Tonight through Saturday night watch the gorgeous full moon rise. That
bright orange object just to the left of the full moon tomorrow night
(Friday the 29th) is Mars! If you have a look tonight you'll see the
moon rises first, and Mars will appear to the lower left of the Moon. It
is a wonderful weekend for a moondance!
This is Mars' closest approach to Earth week! And you don't need a
telescope to see the spectacle. Hopefully, we'll have clear skies. If
so, just step outside and wave to the rover Opportunity when you look at
Mars. Her side of Mars is facing Earth over the next two weeks. The
rover Spirit, and HER side of Mars will be facing Earth towards the end
of February.:-)
I've updated my annual Mars Opposition webpage, and it is chock
full-o-planetary goodness. Good Mars viewing information that is. :-)
Here's the link: http://www.otastro.org/Mars2005/ Here's just one tidbit:
*January 2010:* The diameter of Mars this year is a little smaller than
it was last opposition in December 2007. It is at opposition on January
29th, and reaches its closest approach to Earth a few days earlier. View
Mars all night, from sunset to dawn by month end, but your best views
will be when Mars is higher in the sky, from several hours after sunset
until after midnight. The (hours from) full moon rises 7 degrees below
Mars on Friday night January 29th, offering a pretty side-by-side
comparison until dawn. Mars won't be this big or bright again until
2014. Remember how the *moon and Mars* look side-by side this month.
Then, in August, when that dopey Mars Hoax email comes back to haunt
us, you can tell everyone you saw Mars in January 2010 when it was
closest to Earth and it was definitely not as big as the moon. :-)
In other news, if you are on Facebook, you can join JPL's "Friday Night
with the Moon and Mars" viewing event. No, you don't have to go
anyplace or do anything, it's just a fun "awareness" webpage for people
to get all excited about Mars viewing. I hope some people will share
their views and observations, tho'.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=455652415787&index=1
<https://ums.jpl.nasa.gov/owa/redir.aspx?C=a3cf8ac2513d460185ba7c9612e86b96&…>
Finally, some of you have asked how Mojo is doing after his prostate
cancer surgery last week. You can read more about it on his blog if you
are interested. :-) http://mojo.whiteoaks.com/ He's doing really
well, but it will keep us off the sidewalk for a little while.
Jane
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
Website: www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
What's Up January 2010? Mars Opposition! http://is.gd/6krYj
What's Up Podcast on YouTube: http://is.gd/6WE77
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjoneshttp://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn
Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/
Hi everyone, it seems like we haven't sent many email updates lately.
Our team has been out on the sidewalk with telescopes, tho' and we look
forward to more sidewalk astronomy in 2010! Mars Opposition is coming
up at the end of January - that is when Mars is as big and as close as
it will get this time around the sun. (Hint - it will not be that big
and not that close, but is still awesome to view!)
In the meantime, tonight there is a ISS pass at 5:25 pm tonight (that's
the LA area Pacific time zone) from the WSW going to the NE. It will
reach an altitude of 46 degrees above the horizon (halfway to overhead).
Note where in the sky Jupiter is at the time - it is in the SW, and the
ISS will be to the west of Jupiter. Click on today's date on this link
for a star chart. http://is.gd/5SAXO
And speaking of Jupiter, 400 years ago tonight, Galileo looked up in the
sky near the constellation Orion and aimed his telescope at Jupiter.
Jupiter was known to the ancients as a wandering star, but when Galileo
aimed his small telescope at it, he saw not only the known "starry
wanderer" but 3, then a few days later, 4 little objects orbiting the
planet! That discovery changed history, and certainly is the beginning
of the age of modern astronomy. go out and even with binoculars you may
be able to see the little moons - 2 on either side of the planet.
I should thank Galileo by looking up at Jupiter tonight. Because of his
observation, 400 years later I get to write blogs about Jupiter and
Tweet about Saturn in my job!! And speaking of my job, here is my
special JPL blog entry for today - it's on the JPL website.
http://blogs.jpl.nasa.gov/?p=61
And then, after you look at the ISS look to the southwest at Jupiter,
and tip your glass of Chianti to Galileo. With binoculars, you may see
the 4 little moons - two on each side of Jupiter tonight. You'll be
recreating a view that startled and amazed Galileo 400 years ago tonight!
Clear skies to everyone in 2010!
PS my solstice blog, and Clarissa our cat's own blog are here if you
need some silly reading material:
http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2009/12/02/twas-the-night-before-solstice/
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
Websites: http:www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
My NASA JPL What's Up podcast: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjoneshttp://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn
Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/
