Some events are so rare they come around only three or four times in a person’s lifetime.  Such an event is coming this May.  This event is an annular solar Eclipse and it  will occur on May 20th, 2012.  Like all solar eclipses, you will have to be in the proper location on the Earth to see it.  However, if you are in the right place it will be a fantastic show.

An annular solar eclipse is one in which the disk of the moon does not completely cover the disk of the sun, as in a total eclipse). The moon will be directly in front of the sun, but there will be a margin of the sun visible around the edge of the moon (see the illustration at right).  This is because the moon’s orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle, it is an ellipse.  An elliptical orbit means that the Moon is sometimes closer to the Earth and sometimes further away.  When the moon is further away it appears smaller in the sky and therefore cannot completely cover the sun.  This is different from a partial solar eclipse, in which only part of the moon covers part of the sun.

For those of us in Wyoming, we will only see the partial eclipse.  This is because we are a bit too far north to see the annular eclipse.  However, observers in the Southwest U.S. will be able to see the annular eclipse in its entirety.  The eclipse will begin at approximately 6:20 pm, what astronomers refer to as “first contact”.  The height of the eclipse occurs at approximately 7:25.  The eclipse will be ending at sunset, approximately 8:20 pm.  To see the eclipse in its entirety, you will need observe from a place where the horizon is flat and clear of buildings and trees.  The best view of the annular eclipse will be in or near Cedar City Utah, approximately 175 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

Eclipses invariable cause observes to raise the question: “What is the best way to observe the eclipse?”  Obviously you should NEVER look directly at the sun, even welding hoods do not provide sufficient filtering for the light from the sun.  There are solar filters for telescopes and binoculars but these should be purchased only from a reputable telescope dealer.  Telescopes without a solar filter can be used by using the projection method.  This means the image is projected onto the ground or a white board.  However, this method is not recommended for Cassegrain telescopes that have sealed tubes as they can overheat.  The best, and safest method is the “pinhole camera” method.  Use a push pin to punch a small hole in an index card, then focus the light onto another card.  Adjust the distance between the cards until there is a sharp image.  The eclipse will play out clearly on the card.

Eclipses occur during two times each year, known as eclipse seasons.  However, the location at which the eclipse is visible is highly variable.  May 2012 offers observers in the US a chance to experience this rare and wonderful phenomenon first hand.  Best of all this eclipse is just a warm up for another eclipse that will be visible from Wyoming in 2017.

May 2012 Chart

Register now for Summer Astronomy Camps at the Casper Planetarium!

Registration for summer camp is based on the age of the child.  See camp details below:

Schedule:

• 4-5 Years; June 18-22, 1:00-2:00, “Astro-tots,” $30.00
  Campers will learn about the wonders of space through songs, games, and hands-on activities.
• 6-7 Years; June 25-29, 1:00-2:00, “Oh, Mr. Sun!” $30.00
  Campers will learn about our closest star, the Sun, and why it is so important to us here on Earth.
• 8-9 Years; June 4-8, 1:00-2:30, “3, 2, 1, Blastoff!”  $35.00
  Campers will learn about the many factors that scientists and engineers must consider when sending equipment into the sky by building and improving their own simple rockets.
• 10-11 Years; June 11-15, 1:00-3:00, “Practical Astronomy.” $40.00
  Campers will use problem solving techniques to understand and replicate several important discoveries in the field of astronomy.
• 12+ Years; May 29 – June 1, 1:00-4:00, “3D Modeling with Blender,” $40.00  FREE
  The Planetarium has 11 spots available for a FREE 3D Modeling workshop for kids ages 12 and up – registration is required.
  The students will be using an open source (free) program called Blender, and the camp will be appropriate for students who are novices as well as those who have experience with computer modeling.
  The first two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, will be hosted by NCSD high school students and Planetarium staff who are well-versed in Blender basics.  These two days will be geared toward Blender beginners, but experienced Blender-heads are welcome, too.
  The last two days, Thursday and Friday, will be taught by Ron Proctor, a Blender expert from Weber State University in Ogden, UT.  Participants from the first two days are welcome to continue on, and students who have more experience in Blender are welcome to join.
  Thanks to the NCSD Discover Program for helping us offer this opportunity for free.
  

You can download and complete the registration form below and bring it to the Planetarium M-F, 9-5.  Call us for more information: 577-0310.

Registration Form 2012

The path the sun appears to take through the sky is known as the ecliptic.  This path is an imaginary line that shows the orbit of the Earth around the sun.  During the day, the Sun marks the ecliptic and the stars are hidden.  At night the planets and the moon show us the line of the ecliptic, and this gives us a “road” to finding more interesting celestial objects.

