One of the ideas discussed last Spring was a course to help K-12 educators keep current in their science fields. This course which is being offered this Fall, has the following features:

* you can take it for UA credit and professional development, or attend without registering and receive professional development credit;
* those taking the course for UA credit will receive a $150 rebate on the tuition costs;
* the subject, sustainability in the Sonoran Desert, will include information on cutting-edge research in the fields of chemistry, biology, physics, and environmental science;
* there will be guest lectures by leading researchers in these fields and hands-on activities;
* the course will be offered at Flandrau Science Center on Wednesday evenings, for 2 hours per class, for 8 weeks, rather than for 1 hour per class over 16 weeks.

To learn more about the course and how to sign up, please visit the course web site.

* Develop ecology-education workshops for K-12 students and the public.

* Work collaboratively, consult experts, & visit a local K-12 classroom.

* Outreach one Saturday each at Biosphere 2 and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, and a couple of Mondays at UA Science: Flandrau.

ECOL 464/564 (3 credits)
Fall 2010, Dr. Kevin Bonine
Weds 5:00-6:30 pm,
a couple of Mondays at Flandrau, & 3-4 Saturdays afield
(Mt. Lemmon, Biosphere 2, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum)

Prerequisites: ECOL182 or equivalent biological/ecological background. Ecology 302 and other EEB courses will be very helpful, but are not required.

More information at sdd.arizona.edu or via e-mail at kebonine@u.arizona.edu

Investigate the history of the site and the natural setting. Learn about UA Science research. Explore your artistic side. Experiments, presentations and demonstrations for the whole family run throughout the day and different programs occur each month—see the programs schedule below. Bring a picnic lunch and stay the day at the cool mountain summit.

$8 per person, $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets for sale online at skycenter.arizona.edu.

August 21 Schedule

There will be various events during the day, some multiple times. Feel free to attend all! Events are held at various buildings on the site.

10 a.m. – Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter Opens for DiscoveryDays

Presentations with interactive activities:

10:30 AM – Geology/Sense of Place – Gary Huckleberry, UA (Learning Center = Building 4)
Geology of the Santa Catalina Mountains & the Tucson Basin. The program includes a
short hike (up to 25 minutes) to view the Tucson Basin.

11 AM – Buffelgrass and Cheatgrass – Joshua Ruddick, UA (Minnesota Building =
Building 8 )

11:30 AM – Mars HiRise– Sarah Mattson, UA Lunar and Planetary Lab (LPL) (Building 4)

NOON – Fulgurites: What does lightning do to the ground anyway? – Kristin Block, UA
LPL (Building 8 )

1 PM – Geology/Sense of Place – Gary Huckleberry, UA (Building 4)
Geology of the Santa Catalina Mountains & the Tucson Basin. The program includes a
short hike (up to 25 minutes) to view the Tucson Basin.

2 PM – Fulgurites: What does lightning do to the ground anyway? – Kristin Block, UA
LPL (Building 8 )

3 PM – Buffelgrass and Cheatgrass – Joshua Ruddick (Building 8 )

Activities continuing throughout the day:

What’s happening on the Sun today?
Solar Observing with volunteers near Building 3, 24-inch telescope

How did this site go from a radar station to a research and education facility?
Historical tour of the site, approximate times: 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm,
meet on the north side of the Learning Center, Building 4

How does a telescope work?
A look at the 24-inch telescope used in public programs (Building 3)

How does the Catalina Sky Survey find all those asteroids?
See how the survey “captures these objects.” (Building 1- Rich Kowalski, LPL)

How can we prevent the spread of cheat grass and buffelgrass?
Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation (Building 8 )

Debris flows, hydrology, and cave formation in Tucson/Southern Arizona
Students from the SAGUARO Geosciences program, UA (Building 8 )

A GREAT YEAR TO SEE THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER

The Perseid meteors become visible as the radiant (the path where the meteors seem to originate) rises. This graphic shows the sky on August 11-12, at midnight from the southwestern U.S.

