This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2023 February 11 – February 18~
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2023 February 11 – February 18~
We are more than halfway to spring and, as Lord Tennyson wrote in his poem Locksley Hall, “in the spring a young man’s fancy turns lightly to thoughts of love.” With Valentine’s Day this week the goddess of love is beckoning her father to her arms. Venus is the Roman counterpart of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and other things. She was the daughter of Zeus (Jupiter to the Romans) and Dione, which is the name of one of Saturn’s moons. The planet Venus is high in the west in early evening, less than three weeks away from a close conjunction with Jupiter.
Venus is not the only love object in the night sky. In 1898 astronomers discovered the first asteroid that was known to come closer to the Sun than Mars, one that nearly reaches Earth’s orbit. This 33 x 11 kilometre rock was named Eros for the son of Aphrodite, and to the Romans he was known as Cupid. In mythology the Olympians were surprised at the seashore by Typhon, the most horrible monster of the rival Titans. Venus and Cupid knew they would be safe in the water, but before changing into fish they tied their feet together so they would not lose each other in the sea. This act is immortalized as the constellation Pisces, depicting two fish bound together at the tails, which is low in the west in evening twilight. Another astronomical valentine, and a favourite of astroimagers, is the Heart Nebula in Cassiopeia the Queen.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:28 am and sunset will occur at 5:38 pm, giving 10 hours, 10 minutes of daylight (7:31 am and 5:45 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:17 am and set at 5:49 pm, giving 10 hours, 32 minutes of daylight (7:21 am and 5:55 pm in Saint John).
The Moon is at third quarter on Sunday, and next Saturday the slim waning crescent will be near Mercury, a binocular challenge for those who seek adventure. Venus will be a moon-width upper left of Neptune on Wednesday evening, a possible binocular sighting with a slightly brighter star two moon-widths beyond Neptune. Jupiter’s evening apparition is running out but telescope users might see its Red Spot on Wednesday around 7 pm. Mars plays host to comet C/2022 E3 ZTF this weekend, and on Tuesday the fuzzy patch will be to the left of Aldebaran. Saturn is in solar conjunction on Thursday. Rural observers might catch the subtle glow of zodiacal light in the west about an hour after sunset,
On Sunday evening at 8 pm, tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show via the Facebook page or YouTube channel of Astronomy by the Bay.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason