On June 5, 2012, Venus will look like a black dot that slowly moves across the Sun.

Thanks to the gloomy weather forecast, we have canceled the skywatching session scheduled at Jordan Lake for Saturday, April 21, 2012. Our next Jordan Lake skywatching session is set for Saturday, June 23 (again, weather permitting).

In the meantime, please mark your calendars for a big event on June 5. Venus will cross in front of (“transit”) the Sun—the last chance of our lifetimes to see a Transit of Venus!

From 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5, 2012, we’ll celebrate this rare astronomical event at the Morehead Planetarium building with hands-on educational activities, safe solar viewing, tours of Morehead Observatory, live mini-shows in the planetarium dome, and science talks. FREE. And this event happens rain or shine (we’ll watch the transit via internet if we have to). Please make plans to join us!

This image shows the relative positions of the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and the Pleaides star cluster the evening of March 26, 2012, but note that the real Moon will look like a thin crescent tonight. (Credit: Stellarium.org)

A stunning sight awaits you tonight (March 26, 2012): the waxing crescent moon will appear close to Venus.

This lovely pairing will be very easy to spot, as long as your view to the west isn’t blocked by trees or buildings. Just go out after sunset and look west to find the crescent moon. That absurdly bright star-like object just to the right of the Moon is Venus. It is difficult to over-emphasize just how bright Venus appears—in fact, the planet is so bright that it can be seen in the daytime if you know exactly where to look.

Once you spot Venus and the Moon, see if you can find the (much fainter) Pleaides star cluster above them. Also look below Venus and the Moon for Jupiter. Jupiter will look brighter than any star in the night sky, but not as bright as Venus.

March 6, 2012, 45 minutes after sunset

Have you noticed those two bright “stars” forming a striking pair in the early evening western sky? They’re actually planets—Venus and Jupiter. They are so bright that you can spot them easily soon after sunset, before the sky is completely dark. Venus is the brighter of the two and currently lies to the lower right of Jupiter.

Over the next week watch Venus and Jupiter appear to creep closer and pass each other. Expect a particularly spectacular pairing the nights of March 12-14, 2012, when these two planets are at their closest all month (3° apart, or just a bit more than the width of your thumb when held at arm’s length).

March 12, 2012, 45 minutes after sunset

Although Venus and Jupiter are the most noticeable planets right now, they have company. Currently, Mercury also appears in the west, but will be trickier to spot. If you can find a good western horizon (no trees or buildings), you may catch this elusive planet as it sets in the evening twilight. About 45 minutes after sunset, try looking for Mercury far below and a little to the right of Venus. Although the last several days or so have been the best time this year for seeing Mercury in the evening, don’t wait any longer—Mercury’s light fades rapidly over the next week.

Turn around and look to the east for a bonus. By sunset, Mars has already risen in the east, in the direction of the constellation Leo. Currently, Saturn rises in the east about three hours after sunset, in the constellation Virgo. By the end of this month Saturn will rise just an hour after sunset.

To learn more about the planets and stars visible this spring, please join us for one of Morehead’s “Spring Skies” programs. The program designed for adults (interested teens are welcome) happens Wednesday evening, March 21, 2012. The version designed for families with children ages 7-12 is Saturday morning, April 14, 2012.

It’s that time of year again — time to choose summer camp experiences for your children. And if you work in the Research Triangle Park, you have a new summer camp option for your children of RTP workers.

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is expanding its popular science camps to a new RTP site at Kestrel Heights Charter School. Morehead Summer Science Camps provide a fun and educational way for children to spend their summer, with hands-on learning activities, science-themed crafts and outdoor recreation.

The new RTP site is conveniently located near the intersection of N.C. 54 and N.C. 55, perfect for busy parents who work in Research Triangle Park. Morehead offers one-week, full-day sessions from July 9 through Aug. 3, with drop-off beginning as early as 7:45 a.m. and pick-up continuing through 5:30 p.m.

Each camp session pairs a morning theme with a afternoon theme:

• Grades K-1
  
  “Dinosaur Detectives” and “Magic Tree House Explorers”
  
  “Aquatic Addresses” and “Bodies in Motion”
• 
Grades 2-3
  
  “Cricket Coding” and “Me and My Shadow”
  
  “Secret Formulas” and “Magic Tree House Researchers”
• Grades 4-5
  
  “Fizz! Bang! Boom!” and “Test Pilots”
  
  “LEGO Lab” and “Sky Searchers”
• 
Grades 6-8
  
  “Rocket Science” and “Moon, Mars and Beyond”
  
  “Astronomical Wonders” and “LEGO” Lab Challenge”

Morehead Summer Science Camps present science to kids in new and exciting ways. Camp curricula are developed by science educators at Morehead and presented by camp counselors who are science and education majors at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Registration for these camps is open now through Morehead’s website. And if you’re a Morehead member, you’re eligible for a $30 discount on each camp session.

