Author: David Oesper

Classical Music Link List – Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas

Here is a list of all things classical-music-related in Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas. If you have additional links to add or see an existing link that needs to be changed or removed, please post a comment!

The two abiding interests in my life have been astronomy and classical music. I guess you could call me a professional listener, although I do have a pretty decent tenor voice and would love to sing in a secular mixed choir again. I have aspirations of hosting my own classical music program at a public radio station, or at least providing recordings and commentary. I served several years on the board of the Ames International Orchestra Festival Association (AIOFA), including two terms as board president. It was a great experience bringing fine orchestras from all over the world to C.Y. Stephens Auditorium in Ames, Iowa and hosting them during their stay. I love symphony orchestras (chamber music, too!), and would be very happy to serve in a similar capacity during my active retirement years. Or volunteering at a university music department that has a symphony orchestra. While living in Ames, I had the opportunity to attend many wonderful faculty and student recitals.

I have family in West Texas, so am looking to relocate to be closer to them. Would love to connect with the classical music scene somewhere in this tri-state area, so if you know of any good volunteer opportunities, please let me know!

Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra
Providing the Albuquerque Community free concerts since 1972.
American General Media Foundation – Albuquerque, NM
Volunteer Opportunity: Share your Love of Classical Music and Public Radio Broadcasting
Arizona Friends of Chamber Music
Keep chamber music vibrant in Tucson. Please donate to the Year-End Campaign before December 31st.
Arizona Musicfest
Presenting top artists of classical, chamber, jazz, Broadway, country, blues, opera, bluegrass, and pop music in Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona.
Arizona Opera | Bold. Brave. Brilliant.
Arizona Philharmonic
We are a regional professional orchestra serving the Prescott community with locally-produced concerts. Arizona Philharmonic draws auditioned, professional musicians from Prescott, Phoenix, Flagstaff, and other areas within driving distance.
Chandler Symphony Orchestra
The Chandler Symphony Orchestra serves the greater Chandler community by providing a series of classical concerts, free of charge to the general public, performed by professionally trained musicians who volunteer their time and talents.
Civic Orchestra of Tucson
Founded in 1975, the Civic Orchestra of Tucson is a 75-piece community orchestra presenting free concerts to residents of Tucson and Southern Arizona. Our accessible concerts enrich the cultural life of the greater Tucson area. Soloists are well-known musicians from Tucson and across the country as well as winners of our Young Artists’ Competition.
El Paso Symphony Orchestra
The El Paso Symphony Orchestra’s mission is to assure that concert music is made available to entertain and educate the multicultural community of the greater El Paso region.
Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra

Mission: To enrich, engage, and inspire our community through the performance of orchestral music.

Vision: Orchestral music is essential to the cultural life of our community.
Gilbert Symphony Orchestra
Gilbert, Arizona
KANW | New Mexico Public Radio
Public Radio from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Your source for news and music.
KBAQ 89.5 FM
KBACH 89.5 FM is a listener-supported public radio station broadcasting to the Phoenix metropolitan area. KBACH is the only radio station in Phoenix that plays classical music 24/7, reaching listeners around the world who stream KBACH online.
KENW | Public Radio and Television for Eastern New Mexico and West Texas, coming to you from Eastern New Mexico University.
Public Broadcasting for Eastern New Mexico and West Texas from Eastern New Mexico University.
KGLP 91.7 FM: Gallup Public Radio
KGLP, 91.7 FM, Gallup Public Radio, Broadcasts from Studios located at the University of New Mexico Gallup branch campus, with a variety of news, music & more!
KHFM 95.5 FM
KHFM is the only dedicated Classical music station broadcasting and streaming 24/7 in New Mexico and beyond. For many years, KHFM partnered with our symphonies, opera companies and other arts groups. Now, as a non-profit, we are proud to partner with our local arts organizations so that our arts community can flourish. Our rich arts scene is one of the reasons we love New Mexico so much!
KNAU Arizona Public Radio
Northern Arizona’s source for NPR news and talk, classical music and regional news.
KRWG | Public Media for Southwestern New Mexico And Far West Texas
PBS, NPR, and local news and music for Las Cruces, El Paso, Silver City, and all of southwestern New Mexico and far west Texas.
KSFR
KSFR exemplifies diversity in the music we play. Nearly every musical genre is represented in the course of our broadcast week. We pay special attention to local New Mexico musicians whose talent often finds an appreciative audience among KSFR listeners.
KSJE 90.9 FM
The Information and Cultural Beacon of the Four Corners
KTEP
KTEP’s mission is to inform, educate, and entertain the public and to increase knowledge of the world, appreciation of the arts, and understanding of the human condition.

