Spring Semester 2023
Each semester offers opportunities and events worth your attention. Below are some astronomical news for your current semester.
The following web page offers a great overview of current activities in astronomy - http://skyandtelescope.com/
More on astronomy events at: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy_calendar_current.html
And even more at: http://in-the-sky.org/newsindex.php?feed=DFAN
Robert Bonadurer, director of the MPM Planetarium, sends out a terrific monthly newsletter on astronomy. Email bonadurer@mpm.edu to request and receive his FREE monthly sky map and newsletter.
Planets
On January 30th, Mercury will be at its greatest elongation of 25 degrees west of the sun. That means you can spot it in the pre-dawn above the eastern horizon. It is not easy to spot and it helps if you have a pair of binoculars. If you miss it, Mercury will swing to the other side of the sun and hits its greatest eastern elongation of 19.5 degrees. You can catch it above the western horizon just around twilight (about 20 minutes after sunset).
When the class starts, Mars and Jupiter will dominate the night sky after sunset. However, both planets are have already pasted their best viewing opportunity (called opposition). But that doesn't mean you are out of luck. Mars hit opposition in December, 2022 so it will still be great to view and so will Jupiter. Use a pair of binoculars (on a tripod) or a small telescope to see the four moons of Jupiter just like Galileo did in 1609. At the same time, Saturn and Venus will be low in the western horizon. Saturn will be making its swan song and soon be hidden in the glare of the sun but Venus will be starting to put on a show for us.
As the semester progresses, Jupiter will move closer to the sun and become harder to spot but Venus will continue to move away from the sun and get brighter and easier to see in the western sky after sunset. Something to notice is a great conjunction of Jupiter and Venus on March 1 (Venus will be the brighter of the two). By March, Mars and Venus will dominate the night sky after sunset. Nothing to see in the dawn.
By the end of the class, Saturn will have swung away from the sun to spot in the early morning dawn. In the evening, Mars will still be visible but lower in the sky after sunset as it fades into the glare of the sun. Venus, however, will continue to impress. You need to wait until June 2023 before Venus reaches its greatest (well after the class ends) and look for an impressive grouping (conjunction) of the Moon, Mars, and Venus on June 21
Eclipses (as seen from Milwaukee area)
There will be a solar eclipse on April 20th but don't bother looking for it unless you plan a long trip to the South Pacific area.
There will be a lunar eclipse on May 5th. This will be a penumbral lunar eclipse so the moon will only darken a bit (like looking at the full moon with sunglasses on). This type is the least impressive but don't worry, it is not visible from the Milwaukee area either. Sorry!
Other
The spring equinox occurs on March 20th. The sun crosses the vernal equinox and we all enjoy 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. On this day, the rays of the sun shine directly over Earth's equator.
ŠJim Mihal 2004, 2014, 2017, 2022- all rights reserved