Once
you’ve had your fill here, try to
spot M78. French astronomer

STAR DOME S

PAV O UL NG TRIA
LE RA AUST
INDUS M U INUS

HOW TO USE THIS MAP APUS

This map portrays the sky as seen O CTANS MUSCA
near 30° south latitude. Located
inside the border are the cardinal SW GRUS TUCANA
directions and their intermediate
points. To find stars, hold the map A UPSI STCRIISN U S SMC CHAMAELEON
overhead and orient it so one of NGC 104 SCP
the labels matches the direction
you’re facing. The stars above _ Fomalhaut HYDRUS 2070 RINA
the map’s horizon now match MENSA
what’s in the sky. SCULPTOR PHOENIX A_chernar VOLANS

The all-sky map shows LMC PICTOR NGC
how the sky looks at: NGC R E T IC U LUM 2561

11 P.M. January 1 NGC 253 HOROLOGIUM DORADO Canopus PUPPIS
10 P.M. January 15 ` _
9 P.M. January 31 SGP 2477 a

Planets are shown
at midmonth

MAP SYMBOLS CETUS FORNAX CAELUM

W Open cluster LEPUS M41 ¡
Globular cluster
Diffuse nebula ERIDANUS Rigel ` _ MM4C7AAJNOIRS
Planetary nebula M42 Sirius
Galaxy Mira
k
STAR
MAGNITUDES _

Sirius _ MONOC
0.0 3.0
1.0 4.0 PISCES Betelgeuse `
2.0 5.0 _
GEM
STAR COLORS Uranus Path of the Sun (ecliptic) ORION
Mars Pleiades
A star’s color depends _ Aldebaran a
on its surface temperature. Algol ` P E R SE U S
ARIES c
The hottest stars shine blue
_ TAU R U S M1
•• Slightly cooler stars appear white ` M35
• Intermediate stars (like the Sun) glow yellow
• Lower-temperature stars appear orange TRIANGULUM `
• The coolest stars glow red M33
• Fainter stars can’t excite our eyes’ color M37
NW M36
receptors, so they appear white unless you
use optical aid to gather more light M38

BEGINNERS: WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT HOW TO READ A STAR CHART AT AURIGA `
www.Astronomy.com/starchart.
_
Capella

_

N

_ JANUARY 2021 SAT.

SUN. MON. TUES. WED. THURS. FRI.

CIR NGC 5139 12

` 3456789

C E N TAUNRGUCS4755 SE 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

CRUX ` 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

_ a 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

b 31

NGC 3372 Note: Moon phases in the calendar vary in size due to the distance ILLUSTRATIONS BY ASTRONOMY: ROEN KELLY
from Earth and are shown at 0h Universal Time.
C
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
VELA
2 Earth is at perihelion (147.1 million kilometers from the Sun), 14h UT
ANTLIA HYDRA C R AT E R 6 Last Quarter Moon occurs at 9h37m UT
9 The Moon is at perigee (367,387 kilometers from Earth), 15h37m UT
NG 11 Mercury passes 1.5° south of Jupiter, 11h UT
PYXIS
The Moon passes 1.5° south of Venus, 20h UT
E 13 New Moon occurs at 5h00m UT
14 The Moon passes 3° south of Jupiter, 1h UT
Alphard S E X TA N S
_ The Moon passes 2° south of Mercury, 8h UT
Uranus is stationary, 14h UT
EROS Pro_cyon _ Regulus Pluto is in conjunction with the Sun, 14h UT
M44 17 The Moon passes 4° south of Neptune, 6h UT
` CANIS MINOR a 20 First Quarter Moon occurs at 21h02m UT
CANCER 21 The Moon passes 5° south of Mars, 6h UT
M I N I ` Pollux LEO The Moon passes 3° south of Uranus, 6h UT
_ The Moon is at apogee (404,360 kilometers from Earth), 13h11m UT
Castor NE Asteroid Eunomia is at opposition, 19h UT
22 Mars passes 1.7° north of Uranus, 0h UT
LYNX 23 Asteroid Vesta is stationary, 22h UT
24 Mercury is at greatest eastern elongation (19°), 2h UT
Saturn is in conjunction with the Sun, 3h UT
Asteroid Irene is at opposition, 17h UT
28 Full Moon occurs at 19h16m UT
29 Jupiter is in conjunction with the Sun, 2h UT
30 Mercury is stationary, 2h UT