Sky Guide

2019• BY MARTIN RATCLIFFE AND RICHARD TALCOTT •

contents 2 Jan. 2019 Totality comes to America 3 Feb. 2019 Venus meets the ringed planet 4 March 2019 Mars passes the Seven Sisters 5 April 2019 Pallas steers through the Herdsman 6 May 2019 Dark skies for spring meteors 7 June 2019 Jupiter tangles with the Serpent-bearer 8 July 2019 The ringed planet bows to the Archer The longest eclipse of the 21st century delivered spectacular views 9 Aug. 2019 Spot elusive Mercury at dawn July 27, 2018. A similar scene awaits American viewers the night of January 20/21. BOTH PHOTOS: ANTHONY AYIOMAMITIS 10 Sept. 2019 Pouring water on an ice giant 11 Oct. 2019 Spy Uranus on a cool autumn night 12 Nov. 2019 Mercury transits the Martin Ratcliffe provides professional ­planetarium development for Sky-Skan, Inc. Richard Talcott is a senior editor of Astronomy. 13 Dec. 2019 A blazing ring of fire 14 2020 preview Looking ahead to next . . . A supplement to Astronomy magazine

618372 2019 Jan S M T W T F S Totality comes 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 to America 20 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 30 31 his year gets off to a great start with a total eclipse of the Moon visible in 1 The Moon passes its entirety across 1.3° north of Venus, North and South America. For 5 p.m. EST T more than an hour the night of 2 Saturn is in con- junction with the January 20/21, the colors from Sun, 1 a.m. EST all Earth’s sunrises and sunsets 3 The Moon passes bathe the Full Moon in an 3° north of Jupiter, ethereal orange glow. 3 a.m. EST As sunlight passes through Quadrantid meteor Earth’s atmosphere, our blan- shower peaks ket of air strips out the short- Partial solar eclipse, wavelength blues and yellows 5 Few celestial sights are more dramatic than a total lunar eclipse. Here, the 8 p.m. EST and leaves only the longer- city of Cologne, Germany, and its iconic cathedral provide a spectacular Venus is at greatest wavelength oranges and reds. foreground for the July 27, 2018, event. DONG HAN western elongation It is this light that reaches the (47°), midnight EST Moon a quarter of a million The eclipse begins unno- but as more of the Moon sinks 10 The Moon passes 3° miles farther out in space. It’s as ticeably when the Moon enters into the shadow, its orange south of Neptune, 5 p.m. EST if a talented artist has brushed Earth’s outer penumbral color becomes noticeable. the Moon with the warmer shadow at 9:37 p.m. EST. Over As the eclipse progresses 11 Pluto is in conjunc- tion with the Sun, colors from her palette. the next hour, the Moon’s over the next hour, the Moon 7 a.m. EST On the evening of January lower limb begins to darken. slowly dims and the back- 12 The Moon passes 20, the Full Moon rises as the The effect should be obvious ground sky blackens, slowly 5° south of Mars, Sun sets. Its brilliant glow by 10 p.m. revealing a -studded sky. 3 p.m. EST hides fainter . Only the The main partial eclipse Hanging in place of the once 14 The Moon passes bright of winter begins when our satellite dips brilliant Full Moon is a stun- 5° south of Uranus, — Orion, Taurus, Gemini, and into the inner umbral shadow ning orange globe situated 7 a.m. EST — stand out in at 10:34 p.m. The shadow near the border between 15 Venus passes 8° the southern sky. appears dusky gray at first, Cancer and Gemini. north of Antares, 4 p.m. EST Totality starts at 11:41 p.m., N when the Moon stands about 20 Total lunar eclipse, midnight EST Penumbral 60° high across the central eclipse begins United States. (It’s a bit higher Venus passes 2° Totality begins 22 Penumbral Totality ends 9:37 P.M. EST 11:41 P.M. EST in the east and lower in the north of Jupiter, eclipse ends 12:43 A.M. EST 1 a.m. EST 2:48 A.M. EST west.) The fainter stars of 29 Mercury is in supe- the winter constellations and rior conjunction, the Milky Way now fill the 10 p.m. EST E Partial darkened sky. To get the full 30 The Moon passes Greatest eclipse eclipse begins impact, you’ll want to view the Partial 12:12 A.M. EST 3° north of Jupiter, eclipse ends 10:34 P.M. EST eclipse from under a dark sky. 7 p.m. EST 1:51 A.M. EST Umbra Totality lasts 62 minutes, 31 The Moon passes wrapping up at 12:43 a.m. The 0.09° north of Venus, 1 p.m. EST Penumbra partial phases then play out in reverse. The umbral eclipse ends at 1:51 a.m., and the Sixty-two breathtakingASY-PB-618372_20 minutes of totality highlight the five-hour total Moon exits the penumbra lunar eclipse the night of January 20/21. ALL ILLUSTRATIONS: ASTRONOMY: ROEN KELLY unnoticeably at 2:48 a.m.

