The Jhamandas Watumull Planetarium
Location: Next to Museum Café
Seating: 70 Max.
Tickets: Included in Main Admission Price
Daily showtimes for the Watumull planetarium: (closed on Tuesdays and Christmas Day):
Daily Schedule
11:30 a.m. The Sky Tonight
See what’s
up and what’s coming up in our Hawaiian skies.
A short presentation updating space missions
is also covered during this half hour program.
12:45 p.m. Explorers of Polynesia (In Japanese)
1:30 p.m. Explorers of Polynesia
Join
us on a journey to Tahiti in our planetarium and
learn some of the techniques of navigating
by the stars as practiced by modern Hawaiian
navigators of today.
3:30 p.m. Astronomy of Galileo
(English, 30 Minutes, recommended for ages 6+)
Galileo first turned his telescope on the sky four centuries ago. This new program explores at his discoveries and how they changed our view of the universe.
Information - 847.8235
Sky Tonight Reservations - 848.4168
Where are the planets tonight?
This site from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles gives weekly planet information; while written for the latitude of Los Angeles, the information is applicable for Hawai‘i as well:
www.griffithobservatory.org/skyreport.html
The http://www.astronomy.com/ gives you information on tonight’s location for the five planets you can see without a telescope (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn). You can even type in your own location such as Honolulu to get specific planet-rise and planet-set information for your home town. It’s on the upper right corner of their home page:
The University of Hawai‘i's Institute for Astronomy also has star maps to help find your way around the night sky.
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/publications/starcharts/
Viewing the ISS (or Other Satellites)
Here is how to figure out when ISS will be visible from your neighborhood.
- Go to the site Heavens Above website
- Under “configuration” at the top of the page, select “from database”; this will allow you to select your home town.
- Chose your home country
- Enter the name of your home town into the box that says “select string”
- click on the name of your home town
- Under the heading “satellites,” select “ten day predictions for ISS”
- This will give you a grid for all of the appearances of ISS from your town in the next ten days. Some notes:
- “Magnitude” is really important. A negative magnitude like “-2.6” is really bright, about as bright as Jupiter, the second-brightest planet.
A magnitude like ‘0’ or ‘1’ is still pretty bright, as bright as a bright star. But the appearances that have negative magnitudes are going to be the really bright ones to see. - If you click on the date, it will give you a very useful star map that will show the path of the ISS (remember to hold the map over your head, like all star maps).
- “Magnitude” is really important. A negative magnitude like “-2.6” is really bright, about as bright as Jupiter, the second-brightest planet.
Hawai‘i Sky Events 2010
Every year Bishop Museum’s Watumull Planetarium provides a calendar of astronomical events specifically for Hawaii’s location and time zone. Most sources that list the times for moon phases, meteor shower peaks, the start of the seasons and other events provide that information in Universal Time (UT), which is ten hours ahead of Hawaiian time. If the moon is full at 4:00 hours UT on August 26, for example, it will be full in Hawai‘i ten hours earlier, or at 6 PM on August 25 Hawai‘i Standard Time (HST).
Also, there are certain celestial events that are specific to Hawai‘i. These include the date of Makahiki (Hawaiian New Year), which is determined by the first visible sliver of a moon after the new moon after the rising of the Pleiades at sunset (which occurs on November 17 each year). This calendar also provides the dates and times for Lāhaina Noon for many locations in the islands. Lāhaina Noon is the term for the two days each year when the sun is exactly overhead. This only occurs in the tropics, and the dates vary depending on latitude.
In addition to providing sky information for Hawai‘i, there is an addendum at the end of this document that provides information on the July 11, 2010 total solar eclipse over south Polynesia. While this eclipse will not be visible at all from the Hawaiian Islands, it will be a very significant event for southern Polynesia. The eclipse will be total over Easter Island and certain parts of the Tuamotu Islands and Cook Islands.
Additional information, including star maps for the Hawaiian sky for each month, are available at the Bishop Museum planetarium web www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/planetarium.html
The Bishop Museum planetarium offers the following programs, all of which have a connection with the Hawaiian night sky:
11:30 AM: The Sky Tonight
(a tour of the current Hawaiian evening sky)
1:30 PM: Explorers of Polynesia
(from Hawai‘i to Tahiti by the stars)
3:30 PM: Astronomy of Galileo
(which compares Galileo’s Italian sky to the Hawaiian sky tonight).
