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Astronomy CCD Images
The Sharpless Catalog
http://www.sharplesscatalog.com
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The Sharpless Catalog project is my effort to capture the detail of the Sharpless Catalog using hydrogen-alpha and color filters. I am also using oxygen III and sulfur II when it applies. The text description written for each object is in a way that explains how the object responds to the CCD Camera and telescope I was using and what to expect when using the filters I did.
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Daytime Digital Photography
http://www.greatscenery.com
http://www.trailscenery.com
The Night Sky Mobile Site
http://www.thenightsky.mobi
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Access my mobile Web site directly from your web cell phone to get the same statistical information you can find on this Web site about the sun, moon and planets.
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Solar
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Sunrise
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7:20 AM
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Sunset
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5:53 PM
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Distance
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91,585,810 Miles
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Angular Size
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32.47 Min. of Arc
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Position
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20hr 51min -18° 24'
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Constellation
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Capricornus
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Lunar
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Moonrise
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10:08 AM
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Moonset
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11:19 PM
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Distance
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247,978 Miles
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Angular Size
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30 Min. of Arc
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Position
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0hr 39min 5° 30'
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Constellation
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12:33 am
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Phase
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20.78%
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Lunar Phases
| 1st Qtr | 1/31/2012 | 4 09 UT |
| Full | 2/7/2012 | 21 54 UT |
| 3rd Qtr | 2/14/2012 | 17 04 UT |
| New | 2/21/2012 | 22 34 UT |
| 1st Qtr | 3/1/2012 | 1 21 UT |
| Full | 3/8/2012 | 9 39 UT |
| 3rd Qtr | 3/15/2012 | 1 25 UT |
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Sky EventsMercuryVenusMarsJupiterSaturnUranusNeptunePluto
| Date | Time (UT) | Event |
| 1/28/2012 | 01:00 | Moon passes 6 degrees north of Uranus |
| 1/30/2012 | 14:00 | Moon passes 5 degrees north of Jupiter |
| 1/30/2012 | 16:43 | Moon is at apogee |
| 1/31/2012 | 03:10 | First Quarter Moon |
| 1/28/2012 | 01:00 | Moon passes 6 degrees north of Uranus |
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Rise Time
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7:02 AM
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Transit Time
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12:08 PM
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Set Time
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5:10 PM
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Constellation
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Capricornus
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Distance from Sun
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42,150,367 Miles
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Distance from Earth
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131,177,922 Miles
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Light Travel Time
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0 hr 11 min
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RA Position
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20 hr 12 min
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Dec Position
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-21° 53'
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Magnitude
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-1
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Phase
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98%
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Angular Size
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4.78 sec of arc
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Mercury becomes visible in the morning sky late in December and rises about 90 minutes before sunrise by New Years Day. At a magnitude of -0.4 the planet can be confused with the bright star Antares which rises 30 minutes sooner. After the New Year, Mercury starts to make its way back down and is lost in the dawn light by mid month.
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Rise Time
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9:20 AM
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Transit Time
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3:08 PM
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Set Time
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8:52 PM
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Constellation
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Aquarius
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Distance from Sun
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67,234,751 Miles
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Distance from Earth
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105,294,980 Miles
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Light Travel Time
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0 hr 9 min
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RA Position
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23 hr 12 min
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Dec Position
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-6° 18'
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Magnitude
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-5
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Phase
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76%
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Angular Size
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14.94 sec of arc
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Venus stars the New Year in the evening sky and at a magnitude of -4.0 you cannot miss it. The current phase is still on the fuller side and the disk is still small. That will change during the first half of the year as Venus comes closer and closer to earth. Venus will remain in the evening sky until the Venus transit in early June.
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Rise Time
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9:14 PM
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Transit Time
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3:34 AM
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Set Time
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9:52 AM
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Constellation
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Virgo
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Distance from Sun
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154,764,378 Miles
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Distance from Earth
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76,261,104 Miles
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Light Travel Time
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0 hr 6 min
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RA Position
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11 hr 40 min
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Dec Position
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6° 12'
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Magnitude
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-1
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Phase
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95%
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Angular Size
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11.41 sec of arc
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Mars becomes stationary this month and will start to retrograde as opposition is not far away occurring in early March. The planets size will continue to grow although it really won’t be that large when opposition occurs. Mars has what is called a favorable opposition every 15 years so it is still quite a number of years before that happens again. Still, larger telescopes might begin to see the surface details on the red planet.
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Rise Time
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11:24 AM
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Transit Time
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5:57 PM
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Set Time
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12:28 AM
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Constellation
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Aries
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Distance from Sun
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463,032,315 Miles
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Distance from Earth
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462,702,660 Miles
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Light Travel Time
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0 hr 41 min
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RA Position
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2 hr 1 min
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Dec Position
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11° 11'
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Magnitude
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-2
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Phase
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99%
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Angular Size
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39.54 sec of arc
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Jupiter is still blazing the evening sky after sunset. On January 2nd, the crescent moon will pass some five degrees from the large planet. Very close to the Aries Pisces border Jupiter is always a favorite target for any size telescope.