2 Sky Guide 2019 2019 Feb Venus meets S M T W T F S 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 the ringed planet 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 enus puts on a wonderful show in February’s predawn sky. Not only does 2 The Moon passes 0.6° north of Saturn, the brilliant planet cross the V 2 a.m. EST richest parts of the Milky Way The Moon passes in Sagittarius, but it also joins 0.6° north of Pluto, Saturn for a lovely conjunc- 3 p.m. EST tion after midmonth. 7 The Moon passes 3° Yet these highlights repre- south of Neptune, sent just a small part of what 1 a.m. EST Venus offers during 2019. 10 The Moon passes As the New Year opens, the 6° south of Mars, planet rises nearly four hours Venus (center) was in conjunction with Saturn in early January 2016. 11 a.m. EST A waning crescent Moon looked down on the planetary pair. ALAN DYER before the Sun. Shining at The Moon passes 5° south of Uranus, magnitude –4.6, Venus would 3 p.m. EST dominate the morning sky if OPHIUCHUS 13 Mars passes 1.1° not for the presence of a cres- north of Uranus, cent Moon some 5° above it. AQUILA 3 p.m. EST The inner world reaches great- Jupiter Antares 18 Venus passes 1.1° est elongation January 5, when north of Saturn, it lies 47° west of the Sun and 9 a.m. EST appears about 20° high in the Venus 26 Mercury is at southeast as twilight begins. greatest eastern 10° elongation (18°), Venus passes from Libra Saturn SAGITTARIUS 8 p.m. EST through Scorpius and into SCORPIUS 27 The Moon passes Ophiuchus during January. 2° north of Jupiter, This eastward movement car- 9 a.m. EST ries it 2° north of Jupiter on February 18, 45 minutes before sunrise Looking southeast the 22nd. Venus then shines at magnitude –4.4, some 10 times Watch for Venus and ASY-PB-618372_21Saturn to pass just 1.1° from each other against the brighter than magnitude –1.8 backdrop of Sagittarius before dawn February 18. Jupiter. On the month’s final Moon Phases morning, a waning crescent Follow the planet each 18th, Venus appears 1.1° due Moon stands 2° from Venus. morning over the next two north of Saturn. The inner First Quarter The dazzling planet crosses weeks. While Saturn waits planet then shines at magnitude Full Moon into Sagittarius on February 1, patiently in eastern –4.2, nearly 100 times brighter setting up an impressive series Sagittarius, Venus moves than the magnitude 0.6 outer Last Quarter of close encounters with the steadily toward it. On world. Grab a telescope and New Moon Archer’s deep-sky wonders. February 10, Venus slides 2° your lowest-power eyepiece Binoculars will deliver the best south of open cluster M25; to compare the planets in Events that can be viewed views of the planet’s progress. the following morning, the one field. Venus displays a daz- with the naked eye On the morning of February 4, planet passes 3° north of zlingly white disk that spans 17" Events that can be viewed Venus stands 2° north of the globular cluster M22. and appears about two-thirds with binoculars Trifid (M20) and the But the highlight of lit. Saturn shows a yellowish Events that can be viewed adjacent open February has to be the con- disk measuring 15" across with a telescope M21, with the junction between Venus and surrounded by a dramatic (M8) just over 1° farther south. Saturn. Before dawn on the ring system that spans 35".

www.Astronomy.com 3 2019 March S M T W T F S Mars passes 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 16 the Seven Sisters 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 29 30 ate March sees the passing 3° south of it on the 31 bright planet Mars 29th and 30th. entering Taurus the The contrast between Bull and passing orange-colored Mars and the 1 The Moon passes near the beautiful blue-white stars of the Pleiades 0.3° north of Saturn, Pleiades star cluster (M45), shows up particularly well in 1 p.m. EST L also known as the Seven astroimages. Mars shines at The Moon passes 0.5° north of Pluto, Sisters. The Red Planet also magnitude 1.4, close to the 11 p.m. EST lies fairly close to the compara- combined magnitude of all 2 The Moon passes bly bright star Aldebaran, a red the cluster’s stars. 1.2° south of Venus, giant that glows with a similar More photogenic scenes 4 p.m. EST hue. Mars’ presence will bring await in April. Check the 6 Neptune is in con- extra attention to Taurus, a western sky after darkness junction with the that rides high falls April 8. Mars then stands Sun, 8 p.m. EST in the west after darkness falls 8° to the right of Aldebaran, 7 Asteroid Vesta is in this month. while a slender waxing cres- conjunction with Before reaching this point, cent Moon appears roughly the Sun, 5 p.m. EST Mars spends the first part of the same distance below the 9 The Moon passes 5° south of Uranus, February moving eastward pair. The Pleiades hangs to 11 p.m. EST against the backdrop of eastern the Moon’s right, completing Pisces. It crosses into the con- Mars passed 4° south of the a diamond-shaped pattern in 11 The Moon passes Pleiades Cluster in February 2006. 6° south of Mars, stellation Aries on the 13th, The two have a return engagement the evening sky. 8 a.m. EDT coincidentally the same day late this month. ALAN DYER As Mars continues its 14 Mercury is in infe- that it slides 1.1° due north eastward journey, it passes rior conjunction, of Uranus. The two planets Mars remains among the 7° north of Aldebaran on 10 p.m. EDT remain within 2° of each other stars of southern Aries until April 16. At magnitude 1.6, 20 Equinox (northern for several days. Ruddy Mars March 23, when it crosses the planet shines a half magni- spring/southern autumn begins), and blue-green Uranus make a into western Taurus near the tude fainter than the star. The 6 p.m. EDT fine pair when viewed through Pleiades. The planet remains ruddy world passes midway binoculars or a telescope at within a binocular view of the between Beta (β) and Zeta (ζ) 26 The Moon passes 1.9° north of Jupiter, low power. star cluster until early April, Tauri — the two stars that 10 p.m. EDT mark the horns of the Bull — 29 The Moon passes N on May 5 and 6. 0.05° south of The final highlight of Saturn, 1 a.m. EDT TAURUS Mars’ 2019 evening apparition The Moon passes comes in mid-May when it 0.3° north of Pluto, Pleiades slips through the outskirts of 8 a.m. EDT ARIES the open star cluster M35 in 37 western Gemini. On May 18, E Path of Mars the Red Planet lies 28' west τ 4 of the cluster, and on the fol- April 2 31 29 lowing evening, it’s a mere 19' 27 northeast of the group. M35 13 25 March 23 hosts a few orange stars that complement ruddy Mars beau- tifully. The distant open cluster 1° NGC 2158 lies 0.5° southwest The blue-white stars of the Pleiades stand in stark contrast to Mars’ ruddy of M35, adding further depth glow when the two appearASY-PB-618372_22 near each other in late March and early April. to the scene.