These programs are offered daily except Tuesdays and Christmas Day, when the Museum is closed. Programs are included in Museum admission. The above schedule is accurate as of January 2010; check the planetarium web site for any schedule changes.
2010 Astronomical Events
January 2
Earth at perihelion (closest approach to the sun) 2 PM HST, 00 hours UT.
January 15
Annular eclipse (not visible in Hawai‘i)
The first eclipse of 2010 is an annular solar eclipse that will be visible in Africa, the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. Solar eclipses only occur during the new moon. The moon’s orbit around the earth is not a perfect circle; the moon can be as close the earth as 225,622 miles, or as distant as 252,088 miles. If a solar eclipse occurs when the moon is far from the earth, the moon will be too small to block the entire disc of the sun. Even when the moon’s disc is dead-center over the sun, a ring of sunlight will still shine around the moon (“annular” comes from the Latin word for “ring.”) An annular eclipse does not have the impact of a total solar eclipse. Since the sun in not entirely blocked by the moon in an annular eclipse, the land does not grow dramatically dark, as it does during a total solar eclipse.
The unusual thing about this 1/15/2010 annular eclipse is that occurs when the moon it within two days of apogee (the moon’s most distant point from the earth). Since the moon is smaller than usual because of this, it stays within the sun’s disc for an unusually long amount of time: 11 minutes and 8 seconds at the maximum, the longest annular eclipse in 1000 years.
This eclipse starts over the Central African Republic at 5:14 UT on January 15 (which is 7:14 PM on January 14 in Hawai‘i, although we will not see this eclipse). The annular eclipse then passes over Kenya, Uganda, and southern Somalia. The eclipse passes over the Maldives Islands at 7:26 UT on January 15th, and then passes over Asia. At 8:41 UT it enters China. The eclipse ends at 8:59 UT on January 15 (8:59 PM on January 14 Hawai‘i Time).
This eclipse will be a partial eclipse over most of Africa and Asia on January 15; for example, about 75 per cent of the sun will be covered by the moon in Beijing and Calcutta. However, this eclipse occurs on exactly the other side of the earth from Hawai‘i, and we’ll see nothing in the Hawaiian islands.
More information:
eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
February 14
Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year occurs two new moons before the first day of spring (which is March 20 this year). The new moon before the first day of spring falls on March 15 this year; the new moon before that occurs on February 14; so that marks Chinese New Year. (This new moon occurs on Feb 13 in Hawai‘i; however Chinese New Year is determined by when the moon is new in Beijing, China, which occurs on Feb 14 this year).
January 29
Mars in opposition. This marks the closest approach of Mars to earth in Mars’s current orbit. Mars will be extremely bright: minus 1.27 magnitude, nearly as bright as the brightest star in the sky (Sirius). Since it’s in opposition (when there is a straight line between the sun, earth and Mars), Mars will rise at sunset, be overhead all night, and set at sunrise.
March 14
Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 AM for most of North America (not observed in Hawai‘i). As of this day the west coast of the US is three hours ahead of Hawai‘i and the east coast is six hours ahead of Hawai‘i.
March 20
Spring begins at 7:32 AM Hawai‘i Standard Time (17:32 UT). Day and night are equal (12 hours each) all over the world.
March 22
Saturn at opposition. Saturn rises at sunset, is overhead all night, and sets at dawn. Saturn shines brightly at 0.53 magnitude.
June 21
Summer Solstice. Summer for the northern hemisphere begins at 1:28 AM Hawai‘i Standard Time (11:28 UT). This is the longest day of the year for the northern hemisphere and the shortest day for the southern hemisphere.
April 4
Easter (Sunday after the first full moon after the first day of spring).
June 25
Partial Lunar Eclipse visible from Hawai‘i.
There is a partial eclipse of the moon visible on the evening of June 25-26 from the Hawaiian Islands. Stay up late on June 25 and then, early on June 26, you should notice the moon grow darker (12:16 AM – 2:59 AM early on June 26). Lunar eclipses occur when the earth comes between the sun and the moon. The shadow of the earth falls on the moon, causing the moon to dim and its brightness and generally to turn reddish.
