Penobscot Valley Star Gazers An Astronomical Society of Central Maine Now dreary winter’s piercing cold, floats on the northern gale, http://www.gazers.org And trees, though green, look dry and old; snow covers hill and dale. January 2019 Another Year for PVSG Welcome to the beginning of PVSG’s 29th full calendar year! We start by meeting on Monday, Janu- ary 14th at John Bapst Memorial High School at 6:30 pm. The program is unknown at this time; per- haps Dwight will give his Birr Castle presentation. Thanks for last month’s program go to Dwight for arranging the Christmas/Holiday party held at Kos- ta’s Restaurant and for the video presentation by Dr. Jackie Fatherty on the significance of the data from ESA's GAIA observatory satellite. Also, thanks to all those who shared some memories of club events. Dinner and a Show Wade & Donna: Observed the Comet December 10, 2018 On the Schedule over several nights (Items Subject to Change) this past week using PVSG Meeting: Kos- PROGRAMS ta’s Restaurant, Decem- several different bin- ber 10, 2018. oculars. February 11: Meeting at Dwight: An- Emera Center Attendance: nounced that Bill Scott Burgess, Vice Shackleford sent an STAR PARTIES President & Julie & email to Dwight with daughter Elizabeth a correction to his ?January 20: Lunar Dave Clark, Treasur- ‘Observe the Sky’ Eclipse public star party er & Ann newsletter column. ?March 30, April 6, 27, or Alan Davenport & The moon this month May 4: Bangor Land Beth is not a supermoon. Preserve Dwight Lanpher, President Dwight also brought ? Tentative; (rs) rain or shine; Ralph Mallett the bino viewers that (co) clear only; (rd) rain date Phil Normand, Secretary & Laurie he showed a picture Wade and Donna Smith of at the last meeting. Carolyn and Stephen Vose They have 1st surface dielectric mirrors instead of Julie Brownie prisms. Member info-sharing: Meeting was brought to order at approximately Phil: Mentioned star chart that office co-work- 7:31. ers gave of sky over Keene, NH when grandchild Dwight announced that the Emera Planetarium was born. had been offered to the club to have a meeting in Wade: Recounted memories of Roland Cormi- February or March. He suggested that we take er and all the assistance he gave members of the them up on their offer for our February meeting. club. Dwight led a discussion of Comet Donna: Spoke of when she 1st saw a bolide 46P/Wirtanen. Dwight sent out a link earlier in the when sitting on the deck at the house with Wade. day with info on finding the comet. Alan men- Scott: Talked about his involvement with the tioned that the Internet Site – spaceweather.com American Association of Variable Star Observers has daily finder charts. and the observation of Betelgeuse. Said that pro- Monthly newsletter was approved unanimous- fessional team that he is working with has been ly. granted time on the Hubble Telescope. Project is Treasurer’s Report: Current balance is: a 3-year project with members from around the $683.07. Dues are due. Treasurer’s report was world. approved. Dave: Spoke of a night where there was a star Observers’ reports: party at his house and he was trying to determine be added to the winter constellations to be ob- if he had seen Pluto. He had to re-observe a few served. These constellations contain sufficient ob- days later and the object had moved. Saw a na- jects of interest to more than fill our discussion ked eye comet on a night when there was a pow- this month. Orion the hunter with his shield in one er outage and everything was dark. hand and his club held upright in the other is the Stephen & Carolyn Vose: Steve talked about easiest winter constellation to recognize by most their cottages in Downeast Maine in the summer observers. Did you notice the brightest star in – Their current cottage has a beautiful southwest- earth’s sky, Sirius was seen directly south at mid- ern exposure. Nice view of planets over the lake. night when you were out celebrating the New Would go out on boat with visitors and would Year? Interesting. This was first noticed by Jack point out things in the sky as the sky darkened. Horkheimer when he was on public television ev- Alan: 32 years of memories with the club and ery night discussing objects currently visible in the many of the members present at the meeting. sky with his program “Star Gazer” from the Miami Dwight: Talked about going to the Megantic Space Transit Planetarium. Observatory with several