The Night Sky January 2020
Lights out
Even if you are not ‘into’ astronomy most people connect to a clear moonless night. It is often a rare moment where we have chance to commune with nature. There is something primeval about it, like being transfixed watching an open fire. It would be a very sad day if the wonders of the night sky were taken from us by the glare of street lights or light pollution in general.
There is a scale to measure the night sky’s brightness called the Bortle scale. The nine level scale ranges from Class 9 (inner-city skies) through to Class 1 (the darkest available on Earth). It is estimated that one-third of humanity now cannot see the Milky Way and that this link with nature has been severed.
Here in Embsay we are lucky and enjoy around a Class 4 Bortle night sky, although if you are living under a new LED street light it may as well be Class 9! At least they go off around midnight (thank goodness.) Please keep the night sky dark by thinking carefully about external lighting. Not only can you save energy but you can also maintain the wonderful gift of our Embsay night sky for the next generation.
Can you see it?
An accepted key indicator of sky conditions is the ability to see a particular galaxy (M33) with your naked eye. The galaxy is called The Triangulum Galaxy and sits unsurprisingly in the triangular shaped constellation, Triangulum. M33 is easy to see with averted vision for a Class 3 sky, but is not possible for a Class 4 unless high in the sky. See if you can spot it. Try to look at it just off centre, to the side, rather than directly. This is called averted vision, which allows your eyes time to adapt to the darkness. On my diagram its location is due west for you to give it a go.
Also I’ve included an image taken from Embsay exactly a year ago, hugely magnified, as it will appear as a small smudge if you can spot it with your naked eye.
The best time to spot M33 will be around 24th January when there is a New Moon. (Full Moon 10th)
The Quadrantids
If you can’t sleep on the night of January 3rd to pre-dawn on the 4th, a clear sky should produce a spectacular meteor shower. The longer you wait for the Big Dipper to rise above the horizon the best chance you have to see the Quadrantids. A meteor per minute between 2- 3 am is the prediction, so good luck! Unlike many meteor showers, its peak activity lasts for less than a day so it is short and sweet but hopefully packed with fine bright streaks to maybe a fireball or two across the sky!
Planets
Later this month the early bird Mars is visible low in the south east in the morning, whereas Venus shines brightly in the south west in the early evening.
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