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An Open Invitation
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 2nd.
- New Moon occurs on the 10th.
- First Quarter Moon occurs on the 17th.
- Full Moon occurs on the 24th.
Apogee/Perigee
- The Moon is at Apogee on the 7th, 252,418 miles from Earth.
- The Moon is at Perigee on the 25th, 223,666 miles from Earth.
Moon/Planet Pairs
- The Moon passes 5° south of Jupiter on the 1st.
- Mars passes 5° south of Pollux on the 2nd.
- The Moon passes 4° south of Neptune on the 2nd.
- The Moon passes 2° south of Uranus on the 7th.
- The Moon passes 1.5° north of Venus on the 12th.
- The Moon passes 3° north of Mars on the 13th.
- Venus passes 5° south of Pollux on the 22nd.
- The Moon passes 4° south of Saturn on the 27th.
- The Moon passes 4° south of Jupiter on the 28th.
- The Moon passes 4° south of Neptune on the 30th.
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 May
"An annular solar eclipse crosses parts of northern Ontario this month. Easier targets for observers include the wonderful spectacle of Mars crossing the Beehive star cluster, while Venus dazzles in the early evening sky. The solar system's two giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, perform well in the early morning hours. Uranus and Neptune are fine binocular objects, both moving close to similarly bright stars this month. Lastly, Mercury attempts to show itself in the last few days of June, but it's low and difficult in bright twilight." Astronomy Magazine, June 2021, P. 32.
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Mercury
Is in inferior conjunction on the 10th. Mercury is stationary on the 22nd. Mercury sets at 9:16 p.m. on the 1st. After the 10th, Mercury returns to the morning sky. Mercury rises about 4:24 a.m. by month's end. Look for Mercury to the east about 30 minutes before sunrise during the last week of the month. Mercury is in the constellation of constellation of Taurus shining at magnitude 1.0 on the 30th. |
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Venus
Sets at 9:46 p.m. on the 1st and about 10:08 p.m. by month's end. Look for Venus in the west soon after sunset. Venus passes west of open star cluster M35 within a half degree on the 3rd. Venus moves from the constellation of Taurus into Cancer shining at magnitude -3.9 on the 15th. |
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Earth
Summer solstice occurs at 11:32 p.m. EDT on the 20th. |
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Mars
<
Sets at 11:26 p.m. on the 1st and about 10:27 p.m. by month's end. Look for Mars to the west soon after sunset. Mars moves from the constellation of Gemini into Cancer shining at magnitude 1.8. |
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Jupiter
Rises at 1:12 a.m. on the 1st and about 11:12 p.m. by month's end. Jupiter is stationary on the 21st. Look for Jupiter in the south before sunrise. Jupiter is in the constellation of Aquarius shining at magnitude -2.5. |
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Saturn
Rises at 12:21 a.m. on the 1st and about 10:16 p.m. by month's end. Look for Saturn in the south before sunrise. Saturn is in the constellation of Capricornus shining at magnitude 0.5. |
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Uranus
Rises at 4:05 a.m. on the 1st and around 2:11 a.m. by month's end. Look to the east before sunrise to spot Uranus. Uranus is in the constellation of Aries shining at magnitude 5.9. |
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Neptune
Rises at 2:06 a.m. on the 1st and about 12:04 a.m. by month's end. Neptune is stationary on the 26th. Look to the southeast to spot Neptune in the constellation of Aquarius shining at magnitude 7.8. |
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Dwarf Planets |
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Ceres
Rises at 4:25 a.m. on the 1st and about 2:58 a.m. by month's end. Look to the east to spot Ceres before sunrise. Ceres moves from the constellation of Cetus into Aries shining at magnitude 9.2. |
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Pluto
Rises at 11:26 p.m. on the 1st and about 9:27 p.m. by month's end. Pluto is visible in the early morning and late evening. Pluto is in the constellation of Sagittarius shining at magnitude 15.0.
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 Arietids Meteor Shower - This is the strongest daylight meteor shower of the year. The duration extends from May 22 to July 2, with maximum activity occurring on June 8. The hourly rate is near 60 at maximum.
The June Lyrids - This shower is active during June 10 to 21, producing predominantly blue and white meteors at a maximum hourly rate of 8 per hour on June 15. The average magnitude of this shower is near 3, while 32% of the meteors leave trains.