The annual Perseid meteor shower (the Perseids) occurs this year on the nights of August 10th-14th. The Perseids are often the best meteor shower of the year, with at least 10-30 meteors per hour visible even for beginning stargazers. The peak rates of meteors (also called shooting stars) will be seen on the nights of Wednesday, August 11th into Thursday, August 12th, and Thursday, August 12th into Friday, August 13th, with as many as 50 meteors per hour or more visible in a clear, dark sky. The new moon this year on August 10 creates an opportunity each night for perfect viewing, if the weather cooperates. If monsoon clouds interfere, viewers will also be able to see meteors in numbers on the nights of August 10-11 and August 13-14. Meteor watchers should seek out a dark sky several miles away from city lights and gaze in a wide area of sky high in the eastern and northern sky and overhead after 10:00 p.m. To see the shower well, observers should view until well after midnight (or in the hours before sunrise) in dark skies, far away from city lights. Good locations for viewing include the east end of Speedway at Saguaro National Park East and the Tucson mountains west of town. Observers should expect to drive 30 minutes to out of town, away from city lights, to get good views of the shower.

The debris causing the meteor shower is from a comet that passed Earth in 1992 named Comet Swift-Tuttle. The debris consists of tiny particles of rock, some thinner than a hair and most no larger than a grain of sand. Nearly all the particles of a meteor shower burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. Comets are the source of nearly all meteor showers. Comets are bodies, often potato shaped and less than 6 miles in diameter, made of a loose aggregate of rock and ice that is in orbit around the Sun. As comets come in close to the Sun, they begin to evaporate off dust particles, gases and water vapor, leaving a long tail behind them. This tail leaves a trail of tiny debris in space, which Earth can pass through, resulting in a meteor shower.

To help the public learn about this meteor shower, the Mount Lemmon Sky Center will offer two special viewing nights on the summit of Mount Lemmon on August 11 and 12. Click here for more information.

For more information visit the news article in Flandrau’s astronomy news section.

PLANETS

This sky chart shows the Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and the star Spica in the western evening sky on August 1, 55 minutes after sunset from the Desert Southwest. This sky chart is most useful for the continental United States, Hawaii, southern Canada and northern Mexico. This sky chart shows the Moon, Venus, Saturn, Mars and the star Spica in the western evening sky on August 12, one hour after sunset from the Desert Southwest. This sky chart is most useful for the continental United States, Hawaii, southern Canada and northern Mexico. This sky chart shows the Moon, Venus, Saturn, Mars and the star Spica in the western evening sky on August 13, one hour after sunset from the Desert Southwest. This sky chart is most useful for the continental United States, Hawaii, southern Canada and northern Mexico. This sky chart shows Venus, Saturn, Mars and the star Spica in the western evening sky on August 23, one hour after sunset from the Desert Southwest. This sky chart is most useful for the continental United States, Hawaii, southern Canada and northern Mexico.

August 2010 should be the last month for viewing the rings of Saturn in a telescope as Saturn is losing altitude and sinking low in the western evening twilight. Saturn is currently the dimmest it will be this year at magnitude 1.1, but because it’s so far away from Earth this is not much dimmer than it was at opposition. However, compared to previous years the ringed planet is somewhat dimmer this year because its rings are more edge-on. The best bet to see Saturn and its rings is early in the month, starting 30-45 minutes after sunset. Saturn is found in the constellation Virgo the Virgin (though well west of Spica, Virgo’s brightest star).

Saturn’s rings still appear nearly as ‘narrow’ as they did earlier this year, due to our vantage point on Earth. The ringed world continues drifting eastward with ‘direct’ motion in August, but its much slower motion allows Venus to move close to it in our sky. The two group with Mars on August 8-9 in a fairly compact triangle. Look for Saturn about 5 degrees from Mars on August 9, with Venus 3 degrees from Saturn in the triangle (a spectacular view in binoculars). The razor thin waxing crescent Moon slides below the three on the evening of August 12 and left (southeast) of the trio on August 13.

