CONJUNCTION

GREAT CONJUNCTION:
      A great conjunction in the east south east sky tonight. Perfect visibility here in Winnipeg with Jupiter slightly to the left and above the waxing Moon. Gotta get out there with binoculars, 41 below windchill or not.
Frozen but happy in Winnipeg.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

LUNAR ECLIPSE NOT VISIBLE IN MANITOBA:

As with so many other astronomical events the first total lunar eclipse to coincide with the winter solstice since 1638 isn't visible tonight in Winnipeg as yet more snow drifts gently down to move us to the wettest year in history. Here in the Central Time Zone the umbral phase is due to begin at 12:32 am, and totality at 1:40 am. Totality will last until 2:53 am, making this one of the longer eclipses. There are two lunar eclipses due next year, so better luck next time.

For the curious you can read all about this eclipse in a wikipedia article now on the web. The full eclipse will be basically a North American event this time around with the old world and much of South America missing large parts of the event. For places other than here in the Great Canadian Snowdrift the wikipedia article gives a chart of the phases for various time zones. A good source for viewing conditions in your locale is the Clear Dark Sky website. Much better and more detailed than the average weather report. For those diehards who just have to see something NASA will host a webcam real time version of the eclipse here. Seems like a very poor substitute to me, but to each their own. There will also be a chat room at the NASA site so you can either praise or howl about viewing conditions where you live.

All I can say is better luck next year.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

MOON, MARS AND ANTARES AT DUSK:

Early evening tonight 9too late) and tomorrow is a good time to spot an interesting triplet in the dusk sky towards the southwest. on these nights Mars and the Moon pair with the red supergiant Antares shortly after sunset. Antares is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpio and is so large that if it were in our solar system it would extend to somewhere between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. it is about 600 light years from us, and has the visual luminosity of about 10,000 suns. Despite this its distance means that it is "only" the 16th brightest visual star. catch this triplet tomorrow evening (see diagram). look for Mercury as well.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT:

Well Molly has been back from vacation for a few days and is hard at it again. I'm almost over the agitating experience of coming back and having to make close to 70 phone calls. Let alone the usual set of mechanical disasters. It also means I'm back to my usual late nights. Good thing this evening as I was doing this, that and the other thing in the yard and at the car, and I had a chance to catch the pairing of the almost full Moon and the planet Jupiter when they were by my own crude estimate only 2 1/2 to 3 degrees apart. Quite striking.

As the diagram shows they will gradually separate over the next few days, but they still make a great sight. Jupiter is almost at the closest approach to Earth (it happened on September 20 last month) that it will have until 2022. The pairing with an almost full Moon (Hunters' Moon this Friday, October 22) makes for particularly good viewing. The best time today was in the early evening. By midnight clouds were already starting to obscure these strangers passing in the night.

The annual Orionid meteor shower is also due this week. The projected peak will be just before dawn on Thursday 21, but the almost full Moon will obscure all but the brightest meteors. The Orionids result when the Earth crosses through the debris of Halley's Comet.

This will probably be a disappointment, but do catch the couple now in the sky.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:
THE BLUE MOON THAT ENDS THE DECADE:
Tonight, as the decade ends, we will have the unusual event of a "blue moon" to ring out the old year. The term doesn't actually refer to the moon appearing blue in colour, though this can occur given certain atmospheric conditions. If there is sufficient dust in the air then light of a longer wavelength, ie red, is scattered away from the eyes of the observer, and the light that gets through is shifted to the blue end of the spectrum. this sort of lunar colouration was most prominent after the explosion of Krakatoa in 1883, but it also occurred in the 1950s after large forest fires in Canada and Sweden. It was also reported after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, and there were even reports of "blue suns" in that year (see here). I do not recall it being so, and neither do I recall any change in the colour of the Moon after this year's extensive forest fires in BC. I do recall being able to spot the atmospheric haze after the eruption at Mount St. Helen's in 1980. Does anyone else have any memories or references ?

