Asteroids passing too close for comfort

Take heart good folks--we are half way through winter, or so the calendar says. Officially the halfway point is Feb. 4. However, the almanac will say Feb. 2 is the day. Of course, you know it as Groundhog's Day, or Candlemas as it is sometimes called.

Groundhog's Day is a cross-quarter day, positioned halfway between a solstice and an equinox. Other cross-quarter days are May 1, or Beltain, halfway between spring and summer; Aug. 1, Lammas Day, halfway between summer and autumn, and Halloween, halfway between autumn and winter.

Have you noticed the days being longer? The sun rising earlier and setting later each day giving us more daylight? If you have been watching the sunrise and sunset locations each week you will have noticed they are moving slowly north.

They will progress in that direction until March 20, the vernal, or spring, equinox when sunrise will be due east and sunset will be due west and day and night will be somewhat equal in length of time, about 12 hours each.

See, the calendar is as much a function of astronomy as it is just a progression of days. As for the groundhog's prediction about the length of winter, don't pay much attention. If you count the days, it is six weeks either way.

I have a new toy; it is a Web site providing a nice view of the heavens with the location of constellations, planets, stars, and other astronomical objects marked.

You can play with this toy yourself. Just go to www.skyviewcafe. com; you will find an applet, which requires the latest version of Java running on your browser for it to work properly.

(Java can be easily downloaded or updated at java.sun.com/get java). It is possible to leave the application running on your computer all the time.

After loading Java and finding skyviewcafe, simply enter your zip code and it provides the correct sky view for your location.

I must extend my thanks to Dan Glomski, director of the J.M. McDonald Planetarium at the Hastings Museum in Hastings for providing information about the applet.

Mars is still the king of the early evening sky shining away about halfway up in the eastern sky.

It will be joined by the moon on the evening of Feb. 15 for a nice (if not particularly close) conjunction. Not as close as it was in December, but still a nice binocular sight.

Here is a bit of "Just for your information." Mars is not the only planet that was "just missed" by an asteroid.

The Earth, too, will be "just missed" on Tuesday, Feb. 29, when asteroid 2007TU24 zips by the Earth at a mere 334,000 miles distance.

The third-mile wide space rock will be visible if you have at least a three-inch telescope and know where to look.

At 10th magnitude it is too dim to be seen without optical aid. Keep in mind the moon is only 225,000 miles away.

The next day asteroid 207SD5 will pass Mars at only 16,250 miles

If that seems too close for comfort just remember, on March 21, 2004 asteroid 2004FU162 missed Earth by 6,500 miles.

SKY WATCH:

New moon on Feb. 6. If you are out in the early morning of Feb. 1, be sure to watch the southeast horizon for the rising of Jupiter and Venus.

The pair have been growing closer together for some time and will be at their closest on that date.

Look about an hour before sunrise. A very slender crescent moon will join the pair on Feb. 4, binoculars might be needed to find it.

Next time:

More astronomical blathering