In a total lunar eclipse, the entire moon enters the deep inner shadow (“umbra”) of the earth. With a partial lunar eclipse, only part of the moon enters the earth’s dark inner shadow and the rest of the moon remains in the fainter outer shadow (“penumbra”) of the earth.
The moon will enter the earth’s outer shadow, or penumbra, at 8:57 PM Hawaiian Time on June 25 (this is 8:57 UT on June 26). However, there will be no noticeable darkening of the moon as long as it stays entirely in the earth’s penumbra.
The darkening will start only once the moon moves into the deep inner shadow of the earth, which starts at 12:16 AM on June 26 Hawaiian Time (10:16 UT). At the maximum (around 1:45 AM HST) just under half of the moon will be in the earth’s dark inner shadow. By this point, the moon should be noticeably darker and perhaps reddish as well.
The moon will leave that dark shadow at 2:59 AM on June 26 HST (12:59 UT). The eclipse officially ends at 4:19 AM Hawaii Standard Time on June 26 (14:19 UT). For those last few hours there will be nothing to see; once the moon is back in the outer shadow of the earth, there will be no longer any visible darkening of the moon.
More information:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
July 6
Earth at aphelion (most distant point from the sun in our annual orbit around the sun). 1 AM HST, 11:00 UT.
July 11
Total Solar Eclipse (over South Pacific); not visible at all from Hawai‘i. This is a very important event for the southern part of Polynesia. The eclipse will be total over Easter Island and parts of the Cook and Tuamotu Islands and will be a very deep partial eclipse in Tahiti. Due to this, we have included detailed information on this eclipse at the end of this document.
More information:
eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
September 21
Jupiter in opposition. Jupiter rises at sunset, is overhead all night, and sets at dawn. Jupiter shines brilliantly at minus 2.93 magnitude.
September 22
Autumnal Equinox. Autumn begins at 5:09 PM on September 22 Hawai‘i Standard Time. This is a good example of an celestial event that occurs on a different day in Hawai‘i Standard Time vs. Universal Time. Since UT is ten hours ahead of HST, autumn starts at 3:09 UT on September 23 Universal Time. On the equinox, day and night are equal (12 hours each) all over the planet.
November 7
Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 AM for most of North America (not observed in Hawai‘i). As of this day, the west coast is two hours ahead of Hawai‘i and the east coast is five hours ahead of Hawai‘i.
December 6
Makahiki (start of the Hawaiian year). To mark the start of the Makahiki season: 1) wait for the star cluster of the Pleiades to rise at sunset, which occurs every year on November 17; 2) wait for the new moon that follows this sunset rising of the Pleiades, which occurs in 2010 on December 5; 3) wait for the first visible crescent moon that follows this new moon. This year, this slender crescent should be visible in the west at dusk on December 6, thus marking the start of the Makahiki season and of the Hawaiian year.
December 20-21
Total lunar eclipse (visible in Hawai‘i)
Note: this eclipse happens on December 20 in Hawai‘i, NOT on December 21. It occurs on December 21 Universal Time, which is the time you will often see given for this spectacular event; but if you try to see this eclipse in Hawai‘i on December 21 you’ll be a day late!
There is a total lunar eclipse on December 20-21. This is the first total lunar eclipse in three years. The eclipse will be visible throughout the Hawaiian Islands and throughout nearly all of North America. It will also be visible throughout the eastern half of Polynesia (Tahiti, Easter Island, and Marquesas).
From the Hawaiian Islands, the lunar eclipse technically starts at 7:29 PM on the evening of December 20 as the moon starts to enter the faint outer shadow of the earth. However, you will not notice any darkening of the moon until at least 8:32 PM Hawai‘i Standard Time, when the moon begins to enter the deep inner shadow (umbra) of the earth.
By 9:42 PM HST on December 20 the moon will be entirely in the earth’s inner shadow, as the total phase of this lunar eclipse begins. By this time, the moon should be dramatically darker and redder and usual. This total phase, with the moon completely within the earth’s umbra, will last till 10:52 PM HST.
