Astronomy_-_December 2019

“Wow! Look at those shadow holding pattern above their tree,
bands!” many exclaimed. where they remained circling until
the Moon’s shadow passed.
As the Sun’s disk was reduced to
an incredibly thin crescent, the Then, less than two and a half
sunlight became increasingly col- minutes after totality began, the
limated, much like laser light. This second diamond ring all too soon
produced a well-known phenom- marked the end of the main event.
enon called shadow bands, which At this point, many veteran eclipse
are dancing streaks of light and chasers, still in a state of pure bliss,
dark that result from parallel beams lamented the validity of what’s
of sunlight refracting through become known as Sperling’s Eight
Earth’s turbulent atmosphere. It’s Second Law. First published in the
akin to why stars appear to shim- August 1980 issue of Astronomy
mer. And for this eclipse, the magazine, this informal credo from
shadow bands were out in full force. author and telescope designer
Norman Sperling basically states
Then, bam, the first diamond that every total solar eclipse lasts
ring burst forth. Over the next few eight seconds. And I can absolutely
minutes, we were treated to a sight confirm that’s how it feels.
that most humans never get the
opportunity to witness — one that As we watched the crescent Sun
is both terrifyingly bizarre and again begin to grow, we celebrated
magnificently awestriking. As the our good fortune with a champagne
first glaringly bright diamond ring toast and delicious empanadas. Due

We were treated to a sight that most
humans never get the opportunity to
witness — one that is both terrifyingly
bizarre and magnificently awestriking.

faded away, the Sun’s corona came to the soccer field being tucked 1
into full view. This few-million- between mountain ridges, we knew 2
degree aura of plasma is usually the Sun would set before we wit-
invisible to the naked eye, as the nessed fourth contact, when the
Sun’s blinding disk overpowers its Sun and Moon finally part ways.
faint glow. But during a total solar But what we didn’t consider was
eclipse, the Sun’s disk is entirely that the Moon would still be taking
blotted out, allowing the ethereal a bite out of the top of the Sun at
corona to steal the show. the same time the intervening
mountain ridge started gobbling it
Even if you weren’t looking up up from the bottom. This tempo-
while cloaked in the Moon’s rarily left the visible portion of the
shadow, the darkness that washed Sun’s disk vaguely shaped like a
over us would have been sufficient simplified Bat-Signal, adding yet
to tell you that something strange another memorable sight to a trip
was going on. And this seemed to that a dozen scrapbooks couldn’t
be the case with nearby wildlife. adequately capture.
During totality, about a dozen birds
returned to what was presumably A trip to Cerro Tololo
their nesting tree on the perimeter
of the soccer field. Although the Although witnessing a total solar
darkness seemed to indicate it was eclipse would have served as a
nighttime to them, the birds acted fitting end to one of the most
as if they knew something was off. fantastic trips I’ve ever been on,
This left them in an uncertain we weren’t done just yet.

50 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2019

3

1. The behemoth Blanco 4 few hours, we were treated to a again making valuable contribu-
Telescope was rather behind-the-scenes look at CTIO’s tions to astronomy.
recently retooled with the On July 4, while those in two biggest telescopes: the 1.5-
Dark Energy Camera, which the U.S. were celebrating meter SMARTS telescope, part of DECam, which sports a
saw first light in September Independence Day with cookouts the Small and Moderate Aperture roughly 500-megapixel camera
2012. JAKE PARKS and fireworks, we set off for an Research Telescope System, and and a massive 2.2° field of view, is
arid, mountainous region in cen- the famous 4-meter Victor M. a vital part of the Dark Energy
2. The Moore family poses in tral Chile about 30 miles (50 km) Blanco Telescope. Survey, an international collabo-
front of the Victor M. Blanco southeast of La Serena. This loca- ration that spent the past six years
4-meter Telescope atop tion, thanks to its dark skies and The Blanco Telescope, which mapping hundreds of millions of
Cerro Tololo Inter-American calm atmosphere, is home to the saw first light in 1976, was an galaxies in visible and near-
Observatory. JAKE PARKS Cerro Tololo Inter-American observational beast in its heyday. infrared light. The ultimate goal
Observatory (CTIO). And though newer telescopes of the survey is to unravel the
3. The Milky Way spans the have since greatly surpassed true nature of dark energy, the
night sky above Peru’s Upon our arrival at CTIO, Blanco in size, thanks to the rela- mysterious force that accounts for
Sacred Valley of the Incas. located some 7,200 feet (2,200 m) tively recent installation of its nearly 70 percent of the mass-
The two bright stars Alpha above sea level, we took in the sophisticated Dark Energy energy of the universe and is
and Beta Centauri (middle expansive views from the moun- Camera (DECam), Blanco is once responsible for the accelerating
right) point the way to the taintop before beginning our expansion of our cosmos.
Southern Cross, which is tour. Over the course of the next
setting behind the ridge at The end of our tour of Cerro
the right edge of the frame. Tololo also signaled the end of
our adventure through Peru and
STEPHEN MOORE Chile. Although the entire jour-
ney took less than two weeks, the
4. The SMARTS historical and astronomical sites
1.5-meter telescope is the — and sights — we experienced
largest of a suite of SMARTS throughout will remain burned in
telescopes perched atop my mind for the rest of my life.
Cerro Tololo. JAKE PARKS
Jake Parks is an associate
editor at Astronomy who has now

experienced two solar eclipses —

and he likely won’t stop chasing
them anytime soon.

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 51

Starmus opened with Starmus V
an orchestral concert
featuring Hans Zimmer,
setting the scene for a
variety of musical sounds
and visual imaginations.

ALL PHOTOS, UNLESS OTHERWISE

NOTED: DAVID J. EICHER

rocks in Zurich

The fifth
Starmus Festival,
an international

celebration of
science and

music, assembled
an all-star cast
of astronauts,
Nobel Prize
laureates,
musicians, and
scientists.

BY DAVID J. EICHER

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 53

Few things in life are unique; that word gets 1
overused ad infinitum. But the Starmus Festival,
the international science gathering that has now 3
taken place five times, really is like no other 5
event out there. The brainchild of astrophysicist
Garik Israelian and astronomer and Queen
guitarist Brian May, the event brings together
astronauts, scientists, Nobel Prize winners,
musicians, and artists from all over the globe.
Starmus was founded when May returned to school to
finish his astrophysics doctorate, and one of his advisers was
Israelian. Together, they decided: Why not put together a
celebration of the things they loved — science and music?
Thus, Starmus — stars plus music — was born.