The Zeta Perseids - This daylight shower occurs during May 20 to July 5. Maximum occurs on June 13. Radar surveys have revealed the activity of this shower to be near 40 per hour.
The June Boötids - This shower is currently active during June 27 to July 5 and possesses a maximum of activity that falls on the 28th... The shower is notable in that its meteors are primarily faint, with an average magnitude near 5; however, bright meteors do occur regularly.
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 7P/Pons-Winnecke makes it's closest approach to Earth on the 12th. Comet Pons-Winnecke is passing between Jupiter and Saturn during the first week of June. Look for the comet in the constellation of Capricornus, through Aquarius/a> into Piscis Austrinus shining at magnitude 11.5.
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
2021's first solar eclipse
"The new moon will sweep in front of the sun to create this year's first solar eclipse on Thursday, June 10. On that day, the moon in its elliptical orbit of Earth will lie too far from us to cover over the sun completely. So a bright annulus -- or ring -- will surround the new moon silhouette at mid-eclipse. It's the outer rim of the sun, not quite hidden from view. People have taken to calling these "ring of fire" eclipses. Essentially, they are partial eclipses, albeit very dramatic ones. As with any partial eclipse, you need eye protection to watch an annular eclipse. Watching with the unaided eye will cause eye damage."
More info, timings and maps can be found at Earthsky.org.
Lunar Eclipses
No lunar eclipse activity this month.
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Observational Opportunities
Look for Venus and Mars in the evening.
Look for Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus in the late evening and morning before sunrise.
Watch the annular solar eclipse on the 10th over parts of Ontario Canada, Greenland and Siberia.
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Asteroids
(From west to east)
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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 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.
- Little Thompson Observatory - Begin or sustain your interest in astronomy at LTO! The night sky is wondrous, filled with countless swirling galaxies, the planets, the moon and so much more. Many of these sights are easily visible from Earth, but few people have witnessed them personally.
The Little Thompson Observatory can change that for you. Our mission is to help people of all ages learn about the universe by offering a first-hand experience with astronomy...
- National Space Science & Technology Institute - NSSTI runs the Star Light—Star Bright Observatory in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- Northern Colorado Astronomical Society - The Northern Colorado Astronomical Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the science of astronomy and to encourage and coordinate activities of amateur astronomers.
- Rocky Mountain Star Stare - The Premier Star Party in The Rocky Mountains
- Sangre Stargazers - We are a group of individuals interested in amateur astronomy most of whom live in the Wet Mountain Valley of Custer County, Colorado, where the Sangre de Cristo Mountains meet the stars on the western horizon.
- 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.
- Star Light-Star Bright Observatory - The observatory is part of the nonprofit National Space Science & Technology Institute’s education and public outreach program.
The goal of the Star Light—Star Bright Observatory, is to put the universe within reach of primary grade students and their teachers; along with being an educational asset for the community. The observatory is an educational project that was established in 2004 to serve young and old alike and provides the only free access to viewing the universe in the Pikes Peak Region.
- 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.
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory - NRAO - 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.
- *** NEW *** AstroBackyard - Welcome to the AstroBackyard Backyard of the Week! This is a place where we honor the hard work and dedication put into building an astrophotography rig to capture the glorious night sky. There are many ways to tackle this hobby, with varying types of telescopes, cameras, and mounts with one thing in common – they produce results!
- *** NEW *** Phys.org - Science News including Nanotechnology, Physics, Earth, Astronomy & Space, Technology, Chemistry, Biology and Other Sciences.
- 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. It’s where discoveries are made. Where astronomers unravel the mysteries and reveal the beauty of space. At the heart of this search lies Software Bisque and its family of precision-crafted robotic telescope mounts, astronomy software solutions and embedded systems. Tools that help quench the astronomers’ thirst for scientific breakthrough and personal enrichment the world over.
- 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 - Astrogirl.org exists to educate, encourage and promote the hobby of amateur astronomy to people of all ages. It is the goal of this site to provide relevant information and resources to the amateur astronomer as an aid in their enjoyment of the night sky. It is a family-friendly, educational site and has been rated as a safe site for all ages.
- Astronomia - Online web applications that use catalogues of astronomical objects. Applications and their description are also prepared in English.
- Astronomy Picture of the Day - Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
- Astronomy Resources
- 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!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- SKY-MAP.ORG - The main purpose of SKY-MAP is to consolidate astronomical, astrophysical and other information about different space objects and astrophysical facts.
- 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.
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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!