* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: July 2014

Blobrana · L

Maximum easterly lunar libration is at 11;50.5 UT, 19th July 2014

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EOTS: A great open cluster, double star & near star in Ophiuchus 7/14-7/20

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Maximum southerly lunar libration is at 07:56 UT, 12th July 2014. Look towards the lunar South Pole

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Maximum westerly lunar libration is at 14:30.9 UT, 7th July 2014

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The Moon occults Mars at ~01:00 UT, 6th July 2014.

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Bright Asteroids at Opposition

Asteroid (103) Hera is at Opposition in the constellation Sagittarius on the 7th July 2014
Magnitude: 10.8
Distance to Earth: 1.513 AU
Distance to Sun: 2.527 AU

Asteroid (230) Athamantis is at Opposition in the constellation Aquila on the 8th July 2014
Magnitude: 10.3
Distance to Earth: 1.376 AU
Distance to Sun: 2.381 AU

Asteroid (115) Thyra is at Opposition in the constellation Sagittarius on the 15th July 2014
Magnitude: 10.6
Distance to Earth: 1.465 AU
Distance to Sun: 2.479 AU

Asteroid (30) Urania is at Opposition in the constellation Sagittarius on the 20th July 2014
Magnitude: 10.1
Distance to Earth: 1.345 AU
Distance to Sun: 2.362 AU

Asteroid (27) Euterpe is at Opposition in the constellation Sagittarius on the 22nd July 2014
Magnitude: 10.3
Distance to Earth: 1.671 AU
Distance to Sun: 2.687 AU

Asteroid (172) Baucis is at Opposition in the constellation Microscopium on the 27th July 2014
Magnitude: 11.1
Distance to Earth: 1.122 AU
Distance to Sun: 2.131 AU

Blobrana · L

Meteor Showers

July has three main meteor shower: the Capricornids are active over July with peaks on the 8th, 15th and 26th, although the maximum rate is only about 5 meteors per hour. The Delta Aquarids are active from 15 July with a peak on the 29th of 10-20 per hour. The Alpha Cygnids will peak on the 21^stJuly when you can see up to 5 shooting stars per hour.

Shower	Activity Period	Maximum	Radiant		Velocity	ZHR
		Date	R.A.	Dec.	km/s
Beta Taurids(daylight)	June 5-July 18	29th June	79.4 °	21.2 °
Capricornids	8th	8th July		°
July Phoenicids	10th -19th July	10th July
Ophiuchids	15th	15th July	18.9h	-22.6°	13.4km/s	5
Alpha Capricornids		16th July
Perseids	17th July - Aug 24th	10-14 August
Alpha Cygnids		21st July				5
Capricornids	26th	26th July
Kappa Cygnids		27th July
S. Delta-Aquariids	July 14-Aug 18	30th July	3.9h	-51.8d	14 km/s	11.2
Scorpius-Sagittariids		31th July	20.2h	-24.6°	10.5km/s	5

Blobrana · L

Highlights

The Summer Triangle-- Vega, Deneb, and Altair -- holds the central position, high in the south. The scorpion sits low to the south and slightly west. Directly to the arachnid's east is Sagittarius, the Archer, and between the two lies the direction toward the Milky Way galaxy's centre. The ribbon of soft light that delineates our galaxy flows up from the south, through the Triangle, and then cascades toward the northern horizon.

Trifid and Lagoon Nebulas

By mid-month the distinctive "Teapot" of Sagittarius should be hovering above the southern horizon.

Looking towards the right of the lid of the teapot and a little to the right is the delicate Trifid Nebula, "M20". A nebula is simply a cloud of interstellar dust and gas, the raw materials that stars are made of. If there are already stars embedded in the cloud it will glow with an eerie ghostlike appearance forming such vistas as the Great Orion Nebula, or this one, the Trifid. Sporting two patches of nebulosity, one red the other blue, this is one of the finest objects in the sky and very easy to find in binoculars. Just slightly below M20, is the rosy red Lagoon Nebula, which goes under the profoundly less romantic name of "M8". This is one of the best diffuse nebulas for naked eye observers, surrounding the small young star cluster NGC6530. The nebula is known for having a number small dark globules of material believed to be stars at the very beginning of formation, sometimes called protostars. Overall M8 is over 100 light years across, with its central regions a more modest 50 light years in diameter. It is also one of the largest in the sky, challenging the full moon for size.

M51 The Whirlpool Galaxy

Summer is the time for the galaxies.

As the earth swings around in its orbit the night skies are aimed away from the centre of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. No longer does the body of the Milky Way block the skies, now we can look out into the depths of space. One of the most spectacular is M51, better known as the Whirlpool Galaxy located right below the handle of the "Big Dipper". This was the first ever to be seen as in the classic spiral form, in the mid-19th century. While visible in the smallest instruments, its twisted nature will not show in anything less than an eight-inch telescope. With a luminosity of 10 billion suns and a diameter of 100,000 light years, M51 is roughly equivalent to M31, the great Andromeda galaxy and in turn, our own home. The Whirlpool is about 35 million light years away and glows at a genial eighth magnitude. In the sky it is seen face on and is about 1/3rd of the visual width of the Moon. It should be visible as a dim fuzzy patch in a pair of binoculars in a very dark sky. If you are lucky in that regard, step outside and see what you can see tonight.

