Skywatch: Comet might be visible on clear February night

Featured Mauna Kea Observatory news

The nearly two-week-long Mauna Loa eruption that started in late November stopped before it reached the cross-island Daniel K. Inouye Highway, which would have disrupted commutes for Hawaii island residents and, potentially, access to the Mauna Kea Observatories.

However, it did cross Mauna Loa Observatory Road, which is used to access the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Mauna Loa Observatory.

The Mauna Loa Observatory is the premier atmospheric research facility for collecting data on the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and overall atmospheric changes, especially changes that relate to climate change. When the lava flow from Mauna Loa crossed the observatory road, electricity and access to the NOAA site was cut off, and it remains that way today.

To continue the essential work of atmospheric monitoring, NOAA has partnered with the University of Hawaii to establish a temporary measurement site at the UH 88-inch telescope on Mauna Kea, which is operated by the UH’s Institute for Astronomy.

The NOAA team collects air samples in flasks at the summit level to measure 60 gases, including methane, to continue the monitoring work that was collected at the Mauna Loa Observatory.

It is unknown when access to the Mauna Loa Observatory site will be restored, but the monitoring station at the 88-inch telescope can continue for at least a year.

To learn more about this collaboration, go to hawaii.edu/news/2022/12/16/uh-telescope-collect-climate-change-data.

Special events

Late into January and in the early weeks of February, observers may be able to see a faint comet in the northern sky.

Astronomers have been tracking the comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) since March when it was 4.3 astronomical units (nearly 400 million miles) from the sun. By the end of 2022 the comet approached the inner solar system and was visible through a telescope near the North Star. The comet reached its closest position to the sun on Jan. 12, and on Wednesday it will reach its closest position to Earth, about 26 million miles away. That will be the best day to try to view it.

Since its discovery, the comet has been steadily brightening as it approaches the sun. At present the comet is visible only through a telescope or a good pair of binoculars. Based on how the comet has been brightening, it could be visible to the naked eye under dark, clear skies; however, the brightness of comets can be difficult to predict, as much of it is based on how much ice it contains.

At its current rate of brightening, the comet would be twice as faint as the Andromeda galaxy is at its brightest. Observers will need to know exactly where to look and observe that section of the sky for a good minute or two to see the comet with the naked eye.

On Wednesday, at the comet’s closest approach, observers can find it about 20 degrees away from the North Star in the faint constellation of Camelopardalis.

Evening observations

In February the incredibly bright planet Venus will stand out in the western sky through the early evening. Venus, considered Earth’s “sister planet,” is the third-brightest object that we see in the sky after the sun and the full moon.

Because Venus is so bright, it will be the first object to appear in the western sky as the sun is setting. When Venus is in our evening sky, it is often referred to as the “evening star” because it stand outs with its brightness.

Observers who look at Venus through a pair of binoculars or a telescope will also note that the planet does not appear to be a full circle. As Venus is closer to the sun than Earth, we are able to see the planet go through phases, similar to the phases of the moon. Throughout February, Venus will be waxing, and we will see most of Venus’ daytime side and a small portion of its nighttime sky.

The planet Jupiter is the next-brightest object in the sky after Venus and will be higher in the southwestern sky during the early evening. Jupiter is so bright because it is the closest and the largest of the gas giant planets.

When we look at Jupiter, however, we are not looking at the surface. We are instead looking at the top layer of clouds in Jupiter’s immense atmosphere. The light-colored zones indicate hot gases rising in the atmosphere, while the darker belts indicate cooler gases sinking.

The Mauna Kea Observatories often contribute to long-term surveys that study the unique temperature changes and turbulent wind patterns that are observed in Jupiter’s atmosphere.

Close to the center of the sky in the early evening, the distinctive planet Mars will stand out with its famous red color. This hue comes from the iron oxide that is present in the regolith of the planet.

If Venus is Earth’s “sister planet,” then Mars would be Earth’s little brother. In many ways Mars is similar to Earth; its tilt toward the sun is similar, meaning that Mars experiences seasons in the same way that Earth does, and our rotations are quite similar.

However, as Mars is so much smaller than Earth, its climate changed drastically a couple million years ago, and all of the ocean on the planet began to freeze into ice, which caused the iron in its soil to rust, giving the planet its unique reddish color. Today, Mars is a giant cold desert.

As the planets march their way across the sky, the navigational star family of Kekaomakali‘i, the Bailer of Makali‘i, will stretch overhead.

The great celestial bailer starts in the north with the hexagonal shape of Hokulei, a lei of stars, passing in a gentle arc through the stars Nanamua and Nanahope, then to Puana and the brightest star in the evening sky, ‘A‘a, before dropping down to Keali‘iokonaikalewa to form the handle of the bailer.

A bailer is used to scoop out water that might be flooding a canoe; however, Kekaomakali‘i is not a bailer for water, but a bailer for the stars.

Over the course of the night, the celestial bailer will scoop up the stars from the horizon in the east and carry them overhead to the west. The bailer will scatter the shape of Heiheionakeiki and the famous star cluster of Makali‘i into the western horizon in the early evening.

Among the starline of Kekaomakali‘i, a multitude of famous astronomical objects are easily spotted. Beneath the famous three stars of Kaheiheionakeiki, also known as Orion, we can see a few stars that are often considered to be Orion’s sword.

Behind these stars we can see faint fuzziness that is the glow from the Orion Nebula (M42), a larger stellar nursery and the closest region of massive star formation to Earth.

Morning observations

Throughout February, dawn will start coloring the sky at around 6 a.m. as the sun rises around 7. The early morning sky will look very different from the evening sky, and morning observers will get a unique view of the stars.

In the southwest, early morning observers will also be able to catch the famous shape of Hanaiakamalama, the Southern Cross. About 10 degrees east of the cross will be two notable pointer stars: Kamailemua, Beta Centauri, which is a bright triple-star system that is about 390 light-years away, and Kamailehope, Alpha Centauri, a fainter triple-star system that is only 4 light-years away and is the closest star system to our sun and solar system.

Rising in the eastern sky during these early morning hours will be a distinctive red giant star, Lehuakona, also known as Antares. The Greek name of the star literally means “rival to Mars” (Ares is another name for Mars) as the star’s red color made it easy to mistake it for the planet Mars, which also has a distinctive reddish color.

The navigational name of the star, Lehuakona, translates to “southern lehua blossom” and refers to the red lehua blossoms on Hawaii island’s native ohia trees. Lehuakona marks the center of the famous shape of Kamakaunuiomaui, the Fishhook of Maui, which pulls up the Milky Way from the southeastern horizon.

January 2023 Sky Watch by Honolulu Star-Advertiser

The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii is a center for informal science education at the University of Hawaii at Hilo showcasing astronomy and Hawaiian culture as parallel journeys of human exploration.