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NEW SUNBOOKS
COVERS

OCTOBER, 2003

Vol.4. NO.10 )...........................................................Pages 16

 There actually isn't a page 16 of this month's The Sun-News so I added a few interesting things in case you come here!

Donette

graphic by donette smock

October 2003

The Moon

The current phase of the moon

http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/vphase.html

Mars

Mars is still close enought to be able to see marking on the surface - and at the beginning of the month is as close as it will get at the next opposition. On August 27th it was at its closest to us since 57,617 BC! In the first week of Octoberr it will still show a disk of 20 arc seconds across. The south polar cap should be particularly obvious as the southern hemisphere is tilted towards us. Many of the darker markings should also be visible, particularly Syrtis Major, seen as a dark triangular patch against the reddish hued surface.

It is now visible as darkness falls in the south-east and south, highest in the sky around 22:30 BST shining at magnitude 2. But, as the month progresses it will shrink down to 15 arc seconds and drop almost a magnitude in brightness, so make the best of the early part of the month!
Mars rotates on its axis once every 24hours and 37 minutes, so the face that we will see will vary dependant on the time that we observe it. The NASA images above show the four faces of Mars, with the caption for each indicating the area central in the image. For example, The top left image shows the dark region Syrtis Major in the centre of the disc. These images have been rotated so that Mars appears as seen through an astronomical telescope. The South Pole is to the top. During this apparition, the souther hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun. Compare these images with the map shown above which also shows the south pole to the top. It is very helpful to know the central longitude, and hence what you should be able to see when you observe.

Mercury reached its greatest angular seperation from the Sun on September 27th so, at the beginning of the month it should still be visible in the pre-dawn sky. Look for it below Jupiter. At magnitude -0.8 it will be the brightest object in that part of the sky apart from

Jupiter.

The International Space Station

Use the link below to find when the space station will be visible in the next few days. In general, the space station can be seen either in the hour or so before dawn or the hour or so after sunset - this is because it is dark and yet the Sun is not too far below the horizon so that it can light up the space station. As the orbit only just gets up the the latitude of the UK it will usually be seen to the south, and is only visible for a minute or so at each sighting. Note that as it is in low-earth orbit the sighting details vary quite considerably across the UK. The NASA website linked to below gives details for several cities in the UK. ( Across the world too for foreign visitors to this web page.)



Find details of sighting possibilities from your location from: Location Index

See where the space station is now: Current position

Venus

Venus , is very close to the Sun in angle this month, but may be glimpsed just after sunset if you have a very low western horizon as it will be less than 10 degrees high in the sky. Look for it just where the Sun has set. So close to the horizon, it will not appear so bright as its -3.9 magnitude might suggest.

any questions you would like answered about the night sky in the next column

please e-mail

Donette Smock

graphic by donette smock

This one is for you Skip!

O Great Spirit
Grandfather of all life,
I seek to hear your voice in the whispering of the trees.
It sings to my heart of your love
for a people too long forgotten.
I seek to feel your breath in the warmth
and light of my Father the Sun.
I seek to see your wisdom in the glistening of the rain
as it falls softly, nourishing my Mother the Earth.
They remind me to give thanks for all the lessons
that you have taught my people.
My Dream Spirit dances with a joy over flowing,
for it knows that within my heart,
I shall hear your voice again.

Please direct web questions, graphic question and questions about ONLINE ADS to

Inside This Issue

Americanos: Latino Life in the United States…........……1

Another Mistake…....……..10

Book Review……..………15

Call Girl…………...……….7

Cat-Astroph…...….12

Follow Up to Open Letter...................4

How Bush Won the  20044 Election………....…11

Loose Labeling……...……..6

Mommy’s Little Angel…..............15

Naked Lunch………....…...12

New Film Instructors.......……6

North Central NM Events..................3

Objective Science Does   NOT Exist Here……….............5

Resolution Opposing Modern Pit Facility........……7

Roosevelt vs. Bush……................9

Solar Fiesta 2003……...........…..1

“Smart Bomb” Technology   Moving to China……..........….5

Translations……….12

Unclassifieds….…….7

Use It & Pay For It…….................…7

Volcanic Activity in   Española Valley?…….........…3

Who Was It?……..........………10