|
Special
Saturday
Event!
Halloween Night Kite Flight
and
Astronomical Observing night
thanks to
the
Stow Parks &
Recreation Dept
and the
Ohio
Society for the Elevation of Kites!!
SATURDAY
10/31/2009 at 4:00pm |
Click
HERE for
event status
- Status updated
10/30/09 at 4:50 PM
Click
HERE for
a
printer-friendly
version of the information on this page.
Click
HERE for
general Information you
should know about our events - Q&A of Where, When and What.
Click
HERE for
satellite passes during this event. 
Click
HERE for a
map to the Silver
Springs Campgrounds
at 5240 Young Rd, Stow, OH 44224
|
If the above link to the map doesn't work
for you, here are directions from Fishcreek School:
1) From Fishcreek School, cross
Fishcreek Rd and proceed east on Call Rd.
2) Follow Call Rd for 1.25 miles.
3) At the stop sign, turn left at
Young Rd and follow north for .4 (4 tenths) mile.
4) Turn left into Silver Springs Park
Campgrounds and follow straight back to the open pavilion. |
Aerial view of campgrounds and where we'll be
setting up.
Please click for full-size image.
Special event night!!!
We'll be setting up telescopes at the Silver Springs camp
grounds on Young Rd in conjunction with the
Ohio
Society for the Elevation
of Kites
for the annual Halloween Night Kite Flight at 4:00pm. We had a ball at this event
four years ago and again last year. We fully expect
to do the same this year! The Night Kite Flight folks are great
- and always welcome us with enthusiasm exceeded only by the awe expressed by us
astronomy folks at the magnificence of their illuminated kites. What?!
Astronomers awed by illuminated kites? I'm entirely serious about this, you have
to see them to believe it. Come out and share the joy - you won't be
disappointed.FOOD!!
Look at this!
Hotdogs, chips, pop, and hot chocolate will be provided by the Stow Parks
Department. The kites will be set up at the top of the hill at the new open
pavilion. All this depends, of course, on the weather. Kites, telescopes and bad
weather don't mix. If you have binoculars, please bring them and we'll show you
how to find some very interesting objects including the 'Coat Hanger' star
cluster, M27 - the 'Dumbbell Nebula', M31 - the Andromeda Galaxy. Yes - in
binoculars. Also, to better see the kites! We'll have a very nearly full Moon
that will be with us all night. We'll also have the planet
Jupiter,
with its moon Europa coming out of eclipse,
colorful double
stars,
open clusters made up of hundreds of stars,
globular clusters comprised
of hundreds of thousands of stars,
planetary nebula formed by dying stars,
diffuse nebula and
emission nebula where stars are being born, will all be available to
us the entire night. Many
amateur astronomers feel that late fall is the best time to observe since there
are beautiful objects of all categories available and the
Milky Way,
the galaxy we call home, is directly
overhead. How can this be? Come and we'll explain it!
Click
HERE
for a list of DeepSky Objects
that will be available to us this session. |
We hope to see you here for a night under the stars -
now in our fifteenth year!
Quick links:
Inner Solar System
Outer Solar System
Note: All times are shown in EDT
(Eastern Daylight Time (UT-4)) as seen from Silver Springs Campground in Stow, Ohio
|
Longitude: |
W |
81° |
24' |
23.9" |
| Latitude: |
N |
41° |
11' |
37.6" |
| Altitude: |
336m |
|
Sun data |
| |
|
Rises: |
7:52am |
|
Transits: |
1:09pm
-
Time of highest position in the sky, due South |
|
Sets: |
6:25pm |
|
Constellation: |
Libra |
|
Distance: |
0.99256798 AU =
148,486,057 km = 92,264,959 miles = 8.27
light-minutes |
|
Magnitude: |
-26.7 |
|
Apparent size: |
32.23 arcminutes in angular diameter |
|
Twilight
ends... |
|
Civil: |
6:51pm
- Sun is 6° below the horizon |
|
Nautical: |
7:23pm
- Sun is 12° below the
horizon |
|
Astronomical: |
7:55pm
- Sun is 18° below the
horizon |
|
Winter
Solstice: |
Monday Dec 21, 2009 at
1:47pm (when
Winter officially arrives) |
Next Solar Eclipses
in Stow, Ohio:
