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For amateur radio operators and scanner enthusiasts, when in the Denver metro area, please join the Colorado Astronomy Net on the Rocky Mountain Radio League's WØWYX 146.94 MHz and 449.825 MHz repeaters.
Due to hardware issues, links with the Allstar node, Echolink and the Cripple Creek repeater are down until further notice.
The net meets on Tuesday nights at 7 P.M. Mountain Time (US).
Obtain your Amateur Radio (Ham) License or your General Radio Operator's License (GROL)! Visit the South Metro VE Team website for more information. The South Metro VE Team provides test sessions on the 1st Saturday of each month at our new Eagle Street Facility, The City of Centennial, 7272 South Eagle Street, Centennial, Colorado 80112-4244 at 9am.
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Excerpts from JPL mission updates are provided as a public service as part
of the JPL Solar System Ambassador/NASA Outreach program.
For special JPL programs and presentations in your area visit the JPL Solar System Ambassador website.
(Click on the logo to link to the JPL SSA homepage.)
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In this Newsletter...
Background screen credits: NGC5775
Imaged March 21/22, 2001
using the 16" Kitt Peak Visitors Center telescope
as part of the
Kitt Peak Advanced Observing Program.
The Month At-A-Glance
A calendar displaying the daily astronomical events.
Phases
- Last Quarter Moon occurs on the 6th.
- New Moon occurs on the 13th.
- First Quarter Moon occurs on the 20th.
- Full Moon occurs on the 28th.
Apogee/Perigee
- The Moon is at Perigee on the 9th, 228,284 miles from Earth.
- The Moon is at Apogee on the 21st, 251,258 miles from Earth.
Moon/Planet Pairs
- Mercury passes 1.5° south of Jupiter on the 11th.
- The Moon passes 1.5° south of Venus on the 11th.
- The Moon passes 3° south of Saturn on the 13th.
- The Moon passes 3° south of Jupiter on the 13th.
- The Moon passes 2° south of Mercury on the 14th.
- The Moon passes 4° south of Neptune on the 17th.
- The Moon passes 5° south of Mars on the 21st.
- The Moon passes 3° south of Uranus on the 21st.
- Mars passes 1.7° north of Uranus on the 21st.
For reference: The Full Moon subtends an angle of ~0.5°.
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Planetary Reports generated by "TheSkyX" software. These reports provide predicted data for the planets for the first of each month for the current year. The rise and set times for the Sun and the Moon for each day of the month as well as meteor shower radiants are also included in the reports. These reports have been optimized for the Denver, Colorado location, however, the times will be approximate for other locations on Earth.
(All times are local unless otherwise noted.)
Planetary Highlights for January
Start the new year off by continuing to follow Saturn and Jupiter as they slowly drift apart. By the end of the first week of the month, Mercury joins the two gas giants in the early evening sky. View Jupiter and Saturn during the first two weeks of the month as they will both be in conjunction with the Sun by the end of the month. Mars, Uranus and Neptune are still visible in the early evening as well. Venus shines brilliantly in the morning sky before sunrise.
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Mercury
Is at greatest eastern elongation (19°) on the 23rd. Mercury sets at 5:13 p.m. on the 1st and about 6:27 p.m. by month's end. Mercury is stationary on the 29th. Mercury can be spotted low on the western horizon about 30 minutes after sunset for the entire month. Mercury moves from the constellation of Sagittarius into Capricornus shining at magnitude -0.9 on the 15th. |
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Venus
Rises at 5:52 a.m. on the 1st and about 6:31 a.m. by month's end. Look for Venus in the east before sunrise. Venus moves from the constellation of Ophiuchus into Capricornus shining at magnitude -3.9 on the 15th. |
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Earth
Is at perihelion (91.4 million miles from the Sun) on the 2nd. |
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Mars
Sets at 1:37 a.m. on the 1st and about 12:54 a.m. by month's end. Look for Mars high in the sky soon after sunset and follow it to the west as the evening progresses. The best time to observe Mars will be around 8 p.m. in the evenings when Mars is highest in the south. Mars moves from the constellation of Pisces into Aries shining at magnitude 0.1. |
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Jupiter
Is in conjunction with the Sun on the 28th. Jupiter sets at 6:26 p.m. on the 1st and about 5:02 p.m. by month's end. Look for Jupiter soon after sunset to the west-southwest. By midmonth, Jupiter will be too low to observe as it disappears into the evening twilight glow. After conjunction, Jupiter returns to the morning sky rising just minutes before the Sun. Jupiter is in the constellation of Capricornus shining at magnitude -1.9. |
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Saturn
Is in conjunction with the Sun on the 23rd. Saturn sets at 6:20 p.m. on the 1st and about 4:38 p.m. by month's end. Look for Saturn soon after sunset to the west-southwest. By midmonth, Saturn will also be too low to observe as it disappears into the evening twilight glow. After conjunction, Saturn returns to the morning sky rising minutes before the Sun. Saturn is in the constellation of Capricornus shining at magnitude 0.5. |
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Uranus
Sets at 2:21 a.m. on the 1st and around 12:20 a.m. by month's end. Uranus is visible in the evening. Look to the south soon after sunset to spot Uranus. Uranus is in the constellation of Aries shining at magnitude 5.8. |
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Neptune
Sets at 10:15 p.m. on the 1st and about 8:18 p.m. by month's end. Neptune can be spotted to the southwest once the skies darken. Neptune is in the constellation of Aquarius shining at magnitude 7.9. |
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Dwarf Planets |
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Ceres
Sets at 9:30 p.m. on the 1st and around 8:24 p.m. by month's end. Ceres can be spotted to the southwest soon after sunset. Neptune and Ceres are relatively close to each other but will still be difficult to see this month. Ceres is in the constellation of Aquarius shining at magnitude 9.4. |
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Pluto
Is in conjunction with the Sun on the 14th. Sets at 5:39 p.m. on the 1st. After conjunction, Pluto returns to the morning sky rising around 6:17 a.m. by month's end. Pluto is too close to the Sun to be spotted this month as it is lost in the twilight glow of the Sun all month. Pluto is in the constellation of Sagittarius shining at magnitude 15.1.
As always, good luck at spotting Neptune, Ceres and Pluto, a large telescope and dark skies will be needed. |
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Meteor Showers
The Quadrantids - This shower is generally visible between December 28 and January 7, with a very sharp maximum of 45 to 200 meteors per hour occurring during January 3 and 4. The meteors tend to be bluish and possess an average magnitude of about 2.8.
Meteor Shower Radiant Report
For more information about Meteor Showers, visit Gary Kronk's
Meteor Showers Online web page.
Meteor Scatter (or Meteor burst communications) - "is a radio propagation mode that exploits the ionized trails of meteors during atmospheric entry to establish brief communications paths between radio stations up to 2,250 kilometres (1,400 mi) apart." Tune your shortwave or your HF amateur radio to 54.310 MHz SSB and see if you can hear any pings. Try other frequencies as well... 6m FT8 digital - 50.313 Mhz & 50.276 Mhz, JP-65 digital mode and the carrier frequencies of the lower VHF bands for TV channels 2, 3 & 4.
Meteor Rx How-To by Terry Bullett (WØASP)
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Comets
Comet Comet 88P/Howell is now passing through the constellation of Aquarius heading toward Neptune. Look for Comet Howell about 90 minutes after sunset dimming to about 11th or 12th magnitude. Two other comets are near Comet Howell this month, Comet 141P/Machholz 2, shining around 10th magnitude, and Comet 19P/Holmes just a few degrees west and north of Comet Howell. For observers south of the equator, Comet C/2019 N1 (ATLAS) possibly shines a bit brighter than the others as it passes south of Alpha Centauri.
