The Moon waxes in the evening sky this week, passing through the
springtime constellations as she sets her sights on Saturn, now rising
in the southeast. First Quarter occurs on the 18th at 12:35 am Eastern
Daylight Time. Look for Luna between the last of winter's stars on the
evenings of the 14th and 15th, when she'll be positioned between the
Twin Stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux, and the bright star Procyon.
By the end of the week she cozies up to the bright star Spica in the
constellation Virgo, on the evening of the 21st.
This is another good week to get to know our nearest neighbor in space
as she waxes through the phases around First Quarter. I enjoy
observing the Moon in the early evening during twilight since the
contrast between her dazzling surface and dark shadows is tempered by
the glow of fading dusk. Luna's bright presentation in the telescope
eyepiece belies the true nature of her surface, though. Overall the
Moon only reflects about7% of the sunlight that strikes her,which
means that a typical patch oflunar regolith is about as dark as a
charcoal briquette! However, lack of an atmosphere means that the
Sun's rays strike the surface full-force. Under these circumstances
even a charcoal briquette would look very bright compared to the
blackness of space. The landforms that reveal themselves as the
terminator line creeps eastward each evening is another testament to
Luna's lack ofatmosphere. Countless impacts have left scars of all
shapes and sizes scattered across the Moon's face, preserving an era
of intense bombardment by "planetessimals" during the formative years
of the solar system. Here on Earth many of these objects never made it
through our atmosphere, and the remnants of those that did have been
ground out of existence by erosion and plate tectonics. Think of this
the next time you look at theMoon in a telescope. The features that
you see are older than any thatyou'll see on our home planet, and many
of them look almost as fresh as the day they were made!
Much of the action in the sky over the next couple of weeks will take
place in the early evening. Jupiter, which has been doggedly hanging
tough in the western twilight sky, will get some reinforcements as
theweek passes by. By the weekend you'll want to keep your eyes
peeledalong the west-northwest horizon at around 9:00 pm and look for
the bright glow of Venus about five degrees above the skyline. Venus
will gain about a degree each evening as she sets her sights on
Jupiter. By early next week you should also see the fleet planet
Mercury just below and to the right of Venus. These three planets will
be playing a game of cosmic "tag" over the course of the next several
weeks, with the closest grouping occurring right around Memorial Day.
This will be one of your best chances to glimpse the elusive Mercury,
which never strays very far from the Sun's glare, and it should
provide a number of very nicephoto opportunities for sunset and
twilight shutterbugs.
Saturn now pops into view in the southeastern sky as the last glow of
twilight fades about an hour after sunset. By 10:00 pm the ringed
planet is reasonably high in the sky for detailed telescopic viewing.
Unfortunately his southerlydeclination means that clear views of his
subtly banded disc and icy rings are subject to the whims of our
atmosphere. Motion of air currents tends to blur the normally
razor-sharp edges of the rings, andthe denser air acts as a prism,
causing a small amount of spectral dispersion that tinge the planet
with blue and red fringes. However, in moments of very steady air the
view is always rewarding as the rings snap into sharp view and tiny
moons pop out of the surrounding blackness. It's well worth the wait
for these magical moments of good"seeing"! The Sky This Week
--
President of The United States
Guy Ralph Perea Sr President of The United States
Weatherdata1046am0426 a Discussion Group of
Weatherdata<http://groups.google.com/group/weatherdata1046am0426>
USFMSC
http://www.cityfreq.com/ca/avalon/>
QUALIFY QICP
OCCUPS
http://www.occupationalinfo.org/02/025062010.html
goldlandabstracts; link check
own search engine - The United
States International Policies
http://apps.facebook.com/faceblogged/?uid=1340855784
http://lnk.ms/8d5gl aol
http://groups.google.com/group/united-states-of-american
http://twitter.com/ptusss Federal Communication
Commission<http://columbiabroadcast.spaces.live.com/>
Ambassador Chevy Chase; Kevin Corcran; Jack Nickolas; Cher; Shirley Temple
Black; Liza Minnille; Ansari; Ernest Tascoe; Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
Agent Jodie Foster; Department of Veterans Affairs Director George H.W. Bush
Title 22 USCS section 1928 (b) The e-mail
transmission may contain legally privileged information that
is intended only for the individual or entity recipient, you are hereby,
notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or reliance upon the
contents of this E-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
E-mail transmission in error, please reply to the sender, so arrangements
can be made for proper delivery. Title 42
USCS section 192 etseq Margie Paxton Chief of Childrens Bureau
Director of The United States Department of Human Services; Defendant
Article IV General Provisions Section 2
(Supreme Law of The Land) The Constitution of The United States "Any thing
in The Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary Notwithstanding"
Contrary to Law (of an act or omission) illegal;
https://twitter.com/presidentus1
No comments:
Post a Comment