Partial eclipse (>80%) on Monday August 21, 2017
2:30pm EDT
Total eclipse (an amazing sight!) on Monday April
8, 2024 2:15pm EST (3:15pm EDT)
On 10/31/2009 at 7:23:16pm
the Sun will be 12º
below
the
west-southwest horizon
Click
HERE
for additional data on the Sun
(back to 'Quick Links') |
|
|
Moon data |
| |
|
Rises: |
4:51pm |
|
Transits:
|
11:43pm (Time of highest
position in the sky, due South) |
|
Sets:
|
6:46am - Nov 1 |
|
Constellation: |
Pisces |
|
Phase: |
96.12% illuminated
(waxing gibbous) |
|
Distance: |
0.00255818 AU = 382,698
km = 237,798 miles = 1.28 light-seconds |
|
Magnitude: |
-12.2 |
|
Apparent size: |
31.21 arcminutes
in
angular diameter |
|
Elongation from Sun: |
157.22° (evening sky) |
|
Age: |
13d 17h 45m
since last
New Moon |
|
Prior Phase: |
First Quarter on Sunday
Oct 25, 2009 at 8:42pm |
|
Next Phase: |
Full Moon on Monday Nov
2, 2009 at 3:14pm |
|
Next Lunar eclipse: |
Total eclipse (100%)
on Sunday Sept 27, 2015 at 10:10pm EDT |
On 10/31/2009 at
7:23:16pm the Moon will be 26.6º above
the east horizon
and will look like this in
binoculars...
Hey, tonight IS Halloween, you know!
or like this at very low power* in our
telescopes...
*How do we change the "power" (magnification) of our
telescopes?
Simple! By changing the eyepiece to one of a longer or
shorter focal length.
If the eyepiece is of shorter focal length, the "power"
(magnification) is higher,
If he eyepiece is of longer focal length, the "power"
(magnification) is lower.
By how much? Here's the formula:
|
Magnification
=F |
focal length
of telescope objective lens (or mirror) |
|
focal length
of eyepiece being used
|
Note:
All graphics are correct-image representations. A telescope
will reverse this left-right and possibly invert up-down
depending on type of equipment being used.
Click
HERE
for additional data on the Moon
(back to 'Quick
Links') |
|
|
Mercury data |
| |
|
Rises: |
7:36am |
|
Transits:
|
12:58pm - Time of highest
position in the sky, due South |
|
Sets:
|
6:19pm |
|
Constellation: |
Virgo |
|
Phase: |
99.67% illuminated |
|
Distance: |
1.41806038 AU =
212,138,814 km = 131,816,949 miles = 11.81
light-minutes |
|
Magnitude: |
-1.3 |
|
Apparent size: |
4.74 arcseconds
in angular diameter |
|
Elongation from Sun: |
2.85° (morning sky) |
|
Next maximum elongations... |
|
Evening: |
Friday, December 18,
2009 (20° 17' 43") |
|
Morning: |
Wednesday, January 27,
2010 (24° 45' 10") |
On 10/31/2009 at
7:23:16pm Mercury will be 12.8º
below
the west-southwest horizon
Click
HERE
for additional data on Mercury
(back to 'Quick
Links') |
|
|
Venus data |
| |
|
Rises: |
6:21am |
|
Transits:
|
12:04pm - Time of highest position in the sky,
due South |
|
Sets:
|
5:46pm |
|
Constellation: |
Virgo |
|
Phase: |
95.48% illuminated |
|
Distance: |
1.60112188 AU =
239,524,424 km = 148,833,579 miles = 13.34
light-minutes |
|
Magnitude: |
-3.9
(extremely bright, visible in
the morning before sunrise) |
|
Apparent size: |
10.42 arcseconds in
angular diameter |
|
Elongation from Sun: |
17.54°
(morning sky) |
|
Next maximum elongations... |
|
Evening: |
Friday, August 20,
2010 (45° 57' 59") |
|
Morning: |
Saturday, January
8, 2011 (46° 57' 24") |
On 10/31/2009 at
7:23:16pm Venus will be 19.3º below
the west horizon
Click HERE
for additional data on Venus
(back to 'Quick
Links') |
|
|
Mars data |
| |
|
Rises: |
0:04am |
|
Transits:
|
7:25am - Time of highest position in the sky,
due South |
|
Sets:
|
2:45pm |
|
Constellation: |
Cancer |
|
Phase: |
88.65% illuminated |
|
Distance: |
1.18357447 AU =
177,060,221 km = 110,020,122 miles = 9.86
light-minutes |
|
Magnitude: |
0.4 |
|
Apparent size: |
7.91 arcseconds
in angular diameter |
|
Elongation from Sun: |
91.48°
(morning sky) |
|
Dates of
Opposition
(when Mars is closest to the Earth) |
|
Previous: |
Monday Dec 24, 2007 at
2:29pm |
|
Next: |
Friday Jan 29, 2010 at
3:21pm |
|
Next
close approach: |
Friday Jan 29, 2010 |
On 10/31/2009 at
7:23:16pm Mars will be 28.9º below
the north-northwest horizon
No, Mars was *not*
be "as big as a Full Moon on August
27!"
