Wednesday, May 31, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
23
Stars over Sisters
By Ron Thorkildson
Correspondent
Aside from the blinding
light of a full moon, probably
the greatest frustration to the
June stargazer is the long
wait for the sky to darken
enough to begin observing
the cosmic luminaries. This
year the summer solstice
arrives on Tuesday, June 20,
at 9:24 p.m. PDT. At that
time the northern portion of
earth’s axis of rotation will
point closest to the sun than
at any other time of the year.
The sun will also stand at its
highest point in the sky, 23.5
degrees above the celestial
equator.
As it does every year,
this will produce the shortest
night and longest day in the
northern hemisphere.
If this weren’t bad
enough, the situation is made
worse by what most North
American and European
countries do in March. We
go on daylight saving time,
pushing back the onset of
darkness by one hour. Here in
the U. S. (excluding Arizona
and Hawaii) this goes on
from the second Sunday in
March to the first Sunday in
November. On June 20 the
sun won’t set here in Sisters
until 8:54 p.m.
The period of time from
sunset to when the sun is 6
degrees below the horizon
is defined as Civil Twilight.
The sky is still bright enough
that only the moon and the
brightest planets can be seen
during this time. And on
the summer solstice Civil
Twilight doesn’t end until
9:31 p.m.
But the sky doesn’t really
become dark until the end of
Astronomical Twilight (when
the sun is 18 degrees below
the horizon.) That won’t hap-
pen until 11:21 p.m. And
that’s getting a pretty late
start, even for the serious
observer. If, however, you
don’t succumb to the sand-
man by this time, let’s take
a look at some of the sights
June skies have to offer.
Last month comet
Johnson (C2015V2) was
seen cruising southward
among the evening stars of
May. This first-time visitor
to the inner solar system con-
tinues its journey this month,
coming to within 75.4 mil-
lion miles of the earth at
closest approach on June 5.
Currently shining at seventh
magnitude, the comet is just
beyond naked-eye detection.
However, dark skies and a
pair of binoculars should
reveal the celestial traveler. It
PHOTO COURTESY NASA
The planet Saturn will take center stage in June and be the showpiece object for observers through the summer.
will lie just east of the bright
star Arcturus in Bootes on
June 3 and 4.
The largest member of
our family of planets (by
far) continues to dominate
the evening sky, impressing
onlookers with its dazzling
brilliance. Though gradually
shifting westward over time,
Jupiter doesn’t set until about
2 a.m. by mid-month. Almost
any backyard telescope will
bring into view the four
Galilean moons as they shift
position from night to night.
The solar system’s crown
jewel takes center stage
this month when it reaches
opposition on June 15. At
that time Saturn is directly
opposite the sun from the
earth and visible all night.
The ringed orb never fails to
impress. Upon seeing Saturn
for the first time through a
telescope, many an observer
has remarked that the stun-
ning view almost doesn’t
look real, as if they were
looking at a close-up model
instead of a planet almost a
billion miles away.
The tilt of Saturn’s ring
system to our line sight
reaches its maximum (27
degrees) in 2017. This allows
for seeing greater detail in
the ring. The only down side
to all of this is the fact that
Saturn is currently at a place
in its orbit that keeps it low
in the sky. So, even when
the planet is on the meridian,
it appears only 23 degrees
above the southern horizon.
Image quality suffers when
light from a distant object
passes through a thicker por-
tion of the atmosphere on its
way to an observer’s eye.
Because there are two
first-quarter moons in June
(on June 1 and 30), the
month begins and ends with
a brightening moon. After
the full Strawberry Moon on
June 9, the lunar brightness
begins to wane before going
dark at new moon on June 23.
Join the Sisters
Astronomy Club for a public
star-watch on Saturday, July
15, beginning at 9 p.m. The
event is free and takes place
at the SPRD building located
at 1750 McKinney Butte Rd.
After a brief presentation,
attendees will have an oppor-
tunity to observe through
telescopes set up in the high
school parking lot.
Quilt Drawing
for
FURRY FRIEND S
501 ( c )( 3 )
FOUNDATION
100% of the proceeds go to Furry Friends Foundation.
“Pets Just Wanna Have Fun” quilt was
designed, appliqued, and quilted by
Valerie Fercho-Tillery. The original design and
incredible detail make this a spectacular quilt!
The quilt is currently on display at
The Nugget offi ce, 442 E. Main Ave.
Bring your pup by for a dog cookie and have a look!
Tickets may be purchased at The Nugget offi ce
or online at our website
www.furryfriendsfoundation.org.
Tickets are $1 each, six for $5 or
go for it, 25 for $20.
Info: 541-549-9941
“Pets Just Wanna Have Fun” - by Valerie Fercho-Tillery (45.5"w x 57.5"h)