Additionally it is our mission to train and educate students at the University of Texas at El Paso in the art of broadcasting.
KUAT: Classical 90.5 in Southern Arizona
Classical 90.5 is a 24-hour radio station in Southern Arizona that broadcasts classical music, opera productions, interviews with musicians and composers, and more. Listen live online.
KUNM
National Public Radio affiliate. Alternative radio from the University of New Mexico campus.
Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra
To present and promote music of the highest artistic quality for the region’s enrichment and serve our community as a musical, cultural, and educational resource.
Marfa Public Radio
KRTS 93.5 FM, Marfa, TX
MusicaNova Orchestra
MusicaNova enriches the Phoenix community by playing new, neglected, and familiar classical music.
New Mexico Philharmonic
Build the Future With Us!
New Mexico State University: Music
If you are looking for a wonderful place to obtain your music education, this is the place to be. The NMSU Department of Music is among the finest in the southwest at preparing student musicians for a future in teaching, performing, or a wide variety of other musical careers.
North Valley Symphony Orchestra
This is the home of the North Valley Symphony Orchestra in Phoenix, Arizona.
Northern Arizona University: School of Music
The School of Music at NAU offers many undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as ensembles, led by a faculty of award-winning musicians. Learn more now!
Orchestra Northern Arizona
Home page for Orchestra Northern Arizona and Youth Orchestra Northern Arizona, Flagstaff’s community orchestras. Join the classical fun!
Phoenix Symphony
The Phoenix Symphony is Arizona’s largest performing arts organization. Founded in 1947 as a part-time orchestra in a city of fewer than 100,000 people, The Symphony has grown to become Arizona’s only full-time symphony orchestra.
ProMusica Arizona Chorale and Orchestra in North Phoenix & Anthem AZ
ProMusica Arizona’s choir and symphony orchestra perform affordable, family-friendly music concerts & events in North Phoenix & Anthem, AZ.
Roswell Symphony Orchestra
The mission of the Roswell Symphony Orchestra (RSO) is to provide the people of Roswell and Southeast New Mexico with the best of orchestral literature by providing an annual concert season and music education programs for children and young adults.
San Antonio Philharmonic
Professional orchestra concerts with musicians from the former San Antonio Symphony.
San Juan College: Music
Set the course for a creative and vibrant future!
San Juan Symphony
The San Juan Symphony performs regularly at Henderson Fine Arts Center at San Juan College in Farmington, NM, at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO, and has performed at the Bayfield Performing Arts Center in Bayfield, CO, the Michael D. Palm Theater in Telluride, CO, and Montezuma-Cortez High School in Cortez, CO.
Santa Fe Opera
The official website of the Santa Fe Opera. A varied repertoire of new, rarely performed, and standard works, inspiring performers and audiences alike.
The Santa Fe Symphony
The Symphony is a bold and successful collaboration between musicians and all who appreciate live performance. Our legacy of musical excellence goes hand-in-hand with our longstanding commitment to providing no-cost cultural outreach programs for the greater Santa Fe community.
The Scottsdale Philharmonic – Arizona’s Premiere Philharmonic
The mission of the Scottsdale Philharmonic is to provide the City of Scottsdale and surrounding communities with a professional symphony orchestra performing a series of traditional classical music concerts without charge to the public, making classical music available to audiences of all ages.
Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra
A community orchestra performing classical music in Tucson and surrounding communities.
Symphony of the Southwest
Symphony of the Southwest presents orchestra concerts to classical music fans of all ages in Mesa, Arizona.
Tucson Repertory Orchestra
Tucson Repertory Orchestra’s Website
Tucson Symphony Orchestra
The TSO is the oldest continuing professional performing arts organization in the state of Arizona. We celebrate the excitement and joy of live classical music as part of everyday life.
University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music
Our nationally and internationally recognized faculty members are dedicated to the development of your talents. They are equally at home in the classroom, studio, or on the performance stage. Along with one-on-one teaching and mentoring, our performance faculty members regularly appear in solo recitals and/or as guest artists with major opera companies, symphony orchestras, chamber groups, and many other ensembles. In addition, our academic faculty members author books that are published by the finest scholarly publishing houses, write articles that appear in major music journals, and regularly present papers and other scholarly lectures at significant international conferences.
The University of New Mexico Department of Music – College of Fine Arts
The University of New Mexico Department of Music aims to provide the highest quality musical education, under the guidance of our dynamic artist faculty, and a well-balanced program among the disciplines of performance, music education, theory and composition, jazz studies, string pedagogy, conducti…
University of Texas at El Paso Department of Music
As you explore our website, you will find that the UTEP Department of Music has an outstanding faculty, an active student body and innovative programs designed to prepare students for careers in music in the 21st Century.

The department is particularly proud of our diverse ensemble offerings, our faculty’s high profile and eclectic creative activities, and the newly created Center for Arts Entrepreneurship, under the Artistic Direction of Grammy-winning artist, Zuill Bailey.
West Texas Symphony
“Enriching Lives Through Music!”
West Valley Symphony – Surprise AZ
The West Valley Symphony Association believes that everyone deserves to live in a culturally rich and diverse community with access to a great variety of arts.
Our mission is to provide opportunities for all residents to experience classical music.

Video Meteors 2020 – II

During the second half of 2020, I serendipitously captured six meteors on my telescope’s 17 x 11 arcminute video field of view while observing potential asteroid occultation events. I used the method described in There’s a Meteor in My Image to determine the radiant for each meteor. Here they are.

Sporadic meteor 8 Jul 2020 UT; Field location TYC 7379-00569-1 in Scorpius
Each frame is an exposure of 0.13s (meteor is at left side of field)

A sporadic meteor is any meteor that does not come from a known radiant.

