2011 American TV series or program
| SkyWeek | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Astronomy Educational |
| Starring | Tony Flanders |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 52 episodes annually |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Green screen |
| Running time | 3 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS |
| Release | October 19, 2011 (2011-10-19) – April 28, 2014 (2014-04-28) |
SkyWeek was a weekly astronomy television program created by Sky & Telescope magazine. The show was hosted by Tony Flanders, associate editor of Sky & Telescope magazine. Each episode of the program was released in one, three, and five-minute formats; and, the show's content and format were similar to that of another weekly astronomy program called Star Gazers. SkyWeek was carried by many PBS affiliates.
Content
SkyWeek was an educational program that described celestial events for the upcoming week. The show was aimed primarily at the general public and required no prior knowledge of astronomy. However, it also contained information that was likely to be interesting to experienced amateur astronomers. It depicted celestial objects in the night sky that could be seen without special equipment such as telescopes. Sky and Telescope's associate editor, Tony Flanders hosted the show, which was available in one-, three- and five-minute versions.
Production
SkyWeek was produced by New Track Media, which publishes Sky & Telescope magazine. The show was distributed to PBS stations through American Public Television.
Images from the Hubble Space Telescope and many other professional and amateur sources were used in the production of the show.
On April 16, 2014, Tony Flanders announced that the episode covering the week of April 28 to May 4, 2014, would be the last for the series. Flanders reported that the series was being discontinued because of insufficient money from sponsors required to cover the show's costs.
Episodes
Episodes were titled by the week of the events they describe. The production code used was of the form YYMMDD (2 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day) for the date the episode was best suited to be broadcast.
Season 1: 2011
The show premiered on November 19, 2011, with the inaugural episode covering the week of November 21 to 27, 2011.
| Series # | Episode # | Title | View Episode | Original air date | Production Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "SkyWeek November 21–27, 2011" | view | November 20, 2011 (2011-11-20) | #111120 |
| Thanksgiving week is new Moon week, allowing what might be our last good view of the summer Milky Way. Also, let’s take a look at Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets. | |||||
| 2 | 2 | "SkyWeek November 28 - December 4, 2011" | view | November 27, 2011 (2011-11-27) | #111127 |
| As the Moon waxes to half lit, let’s take a look at the brightest star in each section of the sky: Vega setting in the west, Fomalhaut cruising low over the southern horizon, and Capella rising in the east. | |||||
| 3 | 3 | "SkyWeek December 5–11, 2011" | view | December 4, 2011 (2011-12-04) | #111204 |
| This week the Moon puts on the best sky show of the year for stargazers in the western U.S. — a total lunar eclipse. And we’ll look at Jupiter, the king of the planets. | |||||
| 4 | 4 | "SkyWeek December 12–18, 2011" | view | December 11, 2011 (2011-12-11) | #111211 |
| This week boasts one of the year’s best meteor showers — though the nearly full Moon will interfere with viewing them. And we’ll look at a constellation that flies upside-down in the sky. | |||||
| 5 | 5 | "SkyWeek December 19–25, 2011" | view | December 18, 2011 (2011-12-18) | #111218 |
| Wednesday December 21st is the longest night of the year and the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Leading the pack of winter constellations is Taurus, the Bull. | |||||
| 6 | 6 | "SkyWeek December 26 - January 1, 2012" | view | December 25, 2011 (2011-12-25) | #111225 |
| Orion, the Hunter, may be the most amazing constellation in the sky. And Betelgeuse, the star marking Orion’s left shoulder, is a red supergiant that’s ripe to explode as a supernova. | |||||
Season 2: 2012
The 2012 season started on January 1, 2012.
