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May 9, 2025

Chestertown Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown

9 Brevities

June 2024 Sky-Watch Planets Line Up as Summer Arrives by Dennis Herrmann

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A six-planet parade is set to grace the sky on June 3 in the early morning; Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — will align in the sky, according to the Star Walk astronomical report. rbkomar/Getty Images

Every so often the planets of our Solar System appear to line up across our skies so that we can see several of them all together at one time.  This happens because all the planets are moving in their respective orbits at different speeds.  Johannes Kepler, in the 16th century, determined that planets closer to the Sun move faster than those that are farther away from our star.  It is a complex geometrical dance that includes Earth (we are moving in our orbit at some 60,000 miles per hour — equal to traveling from New York to London in 3 minutes)!
This June the eastern morning sky before sunrise will have 6 planets strung out along a 72-degree line along the ecliptic (the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun) on June 1st.  In order from the Sun about to rise in the East, these planets are Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn.  The thin waning crescent Moon will appear to move down this line from right to left toward the horizon from June 1st to the 4th.
Four of these planets will be visible with the unaided eye, but Uranus and Neptune will require binoculars to see.  Mercury will be rather challenging despite being fairly bright because it is already low to the horizon on June 1st and loses altitude after that.
Saturn rises first and so it is the highest; at the top of the diagonal line of planets running left to right from the eastern horizon.  Saturn rises at 2 am and is well up by 4 am.  This year and next when we look at Saturn through a telescope its rings seem to disappear.  The plane of its rings is almost seen on edge right now, so the telescope will show practically a full disk of Saturn.
Neptune is about 10 degrees (about the width of a clenched fist held up against the sky)below and left of Saturn.  But the best way to find Neptune occurs later on June 28th when the waning gibbous Moon is just below Neptune.  Look for a bluish dot just above the Moon with binoculars or a telescope then.
Mars rises around 3 am and will be easily seen just a few degrees left of the waning crescent Moon on the morning of June 2nd.
Uranus and Mercury will be close together on June 1st; Mercury is bright enough to see, but low, in some twilight near the horizon, so use binoculars to seek Uranus to the right of Mercury.  It will be a challenge.
Finally, Jupiter comes up below Mercury and is the brightest of the 6 planets and will be easy to see, though close to the horizon.  By June 30th, Jupiter will have greater altitude before sunrise and can be seen sitting right above Aldebaran, the brightest star of the constellation Taurus the Bull.  Also on June 30th Mars will be up and to the right of Jupiter, with the crescent Moon up and right of Mars.  Uranus then may be spotted halfway between Mars and Jupiter (with binoculars – – – a greenish dot of light).
Meanwhile, Summer Solstice arrives (the first day of summer) on June 20th.  The Sun that day at noon will peak at its highest altitude above the southern horizon for the entire year.  All the June days around the Solstice will experience the greatest amount of daylight and the least amount of darkness for the year.
Full Moon in June is on June 21st and the 27th, the gibbous Moon will be just above Saturn around 3:30 am.

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Spy Watch: New Years Planets and Stars

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Quadrantids Meteor Shower

Our New Year of Sky-Watching begins with Jupiter and Saturn visible most of the evening, while Mercury, Venus, and Mars show up in the morning sky before sunrise.  Looking back to December we enjoyed presenting our annual planetarium Xmas program to record crowds; averaging 67 for 6 showings —- 381 total.  Thank you all!
Saturn will be seen in January in the southwestern sky , fairly low, but not setting until 9 pm local time.  A neat, crescent Moon will be seen west(right) of Saturn on the night of the 13th, and east (left) of the ringed planet on the 14th.  Jupiter, brighter than Saturn, shines high in the southern sky and won’t set until after midnight.  Its position is good for telescopic viewing which will reveal plenty of surface features in the cold clear air of winter; along with its 4 large Moons, looking like jewels surrounding it.
In the eastern morning sky Venus will appear first and be visible for about 3 hours before sunrise.  Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius appears below Venus on the 1st of January, and then as Venus moves in its orbit, it will be seen above Antares by the 6th.
Mercury will be low to the eastern horizon before dawn and below and left of Venus on January 5th, with the waning crescent moon below Mercury of the 9th.  In late January Mars will appear to rise out of the eastern horizon around January 20th; left of Mercury.  Then the orbits of each planet will bring the two closer to each other until January 27th, when they will be almost touching.  In fact, through a telescope or binoculars, both planets may be seen within the same field of view!  Binoculars will help us find both as they will be low to the eastern horizon; left of bright Venus.
The Quatrantids Meteor Shower peaks January 4th.  Look northeast between 4 and 6 am; about halfway up from the horizon.  Twenty to thirty meteors per hour are typical.  This shower is named after a now defunct constellation that lay in the area of the upper part of the constellation Bootes.
Across the south take in the beautiful big and bright winter constellations starting with mighty Orion, halfway up from the horizon, with Taurus above and right; Canis Major below and left of Orion; Auriga up near the zenith; and Gemini below and left of Auriga.
January Full Moon is on the 25th.