Probable sporadic meteor 22 Aug 2020 UT; Field location UCAC4 394-071682 in Serpens
Each frame is an exposure of 0.13s ; possibly a Perseid (meteor from upper right to lower left)
Probable sporadic meteor 29 Aug 2020 UT; Field location UCAC4 601-019523 in Auriga
Each frame is an exposure of 0.27s ; possibly a Perseid (meteor from upper right to lower left)
Orionid 11 Oct 2020 UT; Field location TYC 1337-01489-1 in Gemini; very fast!
Each frame is an exposure of 0.13s ; (meteor at upper right)
Sporadic meteor 14 Nov 2020 UT; Field location UCAC4 559-043312 in Gemini
Each frame is an exposure of 0.27s (meteor at upper right)
Probable Leonid 5 Dec 2020 UT; Field location UCAC4 410-001419 in Cetus
Each frame is an exposure of 0.13s ; (meteor along upper part of field)

None of these meteors were particularly bright, unfortunately, so you may want to use the full-screen button at the lower-right-hand corner of each video to see them well.

References

International Meteor Organization, 2o2o Meteor Shower Calendar, Jürgen Rendtel, ed. https://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2020.pdf.

Space Records

Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, M.D. (1942-) holds the record for the longest spaceflight duration. During 1994-1995, he spent 437.8 contiguous days in orbit, almost all of them aboard the Mir space station.

The largest number of people in space at the same time was thirteen, and this has happened four times.

The fastest humans have ever traveled (relative to Earth) occurred on May 26, 1969 when the Apollo 10 crew (Thomas Stafford, John Young, and Eugene Cernan) reached a speed of 24,791 mph—just 0.0037% the speed of light.

Both Jerry Ross and Franklin Chang Díaz hold the record for the most spaceflights. Both astronauts have gone into space seven times. Jerry Ross (STS-61-B, STS-27, STS-37, STS-55, STS-74, STS-88, STS-110) between November 26, 1985 and April 19, 2002 (Space Shuttle Atlantis: 5, Columbia: 1, Endeavour: 1), and Franklin Chang Díaz (STS-61-C, STS-34, STS-46, STS-60, STS-75, STS-91, STS-111) between January 12, 1986 and June 19, 2002 (Space Shuttle Columbia: 2, Atlantis: 2, Discovery: 2, Endeavour: 1). Both astronauts were mission specialists in the NASA Astronaut Group 9, announced May 29, 1980.

The farthest humans have ever been from Earth occurred at 0:21 UT on April 15, 1970 when the crippled Apollo 13 spacecraft (Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert) executed a free-return trajectory to Earth. They were furthest from Earth above the lunar farside, 158 miles above the surface and 248,655 miles from Earth.

The youngest person ever to fly in space was Gherman Titov who was 25 years old during his solo Vostok 2 spaceflight on August 6, 1961. He was the second person to orbit the Earth.

The oldest person ever to fly in space was John Glenn who was 77 years old during his second spaceflight aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery STS-95 from October 29, 1998 to November 7, 1998. He was the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962.

The longest spacewalk occurred on March 11, 2001 when James Voss and Susan Helms were outside the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-102) and the International Space Station for 8 hours and 56 minutes.

The longest moonwalk occurred on December 12-13, 1972 when Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent 7 hours and 37 minutes outside the lunar module on their second of three lunar excursions. All were longer than 7 hours. This was the final Apollo mission, and Gene Cernan, who died in 2017, is still the last person to walk on the surface of the Moon.

Shostakovich Piano Concertos

I’d like to introduce you to another fine classical music recording I’ve recently discovered, but first a little editorializing about classical recordings in general.

I hope the day never comes when physical media in the form of compact discs (or something similar) is completely replaced by digital downloads or streaming. The booklet enclosed with physical media always provides useful and often enlightening information about the music, and there’s artistry on the front and back covers. Having been in COVID-19 lockdown for nearly a year now, I yearn for real human interaction without technology instead of “virtual everything”. And I say that as a person who has made his career as a computer programmer. What does that have to do with music on a CD? Well, perhaps I’ve digressed, but let me just say a recording is a poor substitute for a live performance, and a digital file is a poor substitute for a CD. Happily, I have read recently that classical music is keeping the CD alive as popular music largely goes the way of the computer file. As for CD packaging, I much prefer a well-made jewel case (with a hub whose teeth don’t break off easily) over the cardboard digipak that is seeing more frequent use, including the Shostakovich disc I will be briefly discussing here.

I much prefer discs that feature works of just one composer. Not only are they more easily filed and retrieved, but, more importantly, they often introduce you to some lesser-known works of a composer. Something I have learned over my many years of listening to classical music recordings is that there are many first-rate lesser-known works of composers, both famous and not-so-famous. There is a lot of great music out there, waiting to be discovered and enjoyed, even after a lifetime of listening!

This disc featuring Russian pianist Anna Vinnitskaya (who now lives in Germany) is one such happy occasion. It features the two piano concertos of Dmitri Shostakovich (himself a fine pianist), plus two of his lesser-known works for two pianos (joined here by Ivan Rudin), Concertino for Two Pianos, op. 94, and Tarantella for Two Pianos, both of which were unknown to me. An all-Shostakovich disc!

Alpha Classics 203

This disc is a delight from beginning to end. Anna Vinnitskaya plays Shostakovich as well as anyone I have heard, with great intensity, energy, and precision during the rhythmic passages, and with great beauty and sensitivity during the legato passages. The Kremerata Baltica is really outstanding in the two piano concertos, as is the quality of the recording. The latter is much above average, I would say, perfectly balanced and articulated. Vinnitskaya herself conducts the orchestra from the piano in the Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings, op. 35, where she is joined by a fine trumpet soloist, Tobias Willmer. Omer Meir Wellber skillfully conducts the orchestra in the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, op. 102, and the Kremerata Baltica is joined by the Winds of the Staatskapelle Dresden in a perfect union and performance.

