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January night sky

JAN 04 - The sky-map shows the sky as seen from Kathmandu at 10:00 P.M. tonight or at 9:00 P.M. on 19th January. To use the map, put it over your head facing downwards so that the cardinal directions (North, South, East, West) are correctly orientated. The point overhead at centre of the map marks the zenith. The circular edges of the map represent the horizons. Our solar system is like the surface of a wide, circular racetrack (the ecliptic), and planets, sun and moon are all different types of race-cars which are always seen in a restricted band in the sky corresponding to the same horizontal plane called the ecliptic. Sometimes Venus overtakes the Earth, sometimes Earth passes Mars; but all the action happens in the ecliptic. The stars that form the backdrop (like advertisement billboards around racetrack) for the ecliptic are known as the band of twelve zodiac constellations (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarious, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces). Historically, the source of zodiac constellations can be tracked back to at least 6000 years ago. The original division of the zodiac into 12 constellations could have emerged when early skywatchers noticed that Jupiter requires 12 years to complete its trip around the ecliptic, spending one year in each zodiac constellation. Jupiter is the brightest planet seen throughout the night and must therefore has been an object of great interest. Venus is brighter than Jupiter but is visible for only a few hours before sunrise or after sundown. A person’s horoscope zodiac constellation is based on the position of the sun in the zodiac constellation at the time and date when the person is born. Astrology prediction is normally relies on placement of the boulevard of the celestial wanderers -astrology has named them as: Sun, Moon, Mars (Mangala), Mercury (Budh), Jupiter (Brihaspati), Venus (Shukra), Saturn (Shani), Rahu and Kethu- in a person’s horoscope zodiac constellation. This month Mercury will be in the constellation Sagittarius and is best-seen half hour before sunrise in the morning. Venus will travel from the constellation Capricornus to Aquarius during the month. Venus will be seen in the evening as a very bright object in the southwestern sky and is best observed half-hour after sunset till 7:30 p.m. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will have position in the constellations Pisces, Leo and Gemini respectively and are seen with unaided eye throughout the night. The rings of Mars are still visible with a small telescope. During the month, the sun will pass from the constellation Sagittarius to Capricornus. Of the nine heavenly travellers in astrology, Rahu and Kethu are imaginary planets created by astrologers that do not reflect the real objects of the modern-day sky. The constellation Gemini is in the eastern sky. Two principle bright stars of Gemini are Castor and Pollux. The latter is also known as Punarvasu and is one of the 27 Nakshatras. Castor and Pollux are the head of the twins and make identification of the constellation easy. Castor is bluish-white in colour, while Pollux is orange-red. Located in the constellation Gemini is a galactic cluster of around 200 stars. The clusters can easily be seen with the naked eye but is best viewed with binoculars through which it looks like a dim, fairly large interstellar cloud. The constellation Orion, the mighty mythological hunter, lies in the middle of the winter sky. The nimrod’s unmistakable three-star belt is unique. Nowhere else in the sky are three stars of this brightness so close together. Startling new evidence shows that the positioning and detailed structure of the Giza pyramids of Egypt were accurately aligned towards the positions of these three stars in the constellation Orion. Rigel, the brightest star in Orion, is one of the most luminous stars. It shins about 50,000 times more powerfully than the sun. The second brightest of Orion’s suns is Betelgeuse. An estimated diameter is about 800 times greater than the sun’s. It is one of the largest stars known and is member of an exclusive class of rare stars known as red supergiants. The moon (Rises: 2:28pm, Sets: 3:47am, Illumination: 92 percent) in the constellation Taurus is at the central sky, 12.08 days old and phase Waxing Gibbous. The Full moon is on 7th, the last quarter on 15th, the New moon on 22nd and the first quarter on 29th January. Tomorrow the sun rises: 6:43am, sets: 5:10pm and the astronomical twilight time begins: 5:17am, ends: 6:36pm. Posted on: 2004-01-05 05:15

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