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 Giant Planets and Winter Stars by Dennis Herrmann

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Winter season officially arrives on December 21st at 10:27 pm.  Night-time darkness is at its greatest this time of year, and we can begin to look for night sky sights at an earlier time.  The December Full Moon is on the 26th, the day after Christmas.  And the Geminid meteor shower peaks on the 14th.

The meteor shower appears to come from the sky where we see the zodiac constellation Gemini, which is well up in the eastern sky by 9 pm.  Rates of meteors will increase as we move toward midnight.  One hundred meteors per hour may be counted just after midnight and up to 50 per hour in the time before and after midnight.  This is about as good as it gets for meteor watchers, so take some time to scan the eastern sky from 10 pm to 2 am.  Dress warmly!

The gas giant planets take most attention for us all month and both of them, Jupiter and Saturn are easy to find.  Saturn is high up in the southern sky by nightfall and best seen from then until it sets around 9 pm at the end of December.  On the 17th look for a nice crescent Moon just below Saturn.  If you have a telescope get out and catch its beautiful rings. Jupiter will be visible almost all night.  It will be well up in the eastern sky as soon as it gets fully dark and will be the brightest object there.  Through a telescope its disk will be seen with its colored bands of clouds across its surface.  Watch over several minutes as our atmosphere steadies an more detail is revealed.  Binoculars will allow sky-watchers to see Jupiter’s 4 largest moons and how they appear to change position over time, and from night to night as they orbit the giant planet.  Telescopic views of both of these planets are never disappointing.
On the nights before and after Christmas look just above the horizon in the north-western sky.  You will see Cygnus the Swan, actually a summer constellation that still lingers there, with its head tucked into the horizon.  Cygnus’s alternate name is the Northern Cross; and indeed it looks like a big Christian cross.  I always think it interesting to see this on the nights close to when we celebrate the Birth of Christ, who came and ultimately died as Our Savior on a cross.
The beautiful group of bright winter constellations are rising proudly in the East now and gaining altitude with each passing night.  By January, they will all be placed in the sky directly south.  The best known is Orion the hunter with it big hour-glass shape and 3 equally bright stars forming a belt at his waist.  Above and to Orion’s right as we look at him is Taurus the Bull; with its V-shaped head, and the Pleiades star cluster just to its right.  Below and left of Orion is the brightest star we see from Earth, Sirius, in Canis Major, the larger of Orion’s 2 hunting dogs.  Gemini the twins is spread away and left of Orion’s left arm (as we look at him), and very near the zenith(top of the sky) is a large 5-sided constellation called Auriga, with another very bright star called Capella.  Within these bright winter constellations we can count 8 of the 20 brightest stars we can see from Earth!  It is a real holiday treat to see!
In the first two weeks of December Mercury makes a brief appearance, but we will need a clear view to the southwest horizon to find it.  And it sets only 45 minutes after sunset.  Use binoculars to find it as twilight ends.
Venus remains unmistakably bright in the pre-dawn eastern sky and the Moon will be seen just below it on the 9th of December.
Our annual Planetarium Christmas Program will be presented at the Kent County High School Planetarium at 7:00 pm December 14; 15; 18; and 19.  Our 35th annual show is all new once again, so take time to stop in.  free admission and refreshments too!
To all my faithful sky-watcher friends and readers.  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year under the Stars!

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Planet Watch and Summer Triangle by Dennis Herrmann

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Peak viewing season for the “naked eye” giant planets continues this month, with Saturn visible all night, Jupiter, rising later, dominating the eastern sky before dawn. Meantime, Venus becomes even brighter in the early morning sky, and by the end of September will be joined by Mercury.