The origin of the phrase "blue moon" event goes as far back as 1528 when it was used in an anti-clerical English pamphlet entitled "Rede Me and Be Not Wrothe" where the author mocks the clergy saying that, if they declared the moon to be blue then they would expect others to believe it. The use of the term to describe a rare event, as in "once in a blue Moon", dates from 1824 (see here). There is some dispute about the origin of the term in relation to an "extra moon". Some say that the Old Farmer's Almanac began to use the term to refer to an extra full moon in a season in the 1800s, while others claim that the Farmers' Almanac didn't begin using the term this way until the 1930s. In any case the usage of the term as referring to two full moons in a month is of even more recent vintage. It's generally accepted that this way of using the phrase began in 1946 when a writer for Sky and Telescope Magazine misinterpreted the Farmers' Almanac rule of an extra moon in a season as being an extra moon in a month. For more on the history of the term see the Wikipedia article on blue moons.




Today's (tonight's) blue Moon takes place at 19:13 UT. Here in the Central time Zone this translates as 13:13. We obviously can't observe the exact instant of the Moon's fullness here in Manitoba at a little after 1:00 in the afternoon. In Australia and East Asia the event doesn't actually occur until tomorrow, January 1, and it is January rather than December that will have a 'blue Moon' there. The actual "blue Moon" will, however, be the second full Moon of January, not the first. The time of an "exact" full Moon is, of course, an instant rather than a night in duration. If you wish to find the exact time of the full moon and to convert it to your own local time consult the Time and Date.Com site where there is a wealth of other information such as sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset data. For those who would like a visual representation of the Moon's phases I could suggest the Moon Phase Calender at the Moon Connection site. A "blue Moon" in the sense of a second full Moon in a month occurs about once every 2.72 years.




There is also a partial eclipse of the Moon visible in Australia, Asia, Europe and Africa tonight, though it is not visible in the western hemisphere. This event has already passed , as maximum totality happened at 19;23 UT.



For those interested in matters lunar a couple of years ago Molly featured a series of articles that were a "leisurely cruise" through the various most prominent visible features of the Moon. If you're interested just type the item that you might want to read about (such as 'Mare Criseum', sea of Tranquility, etc..) in the search function of this blog and read all about it. See you in the New Year. It's been an interesting year and an interesting decade.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

A GREAT CONJUNCTION-NOV 30 TO DECEMBER 1:

Here's a little break from the usual political subject matter on this blog. Tonight and tomorrow there will be a "grand conjunction" of the Moon, Venus and Jupiter in the southwest sky. If you have been watching in that direction for the past few evenings, as Molly has, you will have seen Venus (lower and brighter) and Jupiter (higher and dimmer) gradually getting closer and closer together. The last time I was able to spot the pair, at about 5:00 on Friday the two planets were about 6 to seven degrees apart. Tonight Venus will overtake Jupiter and appear slightly below and to the east of Jupiter. A very thin crescent Moon will be seen closer to the horizon in the west. Tonight the two planets will be about 2 degrees away from each other, but you will be unable to see them from here in Winnipeg. It seems we almost always have overcast conditions for the best celestial events. The Environment Canada weather site predicts further cloud cover through tomorrow and the day after. A better site for those interested is the Clear Dark Sky site. they predict a period of relatively clearness tomorrow from 3 to 7 pm. This may be a chance to catch the events as the Moon climbs to the west of the planetary pair and Venus likewise moves further from Jupiter. This will actually be the best time to view the event as the three objects will be within a four degree triangle. After December 1 the Moon will be quite obviously to the east of the planets, and Venus will also be further from Jupiter in the same direction. Catch it if you can. The Clear Dark Sky site will give you viewing conditions for your locality if you live in North America.

