Taurus the Bull winter constellation

The cold weather might seem like a deterrent to winter stargazing but it can actually be quite enjoyable and rewarding with just a little preparation. Before going outside, check out the locations of the objects you want to observe. That will help you find them quickly and easily. Star dome charts and star maps are readily available online, or you can get night sky software that allows you to customize the view for your location and time.

Also, remember the first rule of observing: Make yourself comfortable! Plenty of warm clothing (especially thin, warm gloves for handling cold metal binoculars or telescope eyepieces). Occasional breaks for hot cocoa (Earl Grey works for me!). A red-filtered flashlight for reading charts outside. And position your viewing spot so that bright lights are blocked by trees, buildings, etc.

Ok so now that you’re all comfy, what are your celestial rewards? The three stars of Orion’s Belt are making their appearance in the eastern sky, making for one of the best “pointers” in the winter sky. Draw them upward and to the right and you’ll find Aldebaran, the fiery orange eye of Taurus the Bull. But keep that imaginary line going still higher and you’ll find the most famous winter star cluster of all – the Pleiades (commonly known as “The Seven Sisters”). There are many legends connected to the Pleiades, but one of my favorites come from the Chippewa People called “The Seven Dancing Brothers.” We will retell this story in the show.

What are the Pleiades in actual outer space? What about Venus and Jupiter? What else is in the January sky? Come join us for “Gateway to the Stars” Saturday, Jan. 7 at 6:45 p.m. and see for yourself!

Tickets for this presentation are $1 at the ticket window or $2 online. Members are free.

The first official day of Winter is coming up on December 21 (when the sun occupies the Winter Solstice point and traverses its lowest arc across the sky). That means the winter stars are starting to appear in the east after sunset, containing some of the most recognizable and popular constellations of the entire sky.

"The Seven Sisters"

The Great Square of Pegasus, a wonderful guidepost to the Autumn stars, is still prominent in the sky. It can point us to other bright stars and constellations. But now one of the most famous star clusters of the entire sky is rising out of the east: The Pleiades! Popularly known as “The Seven Sisters” from Greek mythology, it’s clearly visible to the naked eye even if you have some suburban sky glow. The Pleiades is best viewed through binoculars, revealing many stars that look more like “80 sisters”! We’ll take a closeup look at this star cluster to see what makes it so special  and why everyone knows the name of this cluster in Japanese.

December is also the month that the famous constellation of Orion the Hunter becomes visibe in the eastern sky. As one of the most recognizable constellations, it becomes the key “pointer” for locating other famous Winter stars like Sirius (in the Big Dog), Procyon (in the Little Dog) and Aldebaran (in Taurus the Bull).

The Geminid Meteor Shower comes to a peak on the nights of December 13 and 14. Unfortunately, the Moon will be in a bright phase (a waning gibbous that looks like a bulging ‘half moon’ rising an hour or two after sunset).  This will wash out all but the brightest meteors but don’t worry – The Geminids are well known for fast moving fireballs! Best times to observe the Geminids will be late evening and into the early morning hours.

Tickets are just $1. Members are free.

Four of the brightest stars of the flying horse make up the well known asterism called “The Great Square of Pegasus” and makes for an excellent guidepost to other stars and deep sky objects for binoculars and telescopes. One such example is “M15″ (Messier’s catalog number for the Pegasus Cluster, a beautiful example of a globular star cluster).

The Andromeda Galaxy

One of the corner stars of the “Great Square” is shared with Andromeda. Alpheratz also represents the Maiden’s head. From there, we’ll use the pattern of Andromeda’s stars to find the most distant object visible to the naked eye, the Great Andromeda Galaxy (M31). It’s our sister spiral galaxy in space, and even though it lies over 2.5 million light years away, it shows up easily in binoculars as a fuzzy oval of light with a brighter blob in its core. What you’re seeing is actually the collective light of at least 400 billion suns woven together into a spiral shaped island univese in our Local Group of Galaxies.

Also of interest in November, is that the planet Jupiter is back! The largest planet of our solar system is currently at opposition, putting it at its closest approach to Earth. It’s easy to find in the sky - a couple of hours after the sun sets in the west, watch for Jupiter to rise in the east (hence the name “opposition” because it appears opposite of the sun in the sky). That also means this the best time for telescope viewers because it will be even easier to see the two dark cloud bands running near Jupiter’s equator. If you give the planet more time to climb higher into the sky, the visibility of those cloud belts (and others) will become even easier to see because the planet is rising above the murky pollution and thicker air that deteriorates seeing conditions down there.

