THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249      www.usm.maine.edu/planet
70 Falmouth Street     Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N                   70.2667° W
Founded January 1970
Julian date:  2457755.16
             "I googled 'Big Bang' and lost my innocence."


*THE DAILY ASTRONOMER*
*Tuesday, January 3, 2017*
*Week 18 Night Sky Calendar*

Although the memory is vague, we think we promised to return on January
2nd, even though we intended to return on January 3rd, as the University
Elder Circle quite kindly designated Monday as a holiday.   While we always
want to fulfill our promises, we also wanted to accept Jan 2nd as a
holiday.  Thus, we comprised:  we will post this article on a Monday, but
will post it as Tuesday's DA.     So, if you read the title date, no need
for alarm.  It is still Monday, January 3rd.  If, of course, you're reading
this article in Australia or New Zealand or in most of East Asia, please
ignore that last sentence.

Oh, and, Happy New Year!
We're delighted to see you again.


We begin the top of the year at the top of the Winter Hexagon!   For those
who've just arrived, we focus on a different constellation each week at or
near the beginning of the night sky calendars.  For the next month and a
half, we will select a different "Winter Hexagon" constellation each week.
     Today, we find at its ​apex Auriga the Charioteer.


*Auriga the Charioteer.    Its brightest star, Capella, marks the
northernmost point of the "Winter Hexagon."   Just think of Capella as
being the Hexagon's "Cap."   *

HELIOS HYPERION was arguably the most important god of all those who
presided over Earth.  His all important function was to drive the Sun
chariot across the sky each day.  The Sun, for those who've forgotten, is
the benevolent sphere imparting warmth and light onto the world.    As
Aurora, goddess of the dawn, cast feeble light into the east, Helios
Hyperion secured himself in the chariot and pulled hard on the reins, so as
to control the ferocious steads that drew it forth.    Every day he
ascended to the greatest heights in the morning and descended toward the
west in the afternoon.   Each night he rested and the Sun cleansed itself
in the unseen waters beneath the land.

Helios' usual routine was rather abruptly disrupted one early day before
sunrise when a young man appeared in his crystalline palace.    This
interloper was Phaeton, a child of the Oceanid Clymene.    He had been told
throughout his childhood that Helios Hyperion was his father.    Now grown
to young manhood, Phaeton had resolved to see his father and ask about his
paternity. Apart from being angry, Helios was gladdened at his son's
appearance, for he had watched Phaeton throughout his childhood slowly
mature from infancy to adolescence and finally to adulthood.   It had been
a grief to Hyperion that he could not speak with or even visit his own son.
   All the same, he was consoled by the knowledge that his son was safe and
loved.     He also knew that he, being the Sun god capable of witnessing
all that transpired on Earth, would always be able to see him.

