We will not be doing Astronomical Observing from Fishcreek Observing Site on Friday 1/29/2010 at 6:41:08pm (nautical twilight) but this information is being provided in case you have an opportunity to observe from a reasonably close location - allowing for time changes, of course. All rise/transit/set times will be fairly close if you're within a 50 mile radius of Stow, OH USA. Sunset: 5:41pm Civil twilight ends: 6:08pm Nautical twilight ends: 6:41pm Astronomical twilight ends: 7:14pm Moon Phase: 99.91% illuminated (waxing gibbous) rising at 5:10pm - 14d 16h 33m since last New Moon Observing at Fishcreek hasn't yet begun in 2010, but we hope you have a wonderful night under the stars whereever you are. We'll be back sometime in the spring of 2010 whenever the weather cooperates - now in our fifteenth year! All times are shown in EST (Eastern Standard Time (UT-5)) as seen from Stow, Ohio Longitude: W 81 25' 38.4" Latitude: N41 11' 11.1" Altitude: 337m The following Sun, Moon and planet detail was calculated as it will be on Friday 1/29/2010 at 6:41:08pm (nautical twilight). Source: Guide8 software available from www.projectpluto.com ALL: Object Mag Const Rise Set Sun -26.7 Cap 07:36 17:41 Mercury -0.1 Sgr 06:10 15:40 Venus -3.9 Cap 07:56 17:59 Mars -1.3 Cnc 17:12 08:10 Jupiter -2.0 Aqr 08:44 19:34 Saturn 0.8 Vir 22:01 10:14 Uranus 5.9 Psc 09:34 21:23 Neptune 8.0 Cap 08:24 18:59 Pluto 14.3 Sgr 05:10 15:07 Moon -12.9 Cnc 17:10 07:46 ABOVE HORIZON: Object Mag Const Rise Set Mars -1.3 Cnc 17:12 08:10 Jupiter -2.0 Aqr 08:44 19:34 Uranus 5.9 Psc 09:34 21:23 Neptune 8.0 Cap 08:24 18:59 Moon -12.9 Cnc 17:10 07:46 BELOW HORIZON: Object Mag Const Rise Set Sun -26.7 Cap 07:36 17:41 Mercury -0.1 Sgr 06:10 15:40 Venus -3.9 Cap 07:56 17:59 Saturn 0.8 Vir 22:01 10:14 Pluto 14.3 Sgr 05:10 15:07 Sun data: Rise: 7:36am Transit: 12:38pm (Time of highest position in the sky, due South) Sets: 5:41pm Constellation: Capricornus Distance: .98502473 AU = 147,357,602 km = 91,563,770 miles = 8.2 light-minutes Magnitude: -26.7 Apparent size: 32.47 arcminutes in angular diameter Civil twilight ends at: 6:08pm ( When the Sun is 6° below the horizon ) Nautical twilight ends at: 6:41pm ( When the Sun is 12° below the horizon ) Astronomical twilight ends at: 7:14pm ( When the Sun is 18° below the horizon ) Winter began at the Winter Solstice which occurred on Monday Dec 21, 2009 at 12:47pm Spring begins at the Vernal Equinox which will occur on Saturday Mar 20, 2010 at 1:33pm Next Solar Eclipse: Partial eclipse (>80%) on Monday August 21, 2017 2:30pm EDT Next TOTAL Solar Eclipse: Monday April 8, 2024 at 3:15pm On 1/29/2010 at 6:41:08pm the Sun will be 12° below the west-southwest horizon Moon data: Rise: 5:10pm Transit: 0:35am - Jan 30 (Time of highest position in the sky, due South) Sets: 7:46am - Jan 30 Constellation: Cancer Phase: 99.91% illuminated (waxing gibbous) Distance: 0.0023741 AU = 355,160 km = 220,686 miles = 1.19 light-seconds Magnitude: -12.9 Apparent size: 33.63 arcminutes in angular diameter Elongation from Sun: 176.49° (evening sky) Age: 14d 16h 33m since last New Moon Prior Phase: First Quarter on Saturday Jan 23, 2010 at 5:53am Next Phase: Full Moon on Saturday Jan 30, 2010 at 1:18am Next Lunar eclipse: Total eclipse (100%) on Sunday Sept 27, 2015 at 10:10pm EDT On 1/29/2010 at 6:41:08pm the Moon will be 14° above the east-northeast horizon Mercury data: Rise: 6:10am Transit: 10:55am (Time of highest position in the sky, due South) Sets: 3:40pm Constellation: Sagittarius Phase: 67.61% illuminated Distance: 1.04992308 AU = 157,066,257 km = 97,596,449 miles = 8.75 light-minutes Magnitude: -0.1 Apparent size: 6.41 arcseconds in angular diameter Elongation from Sun: 24.59° (morning sky) Next maximum elongations... Evening: Thursday, April 8, 2010 (19° 21' 01") Morning: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 (25° 07' 48") On 1/29/2010 at 6:41:08pm Mercury will be 33.8° below the west-southwest horizon Venus data: Rise: 7:56am Transit: 12:57pm (Time of highest position in the sky, due South) Sets: 5:59pm Constellation: Capricornus Phase: 99.71% illuminated Distance: 1.70600412 AU = 255,214,583 km = 158,582,992 miles = 14.21 light-minutes Magnitude: -3.9 Apparent size: 9.78 arcseconds in ngular diameter Elongation from Sun: 4.52° (evening sky) Next maximum elongations... Evening: Friday, August 20, 2010 (45° 57' 59") Morning: Saturday, January 8, 2011 (46° 57' 24") On 1/29/2010 at 6:41:08pm Venus will be 8.6° below the west-southwest horizon Mars data: Rise: 5:12pm Transit: 0:41am - Jan 30 (Time of highest position in the sky, due South) Sets: 8:10am - Jan 30 Constellation: Cancer Phase: 99.94% illuminated Distance: .66450988 AU = 99,409,263 km = 61,770,053 miles = 5.53 light-minutes Magnitude: -1.3 Apparent size: 14.08 arcseconds in angular diameter Elongation from Sun: 175.47° (morning sky) Dates of Opposition (when Mars is closest to Earth) Previous: Friday Jan 29, 2010 at 2:21pm. Distance: 99,400,435 km. Size: 14.08 arcseconds. Next: Saturday Mar 3, 2012 at 3:52pm. Distance: 100,839,728 km. Size: 13.88 arcseconds. On 1/29/2010 at 6:41:08pm Mars will be 14° above the east-northeast horizon No, Mars was *not* "...as big as a Full Moon on August 27!" Please see the following links for more information about this annual 'Mars Hoax' http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/8708182.html http://www.snopes.com/science/mars.asp http://www.hoax-slayer.com/mars-earth-close.html http://www.universetoday.com/2007/07/25/will-the-mars-look-as-big-as-the-moon-on-august-27-nope/ Jupiter data: Rise: 8:44am Transit: 2:09pm (Time of highest position in the sky, due South) Sets: 7:34pm Constellation: Aquarius Phase: 99.85% illuminated Distance: 5.89041337 AU = 881,193,297 km = 547,548,136 miles = 49.06 light-minutes Magnitude: -2.0 Apparent size: 33.47 arcseconds in angular diameter Elongation from Sun: 22.76° (evening sky) Dates of Opposition (when Jupiter is closest to Earth) Previous: Friday Aug 14, 2009 at 1:44pm Next: Tuesday Sep 21, 2010 at 7:28am On 1/29/2010 at 6:41:08pm Jupiter will be 8.5° above the southwest horizon Next transit of the Great Red Spot: Friday Jan 29, 2010 at 7:38pm (The Red Spot transits about every 9 hours 56 minutes) GRS longitude: 141.9 Jupiter satellite events (during darkness): none tonight Saturn data: Rise: 10:01pm Transit: 4:07am - Jan 30 (Time of highest position in the sky, due South) Sets: 10:14am - Jan 30 Constellation: Virgo Phase: 99.82% illuminated Distance: 8.87755773 AU = 1,328,063,734 km = 825,220,556 miles = 1.23 light-hours Magnitude: 0.8 Apparent size: 18.72 arcseconds in angular diameter Elongation from Sun: 125.52° (morning sky) Dates of Opposition (when Saturn is closest to Earth) Previous: Sunday Mar 8, 2009 at 3:44pm Next: Sunday Mar 21, 2010 at 8:28pm On 1/29/2010 at 6:41:08pm Saturn will be 36° below the northeast horizon Uranus data: Rise: 9:34am Transit: 3:29pm (Time of highest position in the sky, due South) Sets: 9:23pm Constellation: Pisces Phase: 99.97% illuminated Distance: 20.79145496 AU = 3,110,357,390 km = 1,932,686,504 miles = 2.89 light-hours Magnitude: 5.9 Apparent size: 3.39 arcseconds in angular diameter Elongation from Sun: 44.16° (evening sky) Dates of Opposition (when Uranus is closest to Earth) Previous: Thursday Sep 17, 2009 at 5:34am Next: Tuesday Sep 21, 2010 at 12:51pm On 1/29/2010 at 6:41:08pm Uranus will be 27.9° above the southwest horizon Neptune data: Rise: 8:24am Transit: 1:41pm (Time of highest position in the sky, due South) Sets: 6:59pm Constellation: Capricornus Phase: 100.00% illuminated Distance: 30.97127138 AU = 4,633,236,251 km = 2,878,959,569 miles = 4.3 light-hours Magnitude: 8.0 Apparent size: 2.20 arcseconds in angular diameter Elongation from Sun: 15.60° (evening sky) Dates of Opposition (when Neptune is closest to Earth) Previous: Monday Aug 17, 2009 at 4:47pm Next: Friday Aug 20, 2010 at 5:59am On 1/29/2010 at 6:41:08pm Neptune will be 2.1° above the west-southwest horizon Pluto (Dwarf Planet aka Asteroid 134340) data: Rise: 5:10am Transit: 10:08am (Time of highest position in the sky, due South) Sets: 3:07pm Constellation: Sagittarius Phase: 99.99% illuminated Distance: 32.56972281 AU = 4,872,361,181 km = 3,027,544,914 miles = 4.52 light-hours Magnitude: 14.3 Apparent size: 0.10 arcseconds in angular diameter Elongation from Sun: 35.98° (morning sky) Dates of Opposition (when Pluto is closest to Earth) Previous: Tuesday Jun 23, 2009 at 3:49am Next: Friday Jun 25, 2010 at 2:59pm On 1/29/2010 at 6:41:08pm Pluto will be 40.6° below the west horizon *************** Web hosting generously provided by *************** JCSi - Jucikas Computer Services, Inc. 4381 Hudson Drive, Suite KV2, Stow, OH 44224 Tel: 330-689-0155 * Fax: 330-689-0165