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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2017)
.MJZ]IZa-);<-:67:-/768):-6< Heavens above: Exploring the wintertime night sky open to the public. Bechtel hap- pens to be the largest planetarium in the state of Washington, and is open both for fi eld trips and to the general public. Reasonably priced shows are off ered at diff erent mes; check the website By SUZANNE KENNEDY In spite of the cold, winter is a great me to get outside on a clear night and do some stargazing. Hint: It helps to pick a night with li le or no moonlight. Of all the constel- la ons visible to us this month, Orion the Hunter is the easiest one for me to fi nd. I look for the three stars in a row that form his belt. He’s got two feet, one arm holding a club and the other holding a shield so you see the side view of it. Harry Po er fans might be interested to know that one of his shoulder stars is named Bellatrix, and one of the stars in Orion’s dog, Canis Major, is called Sirius, the dog star. That’s just below and to the west of Orion. You might also be able to fi nd the twins known as Gemini. Look for their heads fi rst, and then the s ck fi gure bodies coming out sideways. Orion and Gemini are among the few constella ons that look pre y close to what they are supposed to represent. February is also a great month to view planets in the night sky. Venus will be at its absolute brightest the night of Feb. 16. The planet en- tered our night sky in last June and will leave it at the end of March this year. Of course, we can only see Venus when it is to the side of the sun, not in front of or behind it. At most, we can see it about a quarter illuminated. If you look carefully, you will also be able to see Mars at the same me. Follow the line of stars up Orion’s belt and to the far right. Mars will be on the le and Venus on the right. Venus is bigger and brighter. Let’s be honest, for the average person, fi nding specifi c constella- ons and planets can be diffi cult and frustra ng. I recommend using a map that you print off and can literally hold above your head to orient yourself. I also did a quick download of a free app onto my computer called AstroViewer. You can input a date and me, or just click on the ‘now’ bu on to see what the sky should look like. You can explore the night sky from the comfort of your couch! Window- s2universe.org gives a great expla- na on of the constella ons and the stories behind them, and off ers free printable maps. Don’t forget, Pend- leton and other Uma lla County libraries have Astroscan Telescope kits available for check out, com- plete with a star and planet locator instruc on manual. For more fun, try downloading one of the Interna onal Space Sta- on apps. These apps can alert you when the Space Sta on is directly overhead, a couple of mes a day, and when it’s visible tracking across the sky at night. About 250 miles above the earth and the size of a football fi eld, the Space Sta on is some mes the third brightest ob- ject in the sky, so not too tough to spot. Some of the apps even show you what the Space Sta on is see- ing on the earth. Now that the en re family is jazzed about space, take the next step. There are two planetariums near Eastern Oregon: The Clise Planetarium at Whitman College in Walla Walla and Bechtel Na onal Planetarium in Tri-Ci es at Colum- bia Community College. Clise is available for fi eld trips, but is not for show mes and age sugges- ons. For $10 or less, you can enjoy shows about astronomy, cells, climate, the solar system, a reef, trees, stars, the search for water, Pluto, the sun, volcanoes, and the telescope. One p: Sit as far up as you can, as the seats don’t recline. And a note to planetarium design- ers: Who builds these with seats that don’t recline? All this astronomy promo on is to get you prepared for a once in a century event that’s coming this summer! Look for more on that later this spring. Let’s make 2017 the year we spend me with our families do- ing super cool science stuff . It’s inexpensive, easy, fun, and a really special opportunity that your kids will remember forever. ________ Suzanne Kennedy is a former middle school teacher who lives in Pendleton with her husband and three children.