"You are, indeed, my son," Helios Hyperion quickly replied after Phaeton
asked the question.  "I welcome you to my home which you may now call your
home, as well, should you wish to do so."
Phaeton looked at his father quizzically and said, "How am I to know you
are truly my father?"
"Ask me for one wish and I shall grant it.  Whatever it is you desire, I
swear by the River Styz that I shall give it to you."
After a very brief pause, Phaeton answered, "I wish to drive your chariot
across the sky for just one day.  Grant me this wish and I shall know I am
your son."
Helios Hyperion immediately regretted his offer for he knew that only he
could drive the Sun chariot across the sky,  The journey between the
horizon was fraught with peril. The path was the home of a giant scorpion,
a fearsome centaur and a menagerie of other formidable beasts.    Helios
was able to pass through the sky unmolested by these creatures only because
his own steeds were equally fierce.    Even though Helios was
preternaturally strong, he still struggled throughout the day to maintain
his mastery over his horses.    He explained his misgivings to his son in
an attempt to dissuade him from driving the chariot.
"Even Zeus, himself, is equal to the task.     Only I can control these
beasts.  Please, my son, I implore you to choose another gift.    Ask of me
anything else:  I can bestow upon you immortality,  great powers, and an
abundance of riches and would do so happily.     I just ask you to withdraw
your request. "
Alas, Phaeton did not.
Ultimately, Helios had to relent, for he had sworn by the River Styx and,
in so doing, made a vow he could not break.    Sadly, he guided the excited
Phaeton to the enormous chariot.     He anointed his son's eyes with nectar
so he would not be blinded by the Sun's brilliance.    "Pull on these with
all your strength and do not relax your grip, not even for a moment."
Phaeton watched as Aurora's light intensified and the dull, pre-dawn gray
brightened into bronze.   "Steady on, my son,"   Helios advised as he
watched the chariot pull forth and rapidly rise along the sharp arcs of the
eastern sky.   Phaeton  was at once horrified by the heights they were
ascending.    He could indeed behold the world below him, as well as the
cloud forms churning far below.    In a panic, he loosened the reins.  The
steeds realized that they were no longer constrained and bolted straight up
in a fury.    Phaeton was tossed back against the chariot and entirely lost
his grip on the reins.   The horses abruptly descended, causing the
panicked Phaeton to careen into the chariot's front section.     The Sun
drew too close to the land. The trees and crops burst into flame, creating
the deserts.   The horses reared up again and with the Sun in tow, scorched
the sky, creating the Milky Way.

This commotion came to Zeus' attention.   He saw the flaming Earth, burnt
sky and renegade steeds of Helios' chariot.   He also saw  Phaeton cowering
in the chariot.  Zeus quickly struck him dead with a thunderbolt and was
able to hold the chariot fast until Helios could take control.     Despite
his profound grief and misery, Helios Hyperion brought the steeds under
control and continued to guide them toward the west, while the limp body of
his dead son fell far below him.      Poor Phaeton finally landed in the
river Eridanus, where his sisters found his body.  It is said that their
own grief was so deep they wept tears of amber that still fall by the river
bank.

High in the northern sky looms the chariot of Helios Hyperion, which is now
mired in the light of the Milky Way that it created a long time ago.

MONDAY, JANUARY 2:  VENUS 1.9 DEGREES SOUTH OF THE MOON (SILVER EVENT!!)
Venus is almost at its maximum brightness for the year.  At magnitude -4.4,
the second planet will be 16 times brighter than Sirius.      Tonight, we
will behold the brilliant planet close to the crescent moon in the western
evening sky.     A 1000-calorie confection for the eye.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 3:  MARS 0.2 DEGREES SOUTH OF THE MOON
Mars is 130 times dimmer than Venus and is not as readily visible.   While
one can find Venus without even trying, Mars is more difficult to observe.
   A sky watcher will have an easier time locating Mars tonight, as the
moon will appear just "above" it.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 3:   QUADRANTID METEOR SHOWER PEAKS
Meteor showers are named for the constellation or star from which the meteors
appear to originate.   The year's first meteor shower is named for an
"extinct" constellation, defined as one that is no longer officially
recognized.     That constellation was called "Quadrans Muralis."  Invented
by French astronomer Jerome LaLande (1732-1807), Quadrans Muralis
represented a mural quadrant, a large device used to measure a star's
position.    Lalande first included Quadrans Muralis in his 1795 edition of
the Fortin's Celestial Atlas.  The pattern soon lapsed into obscurity as
only faint stars comprised it.  Those stars are now shared by the
constellation Bootes and Ursa Major.  This shower can produce 30 - 60
meteors an hour. This year is somewhat favorable for the meteor shower as
the moon is in the crescent phase and won't produce significant lunar light
interference.


WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4:  EARTH AT PERIHELION
At 9:19 a.m. today, Earth will reach perihelion.   (If you're reading this
passage after 9:19 a.m. today, please pardon the verb tense.)   Perihelion
is the point of least separation between the Sun and Earth.    Our planet
is at is closest approach to it parent star.  Earth travels along an
elliptical, not circular, orbit.  A circle is a closed curve consisting of
points equi-distant from a common center. An ellipse is "oval-shaped."
 Although, Earth's orbital path is only slightly elongated:

​*A diagram of Earth's orbit.   * *Earth;s orbit is elliptical, not
circular.    The planet's distance from the Sun varies throughout the
year.  Earth reaches its minimum distance perihelion, on January 4th, when
its distance from the Sun will be 91,404,322 miles from the Sun.    On July
3, Earth will reach aphelion and will then be 94,505, 901 miles from the
Sun.    Though this 3.1 million mile difference seems significant, it
represents about a 3% distance change throughout the year.  Image:
 Wikipedia.com*


We are now closer to the Sun than we will be for the rest of the year.
Consequently, the Sun appears slightly larger, the radiation we receive
from the Sun is at a maximum, and our planet's orbital velocity is greater
now than at any other time.      Wonderfully, it is difficult to notice any
of these changes.   First of all, the Sun appears less than 3% larger now
than it does in early July, when Earth reaches aphelion.    We would need
telescopes and precise measurement tools to notice this variation.
 Secondly, the variation in radiation is also slight.        The top of
Earth's atmosphere receives about 1.41 kiloWatts of solar  energy per
square meter in January, and 1.32 kiloWatts of energy per square meter in
July, the maximum and minimum amounts, respectively: about a 7% difference,
not enough to directly affect our weather.   Thirdly, the orbital velocity
varies because, as Kepler's Second Law tells us, a  planet's velocity
increases as its distance from the Sun decreases.    Right now, Earth is
moving around the Sun at about 67,750 miles per hour.  In July, its orbital
speed slows down to a slightly more lethargic 65,515 miles per hour.
 Still, our planet is still a rapid mover.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 5:     FIRST QUARTER MOON

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7:  PLUTO IN SOLAR CONJUNCTION
We cannot see the planet Pluto tonight.    Granted, without a powerful
telescope, Pluto isn't visible, anyway.     Even with the aid of such a
telescope, Pluto won't be observable as it will be passing on the far side
of the Sun relative to Earth    The technical term for this configuration
is "superior solar conjunction."   Pluto will emerge into the eastern
pre-dawn sky later this winter, not that we'll notice.

PLANET WATCH
MERCURY: A beautiful morning planet this month, Mercury rises earlier each
morning until late January.    The little planet reaches its greatest
western elongation on the 19th, when it will be 24 degrees west of the Sun.
   VERDICT:   Mercury is never an easy planet to observe, but it is
slightly easier this month if you venture out before sunrise and look to
the east.

VENUS:  (PICK PLANET!)   Yes, we knew that you knew that we'd choose Venus
as the pick planet again.   How could we not?   Our sister planet is not
only at its greatest brilliance, but will reach its greatest eastern
elongation on January 12th.        VERDICT:    Unless you hate astronomy,
you will want to see Venus this month.  And, if you do hate astronomy, um,
well, we hope you enjoy the DA, anyway.

MARS:  Venus' evening sky companion, Mars is more than a hundred times
dimmer, but still brighter than all but fifteen night sky stars.  If one
can find Venus, one need only look a bit to the west to find Mars.
VERDICT:  It doesn't dazzle, but Mars is still moderately bright and
therefore not to difficult to observe.

JUPITER:   A morning sky object this month.   The giant planet rises well
after midnight, but will be high in the pre-dawn eastern sky.     Jupiter
is that bright "star" one sees in the morning just before sunrise.
VERDICT:  A beautiful planet that one can even see as the morning twilight
brightens.

SATURN:   Yet another morning planet.   However, Saturn remains low in the
eastern pre-dawn sky throughout the month.     It rises about four minutes
earlier each day.   As winter progresses, Saturn will move into greater
morning sky prominence.  We can look forward to seeing Saturn in the
evening sky when the spring and summer warmth returns.   VERDICT:   You can
find it if you absolutely have to.  However, Saturn will be on stage almost
all year and will be easier to find as we move into spring.