Please see the following links for more information
about this annual 'Mars Hoax'
Sky & Telescope article
Snopes.com article
Hoax-slayer article
Universe Today article
Click HERE
for additional data on Mars
(back to 'Quick
Links') |
|
|
Jupiter data |
| |
|
Rises: |
3:00pm |
|
Transits:
|
8:06pm - Time of highest
position in the sky, due South |
|
Sets:
|
1:11am - Nov 1 |
|
Constellation: |
Capricornus |
|
Phase: |
99.04% illuminated |
|
Distance: |
4.76561147 AU =
712,925,329 km = 442,991,267 miles = 39.69
light-minutes |
|
Magnitude: |
-2.5 |
|
Apparent size: |
41.37 arcseconds
in angular diameter |
|
Elongation from Sun: |
99.07°
(evening sky) |
|
Dates of
Opposition
(when Jupiter is closest to the Earth) |
|
Previous: |
Friday Aug 14, 2009 at
1:44pm |
|
Next: |
Tuesday Sep 21, 2010 at
7:28am |
Next transit of the Great Red Spot:
Sunday Nov 01, 2009 at 1:34am (The Red Spot transits
about every 10 hours 56 minutes)
GRS longitude: 136.9º
Jupiter moons activity (during darkness):
Europa eclipse ends on Saturday Oct 31, 2009 at 7:39pm when
Jupiter is 32° above the horizon
On 10/31/2009 at 7:23:16pm Jupiter will be
31.5º
above
the
south-southeast horizon
In the animated image of Jupiter (below), notice
Europa coming out Jupiter's shadow at exactly 7:39:24pm
(19:39:24).
If we're lucky enough to have clear skies, just
prior to this time, we'll see three moons of Jupiter (Io,
Ganymede and Callisto)
and
then another, Europa, will gradually appear over the course of a couple
minutes as it revolves out of Jupiter's shadow.
Note:
All graphics are correct-image representations. A telescope
will reverse this left-right and possibly invert up-down
depending on type of equipment being used.
Information on Jupiter's Galilean moons:
Io
- mag 5.4
Orbits in 1.8 days = 42.5 hours
Mean orbital radius = .00281822 AU = 421,600 km =
261,970 miles = 1.41 light-seconds
Radius: 105% of our Moon
Mass: 122% of our Moon
Europa
- mag 5.5
Orbits in 3.6 days = 85.2 hours
Mean orbital radius = .00448469 AU = 670,900 km =
416,878 miles = 2.24 light-seconds
Radius: 90% of our Moon
Mass: 65% of our Moon
Ganymede
- mag 4.8
Orbits in 7.2 days = 171.7 hours
Mean orbital radius = .00715251 AU = 1,070,000 km
= 664,867 miles = 3.57 light-seconds
Radius: 150% of our Moon
Mass: 200% of our Moon
Callisto
- mag 6.1
Orbits in 16.7 days = 400.5 hours
Mean orbital radius = 0.01258708 AU = 1,883,000
km = 1,170,042 miles = 6.29 light-seconds
Radius: 138% of our Moon
Mass: 146% of our Moon
Click
HERE for additional data on
Jupiter
(back to 'Quick
Links') |
|
|
Saturn data |
| |
|
Rises: |
4:38am |
|
Transits:
|
10:49am
- Time of highest position in the sky,
due South |
|
Sets:
|
5:01pm |
|
Constellation: |
Virgo |
|
Phase: |
99.89% illuminated |
|
Distance: |
10.21358723 AU =
1,527,930,902 km = 949,412,258 miles = 1.42
light-hours |
|
Magnitude: |
1.1 |
|
Apparent size: |
16.27 arcseconds
in angular diameter |
|
Elongation from Sun: |
38.48°
(morning sky) |
|
Dates of
Opposition
(when Saturn is closest to the Earth) |
|
Previous: |
Sunday Mar 8, 2009 at
3:44pm |
|
Next: |
Sunday Mar 21, 2010 at
8:28pm |
On 10/31/2009 at
7:23:16pm Saturn will be 26.8º
