The Sky This Month

Diagram created with LunarPhase Pro

Diagram created with LunarPhase Pro

The plot with big yellow dots and little orange dots between them shows the moon's topocentric libration for the month [topocentric means as seen from your location as specified in Configuration the screen]. The plot tends to oscillate between daily positions. This plot is for Dublin, Ireland.

The plot that's made up of light blue dots connected by darker blue lines shows the moon's Geocentric libration (i.e. as it would be seen from the centre of the Earth). This is a much smoother plot since it doesn't account for your changing position relative to the moon as each day progresses. LunarPhase Pro will generate diagrams and data for your location.

In case you're not aware, Jack Horkheimer, who used to produce these Star Gazer videos, died on August 20, 2010 and staff at the Miami Planetarium have been producing them in his place since then.

NASA What's Up In February 2012

HubbleSite - Tonight's Sky For February 2012

February Podcasts:

The Jodcast - from Jodrell Bank in the UK (right-click and select "Save As" to download the podcast for your mobile device). For more information about what's happening this month, visit the Jodcast February page.

February Messier Objects:

A list of messier objects visible this month. All are possible with binoculars, most are easy even with small binoculars.
Read more...

Night Sky Note for February 23, 2012

Supernova 1987A, II

Astronomers have been hunting for a neutron star for 25 years, but they haven't been able to find it. They know that it was born 25 years ago tomorrow as seen from Earth. And they know just where it is. But no matter how hard they've looked, they haven't been able to find it.

The neutron star wa...

Night Sky Note for February 22, 2012

GJ 1214b: A Steam-Bath World

Wednesday's Mercury-Moon Challenge

To the right are the satellite tracks for Jupiter's four main satellites for this month.

Legend::
Io: White
Europa: Yellow
Ganymede: Orange
Callisto: Light Blue

Diagram created by Jupsat Pro

Today's Sky Event from Earth& Sky
A different astronomical event is described each day

This Week's "Sky at a Glance"
From Sky & Telescope

AMS Meteor Activity Outlook
A weekly preview of meteor activity

Lets Talk Stars
Weekly radio program hosted by David Levy

Jack Horkheimer : Star Gazer
Listing of current and past shows.

Sky at Night
Catch up on the latest edition of the BBC Programme

Stardate Daily Programme Calendar
Monthly listing of aired programs from StarDate

The Night Sky
Monthly observing notes from Jodrell Bank

NASA Skywatch
NASA SkyWatch is a web-based Java application that provides sky watchers worldwide with a picture of when and where the International Space Station, the space shuttle and other spacecraft can be seen with the unaided eye as they pass overhead.

Heavens Above
Provides all the information you need to observe satellites such as the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle, spectacular events such as the dazzlingly bright flares from Iridium satellites as well as a wealth of other spaceflight and astronomical information.

Your Sky
An interactive planetarium run by Fourmilab. You can produce maps for any time and date, viewpoint, and observing location. If you enter the orbital elements of an asteroid or comet, Your Sky will compute its current position and plot it on the map. Each map is accompanied by an ephemeris for the Sun, Moon, planets, and any tracked asteroid or comet. A control panel permits customization of which objects are plotted, limiting magnitudes, colour scheme, image size, and other parameters.

Heavens Above
Provides a range of charts and information, including sky charts for your location (which you'll have to specify).

Meteor Showers (International Meteor Organization)
A listing of meteor showers that occur throughout the year.

Recent International Astronomical Union Circulars
This page lists the dates of issue and the titles of the items on the twenty most-recent IAUCs. Individual items can be displayed by selecting the relevant title.

International Astronomical Union: Astronomy Headlines
This page contains brief information on recent astronomical discoveries as reported in the International Astronomical Union Circulars (IAUCs) and the Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPECs), as well as links to ephemerides and orbital elements for comets and minor planets.

Observable Comets
Lists links to orbital elements and ephemerides of (potentially) observable comets

Approaching Comets
This website is devoted to monitoring all newly detected unknown objects and identified comets which have the potential for becoming significant events in the near future. It is kept updated very frequently, as new information and/or observations come in.

BAA Comet Section
lists links to news, current magnitudes and ephemerides of currently observable comets.

Major News About Minor Objects
The Asteroid/Comet Connection's daily news journal about asteroids, comets, and meteors.

American Association of Variable Star Observers
The AAVSO is the largest organization of variable star observers worldwide. You can get daily updates and find out more about them, the projects they sponsor and the data they make available to astronomers around the world.

The Minima of Algol
The star Algol (Beta Persei) was the first eclipsing variable star ever discovered, and it's still the most famous one. You can check on it whenever you step outdoors on nights when Perseus is in view.

International Occultation and Timing Association
This page gives information on the circumstances of lunar and other types of occultation for various locations around the world.

Solar Observing
The Sun is a fascinating astronomical object to observe. Extreme care is required if you wish to observe the Sun safely. Never look directly at the Sun with the naked eye or with any optical instrument. You must be familiar with the safe observing methods before attempting to observe the Sun.

The Messier Catalog
A listing of images and information on the Messier objects with links to other deep sky catalogues (NGC objects, etc.)

The Interactive NGC Catalog Online
An interactive NGC (IC, and Messier) catalog at SEDS, based on the famous NGC 2000.0 by R.W. Sinnott of Sky Publishing Corp.

The Night Sky Live
The night sky above some of the world's premier observatories. Click on a star to go to live pictures taken by the fisheye CONtinuous CAMeras (CONCAMs) in operation there. Major sponsors of the CONCAM project include the National Science Foundation and the Dept. of Physics at Michigan Technological University.

The Sky at Night
The BBC's dedicated Sky at Night website. Contains realvideo edition of last programme and links to the newsletter and other items.

BBC Space Site
The BBC's dedicated Space website. Contains links to various observing resources.