of the members present Planets this month – The Moon is new on Sat- at the meeting. Dwight mentioned that he had urday the 5th, is at first quarter on Monday the gone to several holiday gatherings over the last 14th, full on the 20th, and at last quarter on Sun- few days with other clubs in Maine. day the 27th. Mercury is visible in the morning sky New business: until mid-month when it gets too close to the Sun Dwight brought a recording of a presentation to observe. Venus is easily observed in the morn- from an astrophysicist from the American Natural ing sky but becomes lower during the month and History Museum in New York. is close to Jupiter on the 22nd. Mars is in the eve- Meeting adjourned at 8:44 ning sky in the constellation of Pisces. Jupiter ris- es about 2 hours before the Sun. It is in Phil Ophiuchus and low in the southern sky. Saturn is too close to the Sun to be observed this month. Uranus is well placed for viewing high in the sky Observe the Sky This Month in Pisces at magnitude 5.8. Neptune is rather low Some Selected Objects in the evening sky in Aquarius. The dwarf planet Pluto is too close to the sun to be viewed. January 2019 Featured star – Adhara (ε) Canis Major is one of the back legs of the dog and shines at Magni- General sky comments – After a wait of a few tude 1.5 making it the second brightest star in the years this is the month when there is finally a total constellation. Strangely it was listed as epsilon the eclipse of the moon visible in the United States. fifth letter in the Greek alphabet by Bayer not be- It is unfortunately happening at a time many of us ta. It is located 431 +/- 30 light years distant and like to be in a warm bed doubly important be- is one of the brightest extreme ultraviolet sources cause it will be cold too. Bundle up anyway and in the sky and the 19th brightest star. It is about get out to see this eclipse with 62 minutes of to- 200 times brighter than Sirius and if located in tality. Here are the particulars of this lunar eclipse. Sirius’s position it would be the brightest star in On the evening of January 20 the moon enters the sky by far. the outer portion of the Earth’s shadow called the Featured Constellation – Lepus the Hare is penumbra at 9:36 pm. The moon enters the cen- easy to find immediately below the two stars Rigel tral part of the Earth’s shadow called the umbra at and Saiph at the base of Orion, but hardly noticed 10:33, totality starts at 11:42 and ends at 1:50 am by most sky watchers. Where I grew up we had st on the 21 when it re-enters the penumbra. The both hares and rabbits wild on the prairie. The eclipse ends at 2:48. An additional plus for this hare was the Jack Rabbit and the true rabbit was eclipse is its overhead position. All the objects the Cotton Tail. Hares have long ears, and legs, noted in December are still well placed for observ- are born with hair, can see, and hop around. Rab- ing this month. If you missed observing some of bits have shorter ears, legs, and are born naked these object get out there and observe. New con- with unopened eyes. The sky appearance of the stellations such as the constellations Orion the constellation was strange to me because Lepus hunter, Lepus the Hare, Canis Major, and Colum- has rather short ears and long legs but still it has ba the Dove a constellation unknown to most will always been one of my favorite constellations be- cause it looks like a running hare except for the ter NGC 2186 a cluster of some 15+ stars in two short ears. The constellation is not very bright groups. M78 is a small patch of nebulosity sur- with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th magnitude stars but before so rounding a couple of stars located 2.5 degrees much bright lighting I had little trouble observing it NE of Alnitak. Not an impressive nebula consider- from my back yard. Lepus does contain one ing the part of the sky. I searched for NGC 2022 Messier objects M79 a nice globular and one of a planetary nebula two degrees SE of Meissa the the few easily observed in the winter sky. double star at the head of Orion but was never Featured Messier object – Within Orion is the sure I saw it. I have not given up. I have also great Orion Nebula M42 the finest emission nebu- looked for the dark Horsehead Nebula several la in the northern sky. My observing comments times. I can locate the star field but am not sure with my 25 x 100 binocular are as follows.