If you never have read Dr. Seuss’ book Bartholomew and the Oobleck, you will not appreciate the comment ‘same old stuff’’ in our skies. However, the same old stuff is one thing we can count on as earthlings. The constant patterns of constellations, the consistent revolutions of the various planets in our solar system are a comfort to those of us who wonder about the rapid changes of our society.
When columns seem to repeat, it is mainly because those ‘same things’ are in our sky at the same time each year and will remain as long as your mind can comprehend. The star patterns are no longer THE constellation they name. There are divisions in space of degrees, minutes, and seconds of arc that delineates the dot-to-dot constellations. When you hear for instance, Jupiter is in X that means it is in the math area designated for X which could be outside of the stars that make the pattern of the constellation.
The degrees, minutes, etc. refer to the dome of the heavens being artificially divided like the protractor used in geometry class, which is a measure of the rotation of Earth, which makes the sun seem to move across the sky 15 degrees each hour. There is an entertaining book written by astronomer Bob Berman that explains humorously and precisely how all this works, Secrets of the Night Sky. If you are even a little bit interested in astronomy, this would be a good way to learn and have a few laughs at the same time.
Weather permitting, the Orionids will put on a show for those who get up to watch for it on the night of October 20-21. The window begins before midnight on the 20th and ends before dawn of the 21st. Earth will be rushing through debris left by one of Comet Halley’s passes. And if you wonder where Halley is, the October issue of Sky & Telescope says it is a few degrees southwest of the Water Snake, Hydra about 5.3 billion km away. The well-known comet will once again visit Earth in 2061. If you recognize the butterfly shape of Orion then that is where the meteors will appear to originate and streak across your field of view.
The last week of October will be another great time to watch for bright meteors seeming to come from the V shape asterism of Taurus the Bull. Keep in mind there is not a rain storm of ‘falling stars’ but between 10 and 20 per hour might be a possibility. Friends keeping watch with you will up the count unless you get to talking instead of watching. These meteors are debris mainly from Comet 2P/Encke, but also particles of small asteroids and other solar system stuff that is in orbital resonance with Jupiter.
By midnight Orion will be above the eastern horizon. With its definitely red-orange star Betelgeuse in the facing-you left shoulder, the three stars that appear to be identical between the shoulders and knees of Orion, it should be easily identified. Pronouncing the name of that star is another thing. BET’L juice is the way astronomers pronounce it. I must admit the movie Beetle Juice seems more apt pronunciation, but the meaning of it is, well, not related to a man at all. The ancient culture that named it also called the star group a sheep, not a hunter, so Betelgeuse means the armpit of the sheep. Not classy at all.
Taurus will be leading Orion up from the horizon as the two engage in their endless fruitless chase. The bull resembles a bent letter V with one red star in the left arm of the V. That star is Aldebaran, meaning ‘the follower’.
Until next week, KLU.