And if you don’t work in RTP? Morehead still offers a full summer of its “kid-tested, parent-approved” one-week, half-day camps at its original site on the UNC campus.

Like so many, I love my coffee in the morning. I watch the sun slowly waking up my world as the coffee slowly wakes me up; it really is one of my favorite things. Because of this, I decided a while back to take my coffee making to another level. I purchased a French press. 

For those who don’t know, to use a French press one needs ground coffee and boiling water. The coffee is placed in the carafe followed by boiling water.  A screen/filter/plunger is then used to push the grounds down, thus allowing this barista to enjoy his coffee!  

Upon arriving in North Carolina, however, I found a glitch in the system. Water seems to take FOREVER to boil here! I know a watched pot never boils but this is a little ridiculous. How did the move to North Carolina change a seemingly simple operation?

It turns out there is quite a large difference, a little more than 3,500 feet to be exact. As a child I heard people taking about high altitude cooking directions and I thought they were crazy—up until now. As I agonize over the extra minutes of not having my coffee, I can’t help but think more about this.  

We moved from an elevation of 4,100 feet above sea level to an elevation of 564 feet above sea level. What this boils down to is the temperature at which water boils. I was taught it boiled at 212 degrees F or 100 degrees C and this is true, under specific circumstances. One of these is to be at sea level. The higher the elevation, the lower the temperature at which water boils.  In fact, every 500 feet lowers the boiling temperature by about 1 degree F.

In doing the calculation, this means water boils at 204 degrees F in our previous home, Helena Montana.  Eight degrees may not seem like that much of a difference, but when you are waiting on your coffee, I assure you it feels like hours!

Pressure is responsible for disrupting my morning coffee procedure. At sea level there is about 14.696 pounds of pressure per square inch pushing on you, water, everything. The amount of pressure in Helena (depending on where you are standing) is around 12.228 pounds.

We are accustomed to feeling the air “pushing” on us so we do not notice it unless we change elevations quickly–like driving over a mountain pass or flying in an airplane.

This affects the boiling point of water because at the higher elevations, water molecules are not held together as tightly as they are under the more weight.

Having come to the realization that there is really nothing I can do to make my water boil faster, I have given up my French press. That and I broke it, but still, lesson learned! C’est la vie!

You can wave hello to these 6 people on the International Space Station, as they pass overhead tonight at about 17,000 miles per hour. (Credit: NASA TV)

You can watch the International Space Station pass over tonight. And unlike this morning’s Quadrantid meteor shower, which required finding a dark location in the freezing early morning cold, this skywatching opportunity requires only that you step outside wherever you are* for a few minutes before 6 p.m. tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012).

Viewing tips:

• The ISS will look like a VERY bright star that is noticeably moving. It will be easily visible even though the sky won’t be completely dark yet.
• Head outside by 5:54 p.m. and start looking toward the northwest sky. Don’t worry if you don’t notice the ISS right away. Recruit your friends, family, neighbors, or nearby friendly pedestrians to help look and increase everyone’s chances of seeing it. If all else fails, keep your eyes on the Moon—the ISS will appear to go just past it at 5:58-ish.
• Between 5:54 and 6:00 p.m., the ISS will appear to move from northwest to southeast. At 5:57 p.m. it reaches its highest point above the horizon, in the northeast, not terribly far from the top of the sky.

*If you’re reading this from outside central North Carolina, see NASA’s spacecraft sighting opportunities website for better predictions of when and where to look.

What not to mistake the space station for:

• A planet. (Venus and Jupiter are prominent in the current evening sky. Like the ISS, these planets are very bright. However, they will not noticeably move over a few minutes.)
• An airplane. (The ISS does not have red or green blinking lights.)
• A meteor, aka “shooting star.” (Meteors appear to streak through the sky quickly, whereas the ISS will take minutes to pass over.)

Tonight’s ISS pass is predicted to be the best (highest, brightest) for us in the early evening for the time being. But if you miss it, the next couple of weeks bring more chances. Check Heavens-Above or NASA’s spacecraft sighting opportunities website. For both sites, begin by indicating your observing location.

And please join Morehead for our next skywatching session, weather permitting, at Ebenezer Church Recreation Area at Jordan Lake on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, from 6 to 8 p.m. Although the space station isn’t predicted to make a visible pass then, we will see the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and other celestial sights.

Very late tonight—technically, early tomorrow morning, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012—is the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower. The eastern half of North America is favored for this year’s shower.