4 Sky Guide 2019 2019 April Pallas steers through S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 the Herdsman 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 f you’ve never seen an asteroid before, April N May 1 provides a nice opportu- 26 nity. Pallas, the second BOÖTES object discovered in the 21 1 The Moon passes 3° south of Venus, asteroid belt between the I midnight EDT orbits of Mars and Jupiter, 16 Mercury passes 0.4° E Path of Pallas 2 comes to opposition and peak Arcturus 11 north of Neptune, visibility April 9. It then shines 3 p.m. EDT η at magnitude 7.9 among the The Moon passes 3° background stars of Boötes 6 south of Neptune, τ the Herdsman, and can be 7 p.m. EDT glimpsed through binoculars The Moon passes 4° or a telescope. April 1 south of Mercury, υ Even better, Pallas lies 1° 7 p.m. EDT within a few degrees of 6 The Moon passes 5° south of Uranus, Arcturus, the northern sky’s Asteroid Pallas slides through southern Boötes in April, not far from ASY-PB-618372_23 9 a.m. EDT brightest star, so finding its brilliant Arcturus and less than 1° from magnitude 2.7 Eta (η) Boötis. 9 The Moon passes general location should be 5° south of Mars, easy. This region already the west-northwest, passing field that includes the bright- 3 a.m. EDT appears 20° high in the east through a region of Boötes est half-dozen or so stars. Asteroid Pallas once darkness falls and climbs devoid of bright naked-eye Return to the same field a is at opposition, quickly throughout the eve- stars. The asteroid passes 1° night or two later. The “star” 9 p.m. EDT ning hours. west of a 5th-magnitude star that moved is Pallas. Venus passes 0.3° To find Pallas, first locate on the 22nd and a mere 11' German astronomer south of Neptune, Arcturus, the magnitude 0.0 south of a 6th-magnitude Heinrich Olbers discovered midnight EDT luminary of Boötes. Then, sun on the 28th. Pallas on March 28, 1802. It 11 Mercury is at great- est western elonga- scan 5° west to pick up magni- The finder chart above was the second asteroid found, tion (28°), 4 p.m. EDT tude 2.7 Eta (η) Boötis, also shows stars to magnitude 8.5, after Giuseppe Piazzi spotted 16 Mars passes 7° known as Murfid. This will be so you should be able to iden- Ceres on January 1, 1801. But north of Aldebaran, your guide star in the nights tify Pallas without much trou- Pallas’ orbit tilts 35° to the 6 p.m. EDT around opposition. During ble. But how can you know for plane of the solar system, far 22 Uranus is in con- April’s first 10 days, the aster- sure? As with any solar system more than Ceres (11°) or any junction with the oid lies south-southeast of Eta. object, Pallas moves relative to planet. That’s why Pallas Sun, 7 p.m. EDT But Pallas draws closer to the the background stars. On a tracks so far north of the other Lyrid meteor star each successive night. On clear night near opposition, planets this spring and puts it shower peaks the 8th, it lies 38' from Murfid; make a sketch of the asteroid’s in such a prime location. 23 The Moon passes the gap closes to 18' at opposi- 1.6° north of Jupiter, 8 a.m. EDT tion on the 9th. Asteroids and dwarf planets On the following evening, 25 The Moon passes Name Opposition Constellation Magnitude 0.4° south of Saturn, Pallas stands a mere 2' north 10 a.m. EDT of the star at 8 p.m. EDT. With Herculina Feb. 5 Leo 8.9 Pallas April 9 Boötes 7.9 The Moon passes each passing hour, the asteroid 0.07° north of Ceres May 28 Ophiuchus 7.0 moves 1' farther away. Don’t Pluto, 4 p.m. EDT Pluto July 14 Sagittarius 14.5 confuse Pallas with a similarly 30 The Moon passes 3° bright field star that lies 20' Eunomia Aug. 13 8.2 south of Neptune, north-northeast of Eta. Metis Oct. 25 Cetus 8.6 4 a.m. EDT Following opposition, Vesta Nov. 12 Cetus 6.5 Pallas continues to move to