The photo above, by the way, is from a prairie amateur astronomy site that I recently discovered, the Black Holes and Astro Stuff blog. I recommend it highly. The photo shows the Venus/Jupiter pair, along with the track of the International Space Station that was prominent in the southwest sky the last few days. I'm sure that, weather conditions permitting, that the BHAAS blog will be in the running for the Sky News photo contest this year. Would that I had such photo talent. By the way, here's another item from that blog, a picture of the area where the recent 'Prairie Meteor' was sighted. Pieces of the meteor have apparently been found near Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, but more on that later. See the BHAAS blog on our "Scientific Links' section, with many kudos to a great blogger.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

MOLLY MISSES THE HARVEST MOON:

I had meant to blog on this matter two days ago when, at 4:13 am CDT the full moon called the 'Harvest Moon' reached its peak fullness. Ah, but many things intervened; so here it is now.

The Harvest Moon is defined as the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox which we come next Monday, September 22 this year. The Harvest Moon may come either before or after the equinox, and about once every four years it occurs in October rather than September. This often leads to confusion with the following 'Hunters' Moon', and the two actually share a similarity.

The reason the Harvest Moon is so called is that, while the Moon usually rises about 50 minutes later each night at the time of the equinox this day to day duration is shortened. For instance this year, as per the Time and Date website, moonrise was at 7:30 pm on September 15th, the day of the Harvest Moon, while today, on the 17th, it is 8:05 pm here in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In other words only a 15 minute difference from day to day (the difference is longer the further south you go). This means that there is a lesser period of absolute darkness between sunset and moonrise at this time of year and that harvest activities could be resumed by moonlight well into the night after the Sun had set.

The Harvest Moon also has a few other tradition names, including the 'Wine Moon' , the 'Singing Moon' and the 'Elk Call Moon'. In any case the Harvest Moon is reputed to confer the blessing of the Norse trickster god Loki for a plentiful harvest. So, no tricks now, have a happy Fall, and more on the upcoming autumnal equinox soon.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

EVIDENCE FOR EARLY LIFE ON EARTH-ON THE MOON !!!:

The following is a thought provoking article from Space.Com.

............................

Bits of Ancient Earth Hidden on the Moon

By John Ruley

Some scientists believe that at least one meteorite found in Antarctica preserves evidence of ancient life on Mars. Now, work by a team of English scientists reinforces an earlier suggestion that evidence of life on the early Earth might be found in meteorites on the moon.

The original idea was presented in a 2002 paper by University of Washington astronomer John Armstrong, who suggested that material ejected from Earth during the Late Heavy Bombardment (a period about four billion years ago when the Earth was subjected to a rain of asteroids and comets) might be found on the moon.

Armstrong's suggestion was interesting, but whether a meteor ejected from the Earth might arrive intact on the moon remained an open question.

New research by a team under Ian Crawford and Emily Baldwin of the Birkbeck College School of Earth Sciences used more sophisticated means to simulate the pressures any such terrestrial meteorites might have experienced during their arrival on the lunar surface. This confirmed Armstrong's hypothesis. In many cases, the pressures could be low enough to permit the survival of biological markers, making the lunar surface a good place to look for evidence of early terrestrial life.

Any such markers are unlikely to remain on Earth, where they would have been erased long ago by more than three billion years of volcanic activity, later meteor impacts, or simple erosion by wind and rain.
Crash landings
Given that material from early Mars has been found in meteorites on Earth, it certainly seems reasonable that material from the early Earth could be found on the moon. Indeed, Armstrong's paper estimated that tens of thousands of tons of terrestrial meteorites may have arrived there during the Late Heavy Bombardment.

However, there is a problem: The moon lacks any appreciable atmosphere. Meteorites arriving on Earth are decelerated by passing through our atmosphere. As a result, while the surface of the meteorite may melt, the interior is often preserved intact. Could a meteorite from Earth survive a high-velocity impact on the lunar surface?

Crawford and Baldwin's analysis, based on commercially available software called AUTDYN, used finite element analysis to simulate the behavior of two different types of meteors impacting the lunar surface.

Armstrong's group performed a crude calculation indicating that pressures experienced by a terrestrial meteorite arriving on the moon probably would not be enough to melt it. Crawford and Baldwin's group simulated their meteors as cubes, and calculated pressures at 500 points on the surface of the cube as it impacted the lunar surface at a wide range of impact angles and velocities.