As of 10:52 PM the moon will start to leave the umbra, and you will see the moon start to lighten. By midnight the moon will be entirely out of that dark inner shadow and will look like a regular full moon. Technically this eclipse ends at 1:03 AM on December 21 as the moon leaves the penumbra completely.
Lunar eclipses occur when the earth comes in between the moon and sun. The earth’s atmosphere blocks most of the light coming from the sun and stops that light from hitting the moon. However, the longer wavelengths of red light from the sun do make it through the earth’s atmosphere and continue on to strike to moon. Thus, during lunar eclipses the moon turns an eerie shade of red.
This eclipse will total over nearly all of North America. For locations in the Pacific Time Zone (Seattle, San Francisco, LA etc) the total phase of this lunar eclipse will run from 11:42 PM on December 20 to 12:52 AM on Dec 21. The total phase of this lunar eclipse will run from 12:42 to 1:52 AM on December 21 in Mountain Time (Denver etc); 1:42 to 2:52 AM Central Time (Chicago) on December 21; and 2:42 to 3:52 AM Eastern Standard Time (New York, Miami) on December 21.
More information:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
December 21
Winter solstice; winter starts for the northern hemisphere at 1:38 PM on December 21 Hawai‘i Standard Time (23:38 on December 21 UT). This is the shortest day of the year if you are in the northern hemisphere and the longest day of the year for the southern hemisphere.
Meteor Showers
For all meteor showers, the viewing will be better after midnight. These repeating annual events are caused as the earth enters into debris left over from a specific comet (or, in the case of the Geminids, an asteroid). As the earth goes around the sun, our planet runs into the same debris at the same time each year. This is why these showers occur at the same time each year. After midnight, the part of the earth that you are on is facing toward the debris that causes the meteor shower. This is why all meteor showers are better after midnight.
Meteor star showers are named for the constellation where the meteors appear to come from. The Lyrid shower in named for Lyra, the harp, for example. (The Quadrantid Shower refers to an old constellation called Quadrans Muralis, which is now part of Bootes). Generally these constellations are rising in the east during the prime post-midnight viewing time for a shower. That said, don’t just look east – scan the entire sky for shooting stars.
To view shooting star showers, just find a dark location (as little city light as possible) and get comfortable (a lawn chair is a good idea).
More meteor information:
www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/80291152.html
Quadrantid Meteor Shower
Peak: night January 3-4; best viewing is early on the morning of January 4.
Lyrid Meteor Shower
Peak: night of April 21 – 22. That is, stay up late on April 21 and then look for meteors after midnight, very early on April 22. The shower is active from April 16 – 25. While not one of the strongest showers, the Lyrids can produce up to twenty meteors per hour. There will be interference from a waning gibbous moon on the night of April 21-22 until the moon sets at 1:40 AM early on April 22.
Eta Aquarid Shower
Peak: evening of May 5-6 (i.e. stay up late on May 5 and look for meteors into the early hours of May 6). Active from May 4-7. A light shower, 10 meteors or so per hour. Interference from third-quarter moon which rises at 1:20 AM early in the morning of May 6. Claim to fame: this shower is caused by debris from Halley’s Comet.
Southern Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower
Peak: night of July 28-29 (i.e. stay up late on July 28). Active period: July 18 – August 18. Up to 20 meteors per hour. Interference from waning gibbous moon all evening on the peak night of July 28-29. This one should be OK from the Hawaiian Islands but the view will be better from the southern hemisphere.
Perseid Meteor Show
Peak: night of August 12-13 (i.e. stay up late on the evening of the 12th into the early hours of the 13th). Active from July 23 – August 22. No interference from the moon on the peak night of August 12-13 (the moon is a waxing crescent and sets by 9 PM on August 12). The most famous meteor shower, with up to 80 per hour.
Orionid Meteor Shower
Peak: night of October 21-22. Stay up late on the 21st and into the early hours of October 22. Active period: October 15-25. A modest shower, also caused by debris from Halley’s Comet. Up to twenty meteors per hour, but this is an irregular shower. Interference from full moon for the entire night of the peak (October 21-22).