For information, orbital elements and ephemerides on observable comets, visit the
Observable Comets page from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
For more information about Comets, visit Gary Kronk's
Cometography.com webpage. |
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Eclipses
Solar Eclipses
No solar eclipse activity this month.
Lunar Eclipses
No lunar eclipse activity this month.
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Observational Opportunities
Look for Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Mars and Uranus in the evening.
Look for Comet Howell in the early evening.
Look for Venus in the morning before sunrise.
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Asteroids
(From west to east)
- Flora is in constellation of Cetus.
- Psyche is in the constellation of Taurus.
- Eunomia is at opposition on the 21st in the constellation of Cancer.
- Irene is at opposition on the 24th in the constellation of Cancer.
- Melpomene is in the constellation of Cancer.
- Amphitrite is in the constellation of Leo.
- Vesta is in the constellation of Leo.
- Information about the Minor Planets can be found at
the Minor Planet Observer website.
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Ocultations
Information on various
occultations can be found by clicking the IOTA logo.
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I have created a web page containing images taken and submitted by subscribers to the email newsletter, check-ins to the Colorado Astronomy Net and readers of the online newsletter. Any one wishing to submit their own images to the gallery, please let me know. The images must be taken by the submitter and be astronomy related. Please include a description and your information so that I can give proper credit to your work.
Featured Images
Jupiter/Saturn Conjunction December 21, 2020
Several images from the recent conjunction.
Courtesy of Milton Omoto and Ed Hubbs
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In this section I will post meteor, fireball, etc sightings that have been published on the American Meteor Society's web site. I want to make this an active section of the web pages and newsletter and would like to publish the links to member sightings. If you have any published sightings, please provide me with the links and I will post them here for all to enjoy.
Event ID |
Date/Time |
Location |
Observer |
Link |
3587-2015 |
2015-11-22 17:38 MST |
CO |
Kevin S |
3587aw |
3829-2015 |
2015-12-05 18:06 MST |
CO |
Burness A |
3829a |
3871-2015 |
2015-11-13 01:55 MST |
CO |
Charles N |
3871a |
986-2020 |
2020-02-21 22:20 MST |
CO |
Lukas S |
986 |
3716-2020 |
2020-07-24 23:22 MST |
CO |
Lukas S |
3716 |
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(Excerpts from recent JPL mission updates)
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Mars website mobile version is here!
MARS WEATHER
Mars Daily Weather Report
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(If you have a link you would like to recommend to our readers, please feel free to submit it.)
- Brighton Astronomy Group - Astronomy in Brighton, Colorado (under construction).
- Cloudbait Observatory, Guffey Colorado - Submit your fireball reports here. Interesting, knowledgeable site.
- Colorado Amateur Satellite Net - On our net, we discuss anything that has to do with amateur satellites, ham radio with the space station, and more. *** Off the air until further notice. ***
- Colorado Springs Astronomical Society - The Colorado Springs Astronomical Society (CSAS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the enjoyment of the nighttime sky.
- Denver Astronomical Society - Promotes the enjoyment and understanding of astronomical phenomena, history and lore by providing educational and observing opportunities for our members, general public, and outreach activities at the University of Denver's historic Chamberlin Observatory, schools, and nature centers.
- Gateway2Space - More information about the Star Light -- Star Bright Observatory.
- Little Thompson Observatory - The Little Thompson Observatory (LTO) offers no-charge public access to the wonders of the night sky, either on one of our regularly scheduled public nights, or as a private group affair. When the weather co-operates, each session includes a guided tour of the sky using our large (18") telescope.
- Mike Coletta's SatWatch - Orbiting object and satellite watching. ORBITING OBJECT TRACKING … It's the thrill of the chase. Promoting and supporting the hobby of amateur radio, Mike - KG0UFO, along with many other radio hobbyists around the globe use the reflected signals of the AF Space Fence to detect orbiting objects as they make their way over the US. - The AF Space Fence was shut down in Sept. 2013. These are recordings of Mike's many observations.
