The Stargazing Slug
May 2014
University of California, Santa Cruz Astronomy Club
Recent Events & Activity Campus Star Party, Thursday May 1
A group of about thirty UCSC students attended the Astro Club’s recent star party a few weeks ago. Like all our on campus star parties, it took place in the meadow immediately behind the music center. Two telescopes were available for viewing, and attendees had a spectacular show of the night sky as we observed an impressive spread of objects, including Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Messier 13, Mizar/Alcor, Beehive Cluster M34, Moon, Orion’s
Volume 1, Issue 1
nebula M42. If you took any photographs while at the star party, we’d like to publish them. Please send your photographs of the event to the Astro Club email at
[email protected] and your picture just might end up in this newsletter!
The weather has been warming up, and we hope you’ll come join us at the next on-campus star party in summertime! _______________________ School Outreach, Tuesday May 6
Alianza Elementary School outreach event took place on May 6, and represents the club’s continuing mission to increase appreciation for amateur astronomy within the local community. _______________________ Astronomy Day, Saturday May 10
Every year, Astronomy Day is a day devoted to spreading the passion for astronomy among the public, and enthusiastic clubs celebrate nationally by making this into an astronomy event filled day. _______________________
UCSC Astronomy club poster at Porter College Photo by A. Carcione
QUESTIONS? CONTACT UCSC ASTRO CLUB:
[email protected]
Copyright © 2014 Adrian L. Carcione, Editor
What’s in the Sky this month?
The cosmos is above for everyone’s enjoyment, and you don’t need a telescope to be entertained by the night sky. Go outside tonight and look up at the stars.
The time of Sunset continues to occur later and later as the northern hemisphere approaches its summer solstice for this year. In the early evening, Jupiter is visible in the west chasing the sun immediately after it sets. Jupiter is the brightest object in the westerly direction, and you’ll find it the easiest to spot. Just above Jupiter are two stars in the constellation Gemini: Castor and Pollux. Together, these stars form the easternmost vertex of the “Winter Hexagon,” a region of the sky populated with many stars and aptly named for its placement during the prime observing hours (9pm-midnight) of the winter months. The hexagon is made from connecting the six bright stars: Procyon, Sirius, Rigel, Aldebaran, Capella, and Pollux, listed counterclockwise here.
On the other side of the celestial sphere (that is, rising in the east) is the summer triangle, another well-known asterism made up of the three bright stars: Vega, Deneb, and Altair. In the vicinity of Deneb, the dimmest star of these three, our milky way passes through the
constellation of Cygnus the Swan. Make sure to watch throughout the next month as the winter hexagon sets earlier and earlier in the west while the stars in the easterly summer triangle will have risen higher and higher at the same time each night, marking the change from spring to summer.
Discover the satisfaction of knowing your way around the night sky. Find a star map online and learn the constellations. If you’ve never tried to spot a constellation, imagine painting it as you search with your eyes.
Mars is visible in the southern sky and can be identified as a brighter reddish object due south exactly during the prime observing hours. See if you can spot it!
Upcoming Events & Activity
Staying in Santa Cruz for the summer? Taking a summer class? Well, the UCSC Astro Club has planned for a minimum of 3 observing events over summer. Information is already posted on our webpage! Check it out here: http:// www.astro.ucsc.edu/news-events/ astro_club1/
Join the UCSC Astro Club at a stargazing night in the near future!
Copyright © 2014 Adrian L. Carcione, Editor