Saturn, which just passed opposition August 27th, remains at its best visibility for 2023 all month among the dim stars of zodiac constellation Aquarius. From the southeastern sky at sunset it appears due south by midnight early in September. By the end of the month it will be due south by 10 p.m. On September 23rd the growing gibbous Moon will appear just below Saturn.

Jupiter rises around 10 p.m. in early September and it will be well up in the eastern sky by 10 p.m. by September 30th. Among the faint star of Aries the ram it is unmistakable. Both Jupiter and Saturn are beautiful in small telescopes all month.

Venus is so bright in the eastern sky and hour and a half before dawn that it cannot be mistaken. On September 11th a very thin crescent Moon appears just above the planet an hour before the Sun rises. Mercury rises above the eastern horizon too, brightening all the while from September 6th to September 22nd, gaining altitude steadily. It does not get as high as Venus but it can be found below Venus 30 minutes before sunrise on September 29th.

The autumnal equinox is marked on September 23rd when the Sun appears above the Celestial Equator (the equator of the sky). At that time the Sun at noon will be found exactly 50 degrees above the southern horizon. Thereafter with each passing day the Sun will appear below the sky’s equator until it reaches its lowest point at Winter Solstice (solstice means “Sun stop.”) on December 22nd. For us then, at 39 degrees North Latitude, the Sun will only be 26 1/2 degrees above the southern horizon at noon.

Look nearly overhead September nights and spot Vega (in Lyra the harp), the brightest star of summer. Cast your eyes left (east) to another bright star Deneb (in Cygnus the Swan); and then down to find Altair, brightest star in Aquila the eagle. Then look back up to Vega. You will have traced the “Summer Triangle” —– a beautiful asterism formed by these 3 first magnitude stars. It will remain visible, appearing to move into the west as we move into fall and on into Early December.

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July 2023 Sky-Watch

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The entire month of July will offer opportunities for Sky-Watchers to enjoy observing the planets; not only at dusk and evening, but also at dawn. Innermost planet MERCURY will join brilliant VENUS, which may be spotted just after sunset in the western sky. Fainter MARS will also be nearby. SATURN will come into prominence in the southeastern sky in the several hours before sunrise, and JUPITER will start appearing after midnight, also in the southeastern sky.

Venus’s will start to appear to descend toward the western horizon with each passing night all month, but at the start of July it reaches its maximum brightness and will not set until 2 hours after sunset. It remains unmistakably visible well into a dark evening. Venus and Mars are near each other against the background stars of Leo the lion (zodiac). The brightest star of Leo, REGULUS, can also be seen near the planets.

Between July 1st and July 9th, Mars will be seen just left (east) and above Venus, with Regulus, just below Mars. On the 9th, Mars will be right above Regulus. Later, on July 20th, the crescent Moon will be just above Venus.

Also on July 20th, Mercury may be found above and right of Venus, and will remain up for an hour after the sun sets. By the 25th Mercury will be directly above Venus and closer to it. At this date, Mars will be almost directly east(left) of Venus; and all of these will be nestled in the “Sickle-shaped” asterism of the front of Leo.

Turning to the morning sky before sunrise, Saturn rises in the southeastern sky by 11:30 pm on July 1st; and by 9:30 pm on July 31st. Saturn gets brighter all month and by 2 am until dawn it will make a great telescopic view for us, with its beautiful rings and cloud bands.

Jupiter rises around 2 am July 1st; and at midnight on July 31st. That puts it high enough above the eastern horizon before dawn to get an hour or so of telescope viewing in a dark sky. By early September Jupiter will start showing up in our evening skies. Jupiter adds a bright light in the portion of the zodiac where it currently resides that has only fairly dim stars (Aquarius and Aries). After the Moon and Venus, Jupiter is the brightest object in the sky.

Warm nights give us comfortable conditions for sky-watching, and provided the haze we are experiencing from forest fires in Canada at the time I am writing this, we should get out and look south for the glory of the summer Milky Way, our galaxy,as it comes to full view. Looking with binoculars and scanning from the southern horizon up toward the zenith and down and over to the northeast, one will be amazed at all the stars, and glowing gas clouds (nebulae), that will be revealed as this view is toward the center of the Milky Way. Try it!

July’s Full Moon comes early in the month: July 3rd. It will compete with this year’s fire works!!