Viewing of Saturn will be best when it is highest in the sky, probably in bright twilight early this month, but viewing is dependent on atmospheric stability and conditions, and of course, the quality and size of the telescope used. Large, high quality amateur telescopes in good “seeing” (stable atmospheric conditions) will best reveal any features on a planet’s disk.

The brilliant planet Venus continues losing altitude this month, and, like Mars, is moving rapidly against the background stars. Venus passes out of Leo, the Lion and into Virgo the Virgin by early August. In addition to the triangular grouping with Saturn and Mars around August 8-9 (see Saturn text), Venus groups more closely with the planet Mars (August 15-17) and with the star Spica (August 30/31). Again, also look for the razor thin waxing crescent Moon to slide below Venus on the evening of August 12 and left (southeast) of Venus, Mars and Saturn on August 13.

As noted previously, orange-reddish Mars groups very closely with the brighter planet Saturn and brilliant Venus (see above). Orange-reddish Mars is now at minimum size and brightness for the year (1.5 magnitude in brightness, 4.7 arc seconds in apparent diameter). This is because Mars is now twice the distance that the Earth is from the Sun (at around 186 million miles from Earth) making the Red Planet an unremarkable object to the eye and in a telescope. Mars, like Venus, is moving rapidly against the background stars as Earth continues to recede from it in our solar system.

Jupiter continues to gain altitude and rise earlier each night in the east-southeastern sky. In the morning sky Jupiter continues to shine brightly and is overhead in morning twilight. The gas giant is also easily visible above the eastern horizon at 10:30 p.m. in early August and by 8:30 p.m. the last week of August. As it becomes more prominent in our sky Jupiter also comes closer to Earth, and swells in size to 49 arc seconds in apparent diameter in a telescope by the end of the month. Jupiter is slowly nearing its opposition date on September 21, when it will be opposite from the Sun in the sky and nearly the brightest and largest it will be in a telescope this year. Also in the morning sky faint Neptune lies far away from brighter Uranus, which continues to be paired 2-3 degrees from bright Jupiter. Finally look for the thick waning gibbous Moon to rise at around 7:53 p.m. well above Jupiter (about 5 degrees northeast) on the evening of August 26 (the giant gas planet rises about 30 minutes later that evening from southern Arizona).

Mercury is still visible in the first week or so of August as the lowest and most difficult to see of the planets lined-up in the west. Because Mercury is low and not that bright, binoculars may be needed to spot it. The elusive planet is best seen early in the month when it is brightest and highest. On August 1, Mercury, a 0.2 magnitude bright object, might first be visible 50 minutes after sunset when 5 degrees above a crystal clear western horizon. By August 11, the razor thin 2 day Moon is less than 2 degrees ‘left’ or west of the now fainter planet (now at 0.66 magnitude in brightness). However, the Moon that evening is even lower than Mercury being at the horizon 50 minutes after sunset, and so may be impossible to view. Mercury fades and sinks into the glare of the Sun after this date.

Visitors to Flandrau’s 16-inch telescope should note of the planets Saturn is visible in the telescope during public hours, and other celestial objects will be shown in the telescope, weather permitting. Flandrau’s telescope remains open for viewing during public hours from 7-10 p.m., weather permitting, Wednesday through Saturday nights (excluding select holidays).

Finally, remember that in spotting planets there is a general rule: ’stars twinkle, planets don’t’. This is because stars are point sources of light; therefore starlight is easily disturbed and shifted by air currents in the Earth’s atmosphere. However when looking at Mercury or Mars this month, note that they may appear to twinkle somewhat; however, this twinkling is of a slower nature than that of the bright stars.

AUGUST EVENING STARS

This chart shows the southern evening sky for much of the USA in early August at 9:45 p.m. (times Mountain Standard-MST), and in mid-August at 8:45 p.m. The Moon is not shown. This chart shows the sky overhead for much of the night in August, from around 10 p.m. - 4 a.m. in early August, from 9 p.m. - 3 a.m. in mid August, and from 8 p.m - 2 a.m. in late August. Once bright Arcturus is found “speed on (or ‘spike’) to Spica”. This chart is useful around 9:30 p.m. in early August, and at 8:30 p.m. in mid-August.