Notable Messier objects

M3 is one of more heavily studied globular clusters due to its position in the galaxy, putting it far above the interstellar dust and gas that dim its light. More than 200 variable stars have been observed out of a total of near 50,000. Being one of the brightest

globulars, M3 is regarded as one of the most striking in the sky. A 60mm scope will begin to reveal hundreds of its magnitude 11 stars, while larger instruments may show arms or branches radiating from the sides.

M5: A Nice Globular Cluster

Located in the "head" half of the split constellation, Serpens, you will find the smashing globular cluster, M5. These are round, concentrated clusters of old stars which usually collect into halos surrounding galaxies. They contain between 100,000 to 10 million stars and are typically 100 light years across. Globulars are wonderful objects in small telescopes due to their perfectly rounded shape and the delicate glistening of the nucleus.

Omega Centauri in the southern skies is by far the best. northerners can relish M13 in Hercules, M3 and now M5, which are, considered one of the finest in the sky. It's 13 billion year age makes M5 one of the oldest clusters known. Easily visible in binoculars it takes at least a four-inch telescope to be able to resolve some of its ½ million stars.

Blobrana · L

Mercury: at magnitude 2.3, starts the month in the constellation of Taurus. Mercury is at its Greatest Western Elongation (20.9°) on the 12th. The planet is 6.2° from Venus on the 16th. Mercury is at Dichotomy (Half phase) on the 17th. The Moon is 6° from the planet on the 25th. Mercury is at perihelion on the 29th.
(On July 9th, RA= 5h45m20s Dec=+19°52.3' (J2000) Distance=0.774AU Phase k=27% Diameter=8.7")

Venus: is at magnitude -3.9. The planet is in the morning sky in the constellation Taurus at the start of the month. It is best seen from 01:35 - 18:25 UT. Venus is close to the star Aldebaran on the 1st. The Moon is 5° from the planet on the 24th.
(On July 1st, RA= 4h29m14s Dec=+20°22.4' (J2000) Distance=1.392AU Phase k=85% Diameter=12.0")

Earth: The Earth-Moon barycentre is at aphelion (distance to sun: 1.0167 AU) at 06.53.7 UT, 5th. The Earth reaches aphelion (its farthest point, 1.0167 AU, from the Sun) at 00:13.6 UT, 4th July.

The Moon: Full moon at 11:24.9 UT, 12th July. Lunar perigee (distance 358252.6 km) at 08:32.9 UT, 13th July. Last Quarter Moon is at 02:08.4 UT 19th July. Lunar apogee (distance: 406575.6 km) is at 03:42.3 UT, 28th July. New Moon is at 22:41.8 UT, 26th July. First Quarter Moon at 11:58.8 UT, 5th July, 2014.

Mars: at magnitude 0.0 starts the month in the constellation Virgo. The Moon is 1° from the planet on the 5th. Mars is close to Spica on the 14th.
(On July 1st, RA=13h07m31s Dec= -7°43.3' (J2000) Distance=0.994AU Phase k=87% Diameter=9.4")

Jupiter: is in the constellation Gemini. At magnitude -1.8, the planet is mostly unobservable this month. The Moon is 6° from the planet on the 26th.

Transit times of the Great Red Spot are posted in a separate thread.
(On July 1st, RA= 7h54m48s Dec=+21°11.5' (J2000) Distance=6.223AU Diameter=31.6")

Saturn: at magnitude 0.4 sits in the constellation Libra. Saturn is about 0.5º from the star Kappa Virginis. The planet is stationary on the 21st. Saturn is about 2° from the Moon (Occultation of Saturn by the Moon for Argentina & Chile at ~02:25 UT.) on the 7th. Saturn's rings are tilted ~17 degrees to our line of sight.
(On July 1st, RA=14h59m48s Dec=-14°34.7' (J2000) Distance=9.275AU Diameter=17.8" )

Uranus: is in the constellation Pisces. Uranus at magnitude 5.8, has a bluish-green hue and appears 3.5 arcseconds wide. The Moon is 5° from the planet on the 17th. Uranus is stationary on the 22nd.
(On July 19th, RA= 1h01m07s Dec= +5°47.0' (J2000) Distance=19.806AU Diameter=3.5")

Neptune: is at magnitude 7.8 in the constellation Aquarius. The Moon is 6° from the planet on the 15th.
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Pluto: is in the constellation Sagittarius (mag 14.0). Normally, a finder chart is necessary to help in identifying the 0.13" diameter dwarf planet. The dwarf planet is at opposition on the 4th July.
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The Sun enters the zodiac sign of Leo at 21:41 UT on the 22nd July, 2014.