| Series # | Episode # | Title | View Episode | Original air date | Production Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "SkyWeek January 2–8, 2012" | view | January 1, 2012 (2012-01-01) | #120101 |
| Weather permitting, North Americans can enjoy a little-known but unusually strong meteor shower before dawn on Wednesday morning. | |||||
| 8 | 2 | "SkyWeek January 9–15, 2012" | view | January 8, 2012 (2012-01-08) | #120108 |
| Sirius, the night sky’s brightest star, is on great display during January evenings. | |||||
| 9 | 3 | "SkyWeek January 16–22, 2012" | view | January 15, 2012 (2012-01-15) | #120115 |
| The constellations Perseus, Cassiopeia, and Andromeda are linked together in the sky, and in Greek mythology. | |||||
| 10 | 4 | "SkyWeek January 23–29, 2012" | view | January 22, 2012 (2012-01-22) | #120122 |
| Learn how Perseus rescued Andromeda, and find out how and why Queen Cassiopeia is doomed to rotate forever in the sky. | |||||
| 11 | 5 | "SkyWeek January 30 - February 5, 2012" | view | January 29, 2012 (2012-01-29) | #120129 |
| This week Eros, the grandaddy of all near-Earth asteroids, is making its closest approach to Earth since 1975, just 16.6 million miles away. That make it our second-closest neighbor after the Moon. | |||||
| 12 | 6 | "SkyWeek February 6–12, 2012" | view | February 5, 2012 (2012-02-05) | #120205 |
| Mars, the Red Planet, is beginning to appear in the evening sky. In many ways, Mars is the planet most like Earth, with deserts, dust storms, and maybe even running water on rare occasions. | |||||
| 13 | 7 | "SkyWeek February 13–19, 2012" | view | February 12, 2012 (2012-02-12) | #120212 |
| Orion is center stage in the south as the sky grows dark. This constellation contains 7 of the sky’s 100 brightest stars. And most of Orion’s main stars are physically related. | |||||
| 14 | 8 | "SkyWeek February 20–26, 2012" | view | February 19, 2012 (2012-02-19) | #120219 |
| The waxing crescent Moon passes close to three planets this week: Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter. All of them travel along a path in the sky called the zodiac. | |||||
| 15 | 9 | "SkyWeek February 27 - March 4, 2012" | view | February 26, 2012 (2012-02-26) | #120226 |
| This week the night sky’s six or seven brightest objects are all visible 45 minutes after sunset, something that won’t happen again for decades. | |||||
| 16 | 10 | "SkyWeek March 5–11, 2012" | view | March 4, 2012 (2012-03-04) | #120304 |
| This is a dramatic week for planet watchers. In the east, Mars is at its brightest and closest to Earth for 2012. On the opposite side of the sky, Venus and Jupiter form a spectacular pair. | |||||
| 17 | 11 | "SkyWeek March 12–18, 2012" | view | March 11, 2012 (2012-03-11) | #120311 |
| Venus and Jupiter are paired spectacularly in the western sky. Meanwhile, the twin stars Castor and Pollux form a less glamorous but much longer lived pair high in the south. | |||||
| 18 | 12 | "SkyWeek March 19–25, 2012" | view | March 18, 2012 (2012-03-18) | #120318 |
| Spring starts this week on Monday night, a date called the Vernal Equinox. For the next six months, days will be longer than nights in the Northern Hemisphere. | |||||
| 19 | 13 | "SkyWeek March 26 - April 1, 2012" | view | March 25, 2012 (2012-03-25) | #120325 |
| The Big Dipper, the best-known star pattern in the sky is now high in the northeast in the evening. It’s just part of the much larger constellation Ursa Major. | |||||
| 20 | 14 | "SkyWeek April 2–8, 2012" | view | April 1, 2012 (2012-04-01) | #120401 |
| Venus passes through the Pleiades star cluster on Monday and Tuesday. And Saturn, the magnificent ringed planet, is now well up in the evening sky. | |||||
| 21 | 15 | "SkyWeek April 9–15, 2012" | view | April 8, 2012 (2012-04-08) | #120408 |
| You can see five great star clusters with your unaided eyes on evenings at this time of year. One of them is widely known, but rarely recognized as a true star cluster. | |||||
| 22 | 16 | "SkyWeek April 16–22, 2012" | view | April 15, 2012 (2012-04-15) | #120415 |
| Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, is a compact jewel of a constellation. And the dazzling orange star Arcturus nearby may be a visitor from another galaxy. | |||||
| 23 | 17 | "SkyWeek April 23–29, 2012" | view | April 22, 2012 (2012-04-22) | #120422 |
| The waxing crescent Moon appears higher in the west each evening this week. And the planet Venus is also now a crescent, a phenomenon of great historical importance. | |||||
| 24 | 18 | "SkyWeek April 30 - May 6, 2012" | view | April 29, 2012 (2012-04-29) | #120429 |
| The closest and biggest full Moon of 2012 happens on Saturday, May 5th. That means that high tides will be unusually high and low tides will be unusually low. | |||||
| 25 | 19 | "SkyWeek May 7–13, 2012" | view | May 6, 2012 (2012-05-06) | #120506 |