August evenings are an excellent time to see the bright constellations of the summer months (especially Scorpius and Sagittarius), along with the Milky Way. To see the brightest areas of the Milky Way in the south, look before 10 p.m., as the star rich regions in Scorpius and Sagittarius start to lose altitude in Arizona skies early. Start by finding the brightest star in Scorpius: Antares. These evenings, its orange-red twinkling enlivens the southern sky, giving reason to its name “the rival of Mars”. From the southern United States Antares does not get very high, only about 30 degrees (or three fists held at arm’s length) above the southern horizon, because of its position in the southern sky. Antares is the brightest part of a most impressive scroll of stars, sort of like a long letter S fallen halfway forward. And in this case the ‘S’ stands for the constellation it is part of: Scorpius, the Scorpion. To the ‘left’ or east of Scorpius is the “Teapot” of Sagittarius. Not technically a constellation, the Teapot is actually part of the larger constellation Sagittarius, the Archer. Like steam emerging from the spout of a real teakettle, look for bright portions of the Milky Way off the spout of the Teapot; This region marks the central area of our galaxy and is fascinating to scan in binoculars. High power binoculars and telescopes reveal the Milky Way to be clouds of stars, millions of them, with attendant star clusters and gas clouds making up some of the “fuzzier” spots you’ll see. Overhead in the August evening sky look for the bright stars of the Summer Triangle: Vega, Deneb, and Altair.

Each night every August the widely spaced triangle of Vega, Deneb, and Altair brighten the evening sky. Vega, Altair, and Deneb are each the brightest stars of three constellations that make up the Summer Triangle. Vega is the brightest star in the small constellation of Lyra, the Lyre (a small ancient harp). Vega, one of the closer stars to Earth (only 25 light years away), was the Pole Star (our North Star) some 12,000 years ago, and will again be the North Star in 12,000 A.D. when Earth’s cyclical wobbling motion brings in near the pole once more. Deneb is the tail of Cygnus the Swan, but also marks the bottom of the cross-shaped pattern whose other name is the Northern Cross. Deneb is a huge supergiant star over 1,600 light years from Earth. Aquila, the Eagle is the home of the bright star Altair, the first star of the three in the triangle to set late at night and the closest of the three to Earth at only 16 light years distant. Aquila looks more like a diamond or kite than an Eagle. Aquila and Cygnus (or the Northern Cross) mark some of the brightest areas of the northern Milky Way.

Finally, the Big and Little Dippers are only briefly visible in the August evening sky. The Big Dipper will start to sink from view in from southern Arizona by around 9:30 p.m. in early August. Take the pointer stars and point to Polaris, our North Star (a star of ordinary brightness, but one that hardly moves at all in our sky).

The Milky Way Prominent in the Late Night Hours!

This chart shows the southern evening sky for much of the USA in early August at 9:45 p.m. (MST), and in middle August at 8:45 p.m. (all times Mountain Standard-MST). The Moon is not shown.

The summer Milky Way is brightest towards the south in the late night hours in August. This sky chart shows the southern sky from southern Arizona at around 11:30 p.m. in early August, 10:30 p.m. in middle August, and 9:30 p.m. in late August. Look for the Milky Way to rise late on moonless August evenings; It will be brightest around the constellation Scorpius, the Scorpion. The Milky Way, the galaxy of stars, gas and dust our solar system resides in, is prominent all summer long, but is brightest after midnight in August. To see it, you’ll need to get away from city lights to a dark location, and look on a night when there’s not much interference from the moon. The Milky Way will appear as a “cloudy” band stretching clear across the sky. High power binoculars and telescopes reveal the Milky Way to be clouds of stars, millions of them, with attendant star clusters and gas clouds making up some of the “fuzzier” spots you’ll see.

MOON PHASES

The August last quarter Moon occurs on Sunday morning, August 1. The August new moon occurs on Monday, August 10,  allowing for unhindered view of what may be the year’s best meteor shower. The August 2010 first quarter Moon will occur on Monday evening, August 16. The August Full “Red/Sturgeon” Moon will rise on the evening of Tuesday, August 24 and set on the morning of Wednesday, August 25.

