I named Mini T-1 (Hailey) after this comet. To this day I call her hale-bop
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Wait, you named her Hailey after the Hale-Bopp comet instead of Halley’s Comet?
If she tells people she was named after a comet, I would guess people are going to assume Halley’s rather than Hale-Bopp. And she will probably even get to see Halley’s in her lifetime.
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Looks like, what astronomers call, a “Far Away Radiation Turbulence.”
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This isn’t news per se…but NASA has an alternative to the Yule Log:
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Saturn and Venus are nearing each other, from our perspective.
Will add an article from the LAT soon.
Missed the first one:
January: Mars’ disappearing act
On Jan. 13 at 5:30 p.m., the moon is going to orbit in front of Mars, and Mars will disappear for a bit, reappearing on the other side of the moon. That’s known as occultation.
This event is a good Southern California special, Alarcon said. It’s viewable only from the West Coast.
I’ll be at the coast this weekend for this one:
January: Venus and Saturn get close to each other
Venus and Saturn are hundreds of millions of miles apart depending on their positions in orbit, but on Jan. 18, the planets will appear “less than half a degree apart in the sky,” according to National Geographic.
March: Total lunar eclipse
The most recent total lunar eclipse visible to Southern Californians occurred in 2022. This spectacular event happens when the moon moves into the Earth’s shadow and turns a blood-red color near and at totality.
The color is due to Earth’s atmosphere acting as a lens and preferentially directing red and orange light onto the lunar surface, according to the Griffith Observatory.
In 2025, the eclipse will occur March 14. Weather permitting, you’ll be able to see totality starting at 8:57 p.m. Pacific time.
March: Watch Saturn’s rings disappear
Bring out your telescope equipment for Saturn’s magic trick: its disappearing rings.
Our view of the planet and its rings changes as it moves through its orbit. That’s because the orbits of Earth and Saturn are tilted with respect toward each other, so when rings seem to disappear, it’s because we’re seeing them edge-on, according to NASA.
On March 23, Saturn’s tilt aligns with Earth’s, making the thin rings appear to be nearly invisible. This will be the narrowest you’ll see the rings in 2025, and without equipment you probably won’t be able to see it.
June: Mercury takes a bow
Mercury is difficult to spot from Earth because of its close proximity to the sun. As NASA explains, the planet is only viewable at dawn or twilight when the sun’s brightness doesn’t outshine it.
That will change June 26, when our solar system’s smallest planet will be about 15 degrees above the horizon about 15 to 20 minutes after sunset, according to High Point Scientific.
This is the best chance you’ll have in 2025 to see — using a telescope — both Mercury and the moon in the evening sky together, experts say.
August: Venus and Jupiter cozy up
Scientific experts are calling this rare August event a can’t-miss opportunity to see the two brightest planets in close proximity to each other. On Aug. 12, you’ll be able to see Venus and Jupiter in close conjunction at predawn in the eastern part of the sky.
Venus will outshine Jupiter with a brilliant white glow, according to High Point Scientific. Jupiter, by comparison, will be dimmer and have a golden glow.
By looking through a telescope, you’ll be able to see Jupiter’s banded atmosphere and four Galilean moons, which may appear as tiny dots lined up around the planet, National Geographic says.
September: Waning crescent moon, Venus and Regulus
Those on the East Coast who look up and to the east Sept. 19 about 45 minutes before sunrise will see a crescent moon, Venus and brilliant star Regulus aligned.
For Southern Californians, also 45 minutes before the sun comes up that day, the crescent moon and Regulus will be to the left or lower left of Venus in a possible triangle shape.
The trio will shine brightly, but Venus will outshine the other two, and Regulus will be emanating a blue-white hue.
Experts say the event will be visible to the naked eye, but binoculars or a telescope are recommended to enhance your view.
December: Geminid meteor shower
If you missed the Geminid meteor shower over the weekend, you’ll have a chance to catch it next year.
The debris causing the Geminids, an annual event, originated from an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon, according to NASA.
About 10 days before the Geminids are expected to reach maximum, there will be a full moon. But by Dec. 13 and 14, the moon will be in a waning crescent phase, and its brightness won’t overpower the skies. More important, it won’t interfere with viewing of the meteor shower, High Point Scientific says.
On Dec.13, two hours after sunset, you can look up at the sky — in a direction that’s away from the moon — and hunt for shooting stars. The show is predicted to continue until the early hours of the following day.
The Geminid meteor shower can produce up to 50 meteors an hour during the peak dates of Dec. 13-14 in a typical year.
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Looked south last night as I thought there would be a SpaceX rocket visible. No bueno!
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Gotta zoom in.
Clouds now. Bummer.
Wow, so bright! I’’ snap a pix if I see it again.
I expected them a little closer than this.
Map of the current risk corridor:
:
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Looks like some of those moons…and maybe a few others…might get the satellite-equivalent of being Pluto’d.
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