The thunderstorms cleared out before 9 PM. We had a few clouds, but also some clear sky, particularly by the end of the evening.
Here is a recap of what we observed last night:
- Jupiter and the Galilean satellites (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) : As mentioned, NASA's Juno Mission arrives Jupiter on Monday 4 July.
- Mars: Mars was at opposition on 22 May 2016, making it very well-placed for observing this summer.
- Saturn: The ringed planet will be visible until mid-September. On 24 August, look to see Saturn near in sky to both Mars and the beautiful red supergiant star, Antares.
- M13, (the Hercules cluster): M13 is an example of a globular cluster and is about 25,000 light-years from Earth.
- M57 (the Ring Nebula): M57 is an example of planetary nebula and is about 2,000 light-years from Earth.
More information about all of the planets can be found on NASA's Solar System Exploration page.
Last night I recommended the planetarium software package Stellarium. Stellarium is free and operates on Windows, Mac, and Linux. I've used it on all three platforms without issue. There is a mobile version ($2.49, last time I checked) as well.
I also use the website Heavens Above for astronomical and satellite data.
Finally, the US Naval Observatory's Data Services page is a fantastic resource and one I use frequently.
Thank you everyone for attending, and for your interest in the Montgomery College Observatory! Event dates for August, September, and October will be posted soon.