Leonid Meteor Shower
Peak: Night of November 17-18. Stay up late on 17th into the morning of the 18th. Active period is November 13 – 20. The Leonids have an intense peak every 33 years and are responsible for the greatest meteor shower over Hawai‘i in recent times, the 2001 shower. Things are not as spectacular here in 2010 but you can still look for up to 10 per hour. Some interference from a waxing gibbous moon on the peak night (night of November 17-18) till the moon sets at 3 AM on November 18.
Geminid Meteor Shower
Peak: night of December 13-14 (i.e. stay up late on the 13th). Active period: December 6 – 19. One of the best showers; and we in Hawai‘i often have good weather in December to see it. The first quarter moon sets around 12:05 AM early on December 14 and thus should not interfere with prime viewing in the early hours of December 14. Up to 60 meteors per hour. This meteor shower is a rarity in that it is caused by debris from an asteroid (3200 Phaethon) rather than by comet debris, as is the case for all other meteor showers listed here.
Lāhaina Noon dates for 2010
Every location in the tropics has two days when the sun is exactly overhead. The dates vary depending on one’s latitude. Lāhaina Noon dates for a given location stay the same from year to year except that, as we get closer to a leap year, the Lāhaina Noon dates can occur one day later than usual. For example 2011 is the year before the 2012 leap year; in 2011, the May Lāhaina Noon day for Honolulu will be May 27 instead of May 26.
2010 Lāhaina Noon days and times
Līhue |
May 31 12:35 p.m. |
July 11 12:42 p.m. |
| Kāne‘ohe | May 27 12:28 p.m. |
July 15 12:37 p.m. |
| Honolulu | May 26 12:28 p.m. |
July 16 12:37 p.m. |
| Kaunakakai | May 25 12:24 p.m. |
July 17 12:34 p.m. |
| Lāna‘i City | May 24 12:24 p.m. |
July 19 12:33 p.m. |
| Lāhaina | May 24 12:23 p.m. |
July 18 12:32 p.m. |
| Kahului | May 24 12:22 p.m. |
July 18 12:32 p.m. |
| Hāna | May 23 12:20 p.m. |
July 19 12:30 p.m. |
| Hilo | May 18 12:16 p.m. |
July 24 12:26 p.m. |
| Kailua-Kona | May 18 12:20 p.m. |
July 24 12:30 p.m. |
New Moon |
First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
| Jan 7 12:39 AM |
|||
| Jan 14 9:11 PM |
Jan 23 12:53 AM |
Jan 29 8:18 PM |
Feb 5 1:48 PM |
| Feb 13 4:51 PM |
Feb 21 2:42 PM |
Feb 28 6:38 AM |
Mar 7 5:42 AM |
| Mar 15 11:01 AM |
Mar 23 1:00 AM |
Mar 29 4:25 PM |
Apr 5 11:37 PM |
| Apr 14 2:29 AM |
Apr 21 8:20 AM |
Apr 28 2:18 AM |
May 5 6:15 PM |
| May 13 3:04 PM |
May 20 1:43 PM |
May 27 1:07 PM |
June 4 12:13 PM |
| June 12 1:15 AM |
June 18 6:29 PM |
June 26 1:30 AM |
July 4 4:35 AM |
| July 11 9:40 AM |
July 18 12:11 AM |
July 25 3:37 PM |
Aug 2 6:59 PM |
| Aug 9 5:08 PM |
Aug 16 8:14 AM |
Aug 24 7:05 AM |
Sept 1 7:22 AM |
| Sept 8 12:30 AM |
Sept 14 7:50 PM |
Sept 22 11:17 PM |
Sept 30 5:52 PM |
| Oct 7 8:44 AM |
Oct 14 11:27 AM |
Oct 22 3:37 PM |
Oct 30 2:46 AM |
| Nov 5 6:52 PM |
Nov 13 6:39 AM |
Nov 21 7:27 AM |
Nov 28 10:36 AM |
| Dec 5 7:36 AM |
Dec 13 3:59 AM |
Dec 20 10:13 PM |
Dec 27 6:18 PM |
Planet information for 2010
JANUARY
Mercury
Mercury appears low in the east at dawn for last half of month
Venus
Not visible at all in January.
Mars
Brilliant all month. Mars rises in east at 9 PM at start of month and stays in sky till daybreak. At end of month Mars rises in east at sunset and sets in west at dawn. -1.3 magnitude. Opposition on Jan 29.
