JANUARY 2021
A SUBSIDIARY OF NIGHT SKY NEWS THE EUROPA EAGLE SERVING THE GREATER ORION ARM OF THE MILKY WAY SINCE 14,524,369,1227.59 www.snco.org
WHAT’S UP at the Oregon Observatory
The major event for this month is the Quadrantid Mars will be bright and visible throughout meteor shower which occurs annually from January. Venus will be our morning star in early late December through mid January. The best January but will begin to be visible in the evening viewing will be at its peak, the evening of after January 24th. January 2nd and morning of January 3rd. The The new moon will occur on January 12th and best time to view it will be after midnight. Some the full moon on January 28th. This month’s of the meteors will be washed out by the bright full moon is colloquially known as the Full moon but meteors will still be visible (weather Wolf Moon or the Snow Moon among Native permitting). To view this event you will only American tribes in North America. It is known need to escape the city lights, dress warmly, and as the Full Wolf Moon because during this full look up! Once your eyes have adjusted you can moon wolves could be heard calling each other see up to 80 meteors per hour. during their hunt. Quadrantid meteor shower is considered to be Another favorite night sky object is the one of the best meteor showers of the year and Andromeda Galaxy, the closest galaxy we can is known for its bright fireball meteors. see in the Northern hemisphere. This galaxy has These fireballs are caused by large particles left over twice the number of stars as our own Milky behind by asteroid 2003 EH1 which burned up Way and is 2.5 million light years away! This is in the Earth’s atmosphere. Meteor showers are another object that can be seen with the naked caused by the Earth entering the path of debris eye on a clear, dark night! left from a comet (an icy body from the far edges of our solar system). However, this meteor shower was caused by an asteroid or what some astronomers are calling a “rocky comet.” After the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21st, Saturn will continue moving across the sky to the West. It will disappear from our evening sky in mid January with Jupiter going below the horizon close behind. Sharp- OUR UNIVERSE IS EXPANDING eyed viewers will see Mercury join both Jupiter We are excited to be expanding the and Saturn on January 7th. It will be brightest on observatory, with groundbreaking of phase January 24th just after sunset. one planned for this spring. Learn more at campaign.snco.org Orion the Hunter At the Oregon Observatory, one of our favorite Winter Objects is the Great Orion Nebula, also known as M42. Situated in the “sword” of the constellation Orion, the Orion Nebula is a stunning view from any of our large telescopes. The belt is the three bright, recognizable stars in the winter night sky and the “sword” hangs off of the belt. The nebula is a stellar nursery only 1,500 light years away and is the third “fuzzy” star in the “sword.” When viewed through a telescope you can easily see the glowing, ionized gas of the nebula as well as four bright, young stars called Trapezium which illuminate the nebula for us.
Evening Sky Experience Daytime Observatory Experience The Observatory will be open for public viewing Solar viewing is available Fridays and Saturdays on Wednesday and Saturday nights from 7-8pm 11am - 2pm for $5. We will be safely viewing and 8:30-9:30pm for $20 through reservations the Sun during the daytime with two different on our website. Weather permitting, we will view solar filters. We can view sunspots, flares, solar the various objects in the night sky including prominences, and other details on the Sun’s nebulae, double stars, galaxies, open and surface. We can only operate the during day globular star clusters. Mars will be a prime target when the Sun is out, so if you can see your for us this month. We will also lead you through a shadow, come check out our star and take a laser guided constellation tour focusing on what look at the observatory exhibits. is visible in the sky and some ancient myths and We also offer private daytime observatory legends behind the constellations. programs at 2pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and Private star parties up to 15 guests are also advanced reservations are required. available Tuesday and Friday 7-8pm and 8:30- 9:30pm. Please visit our website for availability and pricing or call our office for information. Reminder: All visits require masks
Reservations available at: snco.org Retail store: astronomyshop.org 541-593-4394 • [email protected] 57245 River Road Sunriver, OR 97707