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June 2023 Sky-Watch

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The brightness of Venus captures our attention for more than 3 hours after sunset this month, reaching its greatest angle from the Sun as we see it on June 4th. Already very bright at the start of June, Venus brightens even more by the end of June. Looking west; it is unmistakable!

On June 1st Venus will be lined up with Castor and Pollux, Gemini’s two brightest stars, at the top of this zodiac constellation. By mid-month, Venus’ orbit brings it into Cancer and close to M 44, the Beehive Cluster; an open star cluster. Mars, much dimmer, will have appeared to pass through this same star cluster on June 1 and 2. Look through binoculars on June 1 and 2 for this stunning sight!

The crescent Moon joins the scene, when on June 21st, it passes just above Venus. After the Sun, the Moon and Venus are the two brightest objects in the sky! Venus will set around 11 pm on June 30th.

In the morning southeastern skies, Saturn rises around 1:30 am on June 1st and may be seen well up from the horizon by midnight on June 30th. It will become a fine object to see through telescopes this month; although still in the very early hours or morning. Jupiter rise about 4 am on June 1st and by 2 am on June 30th. Increasing in brightness all month, Jupiter will be seen just below the waning crescent Moon on the morning of June 14th.

The Summer Solstice occurs this month on June 21st, marking the Sun’s northernmost altitude (declination) in our sky for the year. For us in Maryland, latitude 39 North, that places the Sun at 73 1/2 degrees above the southern horizon at noon. This officially marks the beginning of the summer season in the northern hemisphere. Day length is at its greatest. Warm summer nights make for comfortable sly-watching even full darkness does not come until nearly 9 pm.

June’s Full Moon is early in the month; on June 3rd.

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May 2023 Sky-Watch

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Venus is at its best and brightest for all of 2023 in May this year. It will remain visible in all its unmistakable brilliance until quite late —— well after sunset in our western sky. Venus will appear to move from the bottom to the top of the tall constellation Gemini.

Mars continues as an evening object though it is much dimmer than Venus. It appears high among Gemini’s stars in early May, but moves east (left), into Cancer by mid-month. On May 24th it will be close to the Beehive Cluster, a nice open cluster of stars in Cancer, also known as M44. A crescent Moon sits just above the cluster that night . This will be a great gathering to look at with binoculars in order to bring the cluster’s stars to clear view, and note Venus and the Moon surrounding the cluster. Look west; 90 minutes after sunrise.

Some other planets appear in the morning eastern skies before dawn all month. Highest and easiest to see will be Saturn. Saturn rises about 3:30 am on May 1st and by 1:30 am on May 31st. The best time to look for it is one hour before dawn when it has reached sufficient altitude above the horizon. The rings, now titles 8 degrees to our line of sight will give a good view through a telescope.

Jupiter will be high enough to be seen one hour before sunrise. It will be noticeably brighter than Saturn. It will become more prominent and higher in the eastern sky next month and on through the summer. Mercury may be spotted on the morning of May 23rd, when it appears just left of Jupiter. Jupiter, the brighter, will act as a nice guide to finding the inner-most planet of our solar system.

Unfortunately a meteor shower that is associated with famous Halley’s Comet debris is deeply affected by the May 5th Full Moon. So this shower, the Eta Aquariads, is reduced to a dribble this year.

Better luck next year to catch this normally productive meteor shower!

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

April 2023 Sky-Watch

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Both of the inner-most planets of our Solar System, Mercury and Venus, will be seen at their best for all of 2023 during the first two weeks of April this year. Mercury will appear 5 degrees above the western horizon at magnitude –1.1, 45 minutes after sunset on April 1; itself setting a hour after sunset. Venus, stunningly bright and so, unmistakable, will be above and left of Mercury.

Mercury gains altitude each night until April 19th and on April 21st, the crescent Moon joins the planet, just above and left of it. Venus will move along a path between two star clusters associated with Taurus the Bull; the Pleiades and the Hyades. By April 10th Venus will be just below the Pleiades (M 45)open star cluster. Check this out with binoculars!

On April 22nd the Moon and Venus will appear very close together; with both of them near the Hyades open star cluster. This will be another great view to see through binoculars. By the end of April, Venus will have moved further east and lie between the horn stars of zodiac constellation Taurus the Bull.

Mars has faded considerably in the last two months; it is over 100 million miles from Earth now, but it will be seen all month among the stars of the Gemini twins. It will not set until around midnight. On April 25th the waxing crescent Moon will just above the red planet. Both of them will be seen in the sky just below Castor and Pollux, Gemini’s two 1st magnitude stars, that mark the heads of each of the twins.