Opening awards venture capitalist, inventor of the
and music iPod, and co-inventor of the
iPhone, spoke about the impor-
The fifth Starmus Festival tance of science in society. Carlos
took place June 24–29, 2019, in Moedas, Portuguese engineer,
Zurich, Switzerland. The event economist, and politician, also
opened with a bang: an amazing weighed in later in the festival.
orchestral music show coupled
with the awarding of this year’s The renowned composer
Stephen Hawking Medals for Hans Zimmer led the 21st
Science Communication. Century Symphony Orchestra in
a stirring series of anthems —
The awards went to Elon titled “Once Upon a Time on the
Musk, for his visionary leader- Moon” — throughout the eve-
ship of space exploration and ning. Musicians involved with
associated outreach; celebrated the show included master of the
musician Brian Eno, for his keyboards Rick Wakeman and
efforts with science populariza- the guitar virtuoso Steve Vai.
tion; and Todd Miller, director of Astronaut Chris Hadfield per-
the magnificent new documen- formed a tribute to David Bowie
tary film Apollo 11. Additionally, with his rendition of “Space
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin Oddity.”
received a lifetime achievement
award. Eno, Miller, and Aldrin Caltech’s Kip Thorne joined
were on hand; Musk joined via the orchestra to narrate a musi-
video link from the Kennedy cal treatment reflecting on the
Space Center, where he was nature of black holes. May then
about to launch a Falcon Heavy joined the festivities to hammer
rocket. out, with the orchestra and his
friends, renditions of the Queen
The introductory ceremony songs “’39,” “Who Wants to Live
featured talks by Israelian and by Forever,” — in a tribute to the
the president of Armenia, physi- departed Stephen Hawking —
cist Armen Sarkissian, who and, as a closer, “We Are the
offered to host the festival in Champions.”
Armenia someday. Tony Fadell,

54 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2019

2

4

1. Brian Eno 2. Buzz Aldrin 3. Another winner 4. Rick Wakeman 5. Kip Thorne,
receives a receives a lifetime of a Stephen lends his talents known for his
Stephen Hawking achievement Hawking Medal, to the opening work on black
Medal for Science Hawking Medal. Elon Musk, joins evening of musical holes, leads
Communication He is flanked the conference via fun. a musical
from Peter Gabriel by Israelian, a live link as he exploration
(right), with Michael Hintze, waits to launch a of black hole
Starmus founder and Brian May. Falcon Heavy theory during the
Garik Israelian rocket at the opening festivities.
(left) looking on. Kennedy Space
Center in Florida.

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 55

1

Day 1 were Aldrin, Duke, Eno, Fadell, beside Aldrin and his wife while 1. Hans Zimmer, one of the
Michael Hintze, Israelian, May- watching this film was a touch- world’s great cinematic
The normal Starmus routine Britt Moser, Schmitt, Donna ing experience, and the whole composers, leads the 21st
commenced the next morn- Strickland, Worden, and mod- crowd erupted in applause when Century Symphony
ing with talks, talks, and more erator Griffin. The talks that the astronauts returned to Earth Orchestra during their
talks. At the Samsung Hall in followed, hosted by Tarter, and the film concluded. You tribute to the Apollo
Zurich, some 1,500 people were were many and varied: Fabiola must see this film if you have missions, accompanied
in attendance. Chair of the day Gianotti on activities at CERN, not yet done so. by Wakeman.
was Robert Williams, astrono- home of the Large Hadron
mer emeritus of the Space Collider; astronaut Tim Peake Day 3 2. Attendees heard the
Telescope Science Institute and on his orbital experiences; Bob fantastic guitar virtuosity
Starmus board member. (The Smith, CEO of Blue Origin, The following day, June 27, I had of Steve Vai several times
Starmus board now consists of on the future of private space- the good fortune to play host during the festival.
Israelian, May, Fadell, Williams, flight; and astronaut Garrett for the festival. A large number
Emmanuelle Charpentier, Reisman on the future of human of Nobel Prize winners were 3. Starmus board member
Richard Dawkins, Peter Gabriel, spaceflight. featured, along with astronauts Robert Williams,
Alexei Leonov, Jill Tarter, and other scientists. First came astronomer emeritus of the
and me.) Then, after a break, May and Strickland, who spoke about Space Telescope Science
I delivered a 3D presentation, high-intensity optical pulses; Institute, introduces the
The talks on this day involved complete with viewing glasses then Adam Riess, who described first day’s talks.
reminiscences from Apollo handed to the audience, sharing his work on the expansion of
astronauts, celebrating the 50th stereoscopic views of Apollo the universe; Williams and 4. Apollo 15 Command
anniversary of the Apollo 11 images from our recent book, Claude Nicollier on the Hubble Module Pilot Al Worden
landing. Speakers included Walt Mission Moon 3-D. After being Space Telescope’s repair and describes the mission and
Cunningham (Apollo 7), Al joined by Duke for some first- scientific career; and astronaut its aftermath in a curious
Worden (Apollo 15), Charlie hand accounts, we conducted a Sandy Magnus on our next steps speech highlighting his
Duke (Apollo 16), Jack Schmitt press conference about the book off-planet. original poetry.
(Apollo 17), Gerry Griffin project. Following this came
(Flight Director on multiple Fadell, who spoke on technology Following a break, Aldrin 5. Charlie Duke recounts
Apollo missions), and Rusty synergies between Earth and delivered a major address on the the exploration of the lunar
Schweickart (Apollo 9). space, and Sir Martin Rees, future of lunar exploration, surface during the Apollo
England’s Astronomer Royal, Ewine van Dishoeck described 16 mission.
Day 2 who delivered a lecture on the the history of the International
prospects for humanity. Astronomical Union, Xavier 6. The only scientist to
The next day, June 26, was Barcons updated the audience walk on the Moon, Jack
the second full day of pre- That evening brought a film on the European Southern Schmitt describes the last
sentations, beginning with a screening of the documentary Observatory, Nergis Mavalvala Moon landing, Apollo 17.
108-minute roundtable discus- Apollo 11, with the production outlined the current ground-
sion to honor the 108 minutes crew who created it in atten- breaking research on gravita- 7. Apollo Flight Director
of Yuri Gagarin’s initial manned dance. I have to say that sitting tional waves, and Eric Betzig Gerry Griffin shares stories
spaceflight. The participants of the early launch days
and his oversight of
missions in Launch
Control.

8. In a wide-ranging and
philosophical speech,
Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty
Schweickart describes
what it was like to be
floating in space.

9. Walt Cunningham
recounts his many
adventures during the
Apollo 7 mission, more
than 50 years ago.

56 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2019

23 4

I have to say that sitting
beside Aldrin and his wife
while watching Apollo 11
was a touching experience,

and the whole crowd
erupted in applause when

the astronauts returned
to Earth and the film

concluded. You must see
this film if you have
not yet done so.

