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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2015)
Wednesday, June 3, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 9 Stars over Sisters By Ron thorkildson Correspondent After the sun, the closest star to the earth is Rigil Kent, the brightest star in the con- stellation of Centaurus. Better known as Alpha Centauri, this celestial luminary (third brightest in the entire heav- ens) is actually a triple-star system. The distance to the two brightest stars is about 4.4 light-years from the earth, while the much dimmer third member of the system, Proxima, lies at a distance of 4.2 light-years. Unfortunately, this star is situated deep in the southern sky and not visible from our latitude. However, the second-near- est star to us is well above the southern horizon this time of year when darkness falls. That’s the good news. The bad news is this object is a low-mass red dwarf star that’s far too dim to be seen by the naked-eye. Even so, it does have some redeeming qualities. Located in the north- ern part of the constella- tion Ophiuchus, Barnard’s “Runaway Star” possesses the highest proper motion of any known star. This means that relative to our solar sys- tem, no other star moves through space at a faster clip. Although he wasn’t the Year-round FIREWOOD SALES first to discover it, in 1916 American astronomer E.E. Barnard measured the proper motion of the speeding star at a whopping 10.3 arcseconds per year. Since the direction of its motion is bringing it closer to the sun, about 10,000 years from now the star will be 3.8 light-years away, closer than Alpha Centauri is today. Just because the light shin- ing from Barnard’s Star is too dim to be detected by the unaided human eye doesn’t mean it can’t be seen at all. At magnitude 9.5 (a measure of the star’s brightness), it is within the range of most backyard telescopes on a dark night. But you would need a good finder chart to be sure that you identified the right star. Begin by locating the bright star Beta Ophiuchi; Barnard’s Star is about three degrees east from here. Summer arrives in the northern hemisphere at 9:39 a.m. PDT on Sunday June 21, when the earth’s axis of rota- tion is most inclined toward to the sun. The longest period of daylight in a 24-hour day occurs at this time. This is not necessarily good news for the serious stargazer, a situation made even worse when, on March 8, most of the coun- try went on Daylight Saving Time. So, on the first day of summer, it doesn’t really get dark until around 10:30 to 11 p.m. in the mid-latitudes. When the light of sum- mer finally does give way to dusk, the first two objects to pop into view are Venus and Jupiter, the nearest planet to the earth and the largest planet in the solar system, respectively. Throughout the month of June the apparent distance between Venus and Jupiter will diminish, until on June 30 the two planets will be separated by just 0.3 degrees. The largest angular dis- tance between Venus and the sun (called greatest elonga- tion) occurs on June 6. During this time the disk of the planet will appear half lit (similar to a quarter moon phase) when viewed through a telescope. On June 3, at 9:58 p.m. PDT, Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, will cast its shadow on Jupiter. Then on June 10, from 9:55 to 10:18 p.m., Ganymede Rodeo Tacos! 5 mini Chicken or Beef Tacos for $7 June 5-13 — Kindling — — — SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS 541-410-4509 SistersForestProducts.com Tacos El Comal New Summer Hours 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 411 N. Cascade Ave. 541-549-6759 (In front of Richard's Produce) photo courteSy naSa an artist’s depiction of how a red dwarf star might appear, such as Barnard’s Runaway Star in the constellation of ophiuchus. occults (moves in front of) Io, Jupiter’s inner-most moon. A medium-size telescope is nec- essary to view these events. By mid-month Saturn, with its beautiful ring system and largest moon Titan, rises at about 6:30 p.m., but doesn’t hit the meridian until 11:22 p.m. The lunar phases begin with the Full Strawberry Moon on June 2, followed by last quarter on June 9, new on June 16 and first quarter on June 24. The next Stars over Sisters starwatch is scheduled for Saturday, July 18 at the Sisters Park & Recreation District building, beginning at 9:30 p.m. It’s an opportunity to view the wonders of the night sky through telescopes provided by members of the Sisters Astronomy Club. Everyone is invited to this free event.