Stargazing Night

Stargazing Night

Where:
Frosty Drew Observatory
When:
Friday March 18, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
Cost:
$1 Suggested Donation per Person

Tonight is Stargazing Night at Frosty Drew Observatory and forecasts are looking quite promising. We can expect partly cloudy skies to start with clouds quickly moving out. We will also have the bright 80% waxing gibbous Moon with us for nearly all night which will brightly obscure our view of most deep sky objects. Though the Moon, Jupiter with all four Galilean Moons, and binary stars will be fabulous catches tonight under the mostly clear – clear skies.

We will open the Observatory and Sky Theatre at 7:30 p.m. In the Observatory, telescopes will showcase the bright 80% gibbous Moon, featuring the fabulous Copernicus and Plato craters, which will be just along the terminator region (where the sunlit area and shadow area meet). Shortly after start we will turn our telescopes towards Jupiter, which is still in prime viewing for 2016. All four Galilean Moons will be in view with Io and Europa forming a close conjunction. The Sky Theatre will be open and toasty warm for those looking for a break from the 30° temps, with a showcase of many celestial objects we photograph at Frosty Drew on display. We will stay on site and open until near midnight and will post a “Closing up” message to our Twitter (@FrostyDrewOBSY) and Facebook when we decide to pack it in.

Overall, tonight looks to be a great night to catch a stunning view of the Moon in the telescope. Mostly clear skies will offer up many viewing opportunities of brighter objects, though the bright gibbous Moon will make it near impossible to catch site of the fabled starscape over Frosty Drew. If the Moon and Jupiter is your digs, then tonight is your night. So bundle up, grab your family and friends, and head out to Frosty Drew for a night blanketed in cool moonlight and show off your lunar prowess.

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Weekly Happenings
Scott MacNeill

This coming Sunday, March 20th at 12:30 a.m., the Ecliptic, which is the path the Sun takes through the sky, will intersect with Earth's celestial equator. This intersection is the Vernal Equinox which will mark the end of winter and the start of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere. At this time the Earth will reach a point in its orbit where it is neither tilted towards or away from the Sun. This will result in equal amounts of daylight for corresponding locations north and south of the equator, with the Sun passing directly overhead (at zenith) on the equator at Noon.


The Equinoxes, like the Solstices, are a result of Earth's 23.4° axial tilt. As the Earth orbits the Sun, our axial tilt remains constant and generally points in the same direction. (Note that precession will change our axial tilt and the direction of our axial tilt, though we are not talking about that here as these changes don't noticeably happen over one year). As the Earth makes its way around Sun, our 365 day year, we will reach points in our orbit, opposite each other, where Earth's tilt will be either inclined 23.4° toward or away from the Sun, these are the Solstices. In between the Solstices are points in our orbit where Earth's tilt will not be inclined toward or away from the Sun, these are the Equinoxes. The changes in our orbit as it relates to our tilt are visible to us when looking at the Sun's path across the sky. Around the Summer Solstice in June, we see the Sun pass much higher in the Northern Hemisphere sky, giving us longer days and hot temps, though around the Winter Solstice in December, we see the Sun cross the sky much lower to the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere sky, resulting in short days and cold temps. This is of course all opposite if you are in the Southern Hemisphere.

Like last year, we can expect a significant winter storm on the first day of spring. New England's way of reminding us that we certainly get winter at these latitudes! While preparing for the Nor'easter on Sunday, keep in mind that it's also the first day of spring and beach days, late sunsets, Milky Way nights, and heat zealotry are just around the corner.


Overnight Tuesday into Wednesday (March 21 - 22) a series of fabulous celestial events featuring Jupiter will happen. To start, Jupiter will be in conjunction with the 98% waxing gibbous Moon, appearing near 2° above the Moon. This will be a naked eye event! Though the real awesome begins at 11:00 p.m. when a double shadow transit will begin. Double shadow transits are a result of Jupiter's small 3.1° axial tilt and the orbit of the Galilean Moons which frequently pass into the path of sunlight on the daytime side of Jupiter. This will create an eclipse event that we see from Earth as a small round shadow moving along the visible area of Jupiter. This event will include both Galilean Moons Io and Europa, whose shadows will follow each other across Jupiter. Add in that the Great Red Spot will be visible for most of the double shadow transit and this is a fantastic opportunity to observe Jupiter.

The schedule of events are as follows for EDT locations:

-11:00 p.m. Europa begins to transit Jupiter's visible disk. To most backyard telescopes, Europa will appear to merge with Jupiter.
-11:15 p.m. Io begins to transit Jupiter's visible disk. To most backyard telescopes, Io will appear to merge with Jupiter.
-11:35 p.m. Europa's shadow starts to appear on Jupiter's visible disk as a small black dot.
-11:45 p.m. Io's shadow starts to appear on Jupiter's visible disk as a small black dot.
-1:32 a.m. Io begins to exit Jupiter's visible disk. This is when Io will reappear on the other side of Jupiter.
-1:45 a.m. Europa begins to exit Jupiter's visible disk. This is when Europa will reappear on the other side of Jupiter.
-1:55 a.m. Io's shadow completes its transit. This is when Io's shadow will exit Jupiter's visible disk.
-2:33 a.m. Europa's shadow completes its transit. This is when Europa's shadow will exit Jupiter's visible disk.

Shadow transits happen quite frequently with double shadow transits happening less frequently, though not uncommon. What makes this an extra special event is that it is happening with the Great Red Spot visible for almost the entire transit (photo op?!) and Jupiter will be in conjunction with the Moon. Now all we need is for New England weather to cut us some slack and give us clear skies to revel in celestial awesomeness!

-Scott