www.Astronomy.com 5 2019 May S M T W T F S Dark skies for 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 spring meteors 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 31 very time a comet passes through the inner solar system, the Sun’s heat vapor- 2 The Moon passes izes cometary ices 4° south of Venus, and releases countless dust 8 a.m. EDT E particles in the process. For 3 The Moon passes 3° south of Mercury, periodic comets, this dusty 2 a.m. EDT debris eventually spreads out 6 Eta Aquariid along the body’s entire orbit. meteor shower And when Earth encounters peaks one of these streams during 7 The Moon passes its yearly sojourn around the 3° south of Mars, Sun, our atmosphere inciner- 8 p.m. EDT ates the dust and we see a A bright Eta Aquariid meteor disrupts star trails above Joshua Tree National Venus passes 1.2° 18 meteor shower. Park near the peak of the 2011 shower. MICHAEL CALIGIURI south of Uranus, The most famous of all 4 a.m. EDT comets — 1P/Halley — has where you can see a large por- some 20° high in the east as 20 The Moon passes 1.7° north of Jupiter, been especially prolific. It tion of the sky. Allow your eyes twilight breaks. Observers with 1 p.m. EDT produces two annual meteor at least 15 minutes to adapt to clear skies can expect to see 21 Mercury is in supe- showers. The first of these is the darkness. (And don’t look between 10 and 15 meteors per rior conjunction, the Eta Aquariids. The shower at your phone screen — it will hour. (From the Southern 9 a.m. EDT remains active from April 19 to desensitize your eye for at least Hemisphere, the radiant climbs 22 The Moon passes May 28 and reaches maximum 15 minutes and cause you to more than twice as high and 0.5° south of Saturn, the morning of May 6. (Halley’s miss fainter meteors.) Then lie delivers an even better show.) 6 p.m. EDT debris also produces the back on a lawn chair or blan- The shower peaks before The Moon passes Orionids in October.) ket and look up. dawn May 6, but don’t give 0.07° south of Pluto, midnight EDT The Eta Aquariid peak Although Eta Aquariid up if the weather looks bad comes two days after New meteors appear to radiate from that morning. Detailed stud- 27 The Moon passes 4° south of Neptune, Moon this year, so observers the constellation Aquarius, ies of the shower reveal that it 1 p.m. EDT will have dark skies to enjoy they can show up anywhere in delivers nearly as many mete- 28 Dwarf planet Ceres the show. The best views will the sky. For the best views, look ors for at least three days on is at opposition, come in the hour or two before about two-thirds of the way either side of this maximum. 7 p.m. EDT morning twilight begins, as from the horizon to the zenith. Eta Aquariid meteors tend to 31 The Moon passes Earth plows head-on into the From mid-northern latitudes, be bright and produce long 5° south of Uranus, debris stream. Find a safe loca- the radiant rises after 2 a.m. streaks, and many leave behind 6 a.m. EDT tion away from city lights, local daylight time and climbs persistent trains. The Eta Aquariid shower is Meteor showers in 2019 one of just two this year that don’t compete with a bright Name Peak date Moon’s phase Prospects Moon; January’s Quadrantids Quadrantids Jan. 3 New Moon Excellent is the only other display that Lyrids April 22 Waning gibbous Poor escapes the Moon’s wrath. Eta Aquariids May 6 New Moon Excellent Moonlight interferes to some Perseids Aug. 13 Full Moon Poor extent with April’s Lyrids, Orionids Oct. 21 Waning crescent Fair August’s Perseids, October’s Leonids Nov. 17 Waning gibbous Poor Orionids, November’s Leonids, Geminids Dec. 14 Waning gibbous Poor and December’s Geminids.

6 Sky Guide 2019 2019 June Jupiter tangles with S M T W T F S 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 the Serpent-bearer 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 27 28 29 he solar system’s largest planet 30 reaches opposition and peak visibility June 10. It then 1 The Moon passes 3° south of Venus, shines at magnitude –2.6 — T 2 p.m. EDT the second-brightest point of 4 The Moon passes 4° light in the sky after Venus south of Mercury, — and stays on display all noon EDT night. With its midyear opposi- 5 The Moon passes tion, Jupiter remains visible 1.6° south of Mars, nearly all year. 11 a.m. EDT The giant planet appears in Jupiter is at opposi- Amateur 10 tion, 11 a.m. EDT the morning sky among the telescopes background stars of Ophiuchus reveal bands then 16 The Moon passes the Serpent-Bearer as the year in Jupiter’s lies 2° north of Jupiter, atmosphere and 3 p.m. EDT begins. Glowing at magnitude the Great Red Spot, closest to –1.8, it stands out against this though they don’t show the Earth and thus 17 Venus passes 5° north of Aldebaran, large but faint constellation. Be detail visible in this Hubble looms largest. Its equatorial Space Telescope image. 5 p.m. EDT sure to catch Jupiter’s spectacu- diameter reaches 46" while its NASA/ESA/A. SIMON (GSFC) 18 Mercury passes lar conjunction with Venus on polar diameter lags at 43" — an 0.2° north of Mars, January 22, when the brighter westward in early April when it obvious difference once you 11 a.m. EDT inner planet slides 2° north of shines at magnitude –2.3 and know to look for it. Details in The Moon passes the outer world. remains visible for more than the jovian cloud tops will keep 0.4° south of Saturn, As spring approaches, half the night. observers entranced through- midnight EDT Jupiter climbs higher in the Jupiter looks magnificent out the peak viewing season. 19 The Moon passes predawn sky and drifts slowly through any telescope. That’s You’ll first notice several 0.07° south of Pluto, 7 a.m. EDT eastward relative to the starry particularly true around its atmospheric bands crossing backdrop. It begins moving opposition because the planet Jupiter’s disk. The North 21 Mercury passes 6° south of Pollux, Equatorial Belt saw a lot of 1 a.m. EDT ξ activity in 2018, with dark SERPENS N Solstice (northern markings appearing along its summer/southern η northern edge. The South winter begins), Equatorial Belt underwent a noon EDT OPHIUCHUS disturbance the previous year, 23 Mars passes 6° and its aftermath likely will south of Pollux, linger into 2019. The Great 3 a.m. EDT Red Spot grew more promi- Mercury is at E greatest eastern nent as the disturbance pro- elongation (25°), ξ Aug 10 July 10 gressed, darkening from a faint 7 p.m. EDT May 10 June 10 April 10 pink to orange. The Moon passes 4° Jupiter reaches The giant planet sinks south of Neptune, 44 opposition June 10 51 lower as the year progresses. It 9 p.m. EDT ο disappears in evening twilight 27 The Moon passes θ in early December, but not 5° south of Uranus, 6 p.m. EDT before a second conjunction 1° with Venus. Watch the inner Giant Jupiter dazzles atASY-PB-618372_24 magnitude –2.6 at its peak this month, nearly planet pass 1.4° south of 100 times brighter than the stars in its home constellation, Ophiuchus. Jupiter on November 24.

