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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report for the week ending Wednesday, October 10, 2012. Here is what’s happening in the skies of Southern California:
The time of moonrise will change from 8:40 p.m. to 1:50 a.m., P.D.T. between the 3rd and 10th. The moon’s phase changes from waning gibbous to last quarter at precisely 12:33 a.m., P.D.T. on Monday, October 8, within minutes of it being highest in the sky. For the remainder of the week, the moon appears in waning crescent phase.
Bright planet Jupiter, in Taurus the Bull, rises in the northeast at about 9:45 p.m., and is nearly overhead at dawn. Steadily held binoculars will show Jupiter’s four largest moons, and nearly any telescope will reveal cloud details on the surface of the giant planet. The moon will appear close to Jupiter on Friday night, the 5th.
The brightest planet, Venus, rises in the east-northeast at 3:45 a.m. It can still be spotted 38 degrees high in the east at Sunrise. Venus displays a gibbous phase when viewed through a telescope.
The first commercial delivery mission to the International Space Station is set to start on Sunday the 7th at 5:35 p.m., P.D.T. with the launch of an automated SpaceX Dragon capsule on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Dragon is due to be captured by a robotic arm of the space station at 3:30 a.m., P.D.T. on Wednesday October 10. If the launch goes as scheduled, there is a chance that Los Angeles residents may see Dragon and the International Space Station pass overhead as they approach each other on Tuesday night. Because the Space Station’s orbit is about to be changed to dodge space debris, it is not possible to offer reliable predictions as this Sky Report is published, but if you are interested in seeing a possible flyover, check updates starting on Sunday afternoon on www.heavens-above.com. The SpaceX Dragon mission will be covered live on NASA TV, available on www.nasa.gov.
If weather cooperates, skydiver Felix Baumgartner is scheduled to jump from a record altitude of 120,000 feet (22.7 miles) on Monday morning, October 8. He is expected to break the sound barrier during the free fall phase of his drop. The launch of his giant balloon from Roswell, New Mexico, is scheduled for 5:30 a.m., P.D.T. Live coverage of the event, sponsored by Red Bull, is offered on www.redbullstratos.com .
Free views of the sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects at night, are available to the public in clear weather five days a week (Wednesday-Sunday) through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for our schedule. The next Griffith Observatory public star party, hosted by Los Angeles Astronomical Society and the Sidewalk Astronomers is scheduled for Saturday, October 20.
From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook, and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.