COVID-19
Update: We have received word from Green River that they will be fully open starting
the weekend of May 29/30th, which means there will be no restrictions on the Spring Bootleg Star Party other than the standing Phase 3 guidelines in Illinois
as found here: https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/restore-illinois-phase-3
Send in your registration
forms, as early registration ends this upcoming Saturday, May 30th (especially
for t-shirt orders)!!
2020 Bootleg Fall Star
Party - September 17th-20th!
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The Bootleg Star Party
Registration Form is available HERE
(pre-registration deadline is May 30th)
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*** Due to the number of people
doing imaging at the Bootleg Star Parties, Bootleg Management is indicating that
Green Lasers will not be permitted starting one hour after sunset ***
Upcoming
Observing Highlights for July 2020
(from skymaps.com)
1
Mercury
at inferior conjunction
with the Sun at 3h UT. Mercury passes into the morning sky.
2
Moon
near Antares
(evening sky) at 20h UT.
• Antares
(Wikipedia)
4
Earth
at Aphelion
(farthest from Sun) at 12h UT. The Sun- Earth distance is
1.016694 a.u. or about 152.1 million km.
• Earth
at Aphelion (SpaceWeather.com)
• Photographic
Size Comparison (Anthony Ayiomamitis)
Moon
near Jupiter
(midnight sky) at 23h UT. Mag. −2.7.
• Jupiter
(Wikipedia)
6
Moon
near Saturn
(midnight sky) at 10h UT. Mag. 0.2.
• Saturn
(Wikipedia)
8
Venus
at its brightest
at 12h UT. Mag. −4.5.
11
Moon
near Mars
(morning sky) at 22h UT. Mag. −0.7.
• Mars
(Wikipedia)
12
Venus
0.95° N of Aldebaran
(40° from Sun, morning sky) at 2h UT. Mags. −4.5 and 0.9.
12
Moon
at apogee
(farthest from Earth) at 19h UT (distance 404,199 km; angular
size 29.6').
12
Last
Quarter Moon
at 23:30 UT.
14
Jupiter
at opposition
(opposite the Sun) at 8h UT. Best time to observe the largest
planet in the solar system. Mag. −2.8.
• Opposition
(Wikipedia)
16
Moon
near the Pleiades
at 8h UT (morning sky).
• The
Pleiades (Wikipedia)
17
Moon,
Venus and Aldebaran
within a circle of diam. 4.1° (morning sky) at 2h UT. Mags.
−4.5 and 0.9.
• Venus
(Wikipedia)
• Aldebaran
(Wikipedia)
19
Moon
near Mercury
(morning sky) at 5h UT. Mag. 0.9.
• Mercury
(Wikipedia)
20
Moon
near Castor
(morning sky) at 6h UT.
20
Moon
near Pollux
(morning sky) at 10h UT.
20
New
Moon
at 17:32 UT. Start of lunation 1207.
20
Saturn
at opposition
(opposite the Sun) at 22h UT. The ringed planet is at its
closest and brightest at mag. +0.1. Saturn's rings are
spectacular even in a small telescope.
• Opposition
(Wikipedia)
22
Mercury
at greatest elongation west
(20° from Sun, morning sky) at 15h UT. Mag. 0.3.
23
Moon
near Regulus
(evening sky) at 0h UT.
• Regulus
(Wikipedia)
25
Moon
at perigee
(closest to Earth) at 5:05 UT (distance 368,361 km; angular size
32.4').
26
Moon
near Spica
(evening sky) at 19h UT.
• Spica
(Wikipedia)
27
First
Quarter Moon
at 12:33 UT.
30
Moon
near Antares
(evening sky) at 3h UT.
>>>
All
times Universal Time (UT). USA Central Standard Time = UT-6 hours. (DST = UT-5 hrs,)
Zodiacal
Light
is caused by sunlight reflected off meteoric dust in the plane
of the solar system. Choose a clear, moonless night, about 1-2
hours after sunset, and look for a large triangular-shaped glow
extending up from the horizon (along the ecliptic). The best
months to view the Zodiacal Light is when the ecliptic is almost
vertical at the horizon: March and April (evening) and
October-November (morning); times reversed for the southern
hemisphere.
• Zodiacal
Light (Wikipedia)
• Astronomy
Picture of the Day (APOD)
• Photographing
the Zodiacal Light (Weatherscapes)
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