What can you expect to see at the Community Observatory this Weekend?

The weather this week has been unsettled but Friday and Saturday nights are predicted to be mostly clear. We do have a full moon on Sunday and it will be quite full both Friday and Saturday.

This weekend is a “Blue Moon.” That doesn’t mean that it will be colored blue, it means that it is the second full moon in the same month. That happens because there are only 29.5 days between each full moon and most months are slightly longer. Each month’s full moon has a name. The “Full Flower Moon” fell on May 1st, and the second full moon that occurs on May 31st doesn’t have a name, so this moon gets the generic name of “Blue Moon.” Our “once in a blue moon” phrase reflects the fact that this doesn’t occur often. By the way, it is possible for one month to have a “Black Moon” where there is no full moon. Can you guess which month can have a black moon?

This is also a “Micro Moon.” That means that the Moon is near its “apogee” which is its furthest point from Earth in its orbit. Micro moons are up to 14% smaller than a normal full moon and up to 30% smaller than the biggest super moon. Luminosity is also correspondingly less during a micro moon.

Supernovae and novae are rare events. A common type of supernova occurs when a star destroys itself by imploding after it runs out of usable fuel. There have only been seven Supernovas that humanity since humans have been keeping records. We expect there to be only 1 to 3 supernovas in our galaxy per century. The last one that was visible to the naked eye was in 1064 AD.

But, when we look at the thousands of other relatively close galaxies, we can see distant supernovas much more frequently. There is a supernova visible right now in a galaxy 53 million light years away. You will likely get to see it when you visit us this weekend.

Novae are very different. They occur when a white dwarf star is in orbit with a red giant star. The white dwarf steals matter from the giant and it accumulates on the surface. The stolen gas on the white dwarf's surface builds intense pressure and heat until the hydrogen ignites in a thermonuclear explosion.  Unlike a supernova, the white dwarf isn’t destroyed. It lives and the process begins again.

We are expecting to see a nova in the constellation “Corona Borealis.” This nova repeats on an 80 year cycle and it last flared in 1946. This constellation has rotated into view in the evenings now and It could flare at any time. It won’t be visually exciting since it will be a 10th magnitude star brightening to 2nd magnitude. That means that a star that is invisible to the naked eye will briefly shine about as bright as the stars in the Big Dipper.

Jupiter and Saturn will be the only planets visible right now. Jupiter is very close to the horizon as the Sun sets. June will be the last month for you to see it in the evenings until November. Our summer months will be a planetary drought this year.

We are working with the Sacramento Valley Astronomical Society to host a solar viewing on Saturday from 9 AM until Noon. It will be at Elk Grove Horseshoe Park. Join us to view our very active Sun right now.

We plan to be open between 9 and 11 PM on Friday and Saturday this week. Be sure to check our website at communityobservatory.com after 3 PM on the day you want to come to be sure that we don’t have a weather closure. Come prepared to pay the college $2 to park. Bring a coat, it can be cold.

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