28 October 2015 @ 19H00:
West Rand Astronomy Club Meeting
- Dutch Reformed Church,
- 844 Corlette Avenue, Witpoortjie
- Presentation By: Gary Els
- Topic: Sunspots and the Varying Sun
- November Night Sky News and Events
Cost: Donation of R10 for the use of the venue which includes tea and coffee.
Telescopes will be set up for viewing (weather permitting). Members are encouraged to bring along telescopes, you can bring along observation sheets and any of your favourite astronomy books for discussion. Ask questions, share information and enjoy!
25 November 2015 @ 19H00:
West Rand Astronomy Club Meeting
- Dutch Reformed Church,
- 844 Corlette Avenue, Witpoortjie
- Presentation By: TBA
- Topic: TBA
- December Night Sky News and Events
Cost: Donation of R10 for the use of the venue which includes tea and coffee.
Telescopes will be set up for viewing (weather permitting). Members are encouraged to bring along telescopes, you can bring along observation sheets and any of your favourite astronomy books for discussion. Ask questions, share information and enjoy!
7 November 2015 from Sundown:
WRAC MONTHLY STARGAZING EVENING: Laurie Bentel’s Farm At:
171 Bartlett Street, Honingklip. (Not far from the Silver Casino).
- Co ordinates: 26 01 12 S….27 47 93 E -26.018810 , 27.798910
- New members welcome. Bring own meat and salads, drinks (Please limit the alcohol), cutlery, crockery and a chair.
- If weather looks suspect please check WRAC website from 3:15pm. on the Saturday to confirm if stargazing is still on.
Map To Laurie Bentel 621.98 KB
On Line Shopping and walk in shop
IN THE NEWS:
Recently, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope revealed that the Great Red Spot in Jupiter is still shrinking and also becoming more circular in shape. High resolution maps and spinning globes reveal elusive wave changes to the Great Red Spot. The long axis has been measured and is currently 240km. in length which is shorter than it was in 2014. The Spot is more orange than red so becoming less distinct and it gets distorted by winds blowing at 150meters per second and crossing the vortex, a wispy filament has been detected.
read about this in: http://earthsky.org/space/hubble-captures-changes-in-jupiters-great-red-spot?utm_source=earthsky+news
New Horizons LORRI (Long Range Reconnaissance Imager) shows photos of parallel cracks and crates on Charon and thousands of small pits accentuating Pluto’s nitrogen ice landscape.
Read about this in: www.universe today.com/122928/thousnds-of-pits-pubctuate-plutos-forbidding-plains-in-latest-photos.
Sunrise and Sunset:
October 2015: Sunrise: Sunset: Day Length:
1 October 6:56 17:55 11:01
10 October 6:58 17:59 11:01
20 October 6:00 18:03 12:06
30 October 5:48 17:41 12:07
November 2015: Sunrise: Sunset: Day Length:
1 November 6:56 17:55 11:01
10 November 6:58 17:59 11:01
20 November 6:00 18:03 12:06
30 November 5:48 17:41 12:07
Please note our very interesting topic next meeting, is all about the varying sun and the sunspots!
• Never look at the sun without proper protection.
• Looking at the sun through a telescope or binoculars without the necessary equipment or protection Will Blind You.
Moon in: October & November:
- October:
- 03 November – last Quarter at 14:24
- 27 October – full Moon at 14:05
- 20 October – first Quarter at 22:31
- November:
- 11 November – new Moon 19:47
- 19 November – first Quarter 08:27
- 26 November – full Moon 00:44
- 03 December – last Quarter 09:40
The waxing moon will be between Uranus and Neptune in the east, on 24 October. Try it before dawn and perhaps you can see Uranus and Neptune as well!
Planets in October and November:
The five visible, naked eye planets are in good view in October / November this year.
- Saturn: Saturn, our lone planet sets in the evening in October and stays away until early dawn at the end of November.
- Venus: Venus, the brightest object in the east before sunrise, will be with a bright Jupiter
- and a fainter Mars, to be seen close together in the early dawn in the East. The importance of this positioning is called a Planetry Trio. A planetry trio occurs when there are three planets lie in a circle of 5 degree diameter. This will occur in the last week of October. It is the first planetry trio since May 2013 and there will not be another until January 2021.
- Mars: will be following closely in the vicinity of Venus from mid-month onward.
- Jupiter: shines brightly once again, before dawn following in the vicinity of Venus. Jupiter is the second brightest planet after Venus and will be showing its brightness after mid-month. Watch the dawn skies for this.
- Mercury: The innermost planet nearest the sun can be seen at dawn nearest to the horizon in the East.
Saturn was photographed by Neil Viljoen using an iPhone 6 and holding it to the eyepiece of a 6″ refractor telescope.
Deep-sky objects:
B59 is the Sink Hole dark nebula in Ophiuchus.
In constellation Aquarius with all its “lucky stars’ we have the following messier objects.
M2 a globular star cluster
M73 an open cluster
M72 a faint globular star cluster which is only faintly visible.
NGC 5823 in Circinus
NGC 6025 in Triangulum Australis
M42 is to be found twisted in with Orion’s sword.
NGC2024 the Horsehead nebula is also to be found in constellation Orion.
M1 the Crab Nebula is the bright star that marks the tip on one of the horns of Taurus.
There is also one of the most difficult objects to find, that is M27 the Dumbell Nebula and not least
NGC3242 the Ghost of Jupiter.
In Monoceros, about halfway between Betelgeuse and Procyon there is an emission nebula called
Rosette and in the NW region of this area is an open star cluster NGC 2244.
M57 lies in Lyra, the Ring Nebula. Though it appears small, its very magnificence as a nebula, lies in the clear cut, distinctive outline and the completeness of the ring form.
There are many more beauties of the summer night to search for so out with your telescopes and cellphone apps.! Happy hunting to the wanderes of the sky.
Wikipedia.
Meteor Showers:
The Draconids in October are usually “dosy do’s”. However, watch out in any case because the Draconids peak about 21-22 October.
South Taurids peak 4-5 November.
North Taurids peak 12-13 November.
Leonids around17-18 November.
Moonlight is a chaser. A dark sky is important so patch in to see what the moon is doing and sedule your dates and times for meteor sightings.
Comets:
Comet Catalina c/2013 US10 may be visible through binoculars and with the naked eye about mid-November. Please click on link below for more detail and other interesting features.
Comet Catalina at 30 degree south is to be seen at about 19:00 on 24 October, fairly high in the western sky.
Satellite movement:
Satellite movement can be viewed on:
All your photographs are uploadable on our WRAC website and your photos are memories worth keeping, so share happiness with others.
“The pinnacle of happiness is reached when a man is ready to become what he is.” unknown
The universe and infinity describes where the diamonds of the night are but time is the most precious jewel for man. ” Time is the inexplicable raw material of everything.” Arnold Bennett.
Summertime, cool nights and stars to all.
Regards Wrac.