Sky Notes: September 2010

Now that September’s here, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the great August legend of Mars is over. Everywhere I go, and I assume you all have heard it also, the subject of the giant Mars right now takes precedence over the horoscope as the first topic of discussion. Also, have you noticed that every August Mars seems to be expanding? Originally, it was a large object visible in the evening sky; this year, it was alleged to be almost as huge as the Full Moon. Also scary is the “fact,” written in bold capitals, that absolutely no one alive will ever see it again. Unfortunately, the notes didn’t let us know that no one alive saw it this year, either. Can’t wait for next August.

As if we don’t need another book, there’s been a new, self-published primer for neophyte observers, those who just want to get their first views of the sky. Titled The Naked-Eye Sky (No Telescope Needed), James Sowell introduces us not only to the night sky – some of the major constellations, the Moon and eclipses, planets, easy deep-sky objects – but also daytime phenomena, such as rainbows and sun dogs. He also gives a quick lesson on seasons, tides, relative distances, and motions. Unfortunately, there are a few little gaffs, such as there are two (sic) types of lunar eclipses; Sirius is bright apparently only because it is nearby; the Pleiades is listed as an asterism, and is only given as a star cluster late in the book; also, it seemed strange that the author mentioned M13 when talking about Hercules, but didn’t introduce M31 or show its position on the sky chart. It only has a casual mention at the end, when discussing galaxies. However, if you do know someone who wants a quick introduction to observing, this is a pretty good and fast read, and hopefully will make another person want to know more about the sky.