Rains to eclipse star gazing

The rainy season is here again. We had only a few clear nights in May and now we should not expect to do much of star gazing for the next th...

The rainy season is here again. We had only a few clear nights in May and now we should not expect to do much of star gazing for the next three months or so. Like every year I would like to remind you again that even though the skies will be cloudy even if it is not raining, these months provide some of the excellent viewing opportunities. If indeed the sky opens up it will be crystal clear. All the dust and soot floating in the atmosphere would have been washed out. So keep your binoculars and telescopes handy.

Well this reminds me of yet another advice. These are humid days with lot of moisture floating around. So take good care of your optics. It is not a good idea to pack your binoculars for the season. Keep them in a well-ventilated area. Put these instruments in a good plastic bag along with a lot of moisture absorbing silica gel. You can get silica gel in shops selling laboratory chemicals. They look like dark blue stones when free from moisture but turn white after absorbing water. When the gel stones turn white heat them in a Kadhi until they turn blue, and they are recharged. The gel stones do break into smaller pieces. Pack these in a piece of hosiery cloth. It is advisable to inspect the instrument and the gel at regular intervals.

If you get some sunshine then keep the instruments in the sun light. If it has absorbed the moisture you will soon see it condensed on the lens. Leave it there long enough for the moisture to evaporate. Then re-pack the instrument properly.

And then when the sky clears up do give yourself a treat.Facing west you can see that two open clusters M67 and M44 are just above the horizon. You can even catch M44 without the help of any optical aid. It appears as a faint patch of light. In Indian astronomy we recognise this object as Pushya nakshatra. On 26th you will find the thin crescent of the Moon just above towards the left.

Inclined towards the west this month is Leo, the Lion Simha and coming overhead is Bootes Bhutap and Virgo the Virgin Kanya. Check out Corvus, the Crow Hasta using a pair of binoculars. It has quite many stars placed close to each other.

To the south is Centaurus Naraturunga with its beautiful globular cluster Omega. One should not miss this beauty. You must give a try for M13 in Hercules Shauri. the Solar System.Till 1781 we knew of only five planets. That year Sir William Herschel discovered the 7th planet using a telescope. This planet is visible to the naked eye. Of course a pair of binoculars will help greatly. The planet rises above the Pune horizon about quarter past 11 pm during the first week of the month and then half past nine by the month end. The planet is in Capricornus. Last year I distributed a map to locate this planet. This year too you can have a map for finding this planet. Send me a self-addressed stamped envelope at IUCAA. Post Bag No. 4, Ganeshkhind, Pune 7. The map will also show the positions of Neptune which is a little to the west of Uranus. This planet might pose some difficulty but is worth giving a try.

The first planet in the solar system, Mercury, though easily visible to the naked eyes, also is elusive. But towards the end of the month it is well placed about the western horizon. On June 25 the thin crescent of moon is to its left. Both of them are in the gateway of heavens and set about an hour later than the sun.

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Talking about the sun, it reaches its northern most point on the celestial sphere on June 21. This event is called the summer solstice. The day is longest on this day in the northern hemisphere. Though this not all too bad for us living close to the equator, as the day is about 13 hours-long but if you are close to 60 degrees north such as at Solo, Norway or Stockholm, Sweden the day is almost 19 hours-long. Here the sun will rise about 35 degrees east of north and set at 35 degrees west of north. The sky will not get dark enough for you to do any star gazing around this time of the year.

We have Jupiter, Saturn and Venus in the pre-dawn sky. I have often written here how you can see Venus in broad daylight with the help of the Moon. However, on April 23 when Jupiter and Venus were occultated by the moon many told me that they could even see Jupiter with naked eyes. You can try your skills and eyesight. Look for Jupiter and Moon in the morning of June 17 and try to follow them up in daylight. Jupiter will be about two lunar diameters north of the Moon.