| Date |
Sunset |
Planetarium Show Time |
Moon Phase |
Sky Observing Time |
| Sat., Sept. 18 (2010) |
6:57 pm* |
7:00 pm* |
waxing Gibbous |
8:00 - 10:00 pm* |
| Sat., Sept. 25 |
6:43 pm* |
7:00 pm* |
just past Full |
8:00 - 10:00 pm* |
| Sat., Oct. 9 |
6:22 pm* |
6:00 pm* |
thin waxing Crescent |
7:00 - 9:00 pm* |
| Sat., Oct. 16 |
6:11 pm* |
6:00 pm* |
waxing Gibbous |
7:00 - 9:00 pm* |
| Sat., Nov. 13 |
4:35 pm |
4:30 pm |
First Quarter |
5:30 - 7:30 pm |
| Sat., Nov. 20 |
4:30 pm |
4:30 pm |
nearly Full |
5:30 - 7:30 pm |
| Sat., Dec. 11 |
4:24 pm |
4:30 pm |
waxing Crescent |
5:30 - 7:30 pm |
| Sat., Feb. 5 (2011) |
5:14 pm |
5:00 pm |
thin waxing Crescent |
6:00 - 8:00 pm |
| Sat., Feb. 12 |
5:23 pm |
5:00 pm |
just past First Quarter |
6:00 - 8:00 pm |
| Sat., Mar. 5 |
5:48 pm |
5:30 pm |
thin waxing Crescent |
6:30 - 8:30 pm |
| THURS., Mar. 10 |
5:54 pm |
observing only (if
clear) |
nearing First Quarter |
5:30 - 7:30 pm |
| Sat., Apr. 2 |
7:19 pm* |
7:00 pm* |
nearly New (not visible) |
8:00- 10:00 pm* |
| Sat., Apr. 9 |
7:26 pm* |
7:00 pm* |
waxing Crescent |
8:00 - 10:00 pm* |
| Sat., May 7 |
7:56 pm* |
8:00 pm* |
waxing Crescent |
9:00 - 11:00 pm |
* or
! Interesting to very interesting events
!! EXCEPTIONALLY
interesting events (must-see!)
E Important
geometrical or
calendar events
| Aug. 16 |
First Quarter Moon |
|
| 19 |
* |
The planet VENUS reaches greatest eastern elongation, 46
degrees from the Sun. Look high in the W sky after sunset. In a
telescope, Venus will look half illuminated, like a tiny First Quarter
Moon, with angular size around 25 seconds of arc. |
| 23 |
* |
The planets VENUS and MARS are close together in the W sky
after sunset. Venus is about 250 times brighter than Mars at the
moment! In a telescope, Venus will be about half illuminated,
while Mars looks nearly round (full). |
| 24 |
FULL Sturgeon MOON. The Moon reaches apogee [252,518 miles
(406,389 km) from Earth's center] only 13 hours after reaching full
phase. This Full Moon is the smallest-looking one of 2010. |
|
| 31 |
* |
The nearly Last Quarter Moon passes just south of the
Pleiades star cluster (Messier 45). |
| Sept. 1 |
Last Quarter Moon |
|
| 8 |
The Moon reaches perigee [221,948 miles (357,190 km) from
Earth's center] only 10.5 hours before its New phase. Expect higher
than average ocean tides. |
|
| 10, 11 |
* |
Venus and the crescent Moon pass near each other in the
western early evening sky. |
| 15 |
First Quarter Moon |
|
| 18 |
* |
Free Public Night at
the WCSU Observatory and Planetarium facility on the WCSU Westside
Campus. Some limited parking is available around the observatory, more
on University Blvd. PLANETARIUM SHOW,
7:00 - 8:00 p.m., followed (if skies are clear) by SKY VIEWING, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m., with
the 20-inch telescope. Objects:
Moon, double star Albireo, Ring Nebula (M57), Jupiter |
| 19 |
* |
Mercury reaches greatest western elongation, 18 degrees west
of the Sun. It is visible as a zero-magnitude object low in the eastern
pre-dawn sky. |
| 21 |
The waxing gibbous Moon reaches apogee [252,379 miles
(406,165 km) from Earth's center]. |
|
| 21 |
! |
The planet JUPITER reaches opposition,
rising at sunset and visible all night. Jupiter is gigantic in
telescopes (49.8 seconds of arc) because it is only 6 months from
perihelion at this opposition. At magnitude - 2.9, it is also
strikingly bright in the eastern sky. bout 0.8 degree north of Jupiter,
the planet URANUS (magnitude + 5.7) also reaches opposition,
