Steve’s Virtual Planet

Winter Solstice 2024

Ok, I’ll be brief … it’s not just another short day today, but at 4:20 AM EST, it was officially the Winter Solstice for December 2024. That interesting fact is obviously very important to a great many people around the world!! Now, this year on the morning of, admittedly I was not up and wide awake at this hour of celebration. Nevertheless, judging by the accounts in the news later in the day(light), there were numerous gatherings at places like Stonehenge, which is perhaps the most famous site for this event.

However, the druids of Britain aren’t the only revelers out making the most of the shortest day in the year. Cultures from as far back as the New Stone Age have recognized the significance of the solstice. From those times, holidays have been created by numerous groups worldwide to celebrated it. You can start closer to home with some background on this event with a more practical and scientific perspective by checking these articles in the two popular almanacs.

The Old Farmers Almanac has a very nice explanation of the Winter Solstice from an astronomical viewpoint. There is also a deeper explanation of what the seasons are about and how they are celebrated around the world. The other publication, called simply The Farmer’s Almanac, has an article from a cultural perspective and outlines a number of different festivals associated with the Winter Solstice.

I wrote about some of the world wide celebrations in an earlier post.

originally posted on Dec 21, 2024

updated on Dec 22, 2024

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Jupiter Opposition - 2024

The planet Jupiter is putting on a great show all night for the month of December. It will be closest to Earth on Dec 6 and reach opposition the next day.

The web site EarthSky is a great place to go for all kinds of insights into our solar system as well as articles on space and astrophysics. Check out their Astronomy Essentials section for a fine article on this year’s opposition with sky charts and lots of details about our largest planet.

originally published Dec 6, 2024

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Full Moon Names - December

The traditional full moon name for December is the Full Cold Moon (also called the Long Night Moon). This month’s full moon will reach its peak on Sunday, December 15th, at 4:02 AM EST.

The name of this month’s full moon is used by the Celts and various indigenous cultures in North America especially with the onset of Winter and the shortest daytime on the Winter Solstice. See even more details of these cultural references in the links below.

From the older Old Farmer’s Almanac - December Full Moon. See the article to access a moon rise calculator. There are also alternative names from early American history various native cultures.

From the newer Farmer’s Almanac - December Full Moon. There is a deeper explanation of the history of the full moon names in North America and some additional alternate names.

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Full Moon Names - November

November is HERE and its time for a bonus Super Moon!! This month, the Weather Channel has details on this months Full moon. The traditional full moon name for November is the Full Beaver Moon. This month’s full moon will reach its peak on Friday, November 15th, at 4:29 AM EST.

Check the almanac references in the links below:

From the older Old Farmer’s Almanac - November Full Moon. See the article to access a moon rise calculator. There are also alternative names from early American history various native cultures.

From the newer Farmer’s Almanac - November Full Moon. There is a deeper explanation of the history of the full moon names in North America and some additional alternate names.

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Jupiter returns for 2024

Daylight savings time is almost gone for the year so Jupiter is back in view during evening skies, coming up in the east around 9:00PM. The DST shift grants even more time for catching the King of Planets. Once it clears the treeline, about 10:00PM or so, you can enjoy Jupiter nestled in the midst of the bright stars of the Winter Hexagon.

If the Galilean Moons are your thing, see if you can pick them up on your binoculars. With a small telescope and a magnification of around 18-30, and a decent dark(ish) sky, you should be able to see the moons and some cloud top features on Jupiter. Galileo himself had recently developed his 30 power telescope by the time he documented these moons for his book, The Starry Messenger.

You can get a useful preview of the moon positions using Sky View Cafe. If you open the tool to the “Moons” tab, you can them adjust your date and time to see where they will appear in relation to Jupiter itself. Depending on the optics you are using, set the Options over in the right marked “North on top” and “Celestial east on left”. Use the Help page and scroll to the Moon/GRS View section for details how to use those two settings.

Especially notable this apparition is the Great Red Spot (GRS) that has been appearing steadily smaller for the last 10 years or so. However, it is not known for sure whether the storm is actually shrinking or this appearance is merely part of an ongoing behavior. The Moons tool above will also show you when the GRS is in view.

Jupiter will be with us in the evening sky through the end of April, plenty of time to explore the moons and features of our largest planet. I hope you will enjoy the show from our biggest and brightest planetary neighbor!

originally published Oct 30, 2024

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Full Moon Names - October

Fall is HERE and its time for a Super Moon!! Check out the NASA link for a detailed explanation of how different cultures celebrate this event. The traditional full moon name for October is the Full Hunter’s Moon. This month’s full moon appears already full on Thursday, October 17th, around 7:27 AM EDT.