Anna Vinnitskaya grew up with the music of Shostakovich in her household, and developed an early and deep appreciation of his music and it shows throughout this recording. She performed his Second Piano Concerto for the first time at the age of eleven, and now at age 37, I have no doubt she is one of the finest performers of the piano music of Shostakovich in the world today. I hope I will have the opportunity to hear her play either of the Shostakovich piano concertos in the concert hall one day soon. Or any other piano works by Shostakovich, for that matter!

One thing I have become acutely aware of after decades of listening to classical music is the enormous difference there can be between live performances or recordings of the same work. Tempo can be one obvious difference. I tend not to like music that is on the fast end of the tempo continuum for a given work—I like to “savor” the notes. But anything as complex and nuanced as an orchestral palette can lend itself to many different interpretations. Yes, the notes are the same, but how a piece is played can make the difference between enthusiasm for the work or complete indifference.

Supernovae in the Milky Way

The first recorded supernova in our Milky Way galaxy (or anywhere else, for that matter) was seen to blaze forth in the constellation Centaurus by astute Chinese astronomers in 185 AD. Including that one, only seven confirmed supernovae have been observed in our Milky Way galaxy, though thousands are discovered each year in other galaxies.

Supernova light reached Earth in AD 185, 393, 1006, 1054, 1181, 1572, and 1604. All seven of these events occurred before the invention of the telescope. Are we overdue for another supernova? Well, given this ridiculously small sample, we can endeavor to do some simple “statistics”. The shortest recorded interval between two Milky Way supernovae was 32 years between 1572 and 1604. The longest interval has been 613 years, between the supernovae of 393 and 1006 (assuming none went unnoticed). On average then (such as it is), we “should” have seen a Milky Way supernova around 1841, and using the longest interval of 613 years, we might be expecting one by the year 2217. Undoubtedly, some supernovae in the Milky Way have escaped detection because they lay behind thick interstellar clouds.

The big mystery to me is why are there no recorded supernova events prior to 185 AD? The earliest extant records of astronomical events go back at least as far as 2316 BC (a comet in the constellation Crater was recorded by Chinese astronomers), but in the intervening 2,500 years there has been no mention of anything that could be attributed to a supernova. Or has there? Some writings before and after 185 AD suggest possible supernovae, but until a supernova remnant is identified, we need to look for other explanations.

Here follows a table of the known observed Milky Way supernovae. Of course, other supernova remnants have been discovered in our Milky Way galaxy, but no record has yet been discovered describing these events. Many of them predate recorded history.

In the table below, you’ll note that these supernovae tend to lie close to the galactic plane (galactic latitude b = 0°)—not at all surprising considering that’s where most of the stars are.

Milky Way Supernovae confirmed to have been observed

Some Early Piano Music by Robert Schumann

Naïve V 5364

I discovered the music of Johannes Brahms before that of Robert Schumann, but I revere the latter composer now as well. Knowing much of the music of both, there is no question that Robert Schumann had a huge influence on Brahms. Both wrote four symphonies, all eight of which are favorites of mine.

But here we turn our attention to some of the early piano music of Robert Schumann, completed when Schumann was in his 20s, before he was finally able to marry Clara Wieck, and before his first symphony.

These are performances of considerable beauty, passion, and sensitivity by French pianist Lise de la Salle. I highly recommend this CD (Naïve V 5364). The recording is excellent, and De la Salle seems to have an innate understanding of this music and its often rapidly changing moods, a delight throughout.

The works performed are Scenes from Childhood, op. 15; Abegg Variations, op. 1; and Fantasie in C Major, op. 17.

There are thirteen pieces in Scenes from Childhood. The most famous of these is No. 7 Träumerei (Dreaming), but I also especially like No. 1 (Of foreign lands and peoples) and No. 2 (A curious story).

  1. Of foreign lands and peoples
  2. A curious story
  3. Blind man’s buff
  4. Pleading child
  5. Happy enough
  6. An important event
  7. Dreaming
  8. At the fireside
  9. Knight of the hobby-horse
  10. Almost too serious
  11. Frightening
  12. Child falling asleep
  13. The poet speaks

This is followed by the Schumann’s first published work, the Abegg Variations, op. 1.

The disc concludes with the three-movement work, Fantasie in C Major, op. 17, arguably Schumann’s piano masterpiece, and a real tour de force in this performance by Lise de la Salle. When he wrote this piece, Schumann was already beginning to suffer from a mental disorder that would tragically claim his life only 20 years later—an illness with a physical origin that no doubt today could be easily cured.

For an excellent introduction to Robert Schumann and his wife, Clara Wieck Schumann—a piano virtuoso, composer, and teacher of considerable talent—I wholeheartedly recommend the eight-part video course from Robert Greenberg, “Great Masters: Robert and Clara Schumann – Their Lives and Music” (The Great Courses, Course No. 759).

Even though it is a highly fictionalized account, I would also recommend the 1947 movie Song of Love, starring the incomparable Katharine Hepburn as Clara Wieck Schumann, Paul Henreid as Robert Schumann, and Robert Walker as Johannes Brahms.

Zodiacal Light 2021

In 2021, the best dates and times for observing the zodiacal light are listed in the calendar below. The sky must be very clear with little or no light pollution. The specific times listed are for Dodgeville, Wisconsin (42° 58′ N, 90° 08′ W).