These dates and times are for southern and central Arizona, and are not necessarily Greenwich Mean Time dates, the moon phase dates used for calendars.

Note: Graphics done using Starry Night Pro, Starry Night Enthusiast and Adobe Photoshop. To purchase Starry Night Pro or Enthusiast, go to http://StarryNight.com

(click on image) The Perseid meteors become visible as the radiant (the path where the meteors seem to originate) rises. This graphic shows the sky on August 11-12, at midnight from the southwestern USA. Planets are not shown.

If monsoon clouds interfere, viewers will also be able to see meteors in numbers on the nights of August 10-11 and August 13-14. Meteor watchers should seek out a dark sky several miles away from city light and gaze in a wide area of sky high in the eastern and northern sky and overhead after 10:00 p.m. To see the shower well, observers should view until well after midnight (or in the hours before sunrise) in dark skies, far away from city lights. Good locations for viewing include the east end of Speedway at Saguaro National Park East and the Tucson mountains west of town. Observers should expect to drive 30 minutes to out of town, away from city lights, to get good views of the shower.

The debris causing the meteor shower is from a comet that passed Earth in 1992 named Comet Swift-Tuttle. The debris consists of tiny particles of rock, some thinner than a hair and most no larger than a grain of sand. Nearly all the particles of a meteor shower burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. Comets are the source of nearly all meteor showers. Comets are bodies, often potato shaped and less than 6 miles in diameter, made of a loose aggregate of rock and ice that is in orbit around the Sun. As comets come in close to the Sun, they begin to evaporate off dust particles, gases and water vapor, leaving a long tail behind them. This tail leaves a trail of tiny debris in space, which Earth can pass through, resulting in a meteor shower.

To help the public learn about this meteor shower, the Mount Lemmon Sky Center will offer two special viewing nights on the summit of Mount Lemmon on August 11 and 12. Click here for more information (scroll down once at this Web link).

Tucson, Arizona – For the last 10 years, a week hasn’t gone by without the question – via phone, e-mail, or in person: “When are you going to offer laser shows again?”

Consider that question answered, as UA Science: Flandrau brings back a Tucson tradition as part of a celebration of the laser’s 50th anniversary and the variety of ways that University of Arizona scientists use lasers in their research. Flandrau joins science educators and enthusiasts from around the world, who have been educating the public all year long through activities and sites such as www.laserfest.org on the importance of one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century in our everyday lives – from shopping at the grocery store, listening to music, and browsing the Internet, to more efficient and painless medical procedures.

Longtime Tucsonans can revisit memories of laser light images dancing inside Flandrau’s planetarium dome to the soundtrack of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” as well as introduce a new generation to this beautiful, abstract art form. The laser light show’s rich, vibrant colors, unique imagery, and immersive audio engulf visitors in what can only be described as “3D for your mind.”

“Tucson has never had the opportunity to see laser shows of this quality,” said Michael Magee, technical director of Flandrau’s laser light shows and planetarium director when the shows were last offered in 2000. “People who remember going to laser light shows here are in for a real treat.”

Beginning with the Fall semester, visitors will also have a rare opportunity to explore the history of the laser and the physics behind this amazing and versatile technology in Flandrau’s expansive exhibits hall. The story of the laser will be presented through a unique historical laser display created by the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE), featuring over 130 lasers and backdrops describing their history and many applications. A series of lectures and interactive floor demonstrations will give the public an opportunity to hear from the experts about how lasers play a significant role in the science being done at the University of Arizona in fields as diverse as optical sciences, medicine, molecular and cellular biology, astronomy and more.

“The Flandrau exhibits and events will not merely demonstrate how curiosity-driven science can lead to profound and transformational changes,” said Dr. Pierre Meystre, Regents’ Professor of Physics and Optical Sciences. “They will also highlight the central role played by Arizona and Tucson in these developments, with many of the central players, including Nobel Laureates Nicolaas Bloembergen and Willis Lamb, laser pioneers Peter Franken, Marlan Scully, Stephen Jacobs, and many others having chosen to make Tucson and The University of Arizona their home.”

