In The Sky This Month

October 1997  
 

Date  Time  Event

1/10  19h  NEW MOON.
8/10  20h 11m  Occultation of mag 6.0 star by the moon.
10/10  06h  Saturn at Opposition.
11/10  0h  Uranus 4 deg S of Moon.
11/10  13h  Jupiter 4 deg S of Moon. You should be able to see Jupiter with
...................small binoculars at lunch time!  Maybe even without optical aid?
15/10  20h  Saturn 0.4 deg S of Moon.
16/10  06h  FULL MOON.
31/10  12h  NEW MOON. Two new moons in one month.  Isn’t that what gave
........................................... rise to the expression “once in a blue moon”?

    Moon rise Moon set Sun rise Sun set

1/10  05h 38  18h 01  05h 50  18h 08
11/10  13h 20  01h 51  05h 39  18h 12
21/10  23h 40  09h 56  05h 27  18h 17

November 1997  
 

Date  Time  Event

4/11  07h  Mars 6 degrees S of Moon
4/11   13h  Venus 9 degrees S of Moon
6/11  09h  Venus greatest elongation E. - 47 degrees
6/11  17h       Neptune 4 degrees S of Moon
7/11   07h  Uranus 4 degrees S of Moon
7/11  22h  Jupiter 4 deg S of Moon.
12/11  03h  Saturn 0.4 deg S of Moon.
14/11  16h  FULL MOON.
28/11  18h  Mercury greatest elong E. (22 degrees).
30/11  04h  NEW MOON.

Planets:

The last opportunity to see Mercury in the evening sky this year happens from mid-November to early-December when it sets a little after twilight ends.  Look low in the western sky. Towards the end of October Venus and Mars are very close and will be joined by the moon in a group on the 4th November. Saturn is now rising before sunset and is going to be a convenient and spectacular sight to show your friends this summer. Mercury, Venus, Mars,  Jupiter,  Uranus and Neptune are moving into the same area of the sky.  The Astrologers are going to have a ball!. This means that we are in for warmer weather and a joyous occasion towards the end of December!  Nothing else.

            Moon rise     Moon set     Sun rise     Sun set

1/11         06h 05          19h 24       05h 19      18h 24
11/11       17h 28          04h 19       05h 13      18h 32
21/1        11h 18           05h 06       18h 39

  Jokes  

* * *   MISQUOTES   * * *

  "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."-Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered  as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."-Western Union internal memo, 1876.

 "The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon".-Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria 1873.

"Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools." --1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard's revolutionary rocket work.
 
 

*   *   *   *   *
 

A freshman at Eagle Rock Junior High won first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair, April 26.  He was attempting to show how conditioned we have become to the alarmists practicing junk science and spreading fear of everything in our environment.  In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical "dihydrogen monoxide."  And for plenty of good reasons, since it can

    1. cause excessive sweating and vomiting
    2. it is a major component in acid rain
    3. it can cause severe burns in its gaseous state
    4. accidental inhalation can kill you
    5. it contributes to erosion
    6. it decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes
    7. it has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients

He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical. Forty-three said yes, six were undecided, and only one knew that the chemical was water.  The title of his prize winning project was, "How Gullible Are We?"  He feels the conclusion is obvious.