Chuckwalla Observatory is now on Night Skies Network

 As a broadcasting memeber of Night Skies Network, Chuckwalla Observatory will now be broadcasting live views of Solar System objects such as the Monn, Sun and planets.
 For those who don't know what NSN is, it is basically an outlet where people can broadcast live views of astronomical subjects by use of a specialized video imager or webcam. subjects include Solar System objects like planets, the Moon, comets and asteroids, as well as deep space objects like galaxies and nebulae.
 Visit www.nightskiesnetwork.com to watch the live broadcasts. There is a list of available channels at the bottom of the page, and you can either watch as a guest or register for an account.  

Update on Comet C/2011 L4 Pan-STARRS

If you have yet to see Comet L4 Pan-STARRS, you better take a look soon. It wont be long before she zooms out of sight.

Now the comet is still visible, but only with the help of some optical aid. Now at around magnitude +5, it is no longer visible to the naked eye. You will at the very least need some binoculars, but a small to medium powered telescope will afford you the best views. Although it's peak has come and gone and the huge, fan-shaped tail has started to fade, it is still a sight worth seeing.

For those who live in the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, L4 is now circumpolar...meaning it does not set or rise anymore, but rather appears to rotate around the celestial north pole. This means for you lucky bunch, the comet is visible all night. Further south, the comet is not circumpolar but can still be seen twice in a 12 hour period. It will set in the north/northwest during the evening hours and rise in the north/northeast in the dark hours of early morning. The best time to look will be in those early morning

Update on Comet Panstarrs

 Well the time has come for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere to check out Comet Panstarrs. Unfortunately the comet has not quite reached the brightness estimates predicted by scientists. Originally forecast to reach magnitude 0 or brighter, it is now hovering in the range of +1.5 and +2. While this is bright enough to make it a naked eye object, it's position in the sky has made this comet rather difficult to find with the unaided eye. Because of it's low altitude and proximity to the Sun, the sky glow at dusk is drowning out most of the details and making it difficult to pick out from the sky. The view should improve as the comet climbs higher in sky each passing day, but it was also slowly dim as it moves away from the Sun.
 If you want to try and take a peek at this long awaited snowball, your best bet is to pick an area with an unobstructed view of the western horizon. Start searching for the comet after sunset, and to improve your chances of finding it try using binoculars. On March 12 you will be able to get some help from a very young Moon...the waxing crescent Luna will be right next to the comet. Find the Moon and then scan to the left of it to spot the comet. Should make for an awesome photographic opportunity if you've got a camera on hand.
 If your not able to find it just yet, your chances will improve greatly by the end of the month. While it probably wont be a naked eye object then, a pair of binoculars or a small telescope will be able to find it easily in the darkened sky.

Major Comet Alert: C/2011 L4 PANSTARRS

 It seems that 2013 is the year of the comet, and indeed the first of two major comets this year is about to make it's presence known to those in the Northern Hemisphere.
 Comet C/2011 L4 PANSTARRS is currently zipping it's way through Southern Hemisphere, recently exiting the constellation Grus and about to enter Piscis Austrinus. L4 PANSTARRS has only been observable from the Southern Hemisphere thus far, but that's about to change in the very near future.
 Starting around the 2nd week of March, L4 will start to be visible low on the western horizon around sunset. Around March 10-11 the comet will pass closest to the Sun, and should appear the brightest during this time and will likely develop a long tail. It will continue the climb a little higher each day but will not seem to stray too far from the horizon.
 Early predictions of L4's apparent magnitude were set at magnitude 0 or brighter, perhaps as bright as -2. But current data suggests that L4 will only brighten as much as magnitude three. This is still well within the limits of naked eye visibility (the stars in the Big Dipper are around 3rd magnitude), however because of L4's proximity to the Sun and low position in the twilight sky the comet may be difficult to see. Binoculars and certainly a small telescope will be able to aid in observing L4 PANSTARRS.
 Keep in mind that comets are notoriously difficult to predict, and L4 may appear brighter or dimmer than predictions state. To add to the uncertainty, this is L4's first trip from the Oort Cloud, and therefore the first time it has been heated by the Sun.
 L4 PANSTARRS was discovered in June 2011 by the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii.

Asteroid Alert: 2012 DA14

 An asteroid is about to have a close encounter with Earth on February 15th.

 At 50 meters (160 ft) in diameter, asteroid 2012 DA14 will be making a close pass on the 15th of February at about 18,000 miles above the Earth's surface. That's below the orbit of geosynchronous satellites! Not to worry though, the asteroid is not a threat to Earth or the satellites orbiting above it. At it's closest approach at 19:25 Universal Time, it will brighten to around magnitude 8 and will be moving north in the sky at about 0.8° a minute.

 The best views of DA14 will be from East Europe to Asia and Australia while the asteroid moves through the constellation Virgo. By the time the sky darkens on the East Coast of North America, DA14 will have already fallen to magnitude 11. On the West Coast at dusk it will have dimmed to 12th magnitude and will be hanging around the constellation Ursa Minor.

It will still be possible to see DA14 from the USA but only with a larger telescope. And picking out a 11-12 magnitude rock from the background stars may be a bit difficult.

 To read more about 2012 DA14 and to learn how to observe it from your location follow this link:
 http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/Asteroid-DA14-to-Zip-Past-Earth-189052161.html

DA14's approximate location from Southern California on the night of Feb. 15, 9:00pm.

Conjunction: Mercury and Mars

  If your looking to spot some planetary action this month, then take a look at the close conjunction of Mercury and Mars on the evenings of Feb. 7th and 8th.

 Look west about half an hour after sunset on the 7th and 8th to spy these two planets hanging out together. On the 7th Mars will be about 3/4 of a degree to the upper left of Mercury, while on the 8th it will be even closer at 1/2 a degree to the lower left. You should be able to spot Mercury relatively easily, weather permitting. However Mars is significantly less bright and may require optical aid. Using a telescope will reveal Mercury is in a gibbous phase and approximately  80% illuminated. Mars will appear round. All planets inward of Earth will show phases just like our moon, whereas planets beyond us will always appear full.

Conjunction and Moon/Jupiter Photos

  Did you get to see the Moon/Jupiter conjunction yesterday evening? It was a pretty good show! The Moon came less than 1° from Jupiter, or less than one finger width apart. If you missed it, here is a image of the event:

As an added bonus, here are a couple of decent shots of the Moon and Jupiter by themselves, also taken last night: