In The Skies, In The Skies!

Oh, the heavens. A source of much fascination for me all throughout my life, to sit and watch the wonders of the universe, to experience the show of stars, the turbulent shifting of clouds in severe weather, or just enjoying the pleasant contrast between land & sky. Well, many of these beloved phenomena are nowhere to be seen during the dead of winter. Gee, could be a contributing factor to my annual bout of disdain. Being a Wisconsin native I certainly must work on that.

Have no fear fellow watchers of the great dome above, winter can still yield some fascinating sites. Surely, there are a great many constellations to appreciate year round. In fact many of the biggest & boldest constellations are visible this time of year. Whether or not you are familiar with the well-known constellation Orion, this is the time of year to really get to know it, it is certainly at its brightest. Orion contains seven bright well-known stars, one of which being Betelgeuse, which represents “The Hunter” Orion’s right shoulder. Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star, it’s celestially ruddy complexion can be viewed by the naked eye this time of year. This is the 12th brightest star in the sky, oftentimes mistaken for a higher position on the list of the brightest 25 stars. The reason for the confusion is that due to old age & the end of life approaching, this stars’ size morphs fairly regularly, when Betelgeuse pulsates, it can become the size of planet Mars’ orbit!

Speaking of Mars, the planet will be the closest to the Earth its orbit will take it until 2014. And tonight, January 27th – one should be able to see this lovely red celestial body clearly in the sky. According to National Geographic, the planet will pass within 61 million miles of our gorgeous Earth. In August of 2003, Mars came within 35 million miles of Earth, the closest it has been in nearly 60,000 years. Surely we’re not that close, but it is said that tonight – even with a pair of binoculars one can view Mars as not a star, but rather a disc shape. Additionally, one can view the surface of Mars’ rocky terrain and ice caps with a 6in telescope at the least.

Winter apparently means red this year, take a look outside towards the east and you should pick up on red planet Mars passing along its orbit to the other side of the sun, or look around for Orion, his red superstar Betelgeuse will surely give you a show and perhaps teach you a little something.

If Astronomy interests you, check out the link below for a listing of weekly celestial events gracing our heavens. Enjoy!
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/82407167.html