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Tuesday, December 01, 2009
December eNewsletter from the Minnesota Planetarium Society
In this issue from the Minnesota Planetarium Society:
President Vaughan Thanks Donors
Join Us for "The Night Sky" at the MIA
Pack Your Water Bottles!
Jupiter Still Dominates December Skies
Special December Astronomical Events
Use Binoculars to See Two Distant Star Groups
When is Our Moon a Blue Moon?
Minnesota Planetarium is “out there” Electronically
President Vaughan Thanks Donors
Thanksgiving and Black Friday are history for this year. Just before the turkey feast, giveMN.org had a one-day fundraising event for Minnesota's non-profits and it was a wildly successful event. I want to thank all of you who took action that day and designated the Minnesota Planetarium Society as your non-profit of choice. We raised over $6,200.00 that day alone. In case you missed that opportunity, our staff and volunteers have just finished licking envelopes and putting postage on nearly 2500 letters for our annual appeal.
Your contribution to The Society this year is truly appreciated as we draw near the end of the International Year of Astronomy. We have accomplished much this year and will continue to do so in 2010 with your help.
Angus M. Vaughan, President
Minnesota Planetarium Society
Join Us for "The Night Sky" at the MIA
Monday, December 13 is Target Family Day, featuring "The Night Sky" at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. There are lots of activities from 11am -4:30pm, including presentations from the Minnesota Planetarium Society at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30pm on "Exploring the Night Sky." For further information see http://artsmia.org/index.php?section_id=197.
Pack Your Water Bottles!
In November, NASA released the first results from the October 9 two-part impact of the LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite) in a permanently shadowed crater on the Moon. The impact of LCROSS's upper stage created a plume of vapor and dust which had not been exposed to sunlight for billions of years. Ultraviolet and near infrared spectrometers on LCROSS then studied this plume prior to its own impact four minutes later. The spectrometers break up the light into its colors, much as sunlight is spread out in a rainbow when it goes through a prism. The distinct pattern of near infrared colors in the spectra shows clear signs of water from the crater floor. Scientists are busily figuring out exactly how much water was found and how it got to the Moon. This discovery cracks open the door for water-hungry humans thinking about establishing a base on the Moon. See
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/prelim_water_results.html.
Jupiter Still Dominates December Skies
Around 730pm, Jupiter shines brightly in the southwest sky. The bright star Vega, about 25 degrees above the northwest horizon, is the nose of Cygnus the Swan, flying downwards to the western horizon, probably trying to escape the onset of winter. In dark skies you can see the Milky Way splashed from Vega through Cassiopeia (M or W shaped) just north of the zenith. The fair Andromeda lies directly overhead with the Great Square of Pegasus (the upside down half a flying horse) to the southwest. Perseus, shaped like a peace symbol without the circle around it, resides just east of Cassiopeia. Orion rises in the east with his belt stars pointing upwards to the bright, ruddy star Aldebaran in Taurus and on to the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters. Predictions for the Geminid meteor shower look decent for Dec 13 around 11pm. See http://skymaps.com for a star map.
Special December Astronomical Events
Dec 6 Mars about 10° left of Moon - After midnight
Dec 7 Mars about 9° above Moon - After midnight
Dec 7 Earliest sunset at 4:32pm
Dec 10 Saturn about 9° above Moon - 6am SSE
Dec 13-14 Geminid meteor shower - Estimated peak activity around 11pm on Dec 13
Dec 21 Winter solstice and shortest day of the year
Dec 21 Jupiter about 5° below Moon - 6pm
Dec 31 Blue Moon or is it?
Use Binoculars to See Two Distant Star Groups
Fall is the perfect time to observe one of the most distant objects visible to the naked eye--the Andromeda Galaxy, our nearest big neighbor galaxy of several hundred billion stars. It appears as a faint oval with a bright area in the center, though you need a dark location and keen eyesight to spot it. At 8pm, slowly scan binoculars almost directly overhead for a fuzzy haze you will not mistake for a star. The light you see left the Andromeda Galaxy 2 1/2 million years ago.
Two groups of thousands of stars near Andromeda on the sky are much closer to home--the Perseus Double Cluster. Binoculars reveal hundreds of stars packed tightly together in each group; look closely and you will see the reddish-orange tint of a few red giant stars. The clusters lie between Perseus and Cassiopeia (see December Skies) but the light left these stars only 7000 years ago.
When is Our Moon a Blue Moon?
Early Farmer’s Almanacs suggest it is the third full Moon in a season with four full moons. The popular misinterpretation is that a blue moon is the second full moon in a month as happens this month with full moons on the second and the thirty-first, New Year’s Eve. For an excellent article, see Sky and Telescope magazine’s website at http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/moon/3304131.html?page=1&c=y
Minnesota Planetarium is “out there” Electronically
Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to stay up to date and connect with the efforts to build and operate this beautiful science education facility. There is a lot going on, from public events, to the traveling ExploraDome appearing near you, to updates on our fundraising and designs for the final facility: the Minnesota Planetarium and Space Discovery Center.
Check them out and tell a friend!!
Website:
http://mplanetarium.org
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/MPlanetarium
(Then click on the “+1 Become a Fan” button near the top.)
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/MPlanetarium
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/MPlanetariumSociety
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