56

78 9

took viewers through a journey with a special and quite amaz- 1
inside the secret world of the ing concert: The orchestra this
human cell. Finally, a Nobel time teamed up with Nobel Prize 1. George Smoot, cosmologist
Laureate panel featured discus- laureate May-Britt Moser, who and Nobel Prize laureate,
sions from Barry Barish, Betzig, walked us through the workings describes what we know
Elizabeth Blackburn, Edvard of the brain. She was accom- about the origin and
Moser, May-Britt Moser, Riess, panied by Vai on guitar. The evolution of the cosmos.
Brian Schmidt, George Smoot, Trondheim soloists joined in with
Strickland, Robert Wilson, and a string chamber to give us a deep 2. Nobel Prize winner May-
Kurt Wüthrich. dive into the space, time, and Britt Moser led an orchestral
memory of human brains. It was exploration and talk about
Day 4 incredible. her research on spatial cells
in the brain, which are how
On Friday the 28th, Starmus Then session chair Brian we know where we are.
rolled on. The session chair on Malow introduced the final day’s Following the concert, she
this day was Natalie Batalha, who talks: Smoot on the history of cos- hugs Steve Vai.
introduced Martine-Nicole Rojina mological research, Batalha on
of the Sister Moon Project; Clive extrasolar planets and their dis- 3. Astrophysicist and chemist 3
Neal, who spoke on getting back coveries with the Kepler Space Ewine van Dishoeck,
to the Moon; astronaut Nicole Telescope, Barish on multi- president of the International
Stott, who described Earth from messenger astronomy, and Astronomical Union,
space through her art projects; Charpentier on gene therapy. The describes the professional
Blackburn, who spoke on doing last set of discussions consisted of astronomy group’s rich 100-
better science; and astronaut a panel on life in the universe year history and the
Helen Sharman, who discussed with Batalha, Dawkins, Michel chemistry of the cosmos.
going from Mars to the stars. Mayor, Rafael Rebolo, and Tarter.
The final act of Starmus on 4. Astrophysicist Natalie 7. Nobel Prize winner Barry
After a break, Alan Stern dis- Saturday night was a star party Batalha, co-lead investigator Barish, one of the discoverers
cussed the New Horizons mission — not so much a viewing event, of the Kepler Space of gravitational waves with
that explored Pluto and the but a farewell party inside the Telescope, describes the the Laser Interferometer
Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule; Samsung Hall itself. state of our knowledge on Gravitational-wave
cosmonaut Gennady Padalka exoplanets and where Observatory, describes his
described life aboard the That’s a wrap discovery and research will findings and the likelihood of
International Space Station; Long go from here. numerous further detections
Xiao outlined China’s planned It’s not easy to calculate the value of merging black holes and
program of lunar exploration; of the Starmus Festival. There’s 5. Nobel Prize winner Robert neutron stars.
Schmidt talked about the first nothing else like it in the world. Wilson, co-discoverer of the
stars in the universe; and Eugene We had most of the surviving cosmic microwave 8. Brian May and David J.
Kaspersky, Mikhail Kornienko, Apollo astronauts on hand, as well background radiation in Eicher pose with a copy of
Marco Preuss, and Stott held a as other astronaut-explorers, more 1964, appeals to the world for their book, Mission Moon
panel on the future of space. than a dozen Nobel Prize laure- a coherent reaction to the 3-D, following the Starmus
ates, many other important scien- growing problem of global press conference. STARMUS/MAX
Starmus is a relentless bath in tists, incredible rock and orches- warming.
intellectual wonder, moving from tral musicians, and artists of all ALEXANDER
late morning each day to late at types. The interchanges that take
night, with talk after talk and place at Starmus are priceless and 6. Astronaut Sandy Magnus
hallway conversation after hallway lead to all manner of creative fall- flew on two space shuttle
conversation leaving one’s head out. Such was the situation again missions and spent time on
spinning. It’s really the ultimate at Starmus V in Switzerland. It the International Space
networking moment for the high- left us all wondering how the next Station. On June 27, she
est levels of astronomers, scien- Starmus will top this one, as each recounted her experiences in
tists, astronauts, techno wizards, successive festival has done. For Earth orbit and discussed the
musicians, and artists. And yet all more on the Starmus Festival, see future of space exploration.
of it is widely open to the public. www.Starmus.com.
Days of these amazing talks leave
one almost overwhelmed but David J. Eicher is Editor of
always hungry for more. Astronomy, coauthor with Brian May
of Mission Moon 3-D, and a member
Day 5 of the Starmus Festival Board of
Directors.
The festival’s final day was no
letdown. Saturday the 29th began

58 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2019

2

4 56

8
7 WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 59

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BINOCULAR UNIVERSE

The Queen’s court Scan back toward Caph and then hook southwest to
4.5-magnitude Rho (ρ) Cassiopeiae. If you recall in last

Cassiopeia offers multiple dazzling binocular targets. month’s column, we visited Mu (μ) Cephei, which is one
of the largest stars visible through binoculars. Well, Rho

Cas may not be quite as large, but it’s still between 400

and 500 times the diameter of our Sun. If we replaced our

Sun with Rho, the outer edge of its photosphere would

engulf the four inner planets and extend into the asteroid

belt. Rho is classified as a yellow hypergiant, an extremely

rare type of star. Yellow hypergiants are among the most

luminous stars, and only 15 are known in the Milky Way.

In his book, Observing the Night Sky with Binoculars

(Cambridge University Press, 2008), fellow columnist

Stephen James O’Meara describes Rho as a “delicious

pumpkin color,” a most appropriate description as the

season of pumpkin spice everything draws to a close.

As you admire Rho, you’ll probably notice a round glow

less than a degree south-southeast. That is NGC 7789, a

rich open cluster of over 500 stars lying 8,000 light-years

away. NGC 7789 is often referred to as Caroline’s Rose

after Caroline Herschel, who discovered this copious

The bright open cluster in 1783. None of its stars is brighter than 11th

cluster M52 in As the Sun sets in December, we find Cassiopeia magnitude, unfortunately, which is below the threshold
Cassiopeia offers a the Queen near the zenith, as if reigning over of most binoculars. Instead, we see their collective glow
splash of stars for all of her loyal stellar subjects. The constella- spanning about the same apparent diameter as the Full
any observer armed tion’s eye-catching W shape makes Cassiopeia one of the Moon. If your binoculars are 70mm or larger, however,
with binoculars. first constellations that most new stargazers learn. there’s hope of spotting a few of those dim denizens peek-

ANTHONY AYIOMAMITIS

The gentle glow of our galaxy flows past those five ing out from the haze. How many can you count?

stars, bringing with it many binocular treasures. You’ll Our last stop this month is a fun asterism invented by

need to crane your neck to enjoy them, however, so take British amateur astronomer Eddie Carpenter. Known as

a moment to set up a chaise lounge. Then lie back and Eddie’s Coaster, this meandering, double-dipping wave

raise your binoculars high. of faint stars lies about 3° north-northeast of

This month, let’s first turn our attention Gamma (γ) Cassiopeiae, at the center of

toward the western portion of Cassiopeia. By Cassiopeia is the W. Eddie’s Coaster includes more than a
connecting a line from Schedar (Alpha [α] one of the first dozen stars spanning 2.7°. The chance align-
Cassiopeiae) to Caph (Beta [β] Cas) and then constellations ment reminded Carpenter of an amusement
park roller coaster, which led to the asterism’s
extending it an equal distance beyond, you’ll

arrive at the open cluster M52. Discovered that most new name. Admittedly, as we face north this

on September 7, 1774, by Charles Messier stargazers month, the coaster will appear upside down,
himself, M52 is an easy catch through just learn. but use your imagination. If we ride the
about any binocular. An estimated 200 stars coaster from west to east, it starts at 7th-

call the cluster home, though only a few are magnitude HD 4841 and then slowly

bright enough to be seen in binoculars. The ascends. After topping out, it drops to 8th-

rest blend into a fog of stardust. magnitude HD 5915, only to rise again before a second,

Just beyond M52 is a slender diamond of four 5th- and steeper drop brings our ride to an end at 7th-magnitude

6th-magnitude stars, along with an arc of four fainter stars HD 7156. All together, they stand out nicely through my

curving farther northwest. To the late Massachusetts 10x50 binoculars from my suburban yard.

amateur astronomer John Davis, these stars appeared to Have you ever found an asterism that you’d like to

form an airplane. As he once explained it to me, “The share with the rest of us? Contact me through my website,

BY PHIL plane’s brightest star (red giant 4 Cassiopeiae) marks a light www.philharrington.net, and tell me about it.
HARRINGTON at the end of the eastern wing, while a lone 6th-magnitude Until next month, remember that two eyes are better
Phil is a longtime star lies at the tip of the western wing. A short arc of faint
contributor to stars stretching northward forms the plane’s crooked tail.” than one.
Astronomy and the The diamond-shaped wingspan of Davis’ Airplane
author of many books. extends 1° tip to tip, as does the curved fuselage. BROWSE THE “BINOCULAR UNIVERSE” ARCHIVE AT
www.Astronomy.com/Harrington

62 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2019

WE’VE LAUNCHED!