five hours after Jupiter. This is a chance to see both worlds together
in a low-power view. |
| 22 |
E |
The autumnal equinox
(Sun shining directly down on Earth's equator) occurs at 11:09 p.m. |
| 23 |
* |
Venus reaches its greatest brilliancy tonight, as a crescent
of magnitude - 4.8 and angular size of 38 seconds of arc. Look low in
the WSW sunset sky. |
| 23 |
FULL Harvest MOON; the Moon passes near bright Jupiter
tonight. |
|
| 25 |
* |
Free Public Night at
the WCSU Observatory and Planetarium facility on the WCSU Westside
Campus. Some limited parking is available around the observatory, more
on University Blvd. PLANETARIUM SHOW,
7:00 - 8:00 p.m., followed (if skies are clear) by SKY VIEWING, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m., with
the 20-inch telescope. Objects:
multiple star Epsilon Lyrae, Wild Duck cluster (M11), double star
Albireo, Moon, Jupiter |
| 27/28 |
* |
The waning gibbous Moon passes near the Pleiades star
cluster (Messier 45). |
| 30 |
Last Quarter Moon |
|
| Oct. 6 |
The Moon reaches perigee [223,355 miles (359,455 km) from
Earth's center]. |
|
| 7 |
New Moon |
|
| 9 |
* |
Free Public Night at
the WCSU Observatory and Planetarium facility on the WCSU Westside
Campus. Some limited parking is available around the observatory, more
on University Blvd. PLANETARIUM SHOW,
6:00 - 7:00 p.m., followed (if skies are clear) by SKY VIEWING, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., with
the 20-inch telescope. Objects:
double star Albireo, multiple star Epsilon Lyrae, Jupiter, Ring Nebula
(M57), Andromeda galaxy (M31) |
| 14 |
First Quarter Moon |
|
| 16 |
* |
Free Public Night at
the WCSU Observatory and Planetarium facility on the WCSU Westside
Campus. Some limited parking is available around the observatory, more
on University Blvd. PLANETARIUM SHOW,
6:00 - 7:00 p.m., followed (if skies are clear) by SKY VIEWING, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., with
the 20-inch telescope. Objects:
Moon, Jupiter, Ring Nebula (M57), double star Albireo, Andromeda galaxy
()M31), Double Cluster (h and Chi Persei) |
| 18 |
The Moon reaches apogee [251,921 miles (405,428 km) from
Earth's center]. |
|
| 22 |
FULL Hunter's MOON |
|
| 25 |
* |
The waning gibbous Moon passes near the Pleiades star cluster (Messier 45). |
| 30 |
Last Quarter Moon |
|
MERCURY
|
— |
can be seen during mid- to late September
low in the E pre-dawn sky. It reaches greatest western elongation on
Sept. 19. It is too close to the Sun to be seen during most of October. |
|
VENUS |
— |
is high in the W sky after sunset. It
reaches greatest eastern elongation (46 degrees east of the Sun) on
August 19. |
|
MARS |
— |
moves from Virgo (Aug., Sept.) into
Libra/Scorpius (Oct.) and may be
seen low in the WSW sky after sunset. At magnitude +1.5, the planet is
not very conspicuous. It is near Venus on Aug. 23. |
|
JUPITER
|
— |
is in Pisces, rising in the E sky in late
evening. It reaches opposition (rising at sunset, visible all night) on
Sept. 21. At magnitude - 2.9 near opposition, Jupiter dominates the
eastern evening sky. It is also quite large (48 - 49 seconds of arc)
because it is only 6 months from its orbital perihelion (closest
approach to the Sun). |
|
SATURN |
— |
vanishes into the Sun's glare in late August and is not
visible until late October, when it may be seen low in the eastern
pre-dawn sky. |
STAR WATCH is brought
to you by WCSU Astronomy. Thanks for
connecting! For more
information, please call the Observatory line at
(203) 837
- 8672 or Dr. Dennis Dawson
at (203) 837 - 8671.