Bootleg Astronomers

Bootleg Fall Star Party Update: We had THREE CLEAR NIGHTS at the fall star party! A great time was had by all who attended! .

Send in your registration forms, as early registration ends Saturday, September 12th! (if the Star Party cannot be held as a group event, as was the case in the spring, then your registration fee will be refunded and you will just have to pay for your nightly camping fee)!

The Bootleg Star Party Registration Form is available HERE (pre-registration deadline is September 12th)

*** 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 ***

1	Mercury at greatest elongation east (26° from Sun, evening sky) at 16h UT. Mag. 0.1.
1	Full Moon at 21:06 UT.
3	Venus 0.1° S of Regulus (morning sky) at 0h UT. Mags. −4.1 & 1.4.
3	Moon near Mars (morning sky) at 5h UT. Mag. −2.5. Occultation visible from southern South America. • Mars (Wikipedia) • Occultation of Mars (IOTA)
3	Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 17h UT (distance 406,321 km; angular size 29.4').
6	Moon near the Pleiades at 6h UT (morning sky). • The Pleiades (Wikipedia)
6	Mars nearest to Earth at 14h UT (62.1 million km).
7	Moon near Aldebaran at 0h UT (morning sky).
10	Last Quarter Moon at 0:40 UT.
10	Moon near Castor (morning sky) at 9h UT.
10	Moon near Pollux (morning sky) at 14h UT.
11	Moon near Beehive cluster M44 (71° from Sun, morning sky) at 15h UT. • Beehive Cluster (Wikipedia) • M44: The Beehive Cluster (APOD)
13	Moon near Regulus (morning sky) at 6h UT. • Regulus (Wikipedia)
13	Mars at opposition at 23h UT. Mag. −2.6. The brightest the red planet will appear till 2035.
14	Moon near Venus (morning sky) at 4h UT. Mag. −4.0. • Venus (Wikipedia)
16	New Moon at 19:31 UT. Start of lunation 1210.
16	Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 23:57 UT (distance 356,912 km; angular size 33.5').
19	Moon near Antares (evening sky) at 23h UT. • Antares (Wikipedia)
20	Orionid meteor shower peaks at 23h UT. Arises from the debris field of Comet Halley. Active from October 2 to November 7. Produces very fast (67 km/sec), generally faint meteors (20 per hour). Radiant located near OrionÕs club asterism. Best observed after midnight on nights of Oct 20-21. • Meteor Shower Calendar (IMO)
22	Moon near Jupiter (evening sky) at 18h UT. Mag. −2.2. • Jupiter (Wikipedia)
23	Moon near Saturn (evening sky) at 5h UT. Mag. 0.6. • Saturn (Wikipedia)
23	First Quarter Moon at 13:23 UT.
25	Mercury at inferior conjunction with the Sun at 18h UT. Mercury passes into the morning sky.
29	Moon near Mars (morning sky) at 19h UT. Mag. −2.2.
30	Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 19h UT (distance 406,394 km; angular size 29.4').
31	Full Moon at 14:50 UT.
31	Uranus at opposition at 16h UT. Mag. 5.7. • Uranus (Wikipedia)

>>> 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)