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Watching
Rome burn
tickling Earth’s climate system. It is kicking it squarely
in the posterior.

The fun physics of global cataclysm. The thing is, that’s exactly what we’re doing.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide and other gases allow vis-

ible sunlight in but reflect infrared radiation back into

If Earth were the space. Unsurprisingly, thickening Earth’s atmospheric

same temperature blanket heats things up. But that heating isn’t uniform.

everywhere, our The poles are much more affected by greenhouse gases

lives would be pretty boring. than is the equator. Melting sea ice adds insult to ther-

Actually, they would be more mal injury.

than boring; they would be As expected (and predicted), as global warming has

impossible. Thank goodness reduced the thermal imbalance between poles and the

that isn’t the case. Differences equator, circulation around the poles has gotten a lot

in the directness of sunlight more wobbly. In some places, the northern polar jet

at different latitudes and the steam can go way to the south, bringing cold polar air

high albedo of ice as com- with it. In other places, it can go way to the north, draw-

On May 23, 2019, once- pared to land and open ocean ing hot tropical air toward the poles. Those big excur-
unusual but now mean that equatorial regions soak up a lot more heat than sions are called Rossby waves.
increasingly common polar regions. And that thermal gradient is what keeps
slow-moving Rossby Common, fast-moving Rossby waves carry storm

waves disrupted things interesting. systems from west to east. But the until recently uncom-
weather patterns in the The basics of how temperature differences stir things mon, slow-moving Rossby waves I’m talking about are a
Northern Hemisphere. different beast. These waves get stuck doing what they
In North America, this up are straightforward. Warm air near the equator rises,

brought weeks of then at high altitudes spreads out toward the poles. In the do in the same spot, sometimes for weeks on end.
unseasonably cool
weather to the meantime at lower altitudes, cooler air moves toward the The things that they do are pretty funky, and can get
desert Southwest,
unprecedented equator to replace the rising warm air. The opposite hap- extreme. For example, the polar jet dipped all the way
flooding and severe
weather fueled by pens at the poles. High-altitude air carrying extra ther- down into Arizona in late spring. Snow fell in Flagstaff,
humidity from an
abnormally warm mal energy moves toward the ground, heating things up, and in Phoenix temperatures 20 F (10 C) below normal
Gulf of Mexico to the
Plains, and sweltering, while cold ground-level air moves toward lower latitudes. had us wondering if it was time to pull our sweaters back
humid heat to the
Southeast. JEFF HESTER Coriolis effects due to Earth’s rotation break out. At the same time, the stalled jet stream

the system into equatorial, midlatitude, and pulled humidity from an overly warm Gulf

polar convective cells separated by high- The things of Mexico and dropped it on the U.S. Plains,

altitude jet streams. that Rossby turning Oklahoma into a good approxima-
Without that global thermal conveyor waves do are tion of an inland sea and blasting it with
pretty funky, tornadoes on a daily basis. The show contin-
belt, the poles would be about 45 degrees and can get ued as Alaska “enjoyed” air coming up from
Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius) cooler, and the tropics, pushing Anchorage above 90 F
the equator 25 F (15 C) warmer than each is

today. This is the engine that drives Earth’s extreme. (32 C) for the first time ever.

climate and weather. Slow-moving Rossby waves are fun in the

So, what would happen were the differ- northern winter, too. Referred to as the

ence between the poles and the equator to lessen for “polar vortex,” the masses of polar air Rossby waves bring

some reason? Needless to say, things would change, but southward have been pounding the U.S. Northeast with

how? Again, the basics aren’t hard to grasp. A fast- hellish record-breaking winter storms even as Alaskans

spinning top is stable, but as it slows, it wobbles. A hur- experience what for them amounts to shirtsleeve weather.

ricane with a very low central pressure has a tight, stable Welcome to the new normal. Why did Nero fiddle

structure. But as the pressure difference between inside while Rome burned? I’m sure it was spectacular to watch,

and outside the storm weakens, circulation becomes and at that point what else was he supposed to do? So, is

BY JEFF HESTER sloppy and unstable. it bend-over-and-kiss-your-keister-goodbye time for us?
Jeff is a keynote The same thing applies to Earth’s atmosphere as a If not, it’s not far off. But hey! At least the physics of cli-
speaker, coach, mate change is cool.
and astrophysicist. whole. Just like a hurricane coming apart as the central
Follow his thoughts pressure increases, increasing the temperature of the BROWSE THE “FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION”
at jeff-hester.com poles relative to the equator could easily destabilize ARCHIVE AT www.Astronomy.com/Hester
global circulation. Mucking with that balance isn’t

64 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2019

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66 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2019

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

Saturn’s moon Phoebe How is Phoebe from the Sun, are about 0.000145,
stretches about different? the same as the bulk Earth within
132 miles (213 km) measurement error. Some comets
across. Unlike the rest Q I THE QUANTUM GRAVITY SECTION have D/H values around 0.0003
of the Saturn system, IN THE APRIL ISSUE NOTED THAT to 0.0005, all consistent with
including the planet’s WATER WITHIN SATURN’S RINGS AND increasing D/H values with
rings and other MOONS IS SIMILAR TO EARTH’S, EXCEPT increasing distance from the Sun.
moons, Phoebe FOR PHOEBE. HOW IS PHOEBE’S WATER
appears to have water DIFFERENT? Some models for solar system
that formed farther out formation predict a D/H in the
in the solar system. Jack Stelnicki Saturn system around 0.0004 to
San Francisco 0.0005 and others in the 0.003 to
NASA/ESA/JPL/SSI 0.006 range, all much higher
A I The origin of water throughout the solar than terrestrial values. But
system is an area of continuous study. One analysis of Cassini data from the
fingerprint for water’s origin is the isotopic signature: Visual and Infrared Mapping
the deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio (D/H). Deuterium is a Spectrometer, using a newly
hydrogen atom with one proton and one neutron in the developed method for deriving
nucleus, while normal hydrogen has only the proton. isotopic ratios in solid surfaces,
The D/H value reflects a combination of the source of measured the D/H in Saturn’s
the water, the location of a body’s formation, and the rings at 0.00016, very close to the
subsequent evolution of the body since its formation. terrestrial value within measure-
Models of solar system formation say that D/H values ment error. Saturn’s satellites
should increase from the inner to outer solar system due Enceladus, Rhea, Hyperion, and Iapetus also have D/H
to the higher temperatures close to the Sun. values close to terrestrial. Phoebe, on the other hand,
has a D/H of 0.0013, many times higher than the other
The D/H of terrestrial ocean water is about 0.00016, satellites, rings, and terrestrial water. All this points to
and the bulk Earth value is 0.000146. The least altered several important conclusions: First, that the current
carbonaceous meteorites, which represent the solar models of the formation of the solar system need revi-
system’s earliest composition and formed relatively far sion. Second, that the water on Earth and in the Saturn
system appears to have a common origin. And third,
Phoebe had to have originated in the cold outer reaches
of the solar system.