www.Astronomy.com 7 2019 July S M T W T F S The ringed planet 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 bows to the Archer 21 22 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 aturn trails about two hours behind Jupiter each night, and it reaches simi- 2 Total solar eclipse, lar orbital milestones 3 p.m. EDT Sabout a month after its bigger 4 The Moon passes sibling. It comes to opposition 0.09° north of Mars, 2 a.m. EDT July 9 when it lies against the backdrop of Sagittarius the The Moon passes 3° north of Mercury, Archer, one constellation east 5 a.m. EDT of Jupiter’s host, Ophiuchus. Saturn’s location in the Saturn’s rings tilt wide open this summer. Amateur astronomers can expect 7 Mercury passes 4° to see exquisite detail through small scopes, including the dark gap of the south of Mars, outer solar system means it Cassini Division. NASA/ESA/ERICH KARKOSCHKA (UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA) 10 a.m. EDT moves slowly relative to the 9 Saturn is at opposi- background stars. Its presence 12° above the horizon an hour Following opposition, tion, 1 p.m. EDT distorts the shape of the before sunrise. Saturn moves into the evening 13 The Moon passes Teaspoon asterism in north- Saturn’s easterly motion sky. It cruises south of the 2° north of Jupiter, eastern Sagittarius. This group against the background stars Teaspoon asterism from late 4 p.m. EDT consists of five modest stars ends 4° east of Pi in late April. It July to early November, look- 14 Pluto is at opposi- topped by magnitude 2.9 Pi rises near 1 a.m. local daylight ing a bit like a bright drop of tion, 11 a.m. EDT (π) Sagittarii. time and climbs 30° high in the liquid gold spilled from the 16 The Moon passes Saturn first comes into view south as twilight commences. spoon. It passes a Full Moon’s 0.2° south of Saturn, 3 a.m. EDT during the second half of The planet then heads west- width south of Omicron (ο) January. It then lies low in the ward, slowly picking up speed. Sgr, the Teaspoon’s southern- The Moon passes 0.04° north of southeast before dawn, a mag- At opposition July 9, Saturn most member, on August 7. Pluto, 1 p.m. EDT nitude 0.5 object set against stands 1.3° southeast of Pi and The planet dips lower in the Partial lunar the twilight. Its first notable shines at magnitude 0.1, some southwest during the autumn eclipse, 6 p.m. EDT event arrives February 18 13 times brighter than the star. months. A few weeks before it 21 The Moon passes 4° when brilliant Venus passes It rises at sunset and sets at sun- disappears in the Sun’s glow, south of Neptune, 1.1° north of the ringed world. rise, climbing highest around however, it has another nice 4 a.m. EDT The pretty pair stands about 1 a.m. local daylight time. conjunction with Venus. The Mercury is in two pass within 1.8° of each inferior conjunc- N other December 10, this time tion, 9 a.m. EDT with Venus to the south. The 25 The Moon passes duo appear 10° high an hour 5° south of Uranus, SAGITTARIUS 3 a.m. EDT after sundown. ξ1 Although tracking the 2 π ξ planet’s motion with the naked eye or binoculars is rewarding, May 1 June 1 ο Saturn truly shines when E July 1 Aug 1 viewed through a telescope. Saturn reaches Sept 1 opposition The best views come near July 9 opposition when the world χ2 lies closest to Earth and thus 1° appears biggest. During July, χ1 Saturn’s golden-colored disk measures 18" across the equa- The ringed planet resides in eastern Sagittarius throughout 2019, not far tor while the rings span 42" from the magnitude ASY-PB-618372_252.9 star Pi (π) Sagittarii. and tilt 24° to our line of sight.

8 Sky Guide 2019 2019 Spot elusive Mercury Aug S M T W T F S 1 2 3 at dawn 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 he innermost planet puts on a fine morning show in August. It reaches greatest 5 Mercury passes 9° south of Pollux, elongation on the 9th, when it T 6 p.m. EDT lies 19° west of the Sun and 9 The Moon passes appears 10° high in the east 2° north of Jupiter, a half-hour before sunrise. 7 p.m. EDT Mercury’s angular elonga- Mercury is at tion from our star isn’t the greatest western only benchmark for a good elongation (19°), view. In fact, 19° isn’t all that 7 p.m. EDT great. But from mid-northern 12 The Moon passes latitudes, the ecliptic — the 0.04° south of Saturn, 6 a.m. EDT apparent path of the Sun The Moon passes across the sky that the planets 0.1° north of Pluto, follow closely — inclines 6 p.m. EDT steeply to the eastern horizon From Earth, Mercury appears bland even through large telescopes. But the MESSENGER spacecraft revealed the world to be a heavily cratered object 13 Perseid meteor at dawn this time of year. that shows surprising signs of recent geological activity. NASA/JHUAPL/CIW shower peaks This means angular distance 14 Venus is in superior from the Sun translates mostly conjunction, into altitude. ORION 2 a.m. EDT A pair of guide stars will 17 The Moon passes 4° help you find Mercury in Betelgeuse south of Neptune, GEMINI 9 a.m. EDT twilight. Locate Castor and Castor Pollux — the two brightest 21 The Moon passes Pollux 5° south of Uranus, stars in Gemini — about an 11 a.m. EDT hour before sunup. (They rise 22 Asteroid Juno is in 45 minutes before Mercury.) If Mercury conjunction with you draw a line between these Procyon the Sun, 6 p.m. EDT two and extend it toward the 10° horizon, it points directly to Mercury. This rough align- August 9, 30 minutes before sunrise ment works for two to three Looking east days on both sides of the 9th. As always when looking for Mercury climbs well above the eastern horizon during morning twilight around its August 9 peak.ASY-PB-618372_26 Use the twin stars of Gemini — Castor and Pollux objects in twilight, binoculars — as a guide to finding the innermost planet. will help your search. Mercury brightens notice- magnitude –0.7 beacon and as Mercury’s finest of the year. ably throughout this appari- still stands 10° high 30 min- The inner planet also shines as tion. The planet glows at utes before sunrise. an evening “star” three times magnitude 1.1 and matches Mercury shows up five in 2019. It climbs 11° high the brilliance of Pollux on other times in 2019. You can in the west a half-hour after August 4. At greatest elonga- find it on mornings around sunset near the greatest elon- tion on the 9th, it reaches April 11 and November 28. gations of February 26 and magnitude 0.1 and stands Although it never gains much June 23, but it barely scrapes out clearly against the twi- altitude during that first the horizon at its October 19 light. And by the 15th, it’s a appearance, the last one ranks appearance.