Saturn returns to view but in the early morning eastern sky rising around 5 am. However the observing window for it will not improve much until the end of the month. Early on it will be quite low to the east horizon. Jupiter will not be visible at all this month. It is in conjunction with the Sun. But things improve for seeing both Saturn and Jupiter in the eastern mornings skies by May; and then into the summer months.

The LYRID meteor shower peaks on April 22nd with ideal conditions for it because the Moon will not interfere. Lyra the harp in the sky from where the meteors appear to come rises close to the zenith(top of the sky) just before dawn. This is toward the east-northeast sky. The rate of meteors from the Lyrids averages about 18 to 25 per hour.
The Full Moon of April is on the 6th.

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March 2022 Sky-Watch

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March begins with a splendid CONJUNCTION of the two brightest planets as seen from Earth; Venus at magnitude –3.9 and Jupiter at magnitude –2.1. Look west on March 1st for brilliant Venus even before full darkness, and locate Jupiter just a Moon’s width apart, and below and left of Venus! They will remain close on both March 2nd and 3rd, but Venus’s faster orbit speed will take it above and away from Venus later in the month. Find a location where the western horizon is clear to enjoy this beautiful sight. The planetary duo will set before 8:30 pm.

Venus is some 127 million miles from Earth right now, while Jupiter is 537 million miles away. Yet their appearing side by side to us now is because they are both in the same direction in the sky from Earth as we look out there. Obviously their respective orbits move them continuously (as does Earth’s orbit). But sometimes that combined motion lines things up just so, that they appear close together in our skies. This is what we call a conjunction. This one in March, will be great —- and Bright!!

While Venus will appear to move away from Jupiter all month, on March 22nd we can look for Jupiter near a crescent Moon. This is another conjunction, and this pair will set about 70 minutes after sunset in the western sky.

There will be 2 occasions for sky-watchers with binoculars to spot Uranus, the 7th planet out from the Sun, and one, though a Gas Giant planet, that is quite dim. It is over a billion miles from the Sun!

On March 24th look for the crescent Moon; than scan below it to find the dim, bluish Uranus at magnitude +5.8. By March 30th Venus will be in conjunction with Uranus. With binoculars Uranus will be seen just a degree below Venus.

Mars is bright among the stars of Taurus the Bull; well up in the western sky. Mars is seen between the horn stars of the Bull. On March 29th Mars, with binoculars, will be found just above M 35, a nice open cluster of stars in Gemini. It will look like Mars is nestled among its stars.

Full Moon comes early this month; on March 7th.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

February 2023 Sky-Watch

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February features 3 bright planets and one very dim planet each evening all month. Venus, Jupiter, and Mars stretch across the western sky after sunset looking from right to left. This is a perfect setup for sky-watchers with telescopes, offering plenty of features to enjoy.

Venus the brightest of the 3 planets sets 2 hours after the Sun. Neptune, on February 14th may be seen, with binoculars only, just left and slightly above Venus; and on February 15th, Neptune will appear just right and slightly below Venus.

This shift is due to the motion of Venus. Venus is 1.4 astronomical units from Earth; while Neptune is 30.8 astronomical units from us. (An astronomical unit is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun). We notice the change of position for Venus against the background sky as it moves in its orbit because it is so much closer to us than Neptune. Through a telescope Venus will show us a 90% lit disk this month.

On February 28th Venus and Jupiter (the 2 brightest planets) will appear very close to each other low in the western sky. They will be hard to miss; and should not be! Jupiter offers many fine details of its turbulent, cloudy atmosphere through telescopes of any size, along with its 4 largest moons, seen as tiny jewels on either side of the giant planet.

Mars outshines all the stars of nearby Taurus the bull all month, including Aldebaran, its brightest and reddish star. Mars is just left (east) of the Pleiades star cluster at the beginning of the month and will appear gradually to move further east away from it all month. On February 27th, Mars will be very close and to the left of the 1st Quarter Moon.

Check Mars with binoculars on February 10 and 11th for a chance to see a “binocular” Comet! We might, if the comet brightens enough, see a faint “fuzz-ball” just above and left of Mars (ten o’clock on a clock-face) on the 10th; and just below Mars (6 o’clock) on the 11th. Worth a try!

February Full Moon happens on February 5th.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.