Check the almanac references in the links below:

From the older Old Farmer’s Almanac - October Full Moon. See the article to access a moon rise calculator. There are also alternative names from early American history various native cultures.

From the newer Farmer’s Almanac - October Full Moon. There is a deeper explanation of the history of the full moon names in North America and some additional alternate names.

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S.V.P. Comet News - C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)

Comet C/2023 A3 is in the news over the last few weeks and with a lot of due excitement. It was discovered independently by two different observatories in early 2023 and also goes by the proper name of Tsuchinshan-ATLAS to recognize the co-discoverers. It may end up being one of the better visible comets in the last few years.

C/2023 A3 has been clearly visible naked eye from the southern hemisphere and there are already dozens of great images posted around the internet. Lucky for us in the northern latitudes, the comet will soon emerge from the glare of the sun so we can see it in the northern hemisphere. If you have a good view to the west, by October 12 it should be getting into view in eastern Virgo.

It’s currently fairly bright, about magnitude 3 as of this writing. It should reach an easy to see mag 2.6 on October 7 but will then dim gradually over the next few weeks. Nevertheless, it promises to still put on quite a show in the next month or so. It will climb higher in the sky through Serpens in mid October and into Ophiuchus during November.

If you need a sky map to find the comet, I recommend using this great tool at In-The-Sky.org. You can set the options for time span and the generate a map that can be download for printing.

The SpaceWeather.com web site has been carrying frequent reports and the now have a growing collection of images in their image gallery. You can also check out these sites for lots of good updates- Astronomy magazine, Space.com.

first published on Sep 26, 2024

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Sunspot Maximum

On August 23, 2024, the count of sunspots on our Sun reached a 20 year high, during the peak in solar cycle 23. The Space Weather web site highlighted this phenomenon with images of the Sun. If you look at the Daily Sun area in the left hand margin, you can get a large image of the sun with the active regions (AR) labeled. You can also get a “Carrington” map that compares the current view to the event of the same name.

I was also able to get some good shots that day from my front yard using my cell phone clamped on a white-filtered 80mm refactor. Active regions 3790, 3792 and 3799 were “just plain huge” (that’s a technical term for ‘larger than the Earth’). Truly remarkable even if not quite as big (fortunately) as Carrington but nevertheless a remarkable day in the life of our Sun … not to mention that I actually got a decent astro-photo that was in focus!!

Published Sep 23, 2024

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The Carrington Event

Part of my upcoming new category on Solar Dynamics and Space Weather:

The Carrington event of September 1st, 1859 - from spaceweather.com

“On Sept. 1st, 1859, the most ferocious solar storm in recorded history engulfed our planet. It was “the Carrington Event,” named after British scientist Richard Carrington, who witnessed the flare that started it. The storm rocked Earth’s magnetic field, sparked auroras over Cuba, the Bahamas and Hawaii, set fire to telegraph stations, and wrote itself into history books as the Biggest. Solar. Storm. Ever.”

More articles like this on spaceweather’s archive site

Published Oct 31, 2020, Updated Sep 23, 2024

Posted in Space Weather | 1 Comment »

International Observe the Moon Night

International Observe the Moon Night (IOtMN) is an annual public outreach event … “that encourages observation, appreciation, and understanding of the Moon and its connection to planetary science and exploration” (Wikipedia). International Observe the Moon Night is sponsored by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission and the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, with many contributors.

IOtMN occurs annually in September or October, when the Moon is around first quarter ― a great phase for evening observing. A first-quarter Moon offers excellent viewing opportunities along the terminator (the line between night and day), where shadows enhance the Moon’s cratered landscape. This year’s event is officially Saturday, September 14th, two days after first quarter.

Follow the first link above to visit the NASA IOtMN website with a rich selection of resources, viewing tips and detailed maps of the lunar surface highlighting the best targets for viewing. For a detailed map of the moon on that night, check out this interactive page. There is also a downloadable map set with specific easy to view surface features and locations of the six Apollo landing sites.

You can enjoy the magic if viewing the moon by yourself at home or in one of many events hosted by  organized groups. And the resources above are all usable every month for your own personal exploration of the Moon!

Published Sep 2, 2024, Updated Sep 12, 2024

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