www.Astronomy.com 9 2019 Sept S M T W T F S Pouring water on 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 an ice giant 22 23 24 25 26 27 29 30 arely has the power ice giant of mathematical world has a prediction proved diameter more valuable to four times 2 Mars is in conjunc- astronomers than in that of Earth, tion with the Sun, the 1846 discovery of Neptune. it lies 30 7 a.m. EDT R French mathematician Urbain times farther 3 Mercury is in supe- rior conjunction, Le Verrier studied irregularities from the Sun. 10 p.m. EDT in Uranus’ motion and deduced That means it 6 The Moon passes the existence of a massive receives barely 0.1 2° north of Jupiter, planet even deeper in the solar percent of the sunlight 3 a.m. EDT system. German astronomer Earth does and makes it by Neptune’s bluish color shows up The Moon passes Johann Galle soon found the far the solar system’s faintest 8 nicely through amateur telescopes. 0.04° south of hypothesized body within 1° major planet. ESO/P. WEILBACHER (AIP) Saturn, 10 a.m. EDT of its predicted position. To find Neptune, first recog- The Moon passes It’s worth remembering this nize the contours of Aquarius. Neptune — the planet lies 0.08° north of remarkable story as Neptune Although most of its stars are a mere 7' east-northeast of Pluto, 11 p.m. EDT arrives at opposition the night pretty faint, a conspicuous the star. 10 Neptune is at opposition, of September 9/10, positioned group of four stars should grab But what happens during 3 a.m. EDT in the same constellation, your attention. This quartet the next week proves even 13 The Moon passes 4° Aquarius the Water-bearer, represents Aquarius’ Water Jar, more fascinating. Neptune’s south of Neptune, where Galle first spotted it with which she pours water westward motion relative to 2 p.m. EDT 173 ago. This is also a onto the more southerly con- the stars carries it even closer 17 The Moon passes perfect month to discover stellation Piscis Austrinus. The to Phi. On the evening of 4° south of Uranus, Neptune for yourself because Water Jar’s brightest star is September 5, the ice giant 4 p.m. EDT it passes extremely close to a magnitude 3.7 Zeta (ζ) Aquarii. lies a mere 42" due east of the 23 Equinox (northern 4th-magnitude star. From Zeta, scan 13° south- star — so close they look like a autumn/southern spring begins), Still, Neptune glows at mag- east to find magnitude 4.2 beautiful double star. Phi is an 4 a.m. EDT nitude 7.8 at opposition, so Phi (ϕ) Aqr. If you view Phi orange-colored and you’ll need binoculars or a tele- through a scope September 1, makes a striking color contrast 28 Mercury passes 1.4° north of Spica, scope to spot it. Although the you’ll also be looking at with blue-gray Neptune. For 7 p.m. EDT a week on either side of this 29 The Moon passes 6° N date, the planet lies within 10' north of Mercury, PISCES of the star and should be easy 6 p.m. EDT to identify because only one star of similar brightness lies in the field. On the night of opposition, E φ Neptune lies 6' west-southwest of Phi. The two remain visible Neptune all night and peak 45° above the southern horizon at 1 a.m. AQUARIUS χ λ local daylight time. To confirm ψ2 your planet sighting, insert a ψ1 medium-power eyepiece into ψ3 1° your telescope. Only Neptune shows a distinct disk measur- Neptune appears against the background stars of Aquarius at opposition ing 2.4" across and sporting a September 9/10, less thanASY-PB-618372_27 10' from 4th-magnitude Phi (ϕ) Aquarii. subtle blue-gray color.

10 Sky Guide 2019 2019 Spy Uranus on a Oct S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 cool autumn night 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 30 31 erhaps no solar system object tests N your naked-eye observing skills better than Uranus. 2 Venus passes 3° north of Spica, The seventh planet reaches P ARIES 9 p.m. EDT peak visibility at opposition 3 The Moon passes October 28, when it glows at E 1.9° north of Jupiter, Uranus magnitude 5.7. Although that’s 4 p.m. EDT bright enough to glimpse with- The Moon passes ξ 5 out optical aid from under a 0.3° south of Saturn, 5 p.m. EDT dark sky, few people have ever 1° done it. You need superb view- 6 The Moon passes ξ1 ο ing conditions and knowledge CETUS 0.1° south of Pluto, of precisely where to look. 5 a.m. EDT 2 PISCES Why not give it a shot this ξ 10 The Moon passes 4° south of Neptune, year? And if you don’t spot it, Ice giant Uranus lies in a fairly desolate region of southern Aries when it ASY-PB-618372_28 7 p.m. EDT you can always use binoculars comes to opposition October 28. 14 The Moon passes or a telescope to track it down. 4° south of Uranus, 2 2 At opposition, Uranus rises only a few background stars and Xi (ξ ) Ceti and Omicron 8 p.m. EDT ο at sunset and climbs 30° high as bright as the planet to con- ( ) Piscium. If you reach them, 19 Mercury is at in the east by 9 p.m. local day- fuse you. you’ve gone too far. greatest eastern light time. This is plenty high To begin your search, find To confirm a sighting, point elongation (25°), enough to view through bin- magnitude 2.0 Hamal (Alpha a telescope at the suspected midnight EDT oculars, though it’s better to [α] Arietis), the Ram’s bright- planet. Uranus shows an obvi- 21 Orionid meteor wait until it soars twice as est star. Uranus lies 11° south ous disk that spans 3.7" and shower peaks high in the south between of Hamal in late October. Two displays a distinctive blue- 26 The Moon passes 5° north of Mars, midnight and 1 a.m. if you 6th-magnitude field stars green color. If you target the 1 p.m. EDT want to accept the naked-eye occupy the same area and planet through a 6-inch or 28 Uranus is at opposi- challenge. form a flat triangle with a 7th- larger scope the night of tion, 4 a.m. EDT Uranus lies in southern magnitude neighbor. Uranus October 21/22, you’ll pick up 29 The Moon passes Aries the Ram, a region devoid stands some 2° east of this tri- another solar system object. 4° north of Venus, of bright stars. That’s actually angle. Farther south lies a trio The 12th-magnitude asteroid 10 a.m. EDT 1 1 an advantage because there are of 4th-magnitude : Xi (ξ ) 76 Freia then lies just 5' north- The Moon passes 7° west of Uranus. Freia lurks north of Mercury, about twice as far away the 11 a.m. EDT night before and after. 30 Mercury passes 3° Uranus lies far enough from south of Venus, 4 a.m. EDT the Sun that it doesn’t wander far during 2019. It’s in the same 31 The Moon passes 1.3° north of Jupiter, section of Aries when it first 10 a.m. EDT comes into view before dawn in May. You might want to look for it through binoculars the morning of May 18 when it lies 1.2° due north of Venus. The pair rises an hour before Uranus’ color stands out through any telescope, though you won’t see all the Sun, but Uranus, at least, that the Keck Telescope reveals. LAWRENCE SROMOVSKY (UW-MADISON)/KECK OBSERVATORY will be a challenge to see.