Roger Clark
Senior Scientist, Planetary Science Institute, Lakewood, Colorado

Ridges such as this one, located in Mare Frigoris, indicate to
planetary scientists that the Moon’s crust is still changing. Some
changes, such as movement along fault lines, could cause
moonquakes. NASA

68 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2019

Q I THE MOON IS SLOWLY MOVING 11's Early Apollo Surface Experiments Package was Apollo 16 astronauts
AWAY FROM EARTH. WHEN WILL simple, with a passive seismometer that functioned captured this view of
THE MOON LEAVE EARTH’S ORBIT? only until August 27, 1969. Later missions all carried the Passive Seismic
passive seismometers, and Apollo 14, 16, and 17 carried Experiment (silver)
Robert Byerly active seismic experiments as well; all were part of a in front of the gold-
Windsor, California larger geophysical instrument suite called the Apollo colored Apollo Lunar
Lunar Surface Experiments Package (or ALSEP). These Surface Experiments
A I Based on measurements made possible by instruments functioned for several years and were Package Central
reflectors that Apollo astronauts left on the permanently shut down due to budget cuts September Station after
surface of the Moon, we know that the Moon is moving 30, 1977, with the longest-lived – those from Apollo deployment. Such
farther from Earth. Currently, our satellite is moving 12 – running about eight years. seismometers
about 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) away from the planet continued to function
each year. During those years, the seismometers recorded thou- until the Apollo
sands of moonquakes. The majority of recorded events seismic experiments
This is happening because Earth and the Moon exert occurred deep in the Moon’s interior, but some quakes were terminated in
a gravitational pull on each other, which causes the were shallow — the result of movement or changes in late 1977. NASA
ocean tides we observe each day. But because of Earth’s the Moon’s crust.
rotation rate, the bulges — high tide — actually occur SEND US YOUR
at a point just ahead of the Moon, instead of directly Astronomers believe most moonquakes occur as the QUESTIONS
beneath it. The Moon, in turn, is attracted to the Moon slowly loses heat from its initial formation. As
increase in mass just in front of its current orbital posi- this happens, the Moon’s interior shrinks, causing the Send your
tion, which slightly speeds up its orbit. And the faster surface to wrinkle and crack, generating faults that can astronomy questions
it moves, the larger its orbit around Earth becomes — then slip and move. Based on 28 of the shallower quakes via email to askastro@
hence, the Moon’s recession from Earth. recorded by the Apollo instruments, researchers astronomy.com, or
recently determined that at least some of the fault lines write to Ask Astro,
But there’s another factor at play. The Moon is also visible on the Moon’s surface are still geologically P.O. Box 1612,
exerting a gravitational influence on Earth; the tides it active, causing quakes when parts of the lunar crust slip Waukesha, WI 53187.
raises cause friction, which is slowly reducing the rota- and rub against each other. (See “Apollo-era quakes hint Be sure to tell us
tional rate of our planet. Not only did the Moon start the Moon is still active,” on page 12 of the September your full name and
out much closer to Earth in the past, but Earth was issue, to learn more.) Six of the 28 quakes also occurred where you live.
rotating on its axis much faster at the same time. As the when the Moon was at or near the farthest point in its Unfortunately, we
Moon drifts outward, it will continue to slow Earth’s orbit, which indicates that gravitational stresses cannot answer all
rotation rate, until the amount of time it takes the Moon between Earth and the Moon may cause the portions questions submitted.
to orbit Earth once equals the amount of time it takes of the crust on either side of a fault to slide against each
Earth to rotate once on its axis: 47 days. This will occur other, prompting a shakeup.
in about 50 billion years, and at that point, the Moon
will stop moving away — so it will never completely Alison Klesman
leave Earth’s orbit. Associate Editor

It’s worth noting that 50 billion years is a much lon-
ger time than our Sun has left to live, which is only
about 5 billion years. So, long before the Moon stops
moving away and slowing Earth’s rotation rate, the
entire Earth-Moon system may be swallowed by our
star as it swells during the later stages of its life.

Alison Klesman
Associate Editor

Q I THE APOLLO MISSIONS LEFT
SEISMOMETERS ON THE MOON.
HOW LONG DID THEY WORK? WHAT

CONCLUSIONS CAN WE MAKE ABOUT

MOONQUAKES?

João Miguel Matos
Setúbal, Portugal

A I Every Apollo mission that landed on the
Moon left seismometers on the surface. Apollo

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 69

READER GALLERY

Cosmic portraits

1 2

1. BEAR WITH ME
The emission nebula cataloged as
Sh 2–171 reminds this imager of a
teddy bear staring straight at you
from space. The two bright stars
are its eyes; it has big, red, rounded
ears, a dark brown nose, and an
inverted V-shaped mouth line.
Well … kinda. • Rodney Pommier

2. SILVER LINING
The partial lunar eclipse of July 16,
2019, appears even more dramatic as
some thin clouds pass in front of the
Moon. The photographer captured
and combined four exposures (5-, 1-,
1/10-, and 1/30-second) through a
3.2-inch telescope, from Southend,
England. • Ethan Roberts

3. BOOM GOES THE STAR!
The Vela Supernova Remnant
appears majestic in a six-panel
mosaic that required 53.4 hours
of exposure through Hydrogen-
alpha, Oxygen-III, R, G, and B filters.
The imagers’ goal was to emphasize
the shock-front structures.
• Don Goldman and Josep Drudis

70 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2019

3

4

4. BLOWOUT
The Spare Tire Nebula (IC 5148) is
the remnant of a recently deceased
Sun-like star. This planetary nebula
lies in the constellation Grus the
Crane, some 3,000 light-years away.
This is the first image to show the
faint, blue-green outer halo in detail.
• Don Goldman

5. E FOR EFFORT
Barnard’s E is a combination of two
dark nebulae — B142 and B143 — in
the constellation Aquila. Both were
cataloged by the noted visual
astronomer Edward Emerson

5 Barnard — who, by the way, did not
put his own name on them.
• Jeffrey Weiss

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 71

READER GALLERY 7
8
6

6. GREEN WITH ENVY
The elusive green flash, which
occurs when the Sun is near
the horizon and the red, orange,
and yellow light is bent away
from the observer, appears in
this rare image. The imager
employed a 4-inch f/5 refractor.
• Jamie Cooper

7. CATCH THE SUN
This combination of forty-nine
1/50-second exposures
documents the Sun rising
behind a bronze sculpture of
Pegasus, designed by Achilles
Vasileiou and unveiled in
Corinth, Greece, in 2009.
• Anthony Ayiomamitis

8. RED STARS AT NIGHT
Palomar 10 is a globular
cluster located approximately
20,000 light-years away in the
constellation Sagitta the Arrow.
Dust in the Milky Way heavily
obscures this object, which
leads to it appearing strongly
reddened. • Bernhard Hubl

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.

72 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2019

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The Advertiser Index is provided as a service to Astronomy
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numbers.

