September 5 – 18, 2016
Mt. Washington — As the autumn equinox approaches, we have been acclimating to earlier nightfall and later daybreak. The equinox will occur on the 22nd. Our nearly omnipresent summer sun is leaving us, but provides adventure and mystery by lighting the increasing darkness with its reflected light that comes to our eyes from planets and the moon. Further, our opportunities in the dark seasons are boundless when we gaze up to the stars that are suns scattered far beyond our solar system, suns that compose the Milky Way galaxy of which our solar system is a part. In astronomy circles, there is grave concern that interest in getting to know the night sky is especially low among young people. A sense of community – ecology – that includes our place in the cosmos is vital to our survival.
Many of us in the Berkshires missed the August 27 conjunction of Venus and Jupiter because a bank of deep, grey clouds hung above the western horizon in the exact spot where the planets met and set. During the first week of September, it is still worth looking for Jupiter: I find that binoculars are necessary to locate it in early twilight, within about 20 minutes of sunset. While Jupiter is disappearing from the night sky, Venus is entering as the Evening Star, the third brightest, star-like object in Earth’s skies after the sun and moon. See https://theberkshireedge.com/eyes-to-the-sky-five-planets-awe-inspiring-conjunctions-comings-and-goings/ and https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/venus-july-2016-to-april-2017
Thanks to Kevin Collins, an amateur astronomer and telescope maker, we have a second chance at seeing the conjunction (through his photograph) and an opportunity to inspire youth as well as adults through his enthusiasm for astronomy.
I met Collins when he was president of the Amherst Area Amateur Astronomy Association (5As) and I was attending a 5As’ observing (with telescopes) meeting open to the general public at the Amherst College Observatory. He related to me that an interest in mechanics and optics led him to telescope-making while in high school. Observing the night sky and learning about telescopes from that point culminated in his building a 20-inch reflector telescope in 2007. Kevin recounted, “The 20-inch project also provided the opportunity for me, my father, and my brother to all work on a project together in our adult lives…..an experience I will cherish forever.” That night in Amherst, I experienced a memorable view of Saturn with its phenomenal rings through his telescope which he had positioned, along with others, beside the observatory for the meeting.
Collins was president of the 5As for four years, out of his desire to bring people of similar interests together to enjoy the hobby as well as gratitude to this community of amateur astronomers that was significant in the development of his interest and involvement with amateur astronomy early on. For information about the club, go to https://amherstastronomy.org/ For a listing of clubs in our region, go to https://www.go-astronomy.com/astro-clubs-state.php?State=MA
Resources:
Amherst Area Amateur Astronomers Association (5A’s) https://amherstastronomy.org/
Directory of astronomy clubs – https://www.go-astronomy.com/astro-clubs-state.php?State=MA
Recent tips for observing the planets https://theberkshireedge.com/eyes-to-the-sky-five-planets-awe-inspiring-conjunctions-comings-and-goings/
https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/venus-july-2016-to-april-2017
https://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/north-america/canada/atlantic-time/
Annual Nova East Star Party – https://halifax.rasc.ca/ne/
The Full Harvest Moon occurs on Friday, September 16 https://earthsky.org/tonight/is-the-september-2016-full-moon-a-supermoon