| Venus, Mars, and Saturn are all paired with bright stars this week. Saturn is in Virgo, the great constellation of spring, and the site of a remarkable galaxy cluster. | |||||
| 26 | 20 | "SkyWeek May 14–20, 2012" | view | May 13, 2012 (2012-05-13) | #120513 |
| A partial solar eclipse is visible over most of the U.S. on Sunday, May 20th. And in parts of the West the eclipse is annular, with a ring of sunlight all around the Moon’s dark disk. | |||||
| 27 | 21 | "SkyWeek May 21–27, 2012" | view | May 20, 2012 (2012-05-20) | #120520 |
| This week is your last easy chance to see Venus before it crosses the Sun’s disk on June 5th. And the constellation Hercules, with its magnificent star cluster, is rising in the east. | |||||
| 28 | 22 | "SkyWeek May 28 - June 3, 2012" | view | May 27, 2012 (2012-05-27) | #120527 |
| Get ready for the partial lunar eclipse before dawn on June 4th and the twice-in-a-lifetime chance to see Venus’s dark disk cross the Sun on June 5th. | |||||
| 29 | 23 | "SkyWeek June 4–10, 2012" | view | June 3, 2012 (2012-06-03) | |
| The Moon experiences a partial lunar eclipse before dawn on Monday. And we look at the historical and scientific importance of Tuesday’s Transit of Venus across the Sun. | |||||
| 30 | 24 | "SkyWeek June 11–17, 2012" | view | June 10, 2012 (2012-06-10) | |
| The huge intertwined constellations Ophiuchus and Serpens fill much of the southeastern sky. Ophiuchus is sometimes called the thirteenth constellation of the zodiac. | |||||
| 31 | 25 | "SkyWeek June 18–24, 2012" | view | June 17, 2012 (2012-06-17) | |
| Summer officially begins on Wednesday this week. In addition to having the longest days, this time of year has the most luxurious sunrises, sunsets, and twilights. | |||||
| 32 | 26 | "SkyWeek June 25 - July 1, 2012" | view | June 24, 2012 (2012-06-24) | |
| The waxing Moon passes Mars, Spica, and Saturn this week. Saturn possesses an extraordinary retinue of moons, including the amazingly Earth-like moon Titan. | |||||
| 33 | 27 | "SkyWeek July 2–8, 2012" | view | July 1, 2012 (2012-07-01) | |
| Vega, Altair, and Deneb, the three bright high-flying stars of summer, are now well up in the east. Together, they form a huge shape called the Summer Triangle. | |||||
| 34 | 28 | "SkyWeek July 9–15, 2012" | view | July 8, 2012 (2012-07-08) | |
| Magnificent Scorpius, the Scorpion, is at its highest around 10 or 11 pm. Its brightest star is dazzling reddish Antares, meaning "rival of Mars." | |||||
| 35 | 29 | "SkyWeek July 16–22, 2012" | view | July 15, 2012 (2012-07-15) | |
| Summer evenings are when the Milky Way’s brightest part is visible. Unfortunately, the Milky Way is easily overwhelmed by poorly designed artificial lights. | |||||
| 36 | 30 | "SkyWeek July 23–29, 2012" | view | July 22, 2012 (2012-07-22) | |
| Vega and Altair, the brightest stars of the Summer Triangle, are linked in legends worldwide. And their names tell a fascinating story. | |||||
| 37 | 31 | "SkyWeek July 30 - August 5, 2012" | view | July 29, 2012 (2012-07-29) | |
| Mars approaches Saturn and Spica dramatically this week at dusk. And the Day Star, the Sun, is a never-ending source of astronomical wonder. | |||||
| 38 | 32 | "SkyWeek August 6–12, 2012" | view | August 5, 2012 (2012-08-05) | |
| Mars, Saturn, and Spica form a triangle low in the southwest. And the Perseid meteor shower will be at its best late on Saturday night. | |||||
| 39 | 33 | "SkyWeek August 13–19, 2012" | view | August 12, 2012 (2012-08-12) | |
| Mars threads the narrow gap between Saturn and Spica. And later in the evening we can look deep into the heart of the Sagittarius Milky Way. | |||||
| 40 | 34 | "SkyWeek August 20–26, 2012" | view | August 19, 2012 (2012-08-19) | |
| Between and below Cygnus the Dolphin and Aquila the Eagle lie two tiny but very attractive constellations: Delphinus the Dolphin and Sagitta the Arrow. | |||||
| 41 | 35 | "SkyWeek August 27 - September 2, 2012" | view | August 26, 2012 (2012-08-26) | |
| The Moon is more than one-quarter the diameter of Earth. The only comparable pair in the Solar System is Pluto and its moon Charon. | |||||
| 42 | 36 | "SkyWeek September 3–9, 2012" | view | September 2, 2012 (2012-09-02) | |
| The small but shapely constellation Lyra is chock-full of celestial wonders. In Greek mythology this Lyre belonged to the great musician Orpheus. | |||||
| 43 | 37 | "SkyWeek September 10–16, 2012" | view | September 9, 2012 (2012-09-09) | |
| Cygnus the Swan flies high overhead. The Great Rift that splits the Milky Way in two starts near the heart of Cygnus. | |||||
| 44 | 38 | "SkyWeek September 17–23, 2012" | view | September 16, 2012 (2012-09-16) | |
| The planet Uranus is extraordinarily close to a similarly bright star. Uranus was discovered in 1781 by an amateur astronomer named William Herschel. | |||||
| 45 | 39 | "SkyWeek September 24–30, 2012" | view | September 23, 2012 (2012-09