www.Astronomy.com 11 2019 Nov S M T W T F S Mercury transits 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 the Sun 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 ost major Mercury’s tiny black disk (to the lower right of events the disk’s center) most involv- recently crossed the ing Sun’s face May 9, 2016. 2 The Moon passes the DARREN TRIZZINO 0.6° south of Saturn, planets — oppositions, 3 a.m. EDT M conjunctions, and great- so there’s plenty of The Moon passes 0.4° south of Pluto, est elongations — hap- time to catch glimpses 2 p.m. EDT pen at least once every of it even if you experi- 6 The Moon passes 4° two years. But a few phe- ence patchy clouds. south of Neptune, nomena cycle through at a Mercury is the smallest midnight EST much slower pace. The transit major planet and spans just 10" 8 Mars passes 3° of Mercury across the face of on the 11th. The Sun, on the north of Spica, the Sun on November 11 pro- East get to see the transit’s other hand, appears 1,939" 10 a.m. EST vides a perfect example. It’s the early stages during the after- across. You’ll need a telescope 9 Venus passes 4° first one since May 2016, and noon, but the Sun sets before to see Mercury’s black disk in north of Antares, we won’t see another until its conclusion. silhouette against our star’s 6 a.m. EST November 2032. This century The transit begins at brilliant face, but make sure to 10 The Moon passes 4° south of Uranus, sees only 14 Mercury transits 7:35 a.m. EST. Less than two protect your eyesight. For a 11 p.m. EST — and this one passes closest to minutes later, Mercury’s entire direct view of the transit, place 11 Mercury transits the Sun’s center, so do your best disk appears silhouetted in a safe solar filter over the front the Sun, 10 a.m. EST to take advantage of it. front of the solar . end of your instrument. 12 Asteroid Vesta Observers east of a line The planet passes closest to the Alternatively, you can project is at opposition, that runs from Louisiana to center of the solar disk (76" the Sun’s image onto a white 4 a.m. EST Michigan and eastern Ontario away) at 10:20 a.m. It then card to allow a group of people 17 Leonid meteor can see the entire event, as can takes a couple more hours to to observe the transit at once. shower peaks residents of Central and South complete its journey, touching Place the card 12 to 18 inches 24 The Moon passes America. West of this line, the Sun’s edge at 1:03 p.m. and from the eyepiece to enlarge 4° north of Mars, the Sun rises with the transit exiting entirely just 101 seconds the Sun’s disk, and use 4 a.m. EST already underway. Viewers in later. In all, it takes Mercury Mercury’s disk or any visible Venus passes 1.4° Europe, Africa, and the Middle 5.5 hours to traverse the Sun, sunspots to focus the image. south of Jupiter, 9 a.m. EST The Moon passes 1.9° north of e p m is NORTH Mercury, 10 . . EST nr su AMERICA t EUROPE 28 Mercury is at great- a s ASIA est western elonga- d n e tion (20°), 6 a.m. EST t i Entire transit T Transit not s r n visible AFRICA a visible a n The Moon passes e r s s T i i r T t 0.7° north of n r b a u e n Jupiter, 6 a.m. EST s SOUTH g s t i i n a AMERICA t s s e The Moon passes n n a i d t AUSTRALIA g 1.9° north of Venus, s s e u b a n 2 p m t . . EST t s i s e s u t n n The Moon passes a s 29 Tr e 0.9° south of Saturn, t 4 p.m. EST The Moon passes 0.5° south of Pluto, Observers across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East can watch Mercury transit the Sun 11 p.m. EST on November 11 if they use safe solar-viewingASY-PB-618372_29 techniques.

