Applegater Fall 2012 7
THE STARRY SIDE
Morning glory and shooting stars
bY GREELEY WELLS
Here it comes: fall! Seemed like a
short summer, and slow coming. Now
we’re looking at cooling down already—I’m
writing this in late July during rainstorms
and cool weather! What is going on?
At the end of August, though, when
you get this issue, summer is still in the sky,
thank goodness. Look up tonight: there’s
the famous summer triangle I talk about
before, during and after summer
every year. And Pegasus is near
the top of the sky attached to
Andromeda, leading to Perseus
and Cassiopeia and their
wonderful stories I’ve repeated
in this column a few times. In
September these two share the
top of the night sky; by October
the huge square of Pegasus
is straight overhead. That’s
Arcturus bright and low in the
west-northwest. And the big
dipper, known in England as the
plough, is swinging under the
North Star, Polaris. Summer is
leaving the sky but the summer
triangle is not gone, and will still
be visible at Halloween. Even
in November when it’s getting
wintery, the summer cross is not
quite down in the west yet.
At the same time in late
summer, winter constellations
are rising in the east. As I write
this in July, I can see Orion
and company rising early in the
morning (between midnight
and dawn), they are coming—we morning
risers are witness!
By October, Pleiades and Taurus are
showing up in the east around 10 pm,
leading the winter constellations. By 10
pm in November, Orion is up in his usual
horizontal, lazy, lying-down posture, which
he will improve as the season progresses.
Over his head, to his left, are Castor and
Pollux, the Gemini twins. The two bright
stars named Castor and Pollux are their
heads; their feet are just over Orion’s club
Venus.
Ha ve
you noticed
I don’t talk
about Pluto
Greeley Wells
(is it even a
planet?), Uranus or Neptune? Well,
though you can see them sometimes with
a telescope, and even occasionally with
binoculars, they never really
offer naked-eye images, which
is what I’m interested in and try
to share with you.
OF NOTE
Full moons this season
i n c l u d e t h e Fr u i t Mo o n
(September 30) and the Harvest
Moon (October 29). The full
moon on November 28 has
three name choices: Frosty,
Beaver or Hunter’s Moon. The
crescent moon will be quite
close to Mars after sunset on
September 19. On November
11, a crescent moon makes a
triangle with Venus and Spica
in the dawn.
The autumn or fall equinox
is on Saturday, September
22. Days and nights of equal
length mark this midpoint
between the winter and summer
solstices.
Meteor showers seem to
be prevalent this season. I hope
To see more accurately, swing the illustration around to match your horizon line direction.
you caught the Perseids on
Illustration from Guy Ottewell’s Astronomical Calendar 2012 (www.universalworkshop.com).
August 12, the most impressive
that these are the ‘leading edge’ of winter’s where it will be next. As the sky brightens and most consistent shower of the
constellations, with Orion as the king.
keep looking and pretty soon you’ll be year. This year the sometimes spectacular
THE PLANETS
looking at a “day star”— a planet, actually. Northern Taurid’s may include some
Venus is the glory of the sunrise
In November, Venus almost kisses possible fireballs. They extend from late
throughout the fall! In early September (the Saturn from the 26th to the 28th. The October to mid-November, but there’s
1st), it passes right between the Gemini rings of Saturn are also open so they are a full moon near the beginning of this
twins after rising three hours before the easily seen in telescopes, and may appear period so the latter part will provide the
sun. By mid-September (the 12-13th), it as bumps in binoculars. Both planets are best viewing. The peak of the showers is
passes the dim Bee Hive Cluster in Cancer so close they may well be in one field of after the moon “interruption,” so that’s
at dawn, with a nearby moon to heighten view—a great comparison possibility. Give good news. Some are predicting a swarm
the experience.
a look at all these close encounters if you of bright meteors and fireballs that may
overwhelm even a full moon! But listen,
October finds a blue-white Venus have the tools.
Jupiter begins this season visible from this is theoretical so don’t put much money
late night till dawn. In September, it rises down on a bet. The meteors will seem to
earlier and earlier; at month’s end it’s rising radiate from Taurus, that “V” shape, in the
after about 10:00 pm. October finds east. Wish us all luck. I love meteors, they
Jupiter rising ever earlier, getting brighter, make me feel special somehow.
Orionids may also be good this year
and beginning to dominate the evening
sky. In November, the planet is rising a around October 20-21, as the moon will
couple of hours after sunset and is bright all set before their 11 pm or midnight peak.
night and into the dawn, when it’s visible The radiant will be around Orion, moving
with Venus and Saturn and even Mercury outward. The Orionids are usually bright
[even lower] and reddish Aldebaran in meteors with persistent trails. This year’s
Taurus’s “V”. On November 1, Jupiter is have been labeled “very favorable.” Oh
boy!
right next to the just-full moon.
Halloween is October 31. All Saints
Mars fades below the dusk horizon
line in September. Saturn holds a dim, Day is November 1 and November 2 is
All Souls Day.
low position for the whole month.
Mercury rises from obscurity at the
Greeley Wells
end of September’s sunsets. It makes a low
541-840-5700
dawn appearance at the end of November,
greeley@greeley.me
to the left of Saturn and lower-left of
(which is just above his head). Out in front
of Orion that beautiful “V” is Taurus the
bull’s face. And further up are the Pleiades,
the seven sisters of Greek lore. (Can you
see seven? It’s a Greek eye test. Many
not-so-good eyes see only six.) The bright
star further left is Capella, part of the five-
sided constellation Auriga. The Pleiades,
Taurus, Gemini, Auriga: you could say
closing in on a golden-yellow Regulus.
On the morning of October 3, they are at
their closest, with morning Regulus fading
but Venus still bright enough for a daytime
view after sunrise! This is pretty rare—the
key to seeing a “day star” is knowing where
it is. So if you sit or stand in one spot at
dawn noting what’s close to the track of
the planet, you’ll figure out approximately