Jupiter
Jupiter is now an "evening star." It appears as brilliant dot in the west at dusk. Jupiter sets in the west at 9 PM at start of month at 7:45 PM by end of month. Shines at -2.3 mag.
Saturn
Saturn rises in east at midnight at start of month and is overhead at daybreak. Saturn in east at 10 PM and end of month and is high in west at dawn.
FEBRUARY
Mercury
Mercury appears low in the east at dawn for the first days of the month, then gone.
Venus
Venus emerges as an evening star in last half of February; very low in the west at dusk. -3.91 mag.
Mars
Mars rises in west at sunset and sets at dawn at start of month. The red planet shines at -1.3 mag at start on February. By end of month, Mars is halfway up in the west at dusk and sets by 4:45 AM; its brightness has waned to 0.6 mag.
Jupiter
Jupiter is visible above setting sun at start of month; then gone.
Saturn
At start of month Saturn rises at 10 PM and is high in west at dawn. By end of month it rises at 8 PM and is low in west at daybreak. 0.6 mag.
MARCH
Mercury
Mercury is lost in sun for most of March; it appears very low in the west at sunset at end of month. -0.96 mag
Venus
Venus is a brilliant evening star, low in the west at dusk all month. -3.9 mag.
Mars
At start of March, Mars is halfway up in the west at dusk and sets by 4:45 AM; 0.6 mag. At end of month, Mars is high overhead at dusk at sets at 2:45 AM; brightness is down to 0.17 mag.
Jupiter
Hidden in the sun all month.
Saturn
At start of month Saturn rises at 8 PM and is low in west at daybreak. 0.6 mag. By end of month, rises at sunset and sets at dawn. Opposition on March 22. 0.5 mag.
APRIL
Mercury
Mercury is visible in west at sunset for first 10 days of month. 0.45 mag on April 10.
Venus
Venus remains a bright evening star all month, visible at dusk in west.
Mars
At start of April Mars is high overhead at dusk at sets at 2:45 AM. Its brightness is down to 0.17 mag. By end of April, Mars in very high in west at dusk and sets by 1:35 AM. 0.74 mag at end of month.
Jupiter
Jupiter remerges in the morning sky at dawn at start of month and is brilliant all month in predawn sky. -2 mag
Saturn
Saturn appears high in the SE at dusk. It sets at dawn at start of month and by 4 AM at end of month. 0.8 mag.
MAY
Mercury
Lost in sun all month.
Venus
Venus remains a bright evening star all month, visible at dusk in west.
Mars
Mars is high in the west at sunset at start of month and sets at 1:30 AM. The planet is two-thirds of the way up in the western sky at dusk at end of month and sets just after midnight. Down to mag 1.1 by end of month.
Jupiter
Jupiter is bright (-2 mag) in the predawn sky all month.
Saturn
Saturn in high in SE at nightfall. Sets at 3:50 AM at start of May and by 2 AM by end of month. Mag 1.
JUNE
Mercury
Lost in sun all month.
Venus
Venus continues as brilliant evening star, visible in west at dusk all month.
Mars
At start of month, Mars is high in west at sunset and sets at midnight. By end of month, Mars is halfway up in west at dusk and sets just after 11 PM. Mars is down to 1.13 mag by end of month.
Jupiter
Jupiter remains brilliant in the morning sky all month (-2.28 mag).
Saturn
Saturn Is partway up the western sky at nightfall; sets by 2 AM at start of month and around midnight at end of month. 1.1 mag.
JULY
Mercury
Visible in west at sunset for last half of July. 0.4 mag.
Venus
Remains a bright evening star, low in the west at dusk all month.
Mars
At start of month Mars is halfway up in west at dusk and sets by 11 PM; by end of month Mars is 1/3 of the way up in the west at dusk and sets by 10 PM. Mars is down to 1.47 mag by end of July.
Jupiter
Rises in middle of the night and is high in SE at dawn; -2.7 mag.
Saturn
Saturn is halfway up In the western sky at twilight at start of July and sets at midnight. By end of month, Saturn is 1/3 of the way up in the west at dusk and sets at 10 PM. 1.1 mag.