Magee, who has worked at Flandrau since he was a student in 1981, remembers how laser light shows increased visitation and interest in Flandrau exhibits.

“People used to love to come early to the shows just because they knew they could also get a science experience,” he said. “The exhibit hall was always buzzing a half hour before every show.”

Click here for show times and to buy your laser light show tickets online now!

Laser Light Show Admission (includes exhibits)
Adults: $10
Children (4 to 15 years old): $7.50
Children under 4 years old: Free
Cat Card Holders and Arizona college students (with ID): $7.50

General Admission (includes Planetarium shows, exhibits, and UA mineral museum)
Adults: $7.50
Children (4 to 15 years old): $5
Children under 4 years old: Free
Cat Card Holders: $2 off
Arizona college students (with ID): $2

Flandrau Parking Information
UA Science: Flandrau 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 on weekends, and after 5 PM Fridays in metered spaces and many parking lots. Parking is also available in the UA Cherry Avenue Garage.

This sky chart shows Venus, Saturn, Mars and the star Regulus in the western evening sky on July 5, one hour and 15 minutes after sunset from the Desert Southwest. This sky chart is most useful for the continental United States, Hawaii, southern Canada and northern Mexico.

This sky chart shows the Moon, Mercury Venus, Saturn, Mars and the star Regulus in the western evening sky on July 14, one hour after sunset from the Desert Southwest. This sky chart is most useful for the continental United States, Hawaii, southern Canada and northern Mexico.

This sky chart shows Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and the star Regulus in the western evening sky on July 31, one hour after sunset from the Desert Southwest. This sky chart is most useful for the continental United States, Hawaii, southern Canada and northern Mexico.

This sky chart shows Jupiter, the Moon, and the southeastern sky on July 31 at around 1 a.m. MST from southern Arizona. This sky chart is most useful for the continental United States, Hawaii, southern Canada and northern Mexico.

HIGHLIGHTS: July 2010 features the trio of Venus, Mars, and Saturn lined-up in the western evening twilight for the entire month, and close groupings or ‘conjunctions’ of planets and stars. Mercury joins the planetary ‘line-up’ by mid-month but is much lower in the west. Brilliant Venus is our ‘evening star’ in the west and though high this month, it is not quite as high in our sky as in June. Venus groups with the star Regulus (July 9-10), while Mercury pairs with Regulus on July 27, and Saturn with Mars at the end of month. Venus, Mars, and Saturn group more tightly later in a triangle around August 9, just before the Perseid Meteor Shower. In the morning sky Jupiter shines brightly, and is highest overhead in morning twilight but also is easily visible by midnight by mid-month, and rising by 10 p.m. by month’s end. Also in the morning sky is a trio of planets for those viewing with telescopes: Faint Neptune lies far away from brighter Uranus, which is paired 2-3 degrees from bright Jupiter.

PLANETS

July 2010 should be the last month for sharp views of Saturn and its ring system in a telescope as Saturn is losing altitude in the western evening twilight. Saturn is currently the dimmest it will be this year at magnitude 1.1, but because it’s so far away from Earth this is not much dimmer than it was at opposition (when it is brightest and closest to Earth). Also, although the ringed planet is somewhat dimmer this year (compared to previous years) because its rings are more edge-on, it’s still easy to see during the evening hours, since it is fairly well placed during the first half of the month for telescopic viewing. Look for Saturn early in the month about 40 degrees above the western evening twilight, one hour after sunset. Saturn is found in the constellation Virgo the Virgin (though well east of Spica, Virgo’s brightest star).

Saturn’s rings still appear nearly as ‘narrow’ as they did earlier this year, due to our vantage point on Earth. The ringed world is drifting eastward with ‘direct’ motion in July, but not fast enough to elude speedy Mars: the two group at the end of the July less than two degrees apart in our sky. Look for Saturn and Mars about 1¾ degrees apart on July 30-31 (a spectacular view in a wide field telescope). The waxing crescent Moon slides less than 11 degrees below (south) of Saturn on the evenings of July 15-16.