April begins with two bright planets visible in the western sky just after sunset.  The lowest is the planet Jupiter.  This is the last chance to see Jupiter because Earth’s orbit is slowly moving it toward the glare of the setting Sun.  After the end of April, Jupiter will not be visible until next fall.  Higher in the sky is Venus, which is the brighter of the two planets.  For the first few days of April, Venus will be within two degrees of the Pleiades.  Through binoculars or a small telescope this should be an amazing sight.  The moon will also get into the act; passing Jupiter on April 22, the Pleiades on the 23 and Venus on the 24.

Looking high in the Southeast we find the planet Mars.  Mars will appear as a distinct red-orange light slightly to the east of the star Regulus in Leo the Lion.  Mars recently entered “summer” which will allow telescope users on Earth to clearly see the ice cap at Mars’s north pole.  The waxing gibbous moon will pass less than ten degrees below Mars on the night of April 3rd.

Looking east after 9:00 PM we find the golden planet Saturn.  Saturn will be to the north of the bright blue star Spica in Virgo the Maiden.  While it is tempting to point a telescope at Saturn when if first appears, it is better to wait until well after midnight when Saturn is higher in the southern sky.  The full moon will pass to the South of Saturn on the night of April 6.

The moon is also a guide to other celestial treasures.  On the night of April 25, the waxing crescent moon will be almost half way between the Crab Nebula (M1) in Taurus the Bull and M35 in Gemini the Twins.  The Crab Nebula is a super nova remnant, the remains of a star that blew itself up and was visible in the year 1054.  M35 is an open star cluster containing several hundred stars.  This cluster is a stunning 2,800 light years away.  On April 28 the first quarter moon will be just south of the Beehive cluster (M44) in Cancer the Crab.  Because the stars of Cancer are extremely faint, the moon will have to serve as a guide for finding this beautiful star cluster.  The Beehive will be about six degrees above the moon.  Binoculars or a small telescope will be needed to find it, but the search will be worth it.  Looking about the same distance to the East (left) of the moon is the King Cobra cluster (M67).  This cluster does indeed resemble a cobra with its hood open.

The Sun, Moon and planets move through the constellations at their stately pace year after year, generation after generation.  The orbits of the objects in our solar system gave importance to the constellations that were along that line.  Like landmarks pointing to a favorite camping spot or fishing hole,  the ecliptic serves as a kind of roadmap to finding some unique celestial treasures.

Wednesday, April 11
7:00PM – 8:00PM

at the Casper Planetarium

Sponsored by NCSD Discover Program

In ancient times the heavens were a place of mystery.  The planets were known as The Wanderers and were considered gods.  Even as late as the 1700’s the belief was that our solar system contained five planets besides Earth.  These five planets were Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.  Occasionally these “naked eye planets” are too close to the sun to be easily visible, but March 2012 offers us a chance to see all five during one night.

Mercury is by far the most elusive of the Five Classical Planets.  Its close orbit around the Sun means it is never far from the Sun’s glare.  This means that Mercury is visible in the evening sky for a little less than 2 weeks.  Then it is lost in the glare of the Sun for a little over a month before it reappears in the morning sky rising before dawn.  Mercury will be visible in the evening sky the first two weeks of March.  Look for a bright light about a fist width (held at arms length) above the horizon in the constellation Pisces.  Mercury may appear orange or deep yellow.

Higher in the sky is the planet Venus, also in the faint constellation of Pisces.  Venus will  be unmistakable since it is the brightest object in that part of the sky.  The planet Jupiter is a little higher in the sky (in Aries) and runs a close second in brightness.  However, Venus and Jupiter have more to offer than mere brightness.  Each night Venus will move closer and closer to Jupiter until the evening of March 12th when the two planets will be only three degrees apart.  This is close enough that observers with binoculars should be able to see both planets in the same field of view.  Observers with smaller telescopes (smaller than 6 inches in diameter) might also be able to see both in the same field of view, along with the 4 large moons of Jupiter.

As Jupiter and Venus sink in the West, the planet Mars is rising in the East.  Mars will appear as a bright orange light below and to the left of the star Regulus in Leo the Lion.  Like Venus and Jupiter, Mars will be unmistakable.  Telescopes will show Mars’s polar ice cap, and larger instruments may reveal some of Mars’s dark surface features.  On the other hand, if a dust storm is in progress Mars may show nothing but a blank orange disc.

Observers wishing to see Saturn will have to wait until almost 10:00 p.m.  Saturn is just five degrees to the left of the bright star Spica in Virgo the Maiden.  Careful observers with telescope may be able to spot Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.  Unlike the moons of Jupiter, Titan appears much further away from its planet.  Titan will look much the same color as Mars but with no surface details.  This is because Titan is shrouded in a thick, smoggy atmosphere of hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane.

It is a rare treat when all five naked eye planets are visible in the evening sky.  Granted they are not all visible in the sky at the same time, but they are all visible within a few hours of each other.  While a telescope can reveal hidden wonders on these far flung neighbors, even the unaided eye is enough to reveal these treasures of our solar system.