- National Space Science & Technology Institute - NSSTI runs the Star Light—Star Bright Observatory in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- Northern Colorado Astronomical Society - The purpose of our organization is to encourage the understanding & interest in the science & hobby of astronomy.
- Rocky Mountain Star Stare - The Premier Star Party in The Rocky Mountains
- Sangre Stargazers - New astronomy club in the Wet Mountain Valley of Custer County (about 45 miles due west of Pueblo, CO.)
- Southern Colorado Astronomical Society - The Southern Colorado Astronomical Society, CSU-P and the Pueblo Nature and Raptor Center welcomes everyone to participate in the discovery of our night sky.
- Star Cruiser Bill's Astrophotography - Great astrophotography from Aurora Colorado.
- AMSAT - The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, or AMSAT, is a worldwide group of Amateur Radio Operators (Hams)... AMSAT's goal is to foster Amateur Radio's participation in space research and communication.
- HighQ Software Group - Blog of Ralph Boyd, Software engineer, amateur radio operator, radio astronomer.
- Radio Astronomy News - Radio Astronomy news and information.
- Radio Astronomy Research Posts - Radio Astronomy Research news posts and observations.
- Radio Astronomy Supplies - Radio Astronomy Supplies, the International leader in research radio telescopes for universities, observatories and individual.
- Radio JOVE Project - Radio JOVE students and amateur scientists observe and analyze natural radio emissions of Jupiter, the Sun, and our galaxy.
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Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers - The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) is an international society of dedicated enthusiasts who teach, learn, trade technical information, and do their own observations of the radio sky.
- A Guide to the Galaxy Right from our Bedroom Window - An interesting site suggested by the students from Lexington Middle School Science Club in Nebraska. Lots of good basic astronomy information.
- A Kid's Guide to Astronomy - A great site with other links to learn about stars and astronomy for kids of all ages.
- "TheSky" - Astronomy Software by Software Bisque.
- A Sea of Stars - Voyages of a Merchant Mariner & Amateur Astronomer - I'm a retired Navy veteran, currently sailing with the US Navy's Military Sealift Command as an Operations Chief. My dominant interests are science (esp. astronomy), history and photography, and I enjoy naval and military wargaming WHEN I can find the time.
- A Short Guide to Celestial Navigation - Celestial navigation is the art and science of finding one's geographic position by means of astronomical observations, particularly by measuring altitudes of celestial objects — sun, moon, planets, or stars.
- The ARRL - Amateur Radio Relay League - Information about amateur radio and how to become an amateur radio operator.
- American Meteor Society - Provides amateur observers a place to learn about and report meteor, fireball and related sightings.
- Astrogirl Homepage - Family-friendly educational astronomy website.
- Astronomia - Online web applications that use catalogues of astronomical objects. Applications and their description are also prepared in English.
- Astronomy Picture of the Day - A different picture of the cosmos every day.
- Astronomy 2009
- This site has some good links a young, interested student wishes to share.
- Beginners Guide To Astrophotography - A Quick & Easy Tutorial Of How To Take DSLR Astro Photography
- Be an Astronomer right from your Window - At-home astronomy techniques.
- Black Hole Encyclopedia - Excellent site from StarDate - University of Texas McDonald Observatory
- Caelum Observatory - The LARGEST dedicated public telescope in the Southwest at the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter!
- Celestial Bodies and Astronomy.
- Celestron Telescopes - Celestron telescopes.
- Clear Skies Observing Guides - CSOG, short for Clear Skies Observing Guides is a new concept in visual amateur astronomy. It is a digital publication that will enable observers to target all deepsky objects and carbon stars within reach of their equipment.
- The Constellations and Their Stars - Good site for finding out more about the 88 constellations and their associated stars.
- CosmoQuest - The place where you map other worlds, explore out universe and contribute to science.
- Distant Suns - Desktop Astronomy package for PCs.
- EarthSky - Astronomy news.