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Rise Time
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12:08 AM
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Transit Time
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5:46 AM
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Set Time
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11:27 AM
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Constellation
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Virgo
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Distance from Sun
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903,306,011 Miles
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Distance from Earth
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886,317,241 Miles
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Light Travel Time
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1 hr 19 min
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RA Position
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13 hr 52 min
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Dec Position
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-8° 50'
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Magnitude
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1
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Phase
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100%
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Angular Size
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17.38 sec of arc
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Saturn rises before 1am local time and is well placed in the sky by dawn. The ring system is not at a 15 degree tilt so the planet is becoming a nice view than the past few years. Saturn is at a magnitude of 0.7 right now sitting in the constellation of Virgo.
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Rise Time
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9:59 AM
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Transit Time
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4:03 PM
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Set Time
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10:03 PM
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Constellation
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Pices
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Distance from Sun
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1,868,254,151 Miles
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Distance from Earth
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1,919,262,044 Miles
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Light Travel Time
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2 hr 51 min
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RA Position
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0 hr 7 min
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Dec Position
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0° 3'
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Magnitude
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6
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Phase
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100%
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Angular Size
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3.19 sec of arc
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Uranus is still visible in the low southwestern sky after sunset. If you have a very dark sky and a good sky chart, it is possible to see Uranus with the naked eye. A larger telescope can reveal a nice shape to the disk but any size telescope can see the distant planet. Uranus is currently in Pisces.
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Rise Time
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8:30 AM
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Transit Time
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2:04 PM
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Set Time
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7:32 PM
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Constellation
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Aquarius
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Distance from Sun
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2,794,983,619 Miles
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Distance from Earth
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2,879,854,201 Miles
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Light Travel Time
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4 hr 17 min
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RA Position
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22 hr 7 min
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Dec Position
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-12° 4'
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Magnitude
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8
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Phase
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100%
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Angular Size
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2.01 sec of arc
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Neptune is very low in the southwest after sunset. It will be in a better location later in the year when it returns to the morning sky.
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Rise Time
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5:13 AM
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Transit Time
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10:28 AM
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Set Time
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3:38 PM
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Constellation
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Sagittarius
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Distance from Sun
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3,087,484,680 Miles
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Distance from Earth
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3,115,242,181 Miles
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Light Travel Time
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4 hr 38 min
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RA Position
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18 hr 31 min
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Dec Position
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-18° 57'
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Magnitude
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14
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Phase
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100%
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Angular Size
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0.24 sec of arc
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Pluto is too close to the sun this month to observe.
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Prints Available
Astronomy prints are available from my Great Scenery Website. These are low cost prints of different sizes.
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About my WebsiteSPV ObservatoryOther ImagersOther Links
This Web site is owned and managed by Dean Salman. I have been into astronomy since the late 1960’s and doing astrophotography with film from 1973 to 2001. In 2001, I switched to CCD imaging and have been doing that since then. I am asking that you respect my wishes and do not sell any of my images or claim them as your own work.
My images I post on the site are considered freeware and can be used for your own personal use, which includes school projects, a book or article you are publishing, or just printing the image for your own use. If you do use then in printed material such as a book, just credit me or my web site as a reference, nothing else.
My Web site is designed so that you can customize it on your computer for your location to get statistical information on the sun, moon, and planets. This includes lunar phases to 2035, rise and set times, magnitudes, phases, RA and DEC positions, distances, and much more. In addition, I update my database every month with current events happening in the sky and what the planets are doing for the current month. To set up your location, just enter your US or Canada city or zip code on the top of the page. If your city is not found or you do not have a U.S. or Canada zip code, use the City Locator. You can save your location for future visits so you do not have to enter your information each time you visit my site. Be sure to check out my mobile web site as well if you have access to the Web on your cell phone.
San Pedro Valley Observatory
The well-known Astronomers Inn (formerly The Skywatchers Inn) on the east side of Benson has reopened as the San Pedro Valley Observatory (SPVO). It is the site of the old Vega-Bray Observatory containing the wonderful 20-inch Maksutov, one of the largest telescopes of its kind in the US. Eventually plans to have remotely controlled telescopes for those who want to observe from their homes. For those on vacation, telescopes and host astronomers available for hire to give sky tours.
| Imager | Website |
| Andrew Cooper | http://darkerview.com |
| Darrell Crofford | http://www.ccdimages.com/darrell |
| James McGaha | http://www.3towers.com/ |
| Keith Schlottman | http://www.xanaduobservatory.com |
| Mike Sherick | http://www.imagingtheheavens.com/ |
| Randy Davidson | http://home.southwind.net/~ransum/ |
| Rockett Crawford | http://capella.haela.com/ |
| Rusty Fletcher | http://www.afountain.org/astronomy/ |
Other Web Sites
Galaxy Map
Have you ever wondered what our Milky Way galaxy would look like from outside, as viewed from an interstellar space ship? This website presents a face-on map of much of the Milky Way
Astronomy Online Readers Gallery
Welcome to Astronomy magazine's Online Reader Gallery — a collection of spectacular images from astrophotographers around the world.
CCD Commander
CCD Imaging Automation
Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter
Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter is an exceptional science learning facility located on a desert "sky island" just north of Tucson, Az.
Star Parties
A complete listing of North American Star Parties organized by month.
Space Weather
For the latest solar forecast and aurora updates, visit SpaceWeather.com
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