12 Sky Guide 2019 2019 A blazing ring Dec S M T W T F S 1 2 3 5 6 7 of fire 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 31 hree solar eclipses grace Earth’s skies during 2019: one partial, one total, and this month’s 2 Asteroid Pallas is in conjunction with annular event December 26. T the Sun, 9 p.m. EST Annular eclipses occur when 4 The Moon passes 4° the Moon passes directly in south of Neptune, front of the Sun but lies too far 7 a.m. EST away to completely cover our 8 The Moon passes star’s disk. At its peak, such an 5° south of Uranus, eclipse reduces the Sun to a The December 26 annular solar eclipse promises superb views for observers 6 a.m. EST spectacular ring of fire. in parts of southern Asia and Indonesia as well as all of Guam. LES PORTER 10 Venus passes 1.8° The central track of the south of Saturn, midnight EST December 26 eclipse first Total eclipse PARAGUAY touches Earth on the Arabian of July 2 14 Geminid meteor shower peaks Peninsula and brings annular- ity to parts of Saudi Arabia, 15 Mercury passes 5° north of Antares, CHILE Qatar, the United Arab 11 a.m. EST Emirates, and Oman just after BRAZIL L S 21 Solstice (northern sunrise. It then crosses south- winter/southern ern India and northern Sri Path of totality summer begins), URUGUAY 11 p.m. EST Lanka late that morning S before hitting Sumatra, 22 The Moon passes Singapore, and Borneo near 4° north of Mars, midday. Final landfall comes ARGENTINA 9 p.m. EST on the island of Guam about 25 Annular solar eclipse, midnight an hour before sunset. EST The countries on either 27 The Moon passes The most anticipated solar eclipse of 2019 comes in early July when totality side of the central track will 1.2° south of Saturn, washes over a narrow slice of Chile and Argentina. see varying degrees of a par- 7 a.m. EST tial eclipse, but, as with total The Moon passes PLEASE PROOF: solar eclipses, the main event The path of the JulyTitle 2 ASY-PB-618372for good weatherIllustrator areRoen high Kelly in 0.6° south of Pluto, Individual illustrators, 10 a.m. EST occurs along the central path. designers,total solar art directors, eclipse liesIssue mostlyDecember 2018interior ChileDesigner as well as west- The early stages of an annular andin editors the Pacific must proof Ocean, Job but # it ern ArgentinaArt Dir. away from the Jupiter is in con- eclipse bring a slight drop in anddoes sign crossthis form. a narrow Codeslice of Andes. TheStory eclipse Ed. track ends junction with the Proof 1 Copy Ed. p m light levels. Ten to 15 minutes Chile and Argentina in late at sunset in the suburbs south Sun, 1 . . EST Date 8-13-18 Man. Ed. The Moon passes before the annular phase hits, afternoon. The track touchessoon as possibleof Buenos Aires, where viewers 28 Return Editor 1.0° south of Venus, you’ll notice the subdued day- the Chilean coast north of La can see a little more than two 9 p.m. EST light and sharper-than-normal Serena, where totality lasts 2 minutes of totality. 31 The Moon passes 4° shadows. At the eclipse’s peak, minutes 36 seconds. (La Serena The year’s least exciting south of Neptune, which lasts up to 3 minutes itself experiences 2 minutes solar eclipse is a partial one 4 p.m. EST 40 seconds in Sumatra, the 11 seconds of darkness.) Once January 6. Residents of eastern Moon covers 94 percent of the track heads inland, it passes Asia, Japan, and southwestern the Sun’s area. The remain- over major observatories at Alaska can see the Moon take a ing 6 percent is still intensely both La Silla and Cerro Tololo. bite from the Sun. Maximum bright, and you’ll need to (Be aware that travel restric- eclipse occurs in eastern practice safe solar-viewing tions will be in place at these Siberia, where our satellite cov- techniques to watch it. sites on eclipse day.) Prospects ers 71 percent of the Sun’s disk.

www.Astronomy.com 13 The delicate tendrils of the Sun’s corona will greet observers in the path of totality during the December 14, 2020, solar eclipse. ANTHONY AYIOMAMITIS 2020 PREVIEW SHOP NOW FOR Looking ahead to next year . . . SCIENCE & ASTRONOMY PRODUCTS

MOST ASTRONOMY ENTHUSIASTS seek out eclipses, marking future ones on their calendars so they’ll be sure The Geminid meteor shower may be the best of 2020 when it peaks near not to miss them. And 2020 won’t disappoint — like 2019, it brings New Moon in mid-December. TONY ROWELL one annular and one total solar eclipse. Coincidentally, the path of the December 14 total event hits the same two countries, Chile and Planet’s 2018 apparition, the ruddy world climbs more than twice Argentina, as the July 2, 2019, eclipse. The track lies farther south, as high for Northern Hemisphere observers. The greater altitude however, and totality won’t last quite as long. Still, observers on the means sharper views for those who target Mars through a telescope. center line will experience more than two minutes of darkness. Venus should also be spectacular in 2020. It serves as a brilliant The June 21 annular eclipse cuts a narrow track across Africa “evening star” in winter and early spring and then transitions to a and southern Asia. This event comes much closer to totality than “morning star” in summer and fall. From mid-northern latitudes, Huge selection! did the December 26, 2019, eclipse. At maximum in northern the planet appears high in a dark sky during both appearances. India, the Moon blocks 99 percent of the Sun’s area. Jupiter and Saturn remain close all year. They reach opposition and Books • Magazines • Globes & Maps Unfortunately, 2020 offers no decent lunar eclipses. Despite peak visibility within six days of each other in mid-July against four events, all of them see the Moon pass only through the background stars of Sagittarius. Earth’s light penumbral shadow. After a down year for most meteor showers in Posters • Downloads • And more! The planets more than make up for this tem- 2019, observers will face better prospects the porary letdown. Mars stands at the top of the following year. The Perseids peak under a heap. At opposition in October, it shines at waning crescent Moon that won’t interfere magnitude –2.6 and its disk swells to 23" much, while the Orionids, Leonids, and in diameter. Although these numbers Geminids all crest within a couple days are slightly worse than during the Red of New Moon. Even the Quadrantids in Mars will shine brilliantly and loom large early January catch a break in 2020. The through telescopes when it peaks at prolific shower peaks at First Quarter MyScienceShop.com opposition in October 2020. NASA/ESA/THE HUBBLE phase, so the Moon will be absent during HERITAGE TEAM (STScI/AURA)/J. BELL (ASU)/M. WOLFF (SSI) the prime viewing hours after midnight. P29014 14 Sky Guide 2019 SHOP NOW FOR SCIENCE & ASTRONOMY PRODUCTS

Huge selection! Books • Magazines • Globes & Maps Posters • Downloads • And more! MyScienceShop.com

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