Viewing of Saturn will be best when it is highest in the sky, probably in bright twilight early this month, but viewing is dependent on atmospheric stability and conditions, and of course, the quality and size of the telescope used. Large, high quality amateur telescopes in good “seeing” (stable atmospheric conditions) will best reveal any features on a planet’s disk.

The brilliant planet Venus loses altitude this month, and is moving rapidly against the background stars, passing out of Leo, the Lion and into Virgo the Virgin by early August. Venus has a close grouping with the star Regulus on July 9-10, with the two objects only 2 degrees apart in our sky. Also look for the thin, nearly 4 day old waxing crescent Moon to pass some 7 degrees from Venus on the evening of Wednesday, July 14.

Mars continues to fade this month and is in the western half of the sky after the end of evening twilight, in Leo the Lion. As noted previously, orange-reddish Mars groups very closely with the brighter planet Saturn by the end of the month. The two objects appear about 1¾ degrees apart on July 30-31 (a spectacular view in a wide field telescope). Orange-reddish Mars fades in July to minimum size and brightness for the year (1.5 magnitude in brightness, 4.7 arc seconds in apparent diameter). Mars is a long way off from Earth (hence its faintness compared to Venus) and so is currently an unremarkable object in a telescope. Mars, like Venus, is moving rapidly against the background stars as Earth continues to recede from it in our solar system. On the evening of July 15 look for the nearly 5-day old waxing crescent Moon to pass about 6 degrees ‘below’ (southeast of) Mars. The following evening, on July 17, look for the 6 day old Moon to lie about 9 degrees ‘below’ (southwest of) Saturn.

Bright Jupiter continues to gain altitude and rise earlier each night in the east-southeastern sky, rising by 11 p.m. mid-month, and by 10 p.m. at the end of July. As it becomes more prominent in our sky it comes closer to Earth, and also swells in size to 45 arc seconds in diameter. Jupiter is slowly nearing its opposition date on September 21, when it will be opposite from the Sun in the sky and nearly the brightest and largest it will be in a telescope this year. The thick gibbous Moon rises at around 11:10 p.m. well above Jupiter (about 7.5 degrees northeast) on the morning of July 3. The giant gas planet rises about 38 minutes later that evening from southern Arizona.

Mercury was largely lost in the glare of the Sun last month, but now has a favorable evening apparition, when it joins the line-up of planets in the western evening twilight. Mercury might first be visible 35 minutes after sunset this month (use binoculars) only 3-4 degrees above a crystal clear western horizon on July 12, when the razor thin 1.5 day Moon is 3 degrees ‘left’ or west of the elusive planet. The Moon that evening is even lower than Mercury in the sky, and is nearly at the horizon, 45 minutes after sunset (making it extremely difficult to view the Moon that night). On July 12 Mercury is fairly bright at -0.66 magnitude, but slowly dims each evening as it gains altitude in our evening twilight sky. A better time to view Mercury would be from July 16-July 27, when Mercury is higher in the sky but still fairly bright. On July 27 Mercury is grouped tightly (0.5 degree separation) with the bright star Regulus in Leo, the Lion (use binoculars).

Visitors to Flandrau’s 16-inch telescope should note of the planets Saturn is best visible in the telescope during public hours (Mars and Venus might also be visible), and other celestial objects will be shown in the telescope, weather permitting. Flandrau’s telescope remains open for viewing during public hours from 7-10 p.m., weather permitting, Wednesday through Saturday nights (excluding select holidays).

Finally, remember that in spotting planets there is a general rule: ’stars twinkle, planets don’t’. This is because stars are point sources of light; therefore starlight is easily disturbed and shifted by air currents in the Earth’s atmosphere. However when looking at Mars this month, note that it may appear to twinkle somewhat when near the horizon; however, this twinkling is of a slower nature than that of the bright stars.