BREAKTHROUGH

TAKING
FLIGHT
DOWN THE
MILKY WAY

The Seagull Nebula
(IC 2177) is a vast
complex of emission
and reflection nebulae
soaring along our
galaxy’s spine. The
nebula lies on the
border between Canis
Major and Monoceros,
about 8° northeast of
brilliant Sirius. Caught
in mid-flap, the gull’s
wings span some
100 light-years from
tip to tip. The Seagull’s
head — the more
compact region of
ionized gas seen to the
right of the wings —
glows by re-emitting the
light radiating from the
luminous 20-solar-mass
star at its center.
Astronomers took
this image with the
2.6-meter VLT Survey
Telescope on Cerro
Paranal in Chile. ESO/VPHAS+

TEAM/N.J. WRIGHT (KEELE UNIVERSITY)

74 ASTRONOMY • DECEMBER 2019

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Astronomy’s Pull-SouPtEseCcItAioLn
Guide to
2020 the Night Sky

LUNAR PHASES VENUS shines brilliantly in the evening sky from
January into May. The planet appears farthest
New First Quarter Full Last Quarter from the Sun in late March, when it stands some
Jan. 2 Jan. 10 Jan. 17 32° above the western horizon an hour after
Jan. 24 Feb. 1 Feb. 9 Feb. 15 sunset and gleams at magnitude –4.5. Venus
Feb. 23 March 2 March 9 March 16 disappears in the Sun’s glow for the first two
March 24 April 1 April 7 April 14 weeks of June before reemerging in the predawn
April 22 April 30 May 7 May 14 sky, where it remains through year’s end. NASA
May 22 May 29 June 5 June 13
June 21 June 28 July 5 July 12 MARS is visible for all of 2020, though
July 20 July 27 Aug. 3 Aug. 11 it appears most conspicuous when
Aug. 18 Aug. 25 Sept. 2 Sept. 10 it lies opposite the Sun in our sky
Sept. 17 Sept. 23 Oct. 1 Oct. 9 in October. The Red Planet then
Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 31 Nov. 8 shines at magnitude –2.6, swells to
Nov. 15 Nov. 21 Nov. 30 Dec. 7 an apparent diameter of 23", and
Dec. 14 Dec. 21 Dec. 29 peaks at an altitude of nearly 60°. A
telescope reveals subtle features that
All dates are for the Eastern time zone. A Full Moon rises at sunset
and remains visible all night; a New Moon crosses the sky with the show up as contrasting shades of orange
Sun and can’t be seen. and brown. ESA/ROSETTA/MPS/OSIRIS TEAM

THE MOON is Earth’s nearest JUPITER always looks dramatic through a
neighbor and the only celestial telescope. Even small instruments show
object humans have visited. the planet’s four big moons and resolve
Because of its changing position its dynamic atmosphere into an
relative to the Sun and Earth, the Moon alternating series of bright zones and
appears to go through phases, from a darker belts. Jupiter reaches its peak
slender crescent to Full Moon and back. The in mid-July, when it shines brightest
(magnitude –2.8) and looms largest (48"
best times to observe our satellite through a across), though it’s a fine sight from mid-
telescope come a few days on either side of its January until the end of the year. NASA/JPL/USGS
two Quarter phases. For the best detail, look
along the terminator — the line separating the SATURN and its rings provide a spectacular
sunlit and dark parts. NASA/GSFC/ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY attraction for telescope owners from

A supplement to Astronomy magazine February through December. The
ringed planet appears best around
opposition in late July. It then
shines at magnitude 0.1 and
its disk measures 18" across,
while the rings span 42" and
tilt 22° to our line of sight. NASA/

ESA/THE HUBBLE HERITAGE TEAM (STSCI/AURA)

Subscribe today! 1-877-246-4835
Visit our website at www.Astronomy.com

WINTER N

The sky DRACO CEPHEUS Jan. 4
Quadrantid
Winter boasts the brightest stars of any Mizar Polaris CASSIOPEIA DA meteor
season. Orion the Hunter dominates the shower peaks
evening sky this time of year. Its seven URSA E
brightest stars form a distinctive hourglass MINOR Feb. 10
pattern. The bright blue star marking Orion’s M Mercury is
left foot is Rigel, and the ruddy gem at his at greatest
right shoulder is Betelgeuse. The three stars O eastern
of the Hunter’s Belt point down to Sirius, elongation
the brightest star in the night sky, and up M AUJROSRA R
to Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus the Bull. To March 20
Orion’s upper left lies the constellation Gemini. M51 D
W Mars passes
Deep-sky highlights NNGGCC886894 M31
0.7° south of
The Pleiades (M45) is the brightest star AN Jupiter
cluster in the sky. It looks like a small
dipper, but it is not the Little Dipper. BCEORME NAI C E S Capella S R E PEGASUS March 24
The Orion Nebula (M42), a region of active Venus is at
star formation, is a showpiece through EUS P M33 greatest
telescopes of all sizes. eastern
The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237–9/46), E Denebola LEO Castor M35 M37 AURIGA Pleiades PISCES elongation
located 10° east of Betelgeuse, presents an Pollux
impressive cluster of stars and a nebula. ARIES March 31
M35 in Gemini the Twins is a beautiful open M44 Mars passes
cluster best viewed with a telescope. ECLIPTIC Mira 0.9° south of
Castor (Alpha [α] Geminorum) is easy to split CANCER Saturn
into two components with a small telescope, CETUS
but the system actually consists of six stars. Regulus Procyon GEMINI barAladne- TAU R U S April 22
Lyrid meteor
HYDRA Betelgeuse ORION shower peaks

NGC 2237-9 M42 Rigel ERIDANUS June 4
Mercury is
C A N I S Sirius LEPUS at greatest
eastern
MAJOR elongation

COLUMBA July 14
Jupiter is at
PUPPIS opposition

S July 15
Pluto is at
SPRING opposition

The sky N July 20

The Big Dipper, the most conspicuous part CEPHEUS W Saturn is at
of the constellation Ursa Major the Great
Bear, now rides high in the sky. Poke a hole Vega Mizar M81 Capella AURIGA opposition
in the bottom of the dipper’s bowl, and the M82
water would fall on the back of Leo the Lion. LYRA DRACO July 22
The two stars at the end of the bowl, called URSA Mercury is
the Pointer Stars, lead you directly to Polaris, HERCULES MINOR MUA JR SOAR M35 at greatest
the North Star: From the bowl’s top, simply go western
five times the distance between the Pointers. M13BCOORREOANLAI S Polaris M44 PolluCxastor GEMINI TAU R U S elongation
Spring is the best time of year to observe
a multitude of galaxies. Many of these far- E SERPENS M51 B ECROEMNAI C E S Betelgeuse O R I O N
flung island universes, containing hundreds CAPUT B O Ö T E S Arcturus
of billions of stars, congregate in northern Denebola R
Virgo and Coma Berenices.
E S
Deep-sky highlights R
C
The Beehive Cluster (M44) was used to LEO ANI
forecast weather in antiquity. It is a naked- M5 N INO
eye object under a clear, dark sky, but it Regulus
disappears under less optimal conditions. CA C
M5, a conspicuous globular cluster, lies M
between the figures of Virgo the Maiden Procyon
and Serpens Caput the Serpent’s Head. VIRGO
The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) is a vast
spiral about 30 million light-years away. ECLIPTIC C R AT E R
M81 and M82 in Ursa Major form a pair
of galaxies that you can spot through a Spica C O RV U S
telescope at low power.
HYDRA

C E N TAU R U S VELA

S

STAR MAPS BY ASTRONOMY: ROEN KELLY

5 P.M. 6 P.M. 7 P.M. 8 P.M. 9 P.M. 10 P.M. 11 P.M. Midnight 1 A.M. 2 A.M. 3 A.M. 4 A.M. 5 A.M. 6 A.M. 7 A.M.
Jan. 1 MERCUURTRRAYANNUSSITS
Jan. 16 NEPTUNE SETS TRANSITS MARS RISES
URANUS
Jan. 31 SIRIUS

