Comet Star

Back in December, Comet 45P passed quite near the star Theta Capricorn.  Now, Comet PanSTARRS C/2015 ER61 is passing quite near this same star, almost exactly three months since 45P did.  When 45P was in Capricorn, the constellation was sinking into the sunset glow, now, as PanSTARRS is here, Capricorn emerges from the Sunrise glow. Both comets have a similar brightness.  To find Comet PanSTARRS,  sweep about 3 degrees north of Theta Capricorn with binoculars or a telescope.  Look for a large, diffuse glow.  This interesting occurrence reminds us to never stop watching the sky!

The X marks the current position of Comet PanSTARRS C/2015 ER61.  The comet will have moved slightly to the left of the X a few days from now.

 

See Comet Lovejoy

Comet 41P/ T-G-C, hasn't preformed as well as was predicted.  But that's no matter!  we now have in the morning sky, Comet 2017/C E4 Lovejoy, which is currently visible in binoculars.  By mid-April, it should reach unaided eye visibility.  Here are charts, generated with www.theskylive.com.
                                                                      

April 1st

                       

April 15th

April 31st

As always, interpolate what the correct location is based from the charts.  It will appear as a faint, blue-grey smudge.  If you have a telescope, be sure to check it out!

Venus & a Supernova

This week we see Venus in the morning sky, as its inferior conjunction occurred on the 25th.  We now see it as a slim crescent with the illuminated side facing East, as Venus is now to the west of the Sun.  The crescent shape is easily seen in binoculars or a small telescope, and can even be seen with the unaided eye!  Look for Venus low in the east as it's just starting to get light.  Refer the the drawings and photo below:

Telescopic View

If this isn't excitement enough, there is a supernova in the morning too!  It is in the galaxy NGC 5643, in the constellation Lupus, the wolf.  It shines around 10th  magnitude, so it is in reach of a modest telescope.  Use the charts below, generated in The SkyX First Light Edition, the find the galaxy and supernova.  Keep in mind that the Supernova will not be visible from latitudes farther north than about 40 degrees.  Observe the Supernova around 3:00 AM daylight saving time.

Unaided eye view

Finderscope view

Telescopic View (red circle is Spuernova location)

All in all, you don't want to miss this week's sky events!

Observing a Far-Southern Star

Name the 2nd brightest star in the sky.  Most northern sky watchers would say Arcturus.  The 2nd brightest star, however is the southern star Canopus, in the asterism Argo Navis.  Why is this star not well known to observers from mid-northern latitudes?  Altitude.  The star passes only five degrees above the horizon from latitude 35 north.  But, with a clear horizon, you can easily see the golden star, far below Orion as shown on the below chart.  This star is actually the best kept secret of the sky!  These late February evenings, at around 8:00 PM, the star shines low above the horizon, almost

looking like a distant terestrial light.  So now you know:  The 2nd brightest star in the sky is Canopus, and it is visible from mid-northern latitudes!

Comet 45/P back!

Last December, I wrote about the comet 45/P.  Well, it's back!  It's now getting high up in the morning sky, charts below.  It should be an easy grab in binoculars.

The chart at the left shows where the comet will be in relation to the rest of the sky.  The Moon will be bright, so you probably won't see it with your unaided eye.  Scan the area on the map with binoculars. The chart positions are for 3:00 AM, 15th.  Just keep in mind the sky will have shifted 15 degrees in one hour.  The comet should appear much as it did last December: A faint grey-green fuzz ball.

Next Friday's Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

A Penumbral eclipse the moon occurs on Feb 10.  This will be easily visible from the eastern USA, but might not be from the west coast.  Don't let that deter you!  Look at the Moon as it rises, and see if later it has dimmed a bit.  This is the opposite situation of the penumbral eclipse we had last March, which favored the west coast and occurred near sunrise.  Note that the part of the moon with the most shading will be its northern edge.  Good Luck! 

New Jupiter's Moon's Position Calculator

Last December we introduced in the almanack a chart showing the positions of Jupiter's moons over the span of the entire month.  Well now we have on the website a chart that shows the exact configuration of the moons for the current time.  If you reload the page, you see the moon positions change slightly.  I hope this will be a useful tool for all almanack readers.