- Groovy Adventures - Unique adventures and vacations including astronomy related vacations.
- Heavens-Above - As the name implies - What's up in the heavens, particularly satellite passes.
- The International Dark-Sky Association - To preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies.
- informED: 10 Teaching Tools for Educators - informED - Teacher Resources.
- iTelescope.net - iTelescope.Net is the world's premier network of Internet connected telescopes, allowing members to take astronomical images of the night sky for the purposes of education, scientific research and astrophotography.
- JPL Solar System Ambassador Program - "Volunteers Bringing the Solar System to the Public"
- JPL Solar System - Jet Propulsion Laboratory information on our solar system.
- K8JTK.ORG - Welcome to the home page of Jeffrey Kopcak. You will find pages and posts I wrote about my hobbies, interests, projects, and things I'm involved in.
- Kids Space Center - Telescopes and Astronomy - Another site suggested by a young student - Great info about telescopes.
- Mars Exploration, Mars Rovers Information, Facts, News, Photos - National Geographic - Mars Exploration - Investigating the Red Planet.
- Meade Advanced Products Users Group - Mapug-Astronomy Topical Archive & information resource, containing a massive 335 page archive of discussions about Meade equipment, and much more: observatories, observing lists, permanent piers, equatorial wedges, remote operations, software, eyepieces, etc.
- My Stars Live - Interactive Star Chart
- NASA - Lunar and Planetary Science - General information, Missions to Comets, Data, Press Releases, Meteors and Meteorites, Other topics of Interest.
- NASA Science News - NASA missions, updates, astronomy news, excellent resource.
- National Archives info on space exploration - Archives Library Information Center (ALIC) - Space Exploration - Information about the United States' space flight programs, including NASA missions and the astronauts who participate in the efforts to explore space.
- Predictions for Solar and Lunar Eclipses - A website dedicated to predictions and information on eclipses of the Sun and Moon.
- Skymaps.com - Free sky maps each month.
- Skywatch Sightings from NASA - This site gives you the best times to watch the ISS pass over or near your location.
- Space.com - Interesting space and astronomy articles.
- Spaceflight Now - Launches and satellite news.
- SpaceLinks/Space Careers - SPACELINKS is a specialist staffing consultancy sourcing and supplying high caliber professionals for a wide range of world class organizations in the Space and Defense industry.
- "SpaceRef.com" - SpaceRef's 21 news and reference web sites are designed to allow both the novice and specialist alike to explore outer space and Earth observation.
- Space Weather - Check out what the sun is doing as seen from space.
- Stellarium - Free, downloadable planetarium/astronomy software.
- The Most Expensive & Amazing Telescopes In History - Some of the most expensive and amazing telescopes in history - From The Hub Post.
- The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Astrophotography - Looking up into the night sky with just your eyes and maybe a telescope is amazing on its own. But it can be even better when you photograph and record it for your memories.
- Top 50 Astronomy NASA Photos of All Time - A list of the most interesting moments in the history of science - From The Hub Post.
- Ultimate Resource Guide for Astronomy - The resources we have provided below cover everything from discussing what astronomy is all the way to social media groups that focus on this popular and interesting topic. Use this resource guide for finding some great sites on astronomy whether you are a teacher looking for lesson plan ideas, a student wanting to brush up on their knowledge, a college student looking for a career or you just love the stars and want the most from your experiences.
- UniverseToday - Short, interesting articles about space and related topics.
- Wikisky - WIKISKY is a non-commercial project. The main purpose of WIKISKY is to consolidate astronomical, astrophysical and other information about different space objects and astrophysical facts.
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Definitions of astronomical terms.
Many of the astronomical terms used in this newsletter are defined here.
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The author will accept any suggestions, constructive criticisms, and corrections. Please feel free to send me any new links or articles to share as well. I will try to accommodate any reasonable requests. Please feel free to send questions, comments, criticisms, or donations to the email address listed below. Enjoy!