January 2004

• Comet Machholz
  
  
• Planetary Update
  
  
• The Moon
  
  
• Website of the Month
  

Comet Machholz

There's a new comet in the sky! Comet Machholz is drifting across the evening sky. Spotting this comet is a great beginner's challenge -- it's a perfect opportunity to jump start your interest in backyard astronomy. No matter what level astronomer you are, this comet is just right... You might be able to spot it with the naked eye in January. With binoculars it's even better. But, if you can catch it with a telescope you'll have the best view of all.

This comet was discovered in late August of this year by Don Machholz. This is the 10th comet for which he can claim discovery! He tells a wonderful story of how he and his dog, Shadow, found this comet on a warm summer night.

Now that Don Machholz has done the hard part, you can see it, too. If you can find Orion and Taurus, considered two of the easiest constellations to spot, you are well on your way to spotting Comet Machholz. By 6:30 PM, the bright winter constellation of Orion has appeared low in the southeastern sky. Through the rest of December, the comet will climb up the sky, just to the south of Orion. You'll need to look about two and half "Orion widths" across the sky to Orion's right.

Here's a general idea of where to look for this comet through the beginning of January:

Approximate path of Comet Machholz

Some people in darker regions have claimed they can see the comet with the naked eye already. This will be tough in the Eastern United States for two reasons: first, we have too many street lights and city lights; second, the comet will simply appear as a dot of light in the sky, easily mistaken for a star. The comet's wispy tail is certainly not visibly with the naked eye.

With binoculars, it currently appears as a fuzzy ball, slightly larger than the stars in that region of the sky. Even with binoculars, the tail will be difficult to see, but the body and coma of the comet will be quite brilliant.

Of course, if you have a telescope, you'll have the best view. On a cool, clear night, you should be able to see the coma and the long, wispy tail.

CREDIT: Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF, Kitt Peak Observatory

New telescope users: be patient. It can be frustrating at first. It can be tricky to line up objects which are invisible to the naked eye. The comet should be getting brighter through January, so that may be a better time to try to find Comet Machholz. By March, it will have drifted all the way across the sky and be very close to Polaris, the North Star.

The Jet Propulsion Labs have posted some star charts to help you find this comet throughout April.

Good luck!

Planetary Update

Mercury, Venus, and Mars are all together in the morning sky through the end of December into the beginning of January.

the morning sky

Mars is being clutched in the claws of Scorpius, the Scorpion, and not far behind him is the bright reddish star called Antares, the brightest star in the Scorpion; it's sometimes thought of as his burning, angry heart.

Venus (named for the goddess of beauty) and Mercury (named for the swift messenger of the gods) are basically holding hands throughout the next few weeks. They are below and to the East of Mars. Venus is the one you will certainly notice first, but the much less bright fellow close by is Mercury.

These three planets grace the Southeastern skies, and will be a great treat for the early rising planet-spotters out there!

This is how far you are seeing:
Mercury: 77 million miles from Earth
Venus: almost 140 million miles from Earth
Mars: almost 216 million miles from Earth

Jupiter rears its beautiful head around 2:00 in the morning. He'll still be there as the sun comes up, but he'll be high in the sky, above Mercury, Venus, and Mars. In the very early morning hours, he's low in the East.

the ultra-early morning sky

Right above Jupiter lies the constellation of Leo. Jupiter is actually smack-dab in the middle of Virgo, which mostly consists of dim stars. The bright star Regulus jumps right out; it sits at the bottom of the backwards-question-mark that is the head of Leo.

And across the sky to the left, or East, of Jupiter is the bright star Arcturus, which, though less bright than Jupiter, stands out among the other stars in the sky. Arturus is part of the constellation Bootes.

Jupiter is almost 526 million miles from Earth.

Saturn is the real trooper of the night sky. Saturn will be pulling all-nighters throughout the month of January. Saturn is up in the sky by 7:00 pm, and doesn't set until after the sun goes down. It's the first planet you see after sunset -- it is a perfect one to spot if you prefer the evening sky.

the evening sky

Saturn is right below the constellation of Gemini, the twins, whose heads are the bright stars Castor and Pollux. (In the diagram, tilt your head 90 degrees to the left, and you should see the two stick figures that represent the twins.)

Below and to the East of Saturn you will see a bright star called Procyon, one of the brightest stars in the evening sky this time of year. That star is part of the constellation Canis Minor, the little dog. This entire constellation consists of TWO STARS -- the ancient Greeks had a rich imagination.

Saturn is up there for the whole night because it is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun. When the sun and a planet are on opposite sides of the Earth, this is referred to as "opposition", and Saturn's official opposition happens in the middle of January. A planet at opposition provides the best viewing because it is up there at all times during the night, and it is receiving the most sunlight from our point of view.

Saturn is 759 million miles away. That's quite a view! The light from Saturn takes about one hour, ten minutes to get to the Earth... when you see Saturn, you're actually seeing it as it looked over an hour ago!

The Moon

The phases for this month:

Website of the Month

This month I would like to feature a classic and classy web site about the Solar System: The Nine Planets!

The Nine Planets

The Nine Planets is not overloaded with graphics or flashy animations. It is a crisp, easy-to-read view of the entire Solar System. It is constantly updated with new facts, and is really a staple of web-surfers who like to learn about all things in our little corner of the Universe. Bill Arnett, the site's author, maintains this encyclopedic mass of pages with succinct clarity, and occasional humor.

Whether your interest is the sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, telescopes, spacecraft, or mythology, this is the best place to start. Arnett embeds thousands of links around the Internet within his text, and catalogs links to more information, graphics, and animation.

I learn something new every time I visit The Nine Planets, and I'm certain you will, too.

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