Here’s a nicely-formatted printable PDF file of the zodiacal light calendar:

Zodiacal Light Calendar 2021Download
January 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Zodiacal Light 6:49 – 7:26 p.m. West
31
Zodiacal Light 6:50 – 7:50 p.m. West		            
February 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
  1
Zodiacal Light 6:51 – 7:51 p.m. West		 2
Zodiacal Light 6:52 – 7:52 p.m. West		 3
Zodiacal Light 6:53 – 7:53 p.m. West		 4
Zodiacal Light 6:54 – 7:54 p.m. West		 5
Zodiacal Light 6:56 – 7:56 p.m. West		 6
Zodiacal Light 6:57 – 7:57 p.m. West
7
Zodiacal Light 6:58 – 7:58 p.m. West		 8
Zodiacal Light 6:59 – 7:59 p.m. West		 9
Zodiacal Light 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. West		 10
Zodiacal Light 7:02 – 8:02 p.m. West		 11
Zodiacal Light 7:03 – 8:03 p.m. West		 12
Zodiacal Light 7:04 – 8:04 p.m. West		 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28
Zodiacal Light 7:23 – 7:36 p.m. West		            
March 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
  1
Zodiacal Light 7:25 – 8:25 p.m. West		 2
Zodiacal Light 7:26 – 8:26 p.m. West		 3
Zodiacal Light 7:27 – 8:27 p.m. West		 4
Zodiacal Light 7:28 – 8:28 p.m. West		 5
Zodiacal Light 7:29 – 8:29 p.m. West		 6
Zodiacal Light 7:31 – 8:31 p.m. West
7
Zodiacal Light 7:32 – 8:32 p.m. West		 8
Zodiacal Light 7:33 – 8:33 p.m. West		 9
Zodiacal Light 7:34 – 8:34 p.m. West		 10
Zodiacal Light 7:36 – 8:36 p.m. West		 11
Zodiacal Light 7:37 – 8:37 p.m. West		 12
Zodiacal Light 7:38 – 8:38 p.m. West		 13
Zodiacal Light 7:40 – 8:40 p.m. West
14
Zodiacal Light 8:41 – 9:41 p.m. West		 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30
Zodiacal Light 9:03 – 10:03 p.m. West		 31
Zodiacal Light 9:04 – 10:04 p.m. West		      
April 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
        1
Zodiacal Light 9:05 – 10:05 p.m. West		 2
Zodiacal Light 9:07 – 10:07 p.m. West		 3
Zodiacal Light 9:08 – 10:08 p.m. West
4
Zodiacal Light 9:10 – 10:10 p.m. West		 5
Zodiacal Light 9:11 – 10:11 p.m. West		 6
Zodiacal Light 9:13 – 10:13 p.m. West		 7
Zodiacal Light 9:14 – 10:14 p.m. West		 8
Zodiacal Light 9:16 – 10:16 p.m. West		 9
Zodiacal Light 9:17 – 10:17 p.m. West		 10
Zodiacal Light 9:19 – 10:19 p.m. West
11
Zodiacal Light 9:20 – 10:20 p.m. West		 12
Zodiacal Light 9:22 – 10:22 p.m. West		 13
Zodiacal Light 9:24 – 10:24 p.m. West		 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30  
May 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
            1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31          
June 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
    1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30      
July 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
        1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
August 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31        
September 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
      1 2 3 4
5 6
Zodiacal Light 3:52 – 4:52 a.m. East		 7
Zodiacal Light 3:53 – 4:53 a.m. East		 8
Zodiacal Light 3:54 – 4:54 a.m. East		 9
Zodiacal Light 3:56 – 4:56 a.m. East		 10
Zodiacal Light 3:57 – 4:57 a.m. East		 11
Zodiacal Light 3:58 – 4:58 a.m. East
12
Zodiacal Light 4:00 – 5:00 a.m. East		 13
Zodiacal Light 4:01 – 5:01 a.m. East		 14
Zodiacal Light 4:02 – 5:02 a.m. East		 15
Zodiacal Light 4:04 – 5:04 a.m. East		 16
Zodiacal Light 4:05 – 5:05 a.m. East		 17
Zodiacal Light 4:06 – 5:06 a.m. East		 18
Zodiacal Light 4:08 – 5:08 a.m. East
19
Zodiacal Light 4:59 – 5:09 a.m. East		 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30    
October 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
          1 2
3 4 5
Zodiacal Light 4:28 – 5:28 a.m. East		 6
Zodiacal Light 4:30 – 5:30 a.m. East		 7
Zodiacal Light 4:31 – 5:31 a.m. East		 8
Zodiacal Light 4:32 – 5:32 a.m. East		 9
Zodiacal Light 4:33 – 5:33 a.m. East
10
Zodiacal Light 4:34 – 5:34 a.m. East		 11
Zodiacal Light 4:35 – 5:35 a.m. East		 12
Zodiacal Light 4:37 – 5:37 a.m. East		 13
Zodiacal Light 4:38 – 5:38 a.m. East		 14
Zodiacal Light 4:39 – 5:39 a.m. East		 15
Zodiacal Light 4:40 – 5:40 a.m. East		 16
Zodiacal Light 4:41 – 5:41 a.m. East
17
Zodiacal Light 4:42 – 5:42 a.m. East		 18
Zodiacal Light 5:03 – 5:43 a.m. East		 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31            
November 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
  1 2 3 4
Zodiacal Light 5:03 – 6:03 a.m. East		 5
Zodiacal Light 5:04 – 6:04 a.m. East		 6
Zodiacal Light 5:05 – 6:05 a.m. East
7
Zodiacal Light 4:06 – 5:06 a.m. East		 8
Zodiacal Light 4:07 – 5:07 a.m. East		 9
Zodiacal Light 4:08 – 5:08 a.m. East		 10
Zodiacal Light 4:09 – 5:09 a.m. East		 11
Zodiacal Light 4:10 – 5:10 a.m. East		 12
Zodiacal Light 4:12 – 5:12 a.m. East		 13
Zodiacal Light 4:13 – 5:13 a.m. East
14
Zodiacal Light 4:14 – 5:14 a.m. East		 15
Zodiacal Light 4:15 – 5:15 a.m. East		 16
Zodiacal Light 4:16 – 5:16 a.m. East		 17
Zodiacal Light 5:06 – 5:17 a.m. East		 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30        
December 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
      1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31  