JULY EVENING STARS

The “pointer stars” of the Big Dipper, Dubhe and Merak, point down to the ‘North Star’, Polaris. This sky chart shows much of the western half of the sky at 10:30 p.m. in early July, at 9:30 p.m. in middle July and at 8:30 p.m. in late July. The bright stars Antares and Vega provide a color contrast in the bright summer Milky Way. This sky chart shows the sky in early July at 9:45 p.m. and in middle July at 8:45 p.m.

The Big Dipper is easy to find in July, high in the northern half of the evening sky. Look for the Big Dipper high in the north 1 hour after sunset. Take the two end stars off of the bowl (the ‘pointer stars’) and point down to Polaris, the North Star. Polaris is a star of ordinary brightness, and marks the end of the handle of the Little Dipper. Polaris can also be found about 30 degrees (or 3 fists) above the northern horizon. Polaris stays put in the sky; to the eye it doesn’t appear to move. This is because Earth’s axis is pointed toward Polaris in space.

Bright stars of the July evening sky (1 hour after sunset) include ruddy Antares in the south, the bright yellow star Arcturus high overhead, and the blue star Spica, high in the southwest. Locate the bright yellow star Arcturus and the blue star Spica by recalling, “Follow the arc (of Big Dipper’s handle) to Arcturus and drive a spike to Spica”, or simply “Arc to Arcturus and spike to Spica”. Although Spica is said to mark the spike or ear of wheat in the hand of Virgo, it really looks like the bottom of a group of stars in Virgo that make up a diamond or kite shape.

High above the northeastern horizon in early July one hour after sunset is bright Vega, the brightest star of the summer sky. Blue-white Vega high in the northeastern sky contrasts sharply with Antares, the baleful red super-giant star of summer, now above the southern horizon in early July evenings. Throughout July the orange-red twinkling of Antares enlivens the southern sky, giving reason to its name “the rival of Mars”. From the southern United States Antares does not get very high, only about 30 degrees (or three fists held at arm’s length) above the southern horizon (due to its location in the southern sky). From Australia, though, Antares can be seen overhead in July and July. Antares is the brightest part of a most impressive scroll of stars, sort of like a long letter “S” fallen halfway forward. In this case the “S” stands for the constellation it is part of: Scorpius.

The Milky Way Prominent in the Late Night Hours!

The Milky Way is brightest in the south during July and August evenings. This sky chart shows the southern sky as seen looking toward the south in early July at 11:30 p.m., in middle July at 10:30 p.m. and in late July at 9:30 p.m.

Look for the Milky Way to rise late on moonless July evenings. It will be brightest around the constellation Scorpius, the Scorpion in the south. The Milky Way, the galaxy of stars, gas and dust our solar system resides in, is prominent all summer long, and is brightest after 10 p.m. in early July, but by late July can be seen well at the end of evening twilight. To see it, you’ll need to get away from city lights to a dark location, and look on a night when there’s not much interference from the moon. The Milky Way will appear as a “cloudy” band stretching clear across the sky. High power binoculars and telescopes reveal the Milky Way to be clouds of stars, millions of them, with attendant star clusters and gas clouds making up some of the “fuzzier” spots you’ll see.

MOON PHASES
The July last quarter Moon occurs on Sunday morning July 4. New Moon is on July 11 when a total solar eclipse will occur across a narrow path around 130-150 miles wide for parts of the Pacific Ocean, including Easter Island. The July 2010 first quarter Moon will occur on Sunday evening, July 18. The July Full (Buck/Thunder) Moon will rise on the evening of Sunday, July 25 and set on the morning of Monday, July 26. This full moon is the second lowest in the sky this year, and should appear deceptively large to many people. These dates and times are for southern Arizona, and are not necessarily Greenwich Mean Time dates, the moon phase dates used for calendars.

Note: Additional information can be accessed by phone at Flandrau Science Center’s Astronomy Newsline at (520) 621-4310 or as a menu option at 621-S-T-A-R.

Graphics done using Starry Night Pro, Starry Night Enthusiast and Adobe Photoshop. To purchase Starry Night Pro or Enthusiast, go to http://StarryNight.com