What to offer those neighborhood spooks? Try setting up your telescope for a real treat that is good for them-a view of Jupiter and the Galilean moons. They will never forget that treat. The dance of the easily visible-with binoculars – four largest moons playing ring-around-the-planet has been intriguing sky watchers since Galileo Galilee first aimed his “spy-glass/come-up glass” at the sky instead of the horizon. Sold to merchant princes as a means of knowing when their ship was coming in so they could advertise goods and get ‘first dibs’ on cargoes, or used by the military to know when enemy ships might be readying for an attack by sea. Galileo turned the world upside down when he shared what he had seen. The world was never the same after that. And because he spoke truthfully about his discovery and would not back down, he paid a heavy price. Integrity is often costly.
As a heads-up, there will be a lunar eclipse on Nov. 8. Easily visible if you are an early riser, the moon will be setting as the sun is rising. Look southwest for the copper-tinged face of the moon. Luna will begin entering Earth’s shadow about 2 a.m. our time, but the entire event will continue so that you can get up about 5 a.m. our time and still see it within the shadow until it emerges by 7 a.m. Naturally NO eye protection is needed for a lunar eclipse; there is no danger of hurting your eyes during this kind of eclipse.
Our planet does not have an eclipse every month because of the slight tilt of the path the moon takes differently from the path Earth travels. When the sun is 180 degrees opposite of the moon, we have a full moon and the lunar eclipse occurs as the moon enters the shadow Earth casts out into space. It is an amazing dance between these fellow travelers. I am hoping for clear skies.
The moon will be in the constellation Aries, the Ram. The red star Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull will be east of the moon. That last phrase reminds me of a great story I enjoyed in elementary school. It is a Norwegian folk tale, East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon. I found it online at the following site in case you have children who love old stories from other places. https://fairytalez.com/east-sun-west-moon-2/ It has trolls and witches so it is perfect for Halloween reading. https://fairytalez.com/east-sun-west-moon-2/
Both Mars and Jupiter will be escorting the moon as it begins its eclipse. Mars will be to the east/northeast of Luna, and Jupiter will be west/southwest. The colors of the three may spark the artist in some of you and I expect there will be some great photos on the internet sites for us to enjoy.
The October issue of Astronomy magazine has some very informative articles regarding eclipses and sky watching. Even if you are not an inveterate stargazer you might want a copy of that issue for a student who is beginning to develop a science interest. There are 25 young scientists featured in the magazine and their stories are varied and inspiring.
If you have access to a decent telescope and a dark site during the eclipse you just may locate Uranus (YER a nus, please) The ice giant is in southern Aries and appears as a blue smudge in a telescope, almost all night long, highest in the sky at local midnight.
I wish you clear skies for the eclipse and sharing the moon and Jupiter. Io, Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa for Halloween. Until next week, KLU.