In the most extreme case they tested (vertical impact at a speed of some 11,180 mph, or 5 kilometers per second), Crawford reports that "some portions" of the simulated meteorite would have melted, but "the bulk of the projectile, and especially the trailing half, was subjected to much lower pressures."

At impact velocities of 2.5 kilometers per second or less, "no part of the projectile even approached a peak pressure at which melting would be expected." He concludes that biomarkers ranging from the presence of organic carbon to "actual microfossils" could have survived the relatively low pressures experienced by the trailing edge of a large meteorite impacting the moon.
Hard to find
Finding terrestrial meteorites on the moon will be challenging. Crawford suggests that the key to finding terrestrial material is to look for water locked inside. Many minerals on Earth are formed in processes involving water, volcanic activity, or both. By contrast, the moon lacks both water and volcanoes.

Minerals formed in the presence of water, called hydrates, can be detected using infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Crawford and his co-authors believe that a high-resolution IR sensor in lunar orbit could be used to detect any large (over one meter) hydrate meteorites on the lunar surface, while a lunar rover with such a sensor "could search for smaller meteorites exposed at the surface."

Other planetary astronomers view the issue more conservatively. Dr. Mike Gaffey of the University of North Dakota Space Studies department argues that while "debris from a large terrestrial impact could have reached the moon ... it's highly unlikely that it would be in sufficient concentrations to be seen" using orbital instruments.

He believes that the meteorites would be shattered into small pieces by the impact, and then subjected to a form of lunar weathering due to the solar wind and a continuous rain of micro meteoroids that hit the moon. Instead, he suggests that any surviving material from Earth would be fractured into small pieces embedded in ancient lunar soils, some of which might be exposed at the surface by later meteor impacts.

Crawford concedes that point, and suggests that it might be necessary to dig below the surface to find terrestrial meteorites. He adds that collecting samples, observing them on the lunar surface, and picking those that warrant a return to Earth for detailed analysis "would be greatly facilitated by a human presence on the moon."

The last U.S. astronaut to set foot on the moon, Dr. Harrison Schmitt, was a geologist. If current NASA plans for a return to the moon later in this century are fulfilled, perhaps Dr. Schmitt's successors will search for hydrated rocks, which might unlock the mystery of how life began on the Earth.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

SEND YOUR NAME TO THE MOON:

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.........................

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Send Your Name to the Moon

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE WINNIPEG: ENTRY NUMBER 8:

Just as a little sign-off here...It's now about 12:35 am on the morning of February 21. The eclipse is long over, and Saturn and Regulus are now in their "proper" places as per the references I quoted before. Saturn is above and to the left of the Moon. Regulus is to the right and above. I guess that the references didn't take take account of the time and merely quoted the position at midnight. Well, that's one mystery solved. Time to sign off for the night. sweet dreams to all... Molly.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE IN WINNIPEG: ENTRY NUMBER 7:

It is now 11:21 pm, and the eclipse is now over here in Winnipeg. I obtained a few pictures of the latter part of the partial eclipse, but I doubt their quality. All told it was a far better eclipse, despite the temperatures, than either of the two that we experienced in 2007 (see out archives). viewing conditions were much better. I particluarily enjoyed the early and late phases of the partyial eclipse. Molly has settled on calling the eclipse as sonewhere between L2 and L3 on the Danjon Scale. What do others, particularily readers here in Winnipeg, think ? I'd be very interested in hearing your opinion.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

PYTHAGOAS AND THE ROUND EARTH; "ECLIPSOID FACTOID":