AUGUST
Mercury
Lost in the sun.
Venus
Low and bright in the west all month; remains clustered with Mars and Saturn all month.
Mars
Mars is 1/4th of the way up in the west at dusk all month; sets by 10 PM in early August and by 9 PM at end of month. The planet's brightness has faded to 1.5 mag. Close to the vastly brighter Venus and Saturn (similar brightness to Mars) all month.
Jupiter
Rises in the east at 10 PM at start of month and is halfway up in west at daybreak; rises in east by 8 PM at end of month and is low in the west at dawn. -2.88 mag.
Saturn
Low in the west at dusk and faint. At start of month, Saturn is 1/4th of way up in the west at dusk and is right beside Mars. 1 mag. At end of month, Saturn is too close to sun to see.
SEPTEMBER
Mercury
Mercury is visible in the pre-dawn sky from roughly Sept 16 to 26. It shines brightly at -0.8 mag.
Venus
Venus appears low in the west at sunset all month.
Mars
1/4 up in the western sky at dusk at start of month and sets by 9 PM. By end of month, Mars sets by 8 PM and is hard to see without binoculars.
Jupiter
Rises in the east at dusk and is overhead all night, setting at dawn. In opposition on Sept 21. -2.93 mag.
Saturn
Lost in the sunset.
OCTOBER
Mercury
Lost in sun
Venus
Lost in sun
Mars
Lost in sun
Jupiter
Rises at dusk at start of month and sets at dawn; by end of month Jupiter is 1/3 of the way up in the east at sunset and sets at 3:15 AM. Remains brilliant at -2.8 and is the only planet you can see with the naked eye in October.
Saturn
Lost in sun
NOVEMBER
Mercury
Very low in west at sunset at end of November; -0.4 mag.
Venus
Venus reemerges as a morning star, appearing in the predawn sky by November 10.
Mars
Lost in sun
Jupiter
1/3 of way up in the east at dusk at the start of November and sets at 3:15 AM. 2/3 of way up in east at dusk at end of November and sets at 1:15 AM. Brightest dot of light in the sky.
Saturn
Emerges in the morning sky. Saturn rises at 4:30 AM at start of November and by 3 AM at end of month. 0.8 mag.
DECEMBER
Mercury
Mercury is visible in the west at sunset for first week of December.
Venus
Venus is a brilliant morning star, appearing in the predawn sky all month.
Mars
It may be possible to find Mars in the west at dusk with binoculars at start of month; Mars is lost in the sun for the rest of the month.
Jupiter
Jupiter is 2/3 of the way up in the east at sunset at the start of the month and sets at 1:15 AM. 2/3 of way up in the east at sunset by end the month and sets at 11:30 PM. -2.33 mag.
Saturn
Visible in the morning sky; Saturn rises in east at 3 AM at start of December and by 1 AM at end of the month.
Special addendum: July 11, 2010 solar eclipse over South Polynesia
This is the only total solar eclipse for 2010; after this, there will not be another total solar eclipse anywhere on earth for 29 months, till November 13, 2012.
Please see this excellent NASA site for additional information:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2010/TSE2010.html
There only total solar eclipse of 2010 over the South Pacific on July 11. The path of the total eclipse will pass directly over Easter Island and also over Mangaia in the Cook Islands. Except for several isolated atolls, Easter Island and Mangaia are the only spots in the Pacific where this total eclipse will pass over land. The total eclipse will come to and end in Chile and Argentina. At its maximum over the Pacific, this eclipse will be total for 5 minutes and 20 seconds.
Mangaia, Cook Islands
The eclipse will be total over Mangaia in the Cook Islands for 3 minutes and 18 seconds. Mangaia is in the same time zone as Hawai‘i: both Hawai‘i and the Cook Islands are 10 hours behind Universal Time. As viewed from Mangaia the eclipse will start at 7:15 AM local time (17:15 UT), which is only about three minutes after sunrise. The total phase will last from 8:20 to 8:22 AM local time (18:20 – 18:22 UT), when the sun is about 14 degrees above the horizon. The eclipse in Mangaia will end at 9:37 AM local time, or 19:37 UT.
