Monday evening, the Winter Solstice, was when the two giant planets, Saturn and Jupiter were to appear as close as they have been in centuries. The last time they were this close was in 1623. Both of the planets would be visible through a telescope at the same time! This event which would be visible across the country was anxiously anticipated by amateur astronomers for months if not more. Naturally here in Pittsburgh, the skies were thick with clouds, a little rain and even a bit of snow. It was to be expected! (Don’t worry though; they will be this close again on March 15th, 2080. Mark your calendars!)
Leaving work on Tuesday night I saw some stars from the parking lot. Once I arrived home they had disappeared once again. (It was just a little tease!) I took my binoculars with me to work on Wednesday, just in case, but by 3PM, the clouds had returned and once again, any possible viewing of the conjunction was thwarted.
Pittsburgh weather has played havoc on astronomy for ages. For that matter, Pittsburgh in general hasn’t been kind to astronomers. In the last century or two, the large steel mills and their related industries filled the sky with smoke, soot and smog. The facilities were covered with lights which further hid the stars from the residents. But this was man-made and most of them have disappeared. The smog and pollution has cleared up but sadly the light pollution has increased. But that isn’t what I am concerned with right now, I’m thinking about the effects that Mother Nature has on my hobby.
I have experienced this strange phenomenon so many times I’ve come to expect it as a normal rather than happenstance. In the Astronomy Club we often joke about, even going to the extreme of apologizing for getting a new telescope or eyepiece. We know that once we get them, clouds will be following close behind.
When a special event is predicted we can’t help but get excited, looking forward to and planning how we will observe it. Depending on the time of the year, the chances are about 50-50 that we will be able to see it. It rains in Pittsburgh approximately 140 days a year. The National Weather Service says that the city averages 203 cloudy days a year. Definitely more than half!
One of the most disappointing events I missed was in 2002. The Leonid Meteor Shower occurs in mid-November each year. Every 33 years there is a “storm” as our planet passes through a thick portion of the stream of dust left behind by Comet Tempel-Tuttle. Being only 10, I had missed the last storm and now, fully engrossed in the hobby I was anxiously awaiting the date. Clouds filled the sky as night approached but I still held out hope that I’d see something. I woke up around midnight and went outside to a thick foggy morning. Getting in the car I headed south hoping to drive out of the clouds. No such luck. I had a Ham radio in the car and talked to other amateurs as they told about how many meteors they were seeing. I finally gave it up around 4 and returned to bed, defeated. Later I found that if I had headed north instead of south, my chances would have improved but…the event was over. I missed it.
There have been numerous lunar occultations I have gone to see only to be clouded out. An occultation is when one heavenly body crosses in front of another. Most commonly seen occultations are when the moon passes in front of a star. During a lunar graze, if you’re lucky, you can see a star disappear behind a mountain peak on the moon and then re-appear only to disappear once again. I was lucky enough to see an event where this happen four times. To observe an event such as this, you have to be in a specific spot to be lined up properly. I’d drive for hours to get to one of these spots only to have the clouds following close behind me. It was often a long shot but definitely one worth taking!
Cloudy Moon/Venus Rise 20.06.19
Space Station passes overhead are often obscured by Pittsburgh weather. The recent Geminid meteor shower was hampered by spotty clouds. A recent Moonrise with the planet Venus sitting right beside it…yup, you guessed it. Clouds.
There will be a total solar eclipse in April of 2024 which will cover a portion of northwestern PA. Anyone want to put any bets on what the weather will be like on that day?
We just live in a spot that isn’t really suited for astronomy. Google explains it as a combination of lakes and upward moving air which causes lots of clouds. Air that is warmer than its environment is unstable. The unstable air moves upwards in order to stabilize. As it rises it also cools and then forms stratocumulus clouds, the long grey clouds that often cover our skies.
Pittsburgh is a really nice place to live, I have been here my whole life. Sadly it isn’t the best place for astronomy, between the light pollution and the clouds it can be pretty discouraging. Still, every so often there are clear skies and every once in awhile we are blessed with optimal conditions for those rare astronomical events that we all look forward to. The seeing might not be great here but when we are lucky enough to do some good observing; it makes it seem that much better! Keep watching, keep hoping, the clear skies will appear…eventually.
Comet Neowise 20.07.18
As Ann Marie and I were talking about this, she said that it was a good thing that Christ wasn’t born in Pittsburgh; the Wise Men would’ve never found Him, they wouldn’t have been able to see the star!
Speaking of Christmas, I’m sure a lot of people will be getting telescopes and accessories for the holiday and that means… more clouds to come!
Keep searching, the stars and planets are up there…we will see them…eventually!
Merry Christmas!
1 comment:
Interesting as usual. Wouldn't have been 2020 if we would have been able to see it
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