One of the legends of popular culture is that prior to Columbus most European people believed in a "flat Earth". In actual fact almost all educated people from antiquity on knew very well that the Earth was spherical. This belief is often atributed to the philosopher and mathematical Pythgagoras, orginator of the 'Pythagoran theorum' (a squared plus b squared equals c squared in a right angle triangle), the bane of all of us who had to endure the usual Catholic education that included geometry. Try and prove it, rather than memorize it. Pythagoras is also often credited with "proving" that the Earth is round by observing the shape of the shadow of the Earth on the Moon during a lunar eclipse. This is pretty much apocryphal as whatever reports of Pythagoras' reasonings that have survived (none of the original writings have) says that he "proved" the Earth's spherical shape by merely "reasoning" that a sphere was a more "perfect shape". It was Aristotle who later refined the reasoning of the shape of the Earth's shadow on the Moon(amongst his other reasons for assuming a spherical Earth) to prove that the Earth was a sphere rather than a simple circular disc. The "perfection of the sphere" was part and parcel of the later geocentric system devised by Ptolemy, a model that lasted until Copernicus and Galileo when it was replaced by a heliocentric model. Aristotle was more the originator (and certainly the refiner) of the proof of a spherical Earth than Pythagoras ever was. It is a popular myth that Europeans before Columbus, or at least those who were educated, believed in a "flat Earth".

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

WINNIPEG TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE: ENTRY 6:

It's now 9:57 pm and totality has ended. The brighter edge of the Moon has shifted from the right hand side downwards and to the left. It gives me some doubt about whether this is an L2 or L3 eclipse. As we get further into the partial eclipse I will try and take some pictures, even though I have little faith in my camera. We'll see what happens. The partial eclipse will end at 11:08 pm tonight as the bright light of the Moon gradually grows across nthe left hand side.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE IN WINNIPEG: ENTRY 5:

Molly is presently defrosting from being outside for many minutes watching the eclipse during the time of mid-totality. This one looks like a definite L2 to bothy me and the wife. Please see previous posts on this subject for reporting your own observations to either Sky and Telescope Magazine or to Dr. richard keen. The only problem I have with assigning a level to the eclipse is the asymetry to the brighter regions of the Moon. So far the right hand side is considerably brighter than the left. The colour is obvious, and considerably darker than what I have heard predicted on the radio. Also, as a correction to what I have posted here before Saturn is considerably below the Moon in the sky. At totality it was quite bright. Regulus almost directly above the Moon, and only a little bit to the right. I don't know what was wrong with the references that I posted before. As I end this blog it is about 6 minutes to the end of totality. I'll be out there observing again at that time, and I'll try to get some photos, though I have little faith in the quality nof my camera.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

LUNAR ECLIPSE IN WINNIPEG: ENTRY 4:

As I begin to write this at 9;13 pm we are well into totality (which peaks 9:26). The Moon appears a very obvious L2 to me right now. I still cannot see any of the other stars of Leo besides Regulus, but because I am observing this from the middle of a city where the Moon is situated "right beside" the full light of a street lamp (the position I have to get to to see it properly) this is not unexpected. the wife is argueing with me about where the Moon sits on the Danjon scale, but she's outside right now with the binoculars so we'll see. Ooops she just came in and finally agreed with me. She also claimed "squatters' rights" on the binoculars. Well, the temperature is such that both of us are unlikely to be outside at the same time, at least for very long. Brrrrrrr.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

LUNAR ECLIPSE IN WINNIPEG: ENTRY 3:

Almost totality. Three more minutes to go. The Moon presently seems to be at L2 on the Danjon Scale. The windchill is now -41 below. Cold beyond belief, but the sight is well worth it if you can get in in short bursts.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

PROGRESS OF THE TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE IN WINNIPEG: ENTRY 2:

It is now about 8:38 pm here in Winnipeg, and the eclipse has progressed so far as to begin to obscure the Seas of Tranquility and Serenity on the right hand side of the Moon. the graphic on the left, by the way, is of when the eclipse is almost over. presently darkness is proceeding from the lower left corner of the Moon. Both Saturn and Regulus are presently much more prominant than they were before. I still cannot see the other stars of Leo. Understandable given as I am watching the eclipse from the middle of the city, ducking out into a windchill of -38 with benefit of toque but little else. The plastic straps of my binoculars become stiff outside within seconds. The radio informs me that the Royal Astronomical Society here in Winnipeg have set up a telescope down at the Forks, as they often do for major sky events. I don't think they'll have much of a turnout at temperatures like this, especially if you have to run major distances to get warm again. I hope for the sake of all my fellow sky buffs that they have a short and clear run to warmth.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

