Minnesota Starwatch

University of Minnesota

Department of Astronomy

Minnesota Starwatch for July 2004
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Starwatch Newsletter

Minnesota Starwatch is a newsletter describing the night sky in the Midwest.

It is updated monthly, and is produced by the
Department of Astronomy, University of Minnesota
116 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Minnesota Starwatch for July 2004

Hello, this is Starwatch for July 2004, from the University of Minnesota. The Moon is full on the 2nd, last quarter on the 9th, new on the 17th and first quarter on the 24th. Between the 20th and the 21st the waxing crescent moon passes by Jupiter which is visible low in the western sky for only a few hours after sunset. On the morning of the 14th the waning crescent moon is seen in the sky with Venus but they never get very close.

July 20th is the 35th anniversary of the first landing of men on the moon: The words, "The Eagle has landed," were spoken in 1969 when the Eagle module had successfully landed on the moon. Later that day Neil Armstrong took the first step on the moon and uttered those now-famous words: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Perhaps some of us will hear similar historical words from the planet Mars if the recent change in NASA's vision bears fruit.

Venus is a spectacular sight in the morning sky just before sunrise. Perhaps you saw the transit of Venus on June 8th that took it from the evening sky to the morning sky. On the 4th and 5th it will be just north of the red star Aldebaran. In mid-July Venus will be at it's brightest at magnitude -4.5 and will fade significantly as it moves farther away from the Earth. At the same time its phase changes from a thin crescent to a half-illuminated disk.

Mercury sets about an hour after the sun but it will be extremely difficult to see because it will be very low in the sky by the time the sky gets dark enough to see the planet.

Mars also sets about an hour after the sun and will be only ¼ degree from Mercury on the 10th. But it will be even harder to see than Mercury because it will be about two magnitudes fainter than Mercury. However, you can still tune in to the NASA Rover website: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html. to get daily updates on the latest result and pictures from the two rovers: Spirit and Opportunity. Opportunity is currently exploring the crater Endurance and is inching its way into the crater itself. Meanwhile Spirit reached the Columbia Hills on June 16th and will be examining some intriguing rocks at the base of the hills. Spirit has now traveled more than two miles altogether. Jupiter is still prominent and easily visible in the western sky in July but it is sinking rapidly and will set less than two hours after the sun by the end of the month.

Saturn is in conjunction with the sun on the 8th and will gradually move away from the sun in the morning sky as the month proceeds. The spacecraft Cassini has now sent back spectacular images of Saturn's satellite Phoebe, which show it to be heavily cratered and looking more like a captured interloper from the farthest reaches of the solar system. It should provide new clues to the formation and early history of the solar system.

For fun Astronomy Outreach programs check out our Public Outreach link, or if you're interested in how you can help build the new Minnesota Planetarium, please call 612-630-6151 or visit http://www.mplanetarium.org.

Como Planetarium is offering fun family shows about astronomy on a limited basis; please call 651-293-5398 for more info!

This has been a Minnesota Starwatch produced by the University of Minnesota Astronomy Department.