The Night Sky March 2019

Mars

If you have never seen Mars, here’s your chance as it’s the only planet visible for most of the evening sky this month.

You don’t need a telescope to see Mars and with the naked eye it is unmistakeable. You just need to know where to look! At the end of the month at about 10pm Mars will be very close to the Pleiades in the North West over towards Skipton. It has an unmistakeable red hue and although not at its closest to Earth at the moment, it still shines very brightly in the night sky.

The reason for the change in its relative size is its distance from the Earth as both Earth and Mars complete their orbits. Mars is always best viewed about every two years (its orbit takes twice as long as the Earth) and that is when we are on the same side of the sun. 2020 will be the next best time but don’t let that stop you looking out for it now as it will be gone from view soon as it swings behind the sun.

When Mars is at its best, viewing with binoculars and a very steady hand, it is possible to make out fuzzy patterns and white blotches at different times of the year. Through a telescope, these blurs resolve into ice-caps at certain times and at others a sand storm covers the whole surface in an impenetrable barrier that renders the planet a dull characterless blob of red.

It is unbelievable that one day we may have a settlement or base on Mars. I can remember when we had barely ventured into space. Yet we have had ‘Rovers’ (small vehicles), operated remotely, exploring its surface for over 8 years drilling, sampling and transmitting back what has been discovered. Currently, we have no evidence that life existed or indeed exists there today but it once had a great deal of water that is evidenced by erosion. There are scientific instruments planned to be placed on Mars soon that may prove that life once existed there

The Leo Triplet

It is pretty much beyond our imagination to contemplate the 100,000 stars in our galaxy, particularly when all we see of it is a band across our sky at certain times of the year. Of course this is just a small part of our Milky Way looking outwards into space. So when I view another galaxy like our own I imagine this is what we must look like from out there in space. Of course depending on the angle we would be perceived from, we might be seen as a Catherine Wheel disc or even just a long smudge, if viewed edge on. That’s why The Leo Triplet is one of my favourite targets because in just one view it gives us three galaxies (a triplet) all together tilted at different angles, in a similar way to how we could be viewed from deep space. I’m not going to fool you into thinking it is possible to see the Leo Triplet with your naked eye but it is just about possible with a steady hand and binoculars at this time of year. Three beautiful spiral galaxies grouped together. The three are all gravitationally interactive and this can be seen by distortions on these perfectly formed discs. The Leo Triplet can be found as you would imagine in the constellation of Leo. The galaxy seen edge on is called NGC 3628, the other two M65 and M66, the latter being the brightest and is roughly the same size as our own Milky Way. The gravitational effects of the other two have pushed much of its mass towards the centre of the galaxy.

Whenever I observe The Leo Triplet I have mixed feelings. The very first time I took this image I was in a field in Galloway sleeping in a bothy. As it was a late session, I left my equipment outside only to find in the morning my trusty telescope had been blown over in a gale and had completely smashed beyond repair. Gutted….

British Summer Time begins 31st March 1am so clocks forward 1hr! Where did all of those long nights go?

Milan Davidovic

Brexit Light

The Night Sky

February 2019

If you look around a clear night sky during February, you will see that most of the bright stars are looking south-west (from Embsay, over the quarry). Observers are often drawn to Orion and its Nebula but two of the more iconic, rewarding but challenging objects are just below the left-hand star of Orion’s belt - the wondrous Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula.

The horsehead shape is caused by thick, dark dust and we are able to see it because of the red glow of hydrogen gas behind. At the base of its neck is a young nursery for stars just beginning their life. The light has taken 1,500 years to reach your eyes. That was about the last time Britain ‘brexited’ but this was from the Roman Empire! Whilst I could have shown you a wonderful Hubble telescope image or one from a multi-million ground- based telescope in Hawaii, I’ve decided to include one that I took from Embsay, showing how lucky we are not to have too much light pollution! (albeit when our very bright LED street lighting goes off). Very close by is the Flame Nebula which is part of this complex of star forming gasses, containing many young stars. As the name suggests, the region resembles a flame. See it for yourself in the image. The image has been inverted and converted to black and white so you can see it more clearly! You can attempt to observe this area for yourself but you will need binoculars at least and a steady hand or tripod.

To see planets this month your best bet will be mid-February (18th) at about 6am, looking south-east. You will probably be wondering, what on earth is that very bright object? You are being treated to a great view of Venus and very close, just below, Saturn. As if that wasn’t enough, Jupiter is to the right. A real treat, 3 planets all at once! On the 19th we have the second of three Supermoons this year(when the moon is closest to the earth) but the one this month is special because it is the closest. In fact, the moon won’t get any closer for another eight years.

If you are wanting to get more into astronomy there are so many good free computer-based aids to help you find you way around the night sky. My favourite is Stellarium. Download and install it to give you an excellent way of exploring the night sky even when its cloudy (which is far too often!) It will display a simulated and realistic view of the night sky for any day in the past or future and is absolutely free.

For those not really into computers or want a simple guide that will help you find your way around the night sky, get a Planisphere. They are very easy to use and just consist of two circular discs, one larger than the other, linked together at the centre. Around the outside of the large one is the date and around the inside one is the time. All you have to do is to line up the date with the correct time. By holding the disc so that word Planisphere is facing towards North, the lower part shows you what the sky would look like in the south. At the time of writing they cost about £8 from a good book store. If you are practically inclined and want to make one, there are sites on the internet. Just type ‘Making a Planisphere’. But of course that will involve using a computer!

Milan Davidovic

Blood Red Moon

Lunar Eclipse. Image taken 5.15 am 21.1.19. (Embsay.)