The best nights to observe the zodiacal light at mid-northern latitudes occur when the ecliptic plane intersects the horizon at an angle of 60° or steeper. The dates above were chosen on that basis, with the Sun at least 18° below the horizon and the Moon below the horizon being used to calculate the times. An interval of time of one hour either before morning twilight or after evening twilight was chosen arbitrarily because it is the “best one hour” for observing the zodiacal light. The zodiacal light cone will be brightest and will reach highest above the horizon when the Sun is 18° below the horizon (astronomical twilight), but no less.

If you are interested in calculating the angle the ecliptic makes with your horizon for any date and time, you can use the following formula:

\cos I = \cos \varepsilon \sin \phi-\sin \varepsilon \cos \phi \sin \theta

where I is the angle between the ecliptic and the horizon, ε is  the obliquity of the ecliptic, φ is the latitude of the observer, and θ is the local sidereal time (the right ascension of objects on the observer's meridian at the time of observation).

Here’s a SAS program I wrote to do these calculations:

Zodiacal Light.sasDownload

References
Meeus, J. Astronomical Algorithms. 2nd ed., Willmann-Bell, 1998, p. 99.

Meteor Shower Calendar 2021

Here’s our meteor shower calendar for 2021.  It is sourced from the IMO’s Working List of Visual Meteor Showers (https://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2021.pdf, Table 5, p. 25).

Each meteor shower is identified using its three-character IAU meteor shower code.  Codes are bold on the date of maximum, and one day either side of maximum.

Here’s a printable PDF file of the meteor shower calendar shown below:

Meteor Calendar 2021Download

Happy meteor watching!

