Skies Over West Seattle, September 2014 edition: MAVEN near Mars; equinox ahead; ‘what’s that, up there?’ and more

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ever wish for advance alert of an upcoming meteor shower/eclipse/etc. – and/or wonder “What’s that bright ‘star’ up there?” This should help. It’s our periodic feature by West Seattle’s own Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen, famed for her solstice/equinox sunset watches, among other things.

(WSB photo: Last year’s fall-equinox sunset at Solstice Park)
By Alice Enevoldsen
Special to West Seattle Blog

Although we still have some summer weather yet to go, I’ve started to notice the leaves begin to change, so get your cameras ready.

This month we have the fall equinox and associated Sunset Watch at Solstice Park (Monday, September 22), and we have just seen the Supermoon bringing in higher-than-usual and slightly-low tides these past two days.

Hey, what’s that?

Just before the Sun rises, you’ll be unable to miss Jupiter shining low in the East.

Toward the beginning of the month, Venus has also been visible in the same area, but as we progress through September it will move closer to the Sun and be lost in the Sun’s glare by the end of the month. Orion is rising a bit South of Jupiter, and Sirius will be twinkling like crazy closer to the horizon than that.

Saturn and Mars are both still beautiful in the evening sky, but they’re drifting apart. Arcturus is also visible higher in the West. I also need to mention Capella near the Northern horizon. This star always seems to sparkle and twinkle just a bit more than most other stars; I’ve gotten at least three calls over the years thinking Capella was a UFO.

Other Notable Events

On September 21st, the MAVEN spacecraft will enter orbit around Mars. I’m especially excited for this one, because it was the first spacecraft launch I’ve ever seen in person, back last November. If you were following West Seattle Blog or heard my interviews on KOMO Newsradio, you might vaguely remember that launch. MAVEN is an orbiter with no cameras onboard, and it’s working to solve the mystery of Mars’s thin atmosphere.

The very next day brings the Autumnal equinox, on Monday, September 22nd.

Auroral activity has been picking up over the past few weeks, though every time I’ve looked at the maps there’s been significantly more excitement going on around the Antarctic Circle than the Arctic, and when that excitement hits it is cloudy here. So, keep your eyes peeled for more aurora warnings, but I’m not hopeful that the activity and the clear skies will align.

Supermoon

The Supermoon this past Monday was the last of five this year, but don’t worry, there will be more next year. Just like eclipses, we have between four and six Supermoons each year.

The word “Supermoon” has only been around about 30 years, and it’s been in the public eye even less than that. The concept is straightforward: We know the Moon’s orbit isn’t a perfect circle, so that means sometimes it is closer to us, and sometimes farther away. When it is at its closest and ALSO a full moon or a new moon, it is now referred to as a Supermoon.

The size difference this causes is barely noticeable because the Moon’s orbit is almost a circle. In fact, if you plot out the orbit of the Moon, to your eye it will look like a perfect circle. Even when the Moon is a tiny bit closer, its gravity does affect the Earth: we tend to have slightly larger tides on a Supermoon than we would on an average full Moon. These tides still aren’t as much larger as the highest and lowest tides in May and June.

Events

Sunday, September 21st — MAVEN arrives at Mars.

Monday, September 22nd, 6:30 pm — Fall Equinox Sunset Watch with me at Solstice Park with special preschool activities! Bring your kids!

Did I miss something? Please add it in the comments!

The Moon

September 15 — Last Quarter: the week around the last quarter moon, it is visible in the early morning sky (rising in the middle of the night, setting in the early afternoon).

September 23 — New Moon: the day of the new moon you won’t see the Moon at all, but a day or so before or after you might see a tiny sliver of a crescent Moon as the Sun rises or sets, and a few more days out you can see the crescent Moon all day long.

October 1 — First Quarter: the first quarter moon is ideal for late afternoon and early evening observation. (rising in the early afternoon, setting in the middle of the night)

Resources:

Stellarium: Free planetarium software for your home computer. Bring up the sky for anywhere in the world – any time and date in history, or the future.

Clear Sky Chart: The astronomer’s forecast for the next couple days. Cloud cover, darkness, and “seeing” which is how nice it is to view the stars, all on one handy chart.

USNO: Dates and times of astronomical happenings.

International Dark Sky Association

Who is Alice?

Alice is many things and volunteers for a few different notable organizations, but the suggestions and opinions put forth in this article are her own and no one else’s. You can find more about astronomy at alicesastroinfo.com.

4 Replies to "Skies Over West Seattle, September 2014 edition: MAVEN near Mars; equinox ahead; 'what's that, up there?' and more"

  • heather September 10, 2014 (8:24 am)

    Wow! Cool info! Thanks!!

  • Trileigh September 10, 2014 (10:36 pm)

    Hey Alice, I heard this afternoon about the huge solar flare yesterday. The effects are supposed to arrive at Earth on Thursday evening. Do you think we might get to see an aurora?

    • WSB September 10, 2014 (11:12 pm)

      Trileigh – in case Alice doesn’t check this again tonight, she has been forwarding us alerts she’s getting. Seems there’s a possibility. But because things have been quiet otherwise, it’s “only” a 5 or 6 – but still maybe aurora fodder. I’m excited it’s a clear sky (or supposed to be) … we’ll definitely look for and publish some kind of update tomorrow. – TR

  • Alice September 10, 2014 (11:28 pm)

    Trileigh,
    Yup. I’m so hesitant to say “best chance ever” because things keep not working out for us… but this is actually our best chance in over a year. So… that’s good news. The weather is holding… so that’s good news too.
    I don’t like to make promises I can’t deliver, but Kp levels of 5, 6, and 7 are what make auroras over Seattle. Kp levels of 6 are predicted Thursday night, and 7 on Friday night.
    These predictions fluctuate a LOT over the course of the day. The quickest way for me to communicate what I know is to forward the alert e-mails I get to WSB, and follow up with explanations, guesses, and Tweets after that.
    I’ve got a “how to read the predictions” basic post over on http://www.alicesastroinfo.com/2014/08/aurora-alert-tonight-so-it-is-cloudy/ so you can follow along.
    Fingers crossed!
    Alice

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