THE LUNAR ECLIPSE IN WINNIPEG:

This is a more or less "live blog" of the progress of the lunar eclipse here in Winnipeg. As predicted earlier today the viewing conditions are, in my opinion, excellent. At about 6:45 pm I could see a cloud bank way off in the west, but it is unlikely to get anywhere near east enough to interfer with viewing tonight. As I write this (8:20 pm) the partial eclipse has so far covered about 50% of the Moon's surface, and it now entirely covers the Oceanus Procellarum (search this blog under 'Moon' for descriptions of various major lunar

features). There are about 38 minutes left to go until totality begins. It is still too early to judge how this eclipse will come out on the Danjon Scale, but what I see so far makes me hazard a guess that it will come out as either L2 or L3 (see previous "lunar eclipse" posts for an aexplnation of this scale).

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

LUNAR ECLIPSE TONIGHT: VIEWING CONDITIONS IN WINNIPEG:

Less than 12 hours to go until the lunar eclipse. See yesterday's post for the times and our archives for this month and last for more information. The viewing conditions tonight promise to be good despite an extreme windchill of -41 (actual low -28). According to the Environment Canada weather office there will only be a few clouds. The Clear Dark Sky website predicts better conditions than they did yesterday. According to that site there will be no cloud cover until about 11 pm. That will probably come from the west, and thgus it shouldn't interfer with the eclipse. The transparency will be above average, and the general "seeing" will be average. Happy viewing. More later tonight.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

LUNAR ECLIPSE FEBRUARY 20: ONE MORE DAY TO GO:

As has been previously mentioned, the last total eclipse of the Moon visible from North America until 2010 will be coming up tomorrow night. Here in Central Standard Time the partial eclipse will begin at 19:43, the total eclipse will begin at 21:01 and end at 21:50, and the partial eclipse will end at 23:08. See previous posts on this blog in our archives for January and February of this year (search 'Lunar eclipse') for more on the timing and how to convert to your own time zone.

VIEWING CONDITIONS:

The Environment Canada weather office site predicts clear conditions for tomorrow and the day after. You can check the general weather forecast for your area from this source if you live in Canada. For a more detailed forecast look to the Clear Dark Sky site. Molly has added a widgit of this site for the Winnipeg area near the bottom of our Links section. It is the strange looking hatched coloured bar. This forecast, much more detailed than that from Environment Canada, unfortunately predicts less than ideal viewing conditions here in Winnipeg tomorrow night. Up to 60% cloud cover (one hopes mainly in the West) and "poor" "seeing conditions". We'll just have to wait and see, no pun intended. I'll update the forecast tomorrow. The Clear Dark Sky site provides detailed atmospheric forecasts for many dozens of sites across the North American continent, not just Canada.

OTHER THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

There are a few other things to look for during the upcoming eclipse. I have already mentioned that the planet Saturn will be prominent above and to the left of the Moon during the eclipse period tomorrow. On the other side, to the right, will be the star Regulus. This is the most prominent star in the constellation of Leo (see this blog for May 13, 2007 for a discussion of 'The Constellation Leo')., and it forms the base of the "sickle" that defines the head of the lion that is Leo. it is the 21st brightest star in the sky, at an apparent magnitude of 1.35. During this eclipse Saturn and Regulus will bracket the Moon. Because it is positioned on the ecliptic Regulus is routinely occulted by the Moon, and rarely by other planets. There will be three occultations of Regulus this year, on February 21, March 19 and April 15. All of them, however, will only be visible from parts of the southern hemisphere. If you have an interest in occulatations Molly advises you to look up the International Occulation Timing Association website. There's a wealth of information there. For other interesting astronomical events in the upcoming week tune in to the Weekly Stargazing Tips on Star Date Online. The Leonid Meteor showers, by the way, are sometimes the most dramatic of the meteor showers in a year. This year they are due on the morning of November 17.