Join us at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, November 5, 2011 under our new Digistar 4 sky for a fabulous new way to observe the skies! Tickets are just $1. Members are free.

There will be roaming science cart demonstrations, craft projects and fun goodies.  Have your kids dress as their favorite sci-fi character for a costume contest with out-of-this world prizes. All activities are free. Living Planet Aquarium, ATK, Salt Lake County Library and Salt Lake City Librarywill have tables set up with fun activities and information about programs. The film starts at 1 p.m. For more information visit UEN’s SciFi Friday website, or call 801-456-STAR.

A gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near-future where the sport of boxing has gone high-tech, Real Steel starsHugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback

Tickets for Real Steel in the ATK IMAX Theatre will be available on Clark Planetarium’s website.

As we move into autumn, stars like the “Summer Triangle” will appear further to the western side of the sky as new stars like the “Great Square of Pegasus” climb up into the eastern sky. These are large groups of bright stars whose patterns are easy to find, like the Big Dipper. They will act as stellar guideposts to other stars, constellations, and specific locations for our telescopes so we can see deep sky wonders like stars clusters and nebulae.

Dumbbell Nebula

For example, in the region of the Summer Triangle (also affectionately known as the “Barnyard Portion of the Sky”), we’ll be able to find a famous planetary nebula called the “Dumbbell Nebula.” It represents the expanding shell of dust and gas that was expelled by its dying star thousands of years ago. We can see it as faint grayish blob of light whose circular shape inspired the term “planetary nebula” even though they have nothing physically in common with planets.

In front of the nose of Pegasus the Winged Horse, we’ll locate the spot for M15, a famous globular star cluster. Sometimes called the Pegasus Cluster, it’s a massive swarm of 100,000 stars. Even at 35,000 light years away, it is still a part of our Milky Way galaxy, one of about 200 globular clusters that orbit around the galaxy’s central bulge.

Jupiter is making its way up into the eastern sky earlier and earlier, rising as the brightest star-like object soon after twilight ends. If you wait a little later into the evening for Jupiter to get a little higher in elevation, it will get above more of the dust and pollution to give telescope viewers a clearer view of the cloud bands in its atmosphere.

Join us at 6:45 pm on Saturday, October 8, 2011 for a new way to see the skies! Tickets are just $1. Members are free.

This day is a celebration of the ways museums enrich our lives and our communities. Tickets to the shows that play in the dome theatre from 12:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. on September 24, 2011 will be $1. Take advantage of this great deal and see several of our productions with the new Digistar 4 projector.

Find out about other special activities that are taking place throughout Utah.

The Summer Milky Way is at its prime because this is when it will stretch high over the top of the sky from north to south as soon as evening twilight ends.  Traveling just a short distance from the city lights (say a small way up one of the nearby canyons) will reveal the Milky Way as a faint band of light, and you’ll be amazed at how much binoculars will reveal. We’ll give you some tips on how to view it and what other deep sky objects that can be found there.

The Ring Nebula in the constellation Lyra

One of the objects we’ll be featuring is called the Ring Nebula in Lyra. It is probably one of the finest examples of a “planetary nebula” in the entire sky.  In a telescope it looks like a small grayish smoke ring in the sky.  In reality it’s a site of star death – an expanding shell of gas and dust lit up by the dying White Dwarf star in its center.

What about the planets?  Most are in the same part of the sky as the sun and are thus lost in the sun’s glare, but if you’re willing to look to the east at around midnight, you’ll be treated to an incredibly bright “star” rising over the Wasatch Mountains.  It’s the planet Jupiter!  Even in binoculars you might be lucky enough to see some of its moons as tiny little stars hugging close to Jupiter’s disk.

So join us Saturday, September 3 at 6:45 p.m. in the Hansen Dome Theatre for another look at the summer’s best sky treasures! Tickets are just $1. Members are free.

Born to be Wild 3D is an inspiring story of love, dedication and the remarkable bond

betweenhumans and animals. The film documents orphaned orangutans and elephants and the extrodinary people who rescue and raise them. This is a documentary you will want to watch over and over, again.

Sea Rex 3D will let you explore an amazing underwater universe inhabited by larger than life creatures. You’ll come face to face with the T-Rex of the seas.

If you are a member of the Clark Planetarium, you can enjoy a complimentary admission to any documentary film in the ATK IMAX and Hansen Dome Theatres. Not a member? Find out how you can support our science programs and enjoy great discounts.