VENUS SETS SETS
SETS SUNSET
Feb. 15

March 1

March 16 SPICA TRANSITS RISE & SET

March 31 MERCURY RISES This illustration presents
SUNRISE the night sky for 2020,
April 15 showing the best times to
observe the planets from
April 30 MERCURY SETS ANJTUASPRAIETTSUERRTRNRAIRSNIESSSEITSS Mercury to Neptune. For each
May 15 planet, the times when it rises
and sets are shown throughout
May 30 the year. For Mercury and Venus,
which never stray too far from the
June 14 NEPTUNE RISES URANUS RISES Sun, these times appear as loops
coming up from the sunset horizon
June 29 (on the left) or the sunrise horizon (on
the right). For Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
July 14 MARS RISES URY RISES Uranus, and Neptune, the times when
VENUS RISES they transit — appear highest in
July 29 the sky and provide the best view
MERC through a telescope — also are
shown. All the planets lie near the
Aug. 13 SATURDNENTERBATNRSANITNESPSITTJUSUNPEITTERRASSNAESTTISUTRSN SETS ecliptic, so you can use this chart in
conjunction with the maps on the
Aug. 28MERCURY SETS JUPITER TRANSITS previous pages to find a planet’s
Sept. 12 approximate location. The chart
Sept. 27 also includes the transit times of
four bright seasonal stars: Sirius,
Oct. 12 Spica, Antares, and Deneb. This
map shows local times for an
Oct. 27 MARS TRANSITS TRANSITS observer at 40° north latitude.
URANUS Although exact times will
Nov. 11 NEPTUNE SETS SIRIUS TRANSITS vary depending on your
longitude and latitude (and
Nov. 26 MARS SETS don’t forget to add an hour

ME for daylight saving time),
the relative times and
Dec. 11 URANUS SETS approximate positions

will stay the same.

ASTRONOMY: RICK JOHNSON

RCURY
RISES

Dec. 26

5 P.M. 6 P.M. 7 P.M. 8 P.M. 9 P.M. 10 P.M. 11 P.M. Midnight 1 A.M. 2 A.M. 3 A.M. 4 A.M. 5 A.M. 6 A.M. 7 A.M.

N SUMMER

Aug. 12 PERSEUS The sky
Perseid
meteor L A C E RTA EPH MUIRNSOAR M AUJROSRA High in the sky, the three bright stars known
shower peaks CAS as the Summer Triangle are easy to spot.
M31 Polaris These luminaries — Vega in Lyra, Deneb in
EUS C Cygnus, and Altair in Aquila — lie near the
PEGASUS SIOP starry path of the Milky Way. Following the
Aug. 12 A I E Milky Way south from Aquila, you’ll find the
Venus is at center of our galaxy in the constellation
greatest DRACO Mizar B O Ö T E S M51 Denebola Sagittarius the Archer. Here lie countless star
western clusters and glowing gas clouds. Just west of
elongation Deneb S Sagittarius is Scorpius the Scorpion, which
contains the red supergiant star Antares as
E well as M6 and M7, two brilliant clusters that

HERCULES C LEO W look marvelous at low power.

Vega I Deep-sky highlights

Sept. 11 CYGNUS MA The Hercules Cluster (M13) contains nearly
REN a million stars and is the finest globular
Neptune is E cluster in the northern sky.
M13 CO The Ring Nebula (M57) looks like a puff of
at opposition BE smoke through a medium-sized telescope.
The Omega Nebula (M17) looks like the
Enif C A P R I C O R N U S LY R A C SAEPRUPTE N S VIRGO Greek letter of its name (Ω) through a
telescope at low power. This object also is
M57 Arcturus Spica called the Swan Nebula.
The Wild Duck Cluster (M11) is a glorious
Oct. 13 Altair M1C1SAEURDPAE N S open star cluster. On a moonless night, a
Mars is at S C U T U M MM1176 small scope will show you some 50 stars.
opposition A
AUTUMN
Q
The sky
AQUI OPHIUCHUS
UA R I U The Big Dipper swings low this season, and
from parts of the southern United States,
LA ECLIPTIC it even sets. With the coming of cooler
S nights, Pegasus the Winged Horse rides
LIBRA high in the sky as the rich summer Milky
Oct. 21 S A G I T TA R I U S Antares LUPUS Way descends in the west. Fomalhaut, a
Orionid M6 solitary bright star, lies low in the south. The
meteor M7 magnificent Andromeda Galaxy reaches its
shower peaks peak nearly overhead on autumn evenings,
as does the famous Double Cluster. Both
Oct. 31 SCORPIUS of these objects appear as fuzzy patches to
Uranus is at the naked eye under a dark sky.
opposition S
Deep-sky highlights
Nov. 10 N W The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the brightest
Mercury is
at greatest naked-eye object outside our galaxy visible in
western the northern sky.
elongation The Double Cluster (NGC 869 and NGC 884)
in Perseus consists of twin open star clusters.
Nov. 17 R A URS DRACO It’s a great sight through binoculars.
Leonid JO MA M15 in Pegasus is a globular cluster
meteor containing hundreds of thousands of stars,
shower peaks CEPHEUS HERCULES many of which can be glimpsed through a
medium-sized telescope.
Capella Polaris M13 Albireo (Beta [β] Cygni), the most beautiful
double star in the sky, is made up of suns
Dec. 13 M35 AU URSA colored sapphire and gold.
Geminid MINOR
meteor
shower peaks R

I Deneb

G 884 CYGNUS

P Vega
A
LY R A
E A

R 869

S C

E Algol I S S A

ORION U OMP3E1I

Dec. 14 S
Total solar
eclipse ` SAGIT TA

Dec. 21 E ARIES M33 P I S C E S PEGASUS AQUILA
Jupiter
passes 0.1° TAU R U S S
south of
Saturn Aldebaran U

Enif M15 LPHIN

Altair

E

Mira ECLIPTIC A Q UA R I U S D

ERIDANUS C E TUS

Open cluster Fomalhaut CAPRICORNUS
Globular cluster
Diffuse nebula PIS CIS I N U S
Planetary nebula AU STR
Galaxy PHOENIX