The path of totality will just miss Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. At the deepest point (8:18 AM local time), over 99 per cent of the sun will be covered by the moon. The sun will rise in eclipse over Raratonga at 7:21 AM local time (17:21 UT). Deepest eclipse will be at 8:18 AM local time (18:18 UT) and the eclipse will end 9:33 AM local time (19:33 UT). Raratonga is in the same time zone as Hawai‘i so the times are the same, if you are wondering, in Hawaii, when things are happening in Rarotonga (again we will not see any of this eclipse from Hawai‘i).
French Polynesia
The path of the total eclipse will pass south of Tahiti by less than 20 miles; viewers in Pape‘ete (Tahiti’s capital) will for example see a very deep partial eclipse. Tahiti is in the same time zone as Hawai‘i (UT minus 10 hours). In Pape‘ete, Tahiti the eclipse will start at 7:16 AM local time (17:16 UT). At 8:28 AM local time (18:28 UT) 99.6 per cent of the sun will be covered and there should be a noticeable darkening across the land. The eclipse will end over Pape‘ete at 9:50 AM local time (19:50 UT).
The path of totality will also just miss Rangiroa, the largest atoll in the Tuamotu (population just under 3,000); viewers there will also see a very deep partial eclipse. From Rangiroa, the eclipse will start at 7:16 AM local time (17:16 UT) and will reach its deepest moment of eclipse around 8:27 AM local time (18:27 UT). The eclipse as viewed from Rangiroa will end at 9:53 AM local time (19:53 UT). At the maximum, over 90 per cent of the sun will be covered by the moon.
The eclipse will be total over a number of atolls in the southern Tuamotu Islands, including Marokau and other atolls. We’ll use Marokau, at atoll with a few dozen permanent inhabitants, as an example; the timings will be similar for the other Tuamotu atolls in the path of totality. The Tuamotus are in the same time zone as the Hawaiian Islands, so the timing information will be the same for the Tuamotu Islands and for Hawai‘i (though of course we won’t see any of this eclipse in Hawai‘i). The eclipse as viewed from Marokau will start at 7:24 AM local time (17:24 UT). The eclipse as viewed from Marokau will be total from 8:38 to 8:42 AM local time on July 11 (18:38 UT). The eclipse will end at 10:10 AM local time (20:10 UT) from Marokau.
Easter Island
This eclipse occurs when it’s winter in the southern hemisphere, so Easter Island is on standard time (they do observe daylight saving time from October 11 2009 – March 28, 2010). Easter Island Standard Time is six hours behind Universal Time and four hours ahead of Hawai‘i Standard Time.
The eclipse will be total for 4 minutes and 41 seconds over Easter Island, when the sun is about 40 degrees above the horizon. The eclipse will start at 12:40 PM Easter Island Standard Time on July 11 (18:40 UT, 8:40 AM HST). The eclipse will be total from 2:09:05 to 2:13:46 PM Easter Island Standard Time on July 11 (that’s 20:09:05 to 20:13:46 UT, or 10:09:05 AM to 10:13:46 AM Hawai‘i Standard Time). It will end at 3:34 PM Easter Island Standard Time (21:34 UT, 11:34 AM HST).
Easter Island (Rapa Nui) only has a population of less than 4,000; they are used to tourism, of course, but this eclipse could result in one of the biggest concentrations of people that the island has ever seen.
Chile and Argentina
The eclipse will come to an end over the southern tip of Chile and Argentina. The total eclipse will pass over a largely uninhabited portion of southern Chile before entering Argentina. In El Calafate in Argentina the sun will be total at 6:49 PM local time (20:49 UT), just before sunset; as the eclipse goes into its total phase it will be only about 1 degree above the horizon.
Viewers in most of the “Southern Cone” of South America (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay) will see a partial eclipse. In La Paz, Bolivia, a tiny little bit of the sun will be blocked by the moon at 5:08 local time on July 11. In Buenos Aires, the sun will set in eclipse at 5:56 PM, with about a third of the sun covered by the moon. In Santiago, Chile, a little over a third of the sun will be covered by the moon at maximum eclipse at 5 PM local time. In Asuncion, Paraguay a little sliver of the sun will be blocked by the moon as the sun sets at 5:13 PM local time.
More information:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