below
the west-northwest
horizon
Click HERE
for additional data on Saturn
(back to 'Quick
Links') |
|
|
Uranus data |
| |
|
Rises: |
4:26pm |
|
Transits:
|
10:19pm
- Time of highest position in the sky,
due South |
|
Sets:
|
4:12am - Nov 1 |
|
Constellation: |
Aquarius |
|
Phase: |
99.97% illuminated |
|
Distance: |
19.39056301 AU =
2,900,786,937 km = 1,802,465,460 miles = 2.69
light-hours |
|
Magnitude: |
5.8 |
|
Apparent size: |
3.63 arcseconds
in angular diameter |
|
Elongation from Sun: |
134.41°
(evening sky) |
|
Dates of
Opposition
(when Uranus is closest to the Earth) |
|
Previous: |
Thursday Sep 17, 2009 at
5:34am |
|
Next: |
Tuesday Sep 21, 2010 at
12:51pm |
On 10/31/2009 at
7:23:16pm Uranus will be 29.9º above
the east-southeast horizon
Click HERE
for additional data on Uranus
(back to 'Quick
Links') |
|
|
Neptune data |
| |
|
Rises: |
3:13pm |
|
Transits:
|
8:28pm
- Time of highest position in the sky,
due South |
|
Sets:
|
1:43am - Nov 1 |
|
Constellation: |
Capricornus |
|
Phase: |
99.97% illuminated |
|
Distance: |
29.75375062 AU =
4,451,097,738 km = 2,765,783,943 miles = 4.13
light-hours |
|
Magnitude: |
7.9 |
|
Apparent size: |
2.30 arcseconds in
angular diameter |
|
Elongation from Sun: |
105.01°
(evening sky) |
|
Dates of
Opposition
(when Neptune is closest to the Earth) |
|
Previous: |
Monday Aug 17, 2009 at
4:47pm |
|
Next: |
Friday Aug 20, 2010 at
5:59am |
On 10/31/2009 at
7:23:16pm Neptune will be 32.8º above
the south-southeast horizon
Click
HERE for additional data on
Neptune
(back to 'Quick
Links') |
|
|
Pluto
(Dwarf Planet aka Asteroid 134340)
data |
| |
|
Rises: |
11:50am |
|
Transits:
|
4:50pm - Time of highest position in the sky,
due South |
|
Sets:
|
9:49pm |
|
Constellation: |
Sagittarius |
|
Phase: |
99.98% illuminated |
|
Distance: |
32.3212831 AU =
4,835,195,130 km = 3,004,451,000 miles = 4.49
light-hours |
|
Magnitude: |
14.2 |
|
Apparent size: |
0.10 arcseconds
in angular diameter |
|
Elongation from Sun: |
52.81° (evening sky) |
|
Dates of
Opposition
(when Pluto is closest to the Earth) |
|
Previous: |
Tuesday Jun 23, 2009 at
3:49am |
|
Next: |
Friday Jun 25, 2010 at
2:59pm |
On 10/31/2009 at
7:23:16pm Pluto will be 20.8º above
the south-southwest horizon
Click HERE
for additional data on Pluto
(back to 'Quick
Links') |
|
Inner Solar System
- the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Earth
(Created using
Software Bisque's
TheSky
software)
(back to 'Quick
Links')
Outer Solar System
- the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto
(Created using
Software Bisque's
TheSky
software)
(back to 'Quick
Links')
Click
HERE for
event status (includes Clear Sky Chart).
Click
HERE for
a
printer-friendly
version of the information on this page.
Click
HERE for
general Information you
should know about our events - Q&A of Where, When and What.
Click
HERE for
satellite passes during this event.
Click
HERE for a
map to the Silver
Springs Campgrounds
at 5240 Young Rd, Stow, OH 44224
Very sincerely yours,
Dave Jessie
"Time spent observing the heavens is not deducted from your life span"
(back to 'Quick
Links')
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