GRUS

S

SOUTHERN SKY BY MARTIN GEORGE

February 2020

An early morning planet trio

Brilliant Venus con- sky. Let the distinctive shape of also resides in Sagittarius, near lection some 0.3° across located
tinues to dominate the Scorpius the Scorpion serve as that constellation’s eastern bor- near the LMC’s eastern extrem-
western evening sky. It stands a harbinger of the planetary der with Capricornus. Saturn ity. Look for them about 1°
out largely because it shines so delights to come. Shortly after looks magnificent through any west-northwest of the 5th-
brightly, improving from mag- the arachnid rises in early telescope, though the view magnitude star Nu (ν) Doradus
nitude –4.1 to –4.3 during the February, Mars’ ruddy glow improves later in the month as (which belongs to the Milky
month. But the lack of any pokes above the horizon. it climbs higher before dawn. Way). If you have a go-to
nearby bright stars enhances its On the 29th, the planet’s disk mount, center on right ascen-
prominence. The inner planet On February 1, the Red measures 15" across while its sion 5h58m and declination
leaves Aquarius and enters Planet appears 10° below lovely rings span 35" and tilt –68°35' (2000.0 coordinates).
Pisces on February 2, moving Antares, the brightest star in 22° to our line of sight.
eastward across the southern Scorpius. Like Mars, this red The clusters form a shape
part of the celestial Fish for the supergiant star shines at 1st The starry sky like a capital letter T, with the
remainder of the month. Venus magnitude and sports an horizontal bar of the T signifi-
appears fairly low because the orange-red hue. The planet Few sights in the southern sky cantly longer than the vertical
ecliptic — the apparent path of moves away from the Scorpion attract more attention than the one. To see them well, use a
the Sun and planets across the during February, traveling east- Magellanic Clouds. These two 20-centimeter or larger scope.
sky — makes a shallow angle to ward from neighboring nearby galaxies — satellite sys- Initially, all four will appear as
the western horizon after sun- Ophiuchus into Sagittarius. tems to our Milky Way — slightly fuzzy stars; NGC 2164
set at this time of year. Unfortunately, a telescope stand out to the naked eye is the easiest to spot while
The view of Venus through doesn’t add much to the view under a dark sky. They are cir- NGC 2172 is the most difficult.
a telescope does improve — Mars shows a featureless cumpolar objects, meaning
noticeably in February, how- disk just 5" in diameter. they never set, from latitudes Don’t forget, you’re viewing
ever. The planet’s disk swells south of about 25° south. You open clusters in another galaxy.
from 15" to 19" across while its Less than two hours after can find both high in the Despite their great distance,
gibbous phase wanes from 74 to Mars rises, Jupiter clears the southern sky on February eve- NGC 2164 shows a slightly
63 percent lit. Even better views horizon. The giant planet nings, looking like detached mottled appearance at moder-
will come a few months from shines at magnitude –1.9, which pieces of the Milky Way. ately high magnification. In
now when Venus will appear makes it some 20 times brighter fact, I can partly resolve this
larger and show a beautiful than Mars. Jupiter remains in The most famous sight cluster through my 20-cm
crescent phase. Sagittarius this month, moving within these galaxies is the Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope
Innermost Mercury also slowly eastward across the Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070) at a magnification of 222x. The
appears in the evening sky, Archer’s northern section. in the Large Magellanic Cloud cluster appears beautiful with
though it’s much harder to see. (LMC). This vast star-forming averted vision. This time-tested
The planet reaches greatest The view of Jupiter through region is the largest known in technique, in which you look
elongation February 10, when a telescope always impresses. our part of the universe, and it slightly to the side of your tar-
it lies 18° east of the Sun. It The gas giant’s disk spans 33" glows brightly enough to show get to use your eyes’ more light-
climbs only 3° high in the west in mid-February and shows up without optical aid across sensitive rods, helps you to pick
a half-hour after sunset, how- intricate atmospheric detail. 160,000 light-years of interven- up fainter details.
ever, because it also suffers And even the smallest instru- ing space. It appears so won-
from the ecliptic’s shallow angle ment reveals the planet’s four derful, in fact, that it’s easy to A close inspection of the
to the horizon. It will put on a bright moons, which change forget the LMC’s many other three fainter clusters with the
much better show before dawn relative positions noticeably attractive sights. same telescope-eyepiece combi-
next month. from night to night. nation shows that they all can
The rest of the naked-eye This month, let’s look at a be partially resolved, though
planets reside in the morning You don’t even have to wait fascinating group of open star with greater difficulty than
an hour after Jupiter first clusters: NGC 2164, NGC 2156, NGC 2164. Of these other
appears to see magnitude 0.6 NGC 2159, and NGC 2172. The three, I find NGC 2159 to be
Saturn glowing softly to its four clusters form a tight col- the easiest.
lower right. The ringed planet

STAR DOME S

M U TARNAGLUEL TRI
AUS

HOW TO USE THIS MAP GRUS TUCANA O CTANS APUS

This map portrays the sky as seen PHOENIX NGC 104 γ
near 30° south latitude. Located
inside the border are the cardinal SW SCP 37C2A R I NA
directions and their intermediate USCA
points. To find stars, hold the map H Y DSRMU SC CHAMAELEON
overhead and orient it so one of
the labels matches the direction M MENSA
you’re facing. The stars above
the map’s horizon now match Aαchernar L O R UM L U C LMC NGC 2070
what’s in the sky. HO RETI
I G O
The all-sky map shows
how the sky looks at: SCULPTOR U S NGC 2561
SGP VOLAN
10 P.M. February 1 NGC 253 D A R OR
9 P.M. February 15 β DO
8 P.M. February 29 O T C I P

Planets are shown FORNAX α LA
at midmonth
COLUMBA
CETUS CAELUM Canopus PUPPIS ζ
NGC 2477
MAP SYMBOLS W ERIDANUS LEPUS ε

Open cluster α M41 C AMNAIJSO RM47
Globular cluster β
Diffuse nebula Mira Rigeβl
Planetary nebula ο Sirius α
Galaxy α
M42 M O N O C E R O S
PISCES

STAR Uranus Path of the Sun (ecliptic) TAURUS α Procyonα O R
MAGNITUDES
α ORION Betelgeuse β M I N
Sirius Aldebaran
0.0 3.0 CANIS
1.0 4.0 Pleiades
2.0 5.0 ARIES γ

STAR COLORS α ζ
` M1
A star’s color depends
on its surface temperature. M35 G E M I N I β Pollux
β α
The hottest stars shine blue
NW Algol M36 M37 Castor
•• Slightly cooler stars appear white M38
• Intermediate stars (like the Sun) glow yellow P E R β
• Lower-temperature stars appear orange
• The coolest stars glow red S E U S
• Fainter stars can’t excite our eyes’ color
AURIGA β
receptors, so they appear white unless you
use optical aid to gather more light α

Capella

N

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

CIRCINUS FEBRUARY 2020 SAT.

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

CENTAURUS β NGC 5128 1
α
SE 2345678
βα NGC 5139 ILLUSTRATIONS BY ASTRONOMY: ROEN KELLY
NGC 4755 M83 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

NGC 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
γ δ CRUX
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
CORVUS
Note: Moon phases in the calendar vary in size due to the distance
PYXIS V M104 from Earth and are shown at 0h Universal Time.
ANTLIA
HYDRA C R AT E R CALENDAR OF EVENTS

E 1 The Moon passes 5° south of Uranus, 3h UT
2 First Quarter Moon occurs at 1h42m UT
Alphard S E X TA N S
α The Moon passes 0.5° north of asteroid Vesta, 9h UT
9 Full Moon occurs at 7h33m UT
α Regulus M65 10 Mercury is as greatest eastern elongation (18°), 14h UT
M66
The Moon is at perigee (360,461 kilometers from Earth), 20h28m UT
Denebola 13 Asteroid Juno is stationary, 7h UT

M44 C E R LEO The Moon passes 0.6° north of asteroid Juno, 10h UT
CA 15 Last Quarter Moon occurs at 22h17m UT
N γ 16 Mercury is stationary, 10h UT
18 The Moon passes 0.8° north of Mars, 13h UT
LEO 19 The Moon passes 0.9° south of Jupiter, 20h UT
MINOR 20 The Moon passes 0.7° south of Pluto, 8h UT

NE The Moon passes 1.7° south of Saturn, 14h UT
23 New Moon occurs at 15h32m UT
LYNX 26 Mercury is in inferior conjunction, 2h UT

The Moon is at apogee (406,278 kilometers from Earth), 11h34m UT
27 The Moon passes 6° south of Venus, 12h UT
28 The Moon passes 4° south of Uranus, 12h UT