Venus now visible at its best, Saturn at opposition: Viewing at Flandrau

February and March 2009 present wonderful opportunities to see two of the classical planets (seen since ancient times) in very interesting and unusual ways.

Brilliant Venus, the brightest star like object in the sky, is now near peak altitude above the west-southwestern horizon. Currently Venus is moving nearer Earth in space, and approaching the Sun in our sky. As a result the apparent size of Venus in our sky increases and its phase (now a crescent) becomes thinner. Eventually the crescent of Venus will become so large it will be visible in good quality binoculars. In addition, on the evening of Friday February 27, the 3-day-old waxing crescent Moon is beautifully grouped near Venus in the western evening twilight (only one degree from the Moon’s edge). This presents a rare occasion where Venus can be easily spotted in the daytime, because the Moon is near it in our sky. Flandrau and SEDS, the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, will therefore host free telescope and binocular viewing of Venus and the Moon for the public at our observatory and on The University of Arizona mall on Friday, February 27 only, starting with viewing Venus in the daytime at 5:30 p.m. Viewing will end at 9:00 p.m. (Venus will be too low to view by 8:15 p.m., and the Moon will lie above Venus the following evening, February 28.). In addition a new comet named Comet Lulin should be visible near when it’s brightest. The comet, discovered in 2007, is not predicted to be bright enough to be easily seen with the unaided eye from city or suburban locations, so it will be best visible in our observatory’s Hyperstar imaging system after 7:30 p.m., which should show the comet’s tail and any anti-tail then visible.

In addition to Venus, the ringed planet Saturn rises earlier and creeps higher above the eastern horizon and, once it rises, is visible all night long. Saturn rises at around 9 p.m. in early February, by 8 p.m. in middle February and by 7 p.m. in late February. Around Tucson, Saturn may not clear area mountains until 10 or 20 minutes after these times. On March 8 Saturn is at opposition, when it is opposite from the Sun in the sky, close to its nearest to Earth, and rising at sunset. In addition the rings of Saturn now appear razor thin, as we view them edge-on from Earth, and are now near the thinnest we can see them conveniently in the evening for years to come. Flandrau and SEDS, the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, will therefore also host free, public telescope viewing of Saturn, Venus and the Moon at our observatory and on The University of Arizona mall on Friday March 6 and Saturday March 7, starting at 6:00 p.m. (UA men’s basketball may require viewing to be held on Flandrau’s property March 7 – game time is still TBA). Viewing will end at 9:30 p.m. (Venus will be too low to view by 7:50 p.m.); Comet Lulin will lie too close to the Moon in our sky for quality viewing on both nights.

Although viewing is free donations are encouraged. For more information on the planets see the Flandrau Skywatchers’ Guide on Flandrau’s Web site at http://www.gotUAsciencecenter.org/astronomy.

Please note: Viewing of both planets through Flandrau’s observatory telescope is limited due to their position in the sky. Venus will be visible for about 30 minutes starting at around 7 p.m. through early March before it moves too low for viewing due to building obstructions. Saturn will start to become visible in the telescope by 9:30 p.m. on February 18, and will be visible in the telescope by 9:00 p.m. on February 25.

Flandrau Science Center is located on the University of Arizona campus on the northeast corner of Cherry Avenue and University Boulevard. Free parking is available on the University of Arizona campus all day Saturday and after 5 p.m. Friday in metered spaces and many parking lots. Information about the planets, the night sky, and planetarium shows is available by calling 621-STAR (7827) or at the Flandrau Web site in the astronomy section or planetarium show section.