January 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
          1
DLM QUA		 2
DLM QUA
3
DLM QUA		 4
DLM QUA		 5
DLM QUA		 6
DLM QUA		 7
DLM QUA		 8
DLM QUA		 9
DLM QUA
10
DLM QUA GUM		 11
DLM QUA GUM		 12
DLM QUA GUM		 13
DLM GUM		 14
DLM GUM		 15
DLM GUM		 16
DLM GUM
17
DLM GUM		 18
DLM GUM		 19
DLM GUM		 20
DLM GUM		 21
DLM GUM		 22
DLM GUM		 23
DLM
24
DLM		 25
DLM		 26
DLM		 27
DLM		 28
DLM		 29
DLM		 30
DLM
31
DLM ACE		            
February 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
  1
DLM ACE		 2
DLM ACE		 3
DLM ACE		 4
DLM ACE		 5
ACE		 6
ACE
7
ACE		 8
ACE		 9
ACE		 10
ACE		 11
ACE		 12
ACE		 13
ACE
14
ACE		 15
ACE		 16
ACE		 17
ACE		 18
ACE		 19
ACE		 20
ACE
21 22 23 24 25
GNO		 26
GNO		 27
GNO
28
GNO		            
March 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
  1
GNO		 2
GNO		 3
GNO		 4
GNO		 5
GNO		 6
GNO
7
GNO		 8
GNO		 9
GNO		 10
GNO		 11
GNO		 12
GNO		 13
GNO
14
GNO		 15
GNO		 16
GNO		 17
GNO		 18
GNO		 19
GNO		 20
GNO
21
GNO		 22
GNO		 23
GNO		 24
GNO		 25
GNO		 26
GNO		 27
GNO
28
GNO		 29 30 31      
April 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
        1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14
LYR		 15
PPU LYR		 16
PPU LYR		 17
PPU LYR
18
PPU LYR		 19
ETA PPU LYR		 20
ETA PPU LYR		 21
ETA PPU LYR		 22
ETA PPU LYR		 23
ETA PPU LYR		 24
ETA PPU LYR
25
ETA PPU LYR		 26
ETA PPU LYR		 27
ETA PPU LYR		 28
ETA PPU LYR		 29
ETA LYR		 30
ETA LYR		  
May 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
            1
ETA
2
ETA		 3
ELY ETA		 4
ELY ETA		 5
ELY ETA		 6
ELY ETA		 7
ELY ETA		 8
ELY ETA
9
ELY ETA		 10
ELY ETA		 11
ELY ETA		 12
ELY ETA		 13
ELY ETA		 14
ARI ELY ETA		 15
ARI ETA
16
ARI ETA		 17
ARI ETA		 18
ARI ETA		 19
ARI ETA		 20
ARI ETA		 21
ARI ETA		 22
ARI ETA
23
ARI ETA		 24
ARI ETA		 25
ARI ETA		 26
ARI ETA		 27
ARI ETA		 28
ARI ETA		 29
ARI
30
ARI		 31
ARI		          
June 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
    1
ARI		 2
ARI		 3
ARI		 4
ARI		 5
ARI
6
ARI		 7
ARI		 8
ARI		 9
ARI		 10
ARI		 11
ARI		 12
ARI
13
ARI		 14
ARI		 15
ARI		 16
ARI		 17
ARI		 18
ARI		 19
ARI
20
ARI		 21
ARI		 22
JBO ARI		 23
JBO ARI		 24
JBO ARI		 25
JBO		 26
JBO
27
JBO		 28
JBO		 29
JBO		 30
JBO		      
July 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
        1
JBO		 2
JBO		 3
CAP
4
CAP		 5
CAP		 6
CAP		 7
CAP		 8
CAP		 9
CAP		 10
CAP
11
CAP		 12
CAP SDA		 13
CAP SDA		 14
CAP SDA		 15
CAP SDA PAU		 16
CAP SDA PAU		 17
PER CAP SDA PAU
18
PER CAP SDA PAU		 19
PER CAP SDA PAU		 20
PER CAP SDA PAU		 21
PER CAP SDA PAU		 22
PER CAP SDA PAU		 23
PER CAP SDA PAU		 24
PER CAP SDA PAU
25
PER CAP SDA PAU		 26
PER CAP SDA PAU		 27
PER CAP SDA PAU		 28
PER CAP SDA PAU		 29
PER CAP SDA PAU		 30
PER CAP SDA PAU		 31
PER CAP SDA PAU
August 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
1
PER CAP SDA PAU		 2
PER CAP SDA PAU		 3
KCG PER CAP SDA PAU		 4
KCG PER CAP SDA PAU		 5
KCG PER CAP SDA PAU		 6
KCG PER CAP SDA PAU		 7
KCG PER CAP SDA PAU
8
KCG PER CAP SDA PAU		 9
KCG PER CAP SDA PAU		 10
KCG PER CAP SDA PAU		 11
KCG PER CAP SDA		 12
KCG PER CAP SDA		 13
KCG PER CAP SDA		 14
KCG PER CAP SDA
15
KCG PER CAP SDA		 16
KCG PER SDA		 17
KCG PER SDA		 18
KCG PER SDA		 19
KCG PER SDA		 20
KCG PER SDA		 21
KCG PER SDA
22
KCG PER SDA		 23
KCG PER SDA		 24
KCG PER		 25
KCG		 26 27 28
AUR
29
AUR		 30
AUR		 31
AUR		        
September 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
      1
AUR		 2
AUR		 3
AUR		 4
AUR
5
SPE AUR		 6
SPE		 7
SPE		 8
SPE		 9
DSX SPE		 10
STA DSX SPE		 11
STA DSX SPE
12
STA DSX SPE		 13
STA DSX SPE		 14
STA DSX SPE		 15
STA DSX SPE		 16
STA DSX SPE		 17
STA DSX SPE		 18
STA DSX SPE
19
STA DSX SPE		 20
STA DSX SPE		 21
STA DSX SPE		 22
STA DSX		 23
STA DSX		 24
STA DSX		 25
STA DSX
26
STA DSX		 27
STA DSX		 28
STA DSX		 29
STA DSX		 30
STA DSX		    
October 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
          1
STA DSX		 2
ORI STA DSX
3
ORI STA DSX		 4
ORI STA OCT DSX		 5
ORI STA OCT DSX		 6
ORI STA DRA OCT DSX		 7
ORI STA DRA DSX		 8
ORI STA DRA DSX		 9
ORI STA DRA DSX
10
ORI DAU STA DRA		 11
ORI DAU STA		 12
ORI DAU STA		 13
ORI DAU STA		 14
ORI EGE DAU STA		 15
ORI EGE DAU STA		 16
ORI EGE DAU STA
17
ORI EGE DAU STA		 18
ORI EGE DAU STA		 19
LMI ORI EGE STA		 20
NTA LMI ORI EGE STA		 21
NTA LMI ORI EGE STA		 22
NTA LMI ORI EGE STA		 23
NTA LMI ORI EGE STA
24
NTA LMI ORI EGE STA		 25
NTA LMI ORI EGE STA		 26
NTA LMI ORI EGE STA		 27
NTA LMI ORI EGE STA		 28
NTA ORI STA		 29
NTA ORI STA		 30
NTA ORI STA
31
NTA ORI STA		            
November 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
  1
NTA ORI STA		 2
NTA ORI STA		 3
NTA ORI STA		 4
NTA ORI STA		 5
NTA ORI STA		 6
LEO NTA ORI STA
7
LEO NTA ORI STA		 8
LEO NTA STA		 9
LEO NTA STA		 10
LEO NTA STA		 11
LEO NTA STA		 12
LEO NTA STA		 13
NOO LEO NTA STA
14
NOO LEO NTA STA		 15
NOO AMO LEO NTA STA		 16
NOO AMO LEO NTA STA		 17
NOO AMO LEO NTA STA		 18
NOO AMO LEO NTA STA		 19
NOO AMO LEO NTA STA		 20
NOO AMO LEO NTA STA
21
NOO AMO LEO NTA		 22
NOO AMO LEO NTA		 23
NOO AMO LEO NTA		 24
NOO AMO LEO NTA		 25
NOO AMO LEO NTA		 26
NOO LEO NTA		 27
NOO LEO NTA
28
PHO NOO LEO NTA		 29
PHO NOO LEO NTA		 30
PHO NOO LEO NTA		        
December 2021
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
      1
PUP PHO NOO NTA		 2
PUP PHO NOO NTA		 3
HYD PUP PHO NOO NTA		 4
GEM HYD PUP PHO NOO NTA
5
DLM GEM HYD MON PUP PHO NOO NTA		 6
DLM GEM HYD MON PUP PHO NOO NTA		 7
DLM GEM HYD MON PUP PHO NTA		 8
DLM GEM HYD MON PUP PHO NTA		 9
DLM GEM HYD MON PUP PHO NTA		 10
DLM GEM HYD MON PUP NTA		 11
DLM GEM HYD MON PUP
12
DLM COM GEM HYD MON PUP		 13
DLM COM GEM HYD MON PUP		 14
DLM COM GEM HYD MON PUP		 15
DLM COM GEM HYD MON PUP		 16
DLM COM GEM HYD MON		 17
DLM URS COM GEM HYD MON		 18
DLM URS COM GEM HYD MON
19
DLM URS COM GEM HYD MON		 20
DLM URS COM GEM HYD MON		 21
DLM URS COM		 22
DLM URS COM		 23
DLM URS COM		 24
DLM URS		 25
DLM URS
26
DLM URS		 27
DLM		 28
DLM QUA		 29
DLM QUA		 30
DLM QUA		 31
DLM QUA		  

