Internet Rumour About Mars is Bogus   

 

 

  For the second time this year we will witness a total eclipse of the moon from Thunder Bay.

  Skywatchers will remember the last lunar eclipse of March 3, 2007 as seen from Hillcrest Park. The moon rose totally eclipsed and nearly invisible over Lake Superior as the copper coloured moonlight had to pass through atmospheric haze to reach our eyes.  Once totality ended and the moon began to move out of the umbra (Earth’s inner shadowcone) observers began to see the moon reappear.

 

  It is now 6 months later and the Earth is at the other side of its orbit around the sun setting us up for another eclipse of the moon.  This eclipse will not be convenient for us to observe. The eclipse last March was seen in the early evening on a Saturday along with clear and mild (for March) conditions.  This eclipse of the moon, on August 28, will occur on a Tuesday and very early in the morning. The full moon will set in the west during totality.

 

  The eclipse begins at 3:52 a.m. EDT as the bright full moon enters the Earth’s penumbra (light outer shadow).  At this time the moon will be 25 degrees above the southwestern horizon. (Ten degrees in the sky is about the width of a closed fist at arm’s length.)  Observers must watch closely as a very light gray tinge creeps over the face of the moon starting from the upper left. The moon will begin its entry into the umbra (Earth’s dark inner shadow) 58 minutes later at 4:51 a.m. EDT with the moon 20 degrees above the horizon.  This is when the shadow of Earth can easily be seen as it slowly moves across the moon’s face.  Over the next 61 minutes the brilliance of the full moon will diminish until at 5:52 a.m. EDT the entire face of the moon will be totally eclipsed by the Earth’s umbral shadow.  With the totally eclipsed moon now only 12 degrees above the horizon it may be difficult to see at such a low altitude.  The ease of visibility will rest on the clarity and stability of our atmosphere at this time.  Mid-eclipse occurs at 6:37 a.m. EDT with the moon a mere 6 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon.  The moon sets in Thunder Bay at 7:14 a.m. EDT signaling the end of this eclipse of the moon for us.  The farther west an observer is the more of the eclipse sequence will be seen before the moon sets.

 

  Because of our location here in Northwestern Ontario we have been denied the privilege of being able to view the entirety of both total eclipses of the moon this year due to celestial geometry.  However, our luck will change next year.  Another total lunar eclipse will occur in the evening of February 20, 2008.  We will have the opportunity to view this event in its entirety. Let us hope for clear skies that night!

 

  The planet Jupiter is getting lower in the southern sky after darkness falls.  Its bright yellow glow is easily seen about 6 degrees above the red supergiant star Antares in Scorpius.  A small telescope will reveal the Galilean moons of Jupiter along with some of the bands in the planet’s atmosphere.

 

  Mars rises just after midnight in the east at the beginning of September.  In the constellation of Taurus the Red Planet can be seen about 8 degrees northeast of Aldebaran (marking the eye of Taurus the Bull) at this time.

 

  Lately I have seen some “internet gossip” referring to the planet Mars being very large and bright on the night of August 27.  This information is completely false!  The “August 27” that is mentioned here refers to the closest approach of Mars to Earth on August 27, 2003 (at 5:52 a.m. EDT).  It seems that August of every year since 2003 somebody comes up with this now out of date information concerning this particular Mars opposition and spreads it around the internet. As for Mars being as large as a full moon to the naked eye, that is not possible as well.  For the Red Planet to appear this large in our sky it would have to be so close (about 800,000 km) to us that its gravity would likely shift the Earth’s axis of rotation and orbit.  This would be disastrous, producing numerous consequences detrimental to terrestrial life!  The closest Mars came to us in 2003 was about 55,800,000 km.

 

  Venus reappears as a morning star in the east about an hour before sunrise at the beginning of September.  A telescope will reveal the planet as a thin crescent.  As the month progresses it will wax to be one-third illuminated by the end of the month while shrinking in apparent size as it moves farther away from us.

 

  The autumnal equinox this year occurs on September 23 at 5:51 a.m. EDT.  This event marks the first day of autumn in the northern hemisphere.  For those in the southern hemisphere the winter season has ended and spring begins.

 

 

Clear Skies

Ted Bronson