Category Archives: Astronomy events

November 2018 Looking Up: Astronomy Events Calendar

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A monthly roundup of upcoming astronomy events viewable in MA/RI…

Dated events
Nov 10-11: Saturn-Moon pairing, southwest, dusk
Nov 10-12: North Taurid meteor shower peak (after midnight)
Nov 14-16: Moon-Mars pairing, south, evenings
Nov 16-17: Leonid meteor shower peak (pre-dawn)

Where to find the planets
• Mercury: Not likely observable
• Venus: Brilliant early morning object
• Mars: Brilliant evening object, south
• Jupiter: Not likely observable
• Saturn: Early evening, low in south
• Uranus: Evenings, in Aries
• Neptune: Evenings, in Aquarius

Notable comets
• 46P/Wirtanen: Fairly high later in month around 10 pm, in Cetus, brightening from mag 5.9:[url=http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/comets/46P.pdf]Finder chart[/url]
• 64P/Swift-Gehrels: High in Andromeda around 11 pm, mag 9.7 and fading: Finder chart
• See additional comets for larger scopes and mornings here

Observable dwarf planets/asteroids up to mag 10
Approx. observing window as of Nov. 10. Click here for your current date & finder chart for exact times.
• 3 Juno, in Eridanus, mag 7.5, 8 pm to 4 am
• 6 Hebe, in Monoceros, mag 9.1, 11 pm-5 am

Selected deep sky objects
Well placed for evening observing with binos/small scopes. Does not include circumpolar! Set your exact date/location here (and see additional DSO’s)
• Open clusters: IC4665, NGC6633, IC4756
• Globular clusters: M2, M13, M15, M92
• Galaxies: M31, M32, M33, M110

October 2018 Looking Up: Astronomy Calendar

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A monthly roundup of upcoming astronomy events viewable in MA/RI…

Dated events
Oct 10-12: Young moon passes by Jupiter, southwest, twilight
Oct 14-17: Waxing moon moves between Saturn and Mars, evening, SSW
Oct 19-21: Orionid meteor shower, pre-dawn (best after moon sets, 3-4 hrs before sunrise)
Oct 23: Uranus at opposition: brightest and closest to the Earth this year
Oct 23: Algol minimum 8:19 pm
Oct 31: Moon at perigee (most distant of the year) and close approach to M44

Where to find the planets
• Mercury: Not observable
• Venus: Not observable
• Mars: Evenings, moving east through Capricornus, low in south
• Jupiter: Early evenings, moving east through Libra, low in southwest
• Saturn: Evenings, above Sagittarius, south
• Uranus: Evenings, in Aries, brightest at mag 5.7
• Neptune: Evenings, in Aquarius, mag 7.8

Notable comets
• 64P/Swift-Gehrels: around 11 pm mid-month in Andromeda, brightening from 11.6 mag, with 1.5′ coma: Finder chart
• See additional comets for larger scopes and mornings here

Observable dwarf planets/asteroids up to mag 10
Approx. observing window as of Oct. 12. Click here for your current date & finder chart for exact times.
• 3 Juno, in Sagittarius, mag 8.0, 11 pm to 6 am
• 6 Hebe, in Monoceros, mag 9.5, 1:30-6 am

Selected deep sky objects
Well placed for evening observing with binos/small scopes. Does not include circumpolar! Set your exact date/location here (and see additional DSO’s)
• Open clusters: IC4665, NGC6633, IC4756
• Globular clusters: M2, M10, M12, M13, M15, M92
• Galaxies: M31, M32, M33, M51, M110

September 2018 Looking Up: Astronomy Calendar

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A monthly roundup of upcoming astronomy events viewable in MA/RI…

Dated events
Sept. 7: Neptune at opposition
Sept. 11-13: Crescent moon, Jupiter, Venus near each other at dusk, west
Sept. 17-19: Moon, Saturn, and Mars align, nightfall, south
Sept. 20-21: Venus at greatest extent of illumination
Sept. 22: Autumnal equinox

Where to find the planets
• Mercury: East pre-dawn first week, then in sun’s glare
• Venus: Evenings, low in west, time to set after sun shortening all month
• Mars: Evenings, southeast, in Capricornus, setting after midnight; fades from mag -1.3 to -2.1
• Jupiter: Evenings, southwest, in Libra, setting just after twilight by month’s end
• Saturn: Evenings, south, in Sagittarius
• Uranus: Evenings, east, in Aries, rises at dusk by month end, mag 5.7
• Neptune: All night, in Aquarius, rises at sunset, closest & brightest, mag 7.8, for 2018

Notable comets
• 21P/Giacobini-Zinner will reach perihelion in early September and pass within 0.4 AU of the earth, with a predicted max brightness of 6.5 to 7 mag. Best views pre-dawn. Finder chart
• 64P/Swift-Gehrels: late evening comet, in Pisces, expected to brighten rapidly from mag 12.2 to be visible in small telescopes. Finder chart
• See additional comets for larger scopes and mornings here

Observable dwarf planets/asteroids up to mag 10
Approx. observing window as of Sept. 7. Click here for your current date & finder chart for exact times.
• 3 Juno, in Taurus, mag 8.7, midnight to 5 am
• 27 Euterpe, in Aquarius, mag 9.8, 9 pm to 4 am
• 115 Thyra, in Pegasus, mag 9.9, 10 pm to 4 am

Selected deep sky objects
Well placed for evening observing with binos/small scopes. Does not include circumpolar! Set your exact date/location here (and see additional DSO’s)
• Open clusters: IC4665, NGC6530, NGC6633, IC4756,
• Globular clusters: M2, M3, M5, M10, M12, M13, M15, M22, M92
• Galaxies: M31, M32, M94, M110

June 2018 Looking Up: Astronomy Calendar

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A monthly roundup of upcoming astronomy events visible from MA/RI…

Dated events
June 9-11: Venus, Castor & Pollux in a line (west, dusk)
June 12: New moon supermoon!
June 14-16: Waxing crescent moon passes Mercury & Venus (west, dusk)
June 19-20: Venus near the Beehive (M44)
June 23: Moon-Jupiter conjunction
June 27: Saturn opposition and conjunction with Moon

Where to find the planets
• Mercury: Early evening 2nd half of month, setting 90 min after sun
• Venus: Brilliant in west, moving from Gemini to Cancer during month, sets 2.5-3 hrs after sun
• Mars: Brightening this month, in Capricornus, rising after midnight early in month but this improves by 90 min by month end
• Jupiter: Up all night in Libra. Just past opposition, excellent time to view
• Saturn: Up most of the night in Sagittarius, coming to opposition, excellent time to view
• Uranus: Pre-dawn object in Aries (later in the month)
• Neptune: Rises after midnight by month’s end, in Aquarius

Observable dwarf planets/asteroids up to mag 10
Approx. observing window as of June 9. Click here for your current date & finder chart for exact times.
• 4 Vesta, in Sagittarius, mag 5.6, 11 pm-3:30 am
• 1 Ceres, in Leo, mag 8.7, 9:30 pm-10:30 pm

Selected deep sky objects
Well placed for evening observing with binos/small scopes. Does not include circumpolar! Set your exact date/location by clicking here (and see additional DSO’s).
• Open clusters: M44, IC4665, NGC6633, IC4756
• Globular clusters: M2, M3, M5, M10, M12, M13, M92
• Galaxies: M94, M104