Earliest Sunset, Latest Sunrise

Why does the Earliest Sunset come before the Winter Solstice and the Latest Sunrise after?


Why does the Earliest Sunrise come before the Summer Solstice and the Latest Sunset after?

Ever wonder? I have. And aside from some hand-wavy explanations, I’ve never been able to explain this very well. Here’s the best explanation I have seen yet, provided in the December 2007 issue of Sky & Telescope, p. 55:

You’d think the earliest sunset would come on the shortest day (or longest night) of the year, at the winter solstice. But in fact, the day-night cycle shifts back and forth a little with the seasons, due to the tilt of Earth’s axis and the ellipticity of Earth’s orbit. At the beginning of December, sunrise, midday, and sunset all happen a little earlier than they “should”, and in January they run a little late. So the earliest sunset ends up being two or three weeks before the solstice, and the latest sunrise is two or three weeks afterward. The exact dates depend on your latitude.

Continuing along that same line of thought…

At the beginning of June, sunrise, midday, and sunset all happen a little later than they “should” and in July they run a little earlier. So the earliest sunrise ends up being about a week before the solstice, and the latest sunset is about a week afterwards. The exact dates depend on your latitude.

I know, I know. You still have a question. “Why are the dates of earliest sunrise and latest sunset closer to the summer solstice than the dates of earliest sunset and latest sunrise to the winter solstice?” Good question. I think it has everything to do with the fact that the Earth is near aphelion at the time of the summer solstice, and thus moving most slowly in its orbit around the Sun (the Earth’s orbit is slightly elliptical and not circular). That means that the Sun is moving slowest against the background stars and thus the accumulated difference between the sidereal day and solar day is the smallest at that time of year. That means the spread of days between earliest sunrise and latest sunset is less. Conversely, at the winter solstice, Earth is near perihelion, and therefore it is moving most quickly in its orbit around the Sun. That means that the Sun is moving fastest against the background stars and thus the accumulated difference between the sidereal day and solar day is largest at that time of year. That means the spread of days between earliest sunset and latest sunrise is more.

Here in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, where the latitude is just shy of 43˚ N and the longitude is just a tad over 90˚ W, the earliest sunset this year is today, Tuesday, December 8, 2020, at 4:25:49 p.m.

Latest sunrise in 2021 will be on both Saturday, January 2 and Sunday, January 3 at 7:31:51 a.m.

Pause to consider that if we were on year-round daylight saving time, latest sunrise wouldn’t be until 8:31:51 a.m.

My preference would be to stay on standard time year-round, as Arizona does.

Why Did It Take a Telescope to Discover the Orion Nebula?

Using the newly-invented telescope, French astronomer Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc (1580-1637) discovered the now-famous Orion Nebula (M42) when he was 29 years old, 410 years ago on this day.

November 26, 1610.

But wait a minute. You and I can see a nebulous “star” below the belt of Orion with our unaided eyes under a reasonably dark sky. Why wasn’t this object discovered long before the invention of the telescope?

Apparently, there is no known report of a “nebulous star” in the sword of Orion prior to Peiresc’s discovery. Is the Orion nebula brighter now than it was a few centuries ago? Is it possible an earlier observational report somehow got missed or was not properly interpreted?

There is speculation that the Maya civilization of Mesoamerica recognized the Orion Nebula long before Peiresc’s discovery, describing it as smoke from the smoldering embers of creation.

One can only stand in wonderment at the knowledge and experiences of hundreds of generations of men, women, and children who are utterly unknown to us today. Passed from person to person and generation to generation through oral tradition, never written down and eventually lost. Or written down on documents that later disintegrated or were purposefully destroyed.

Who hasn’t wished that they could could time travel back to the past? Have you ever wondered what your current location looked like a hundred years ago? A thousand years ago? Ten thousand or more years ago? Though sending humans into the past will probably never be possible, who’s to say that we won’t eventually figure out a way to view and perhaps even hear the past, without actually being there or having the ability to change it?