Featured Mauna Kea discovery/observation
One of the top areas of research in astronomy in recent years has involved the study of exoplanets, planets discovered orbiting other stars.
Exoplanets have intrigued astronomers and science fiction authors alike. As tools and techniques improve, so does our understanding of these unique worlds. The Mauna Kea observatories are key to this relatively new area of astronomical research.
Earlier this year, the Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea utilized its new infrared spectrograph to discover an exoplanet now named Ross 508 b, a large rocky planet known as a “super Earth.” Ross 508 b orbits its star in the region where liquid water could potentially exist on the surface; this region is called the habitable zone.
Ross 508 b is an especially unique target because it orbits a red dwarf star. Red dwarf stars are some of the smallest and faintest stars in the universe; as they are so faint, they have extremely long lifetimes. There are many of these faint stars in the immediate vicinity of our solar system.
The discovery of such nearby exoplanets, with detailed observations of their atmospheres and surface layers, will allow us to discuss the presence or absence of life in environments that are very different from those of our solar system. To learn more about this research visit the Subaru Telescope’s website: subaru telescope.org/en/results/ 2022/07/31/3075.html.
Special events
Sept. 22 marks the autumnal, or fall, equinox when the sun will rise exactly east and set exactly west. Despite the name “equinox,” this day will not actually have equal parts daytime and nighttime; for Honolulu, the date that comes closest to having equal amounts of daytime and nighttime will be Sept. 27 when the day will last 12 hrs, 1 minute and 1 second.
As we approach the winter season, the sun will rise and set in the southern sky and our days will get shorter.
Evening observations
After many months of not having any planets during our early evening, the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn will once again grace our early evening sky.
Saturn will appear high in the southeastern sky, sandwiched between the Hawaiian star families of Manaiakalani and Kalupeakawelo. Saturn is the most distant planet that we can see with the naked eye. While it will stand out against the background of the stars, it will be fairly faint in the night sky.
Through a very good pair of binoculars, or through a telescope, observers can make out the planet’s ring system and its largest moon, Titan.
While every gas giant planet (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) has a system of rings, Saturn’s rings are the most famous and most noticeable.
Trailing behind Saturn, the bright planet Jupiter will rise out of the east during the early evening. Jupiter is the fourth-brightest celestial object you will see in the sky after the sun, the full moon and Venus.
On the evening of Sept. 26, Jupiter will be at opposition and will rise in the east at the same time that the sun sets in the west. It will remain in the sky throughout the entire night.
Opposition occurs when an outer planet (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus or Neptune) is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun. When at opposition, the planet is at its closest position to Earth and will look somewhat brighter in the sky.
As gas giant planets, both Jupiter and Saturn are primarily composed of enormous atmospheres of mainly hydrogen and helium gas. Astronomers study unique and immense weather systems in the upper atmosphere of these planets and can even observe lightning storms in the upper cloud layers of their atmospheres.
As we near the end of summer, the spectacular band of the Milky Way will stretch across the sky.
The summer months in Hawaii are the best times to see the center region of the Milky Way, which sits behind the constellations of Kamakaunuiamaui (Maui’s Fishhook) and Pimoe.
On clear nights in areas with low light pollution, the band of the Milky Way will be bright enough to illuminate the landscape. The glow of the Milky Way band appears fuzzy and cloudlike as we are looking at the combined light of hundreds, even thousands, of stars that are so far away that we cannot see their individual points with our naked eyes.
As we observe the band of the Milky Way, we are looking along the edge of our galaxy at all of the material that makes up the galaxy itself.
Stargazers will find some beautiful nebulae in the Milky Way. With a good telescope, observers will be able to find the Lagoon Nebula and Trifid Nebula, as well as numerous star clusters. Even without a guidebook, amateur observers can find a multitude of unique objects along the band of the Milky Way just by using a good pair of binoculars.
Morning observations
Throughout September, dawn will begin to color the sky at around 5:30 a.m. and the sun will rise just after 6:15. In these early morning hours, we will be able to observe the famous shape of Orion, Kaheiheionakeiki, high up in the southern sky.
Alongside Kaheiheionakeiki will be the red planet Mars, which will accompany the red giant stars of Aldebaran and Betelgeuse high in the southern sky.
For the first half of September, careful observers watching the eastern horizon in the morning will still be able to catch the distinctive planet Venus. By late September, Venus will disappear from our morning sky and reappear in the early evening sky in January.
September 2022 Sky Chart by Honolulu Star-Advertiser
The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii is a center for informal science education at the University of Hawaii at Hilo showcasing astronomy and Hawaiian culture as parallel journeys of human exploration.
