Point of View

Spellbound

The hypnotic majesty of the open Arizona sky, with all of its splendor and mystery has kept me occupied for the past couple of days. With space shuttle Discovery circling earth in graceful harmony with the International Space Station, it has been a star gazer’s paradise. I wanted to step out of my story-telling persona and share with all the WDC readers about some very exciting celestial viewing opportunities taking place this weekend, if you are willing to give up a little sleep in exchange for some breath taking sights. Read on for the details and grab your blanket, a thermos of hot coco and a pair of binoculars and enjoy the show.
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On Monday morning, Nov. 5th, anyone willing to step outside before dawn will see a fantastic display of stars and planets—and maybe a couple of spaceships, too.
Venus is the ridiculously luminous "star" hanging low in the east. You can’t miss it—especially because the crescent Moon is hanging nearby. The closely-spaced pair is as lovely as anything you will ever see in the heavens.
If you can, tear your eyes away from Venus and the Moon. Just above them hangs Saturn, a delicate yellow beauty that cries out for the attention of your telescope; even small 'scopes reveal Saturn's breathtaking rings. And above Saturn, almost directly overhead, shines Mars. It is bright, distinctly orange, and for reasons science cannot fully explain, a little hypnotic.
You won't be the only one looking at the planets. Orion the Hunter is there, too, outlined in the sky by an hour-glass of first magnitude stars. Joining Orion is Castor, Pollux, Regulus, Aldebaran and brightest of all, Sirius, the blue-white dog star. This stellar sprawl frames the planets in a scene guaranteed to spellbind—that is, until something comes along to break the spell.
The two orbiters are due to fly over many US towns and cities on Monday morning. If things go according to plan, Discovery will undock from the ISS at 5:32 am EST (updates), which means the two ships will appear as distinct points of bright light, side-by-side, gliding together past Mars, Sirius, Orion, Venus and the Moon. Amazing! Check NASA's Skywatch web site for spotting times.
What comes next may strain the credulity of some readers, but it is true. In addition to the stars, planets, spaceships and lunar close encounters, there is also an exploding comet.
Comet 17P/Holmes burst into view last week when something happened to the comet's core -- a collapse, a fracture, a comet-quake? No one knows!—causing the comet to surge in brightness almost a million-fold. It is now visible to the unaided eye as an expanding fuzz ball in the constellation Perseus similar in brightness to the stars of the Big Dipper. To find the comet, first face Mars and then spin around 180-degrees: sky map. It's a must-see target for backyard telescopes. by Dr. Tony Philips, NASA