The Quadrantids have a short peak, but it can be a good one. Estimates vary, but from a dark site, you may see up to 100 meteors (“shooting stars”) streaking through the sky per hour. The best time to look is between 3 and 6 a.m.

On top of that being ridiculously early for many of us, it’s going to be super cold around here. So dress really, really, really warmly. Then get away from outdoor lighting, especially unshielded lights, and look toward the darkest part of your sky.

For further information about the 2012 Quadrantids, see the web sites of Sky & Telescope and the American Meteor Society.

• Advice from the Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society: On the CHAOS home page, look for the “Starting Right” link. This article by Jon Stewart-Taylor explains why unaided-eye observing is the way to start an astronomy hobby, explores why binoculars are a good next step, and provides tips for choosing a telescope that meets your needs, as well as advice on what NOT to buy.

• Advice from the Raleigh Astronomy Club: At RAC’s site, you’ll find another helpful article about buying a telescope, as well as one about giving a telescope as a gift.

• Advice over email: Additionally, CHAOS and RAC are collaborating on an advice service for people who are considering buying a telescope. You can email your questions to help@chaosastro.com.

To see a variety of telescopes in action, please join Morehead for our monthly skywatching sessions at Jordan Lake (Ebenezer Church Recreation Area). Members of CHAOS and RAC help Morehead educators present these free, informal sessions for the public. Our next skywatching session (weather permitting) is Saturday, January 28, from 6-8 p.m.

You can also jumpstart your astronomy hobby by learning what’s up in the winter skies. On Wednesday evening, December 21, we’ll have “Starry Nights: Winter Skies,” a 90-minute class for adults and teens. A version designed for families with children ages 7-12 – “Star Families: Winter Skies” – will be offered Saturday, January 28, from 9:30-10:15 a.m. Please register in advance at our website, or call (919) 962-1236 for more information.

To donate blood, they stick you in the arm with a needle that is connected to a tube that takes the blood from your body to a collection bag.  I was watching my blood flow into the bag when I wondered, if I am donating a pint of blood, how, where, and when will I replenish what I am donating to get back to my body’s normal supply of about 10–12 pints?

When they took my blood, they took whole blood which includes red and white blood cells, plasma, and platelets. 

All of the components of whole blood are made in bone marrow, the flexible tissue found inside hollow bones like our skull, sternum and pelvis.   Interestingly, each type of blood cell has a different life span. Red blood cells, for instance, can last for four months whereas platelets only survive about nine days. 

Under normal conditions, one’s donated pint of blood is completely replenished in about 6 – 8 weeks, and when one is healthy and well prepared, there’s really nothing to it. 

When I had finished giving my blood, I felt pretty good and walked to the “recovery room” which consisted of tables with pizza, soda, cookies, and candy. I sat down and started talking with my friends. All of the sudden my head started spinning and I did not feel so good!  I tried to shake it off but  the next thing I knew I was in being laid down on the ground in someone’s arms with them yelling, “Kyle, Kyle!” 

As I said, this was my first time donating blood. 

I did not know I was supposed to do so on a full stomach and well hydrated with plenty of water and juice.  I showed up having consumed my normal morning breakfast of yogurt and two cups of coffee.  

This was less than ideal for a couple reasons.

First, we rely on glucose—sugar–to keep us functioning because it is the main source of energy for the cells in our body. We get glucose from foods we eat.  Second, without having consumed enough liquid, and then losing more liquids through the donation, my blood pressure dropped and me with it.  The reason?  Not enough blood was getting to my brain, so my rescuers lowered me to the ground and got my legs up, to increase the blood flow to my brain! 

To aid my recovery, I ate some pizza and drank some soda and was my chipper self again in no time!  

Will I donate blood again?  Yes!  I learned so much from doing it this time; I can only imagine what I will learn next time if I eat and drink enough beforehand so I don’t faint!

A radar image of asteroid 2005 YU55 (credit: NASA/JPL)

A space rock about a quarter-mile-across whizzes by Earth tonight (Nov. 8, 2011). The asteroid, called 2005 YU₅₅, is coming closer than the Moon’s orbit.

But don’t bother taking cover—the asteroid will miss Earth by 200,000 miles when it reaches its closest point around 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. Its gravitational influence will have no detectable effect on our planet.

Although 2005 YU₅₅ has been classified as a potentially hazardous object, NASA’s Near Earth Object Program says this asteroid poses no threat of colliding with Earth over at least the next hundred years.

The asteroid is way too dim to see with just your eyes. But if you have at least a 6-inch telescope, you could try to spot it. Sky & Telescope’s website has a good article about the asteroid with a link to a finder chart.