March 2012 Sky Chart

Theatre of the Mind: The Mission of the Vega

February 23, 24, and 25 at 7:30 PM
February 26 at 2:00 PM (this performance will be in German)

Tickets: $6.00

“The Mission of the Vega” (“Das Unternehmen der Wega”) is a Theatre of the Mind production presented by the Planetarium and Stage III Theater. This is an old-style radio play written by Swiss playwright Friedrich Durrenmatt. The production will use sound effects similar to radio productions. The Feb 26th performance will be presented in German by a student cast. For times and more information, call 234-0946 or 577-0310.

Plot: It’s the eve of war on Earth.  A diplomatic delegation goes to the penal colony on Venus in order to enlist the help of its inhabitants.  In return, the criminals would be allowed to return to Earth…but do they agree?

February is not the best month to go out with a telescope. This has less to do with the temperature and more to do with the atmosphere. Between the howling wind and the turbulence caused by temperature variation, the atmosphere is chaos, even if the sky is perfectly clear. However, while this makes telescope observing impractical, it does not hinder naked eye observing. Only the most jaded skywatcher will say there is nothing to see with the naked eye. In reality we can learn a lot about the nature of stars just by looking at their color. February offers a great chance to do this by turning south and looking for a very large asterism known as the Winter Hexagon. An asterism is a group of stars that is easy to recognize but is not really a constellation.

Begin by looking for the constellation Orion the Hunter. The bright star at Orion’s lower right is the star Rigel. Rigel appears a bright blue-white color. This tells us that Rigel is very hot. The hottest stars appear bright blue. Think of a light bulb on a dimmer switch. When the light is dim it appears red or orange, but when it is brightest it appears blue white. From Rigel look down and to the East for Sirius in Canis Major. Sirius is not as hot as Rigel so it appears more white than blue. However, Sirius appears brighter in our sky than Rigel because Sirius is much closer to our solar system than Rigel. Sirius is less than ten light years away while Rigel is more than 700 light years away.

Moving higher in the sky we find the star Procyon in Canis Minor. Procyon is cooler still, appearing yellow-white. Moving still higher we find the star Pollux in Gemini the Twins. Pollux is very cool and appears orange. Its nearby neighbor, Castor is hotter and appears white like Sirius. Almost directly overhead is the star Capella in Auriga. Capella is a star much like our own sun and appears yellow. Stars like Capella and the Sun are very average in temperature, mass, diameter and life expectancy. From Capella we move down and to the West to find Aldebaran, in Taurus the Bull. Aldebaran is cool like Pollux, and so appears orange. In the center of the Winter Hexagon is the star Betelgeuse in the shoulder of Orion. Betelgeuse represents the coolest type of star, appearing red in color.

The colors of stars depend on their temperatures, and astronomers use this to classify stars into what are known as Spectral Classes. The modern classification scheme has seven classes each class representing a different temperature range of stars. The classes are O, B, A, F, G, K, and M. Type M stars are the coolest, and appear red. Type K stars are orange, type G stars are yellow, type F are yellow-white, type A are white, type B are blue-white and type O are bright blue. The coolest stars are typically less than 2,500 degrees Kelvin while the hottest stars are more than 30,000 degrees Kelvin. So why do we call this scheme a Spectral Classification? Objects that are hot give of most of their energy in different wavelengths of light depending on their temperature. Hot stars like Rigel will give off most of their energy in the UV wavelength, while cool stars like Betelgeuse give off most of their energy in the Infrared. This means that the naked eye color of a star can tell us something about the wavelengths of energy it gives off.

While February may not be the best month to get out and use a telescope, it is a great month to get out and view the sky with the original observing tool, the human eye. Simply looking at the stars tells us about their temperature, their energy output, their size, their age and in many cases their eventual deaths.

February 2012 Chart

While on a routine fossil-hunting expedition, The Zula Patrol turns up evidence that the villainous Deliria Delight has been travelling back in time to Earth’s prehistoric past to illegally dump her company’s toxic trash. The Zula Patrollers must find and catch her, before her actions cause catastrophic consequences. In the process, our heroes learn all about the formation and development of Earth, and the life forms who call it home.

Zula Patrol: Down to Earth from Channel 17.12 on Vimeo.

Recommended for ages 4-12.

Admission is $2.50 per person.

Hear the Greek mythology surrounding several well-known constellations: Perseus, Andromeda, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Cetus, and more.  Andromeda, a beautiful princess, finds herself in harm’s way as a result of her parents’ foolishness.  Can the demigod, Perseus, save her in time?  Find out in this humorous animated program, which is fun for the whole family!

Recommended for audiences ages 5+.
Run time is approximately 20 minutes.
Admission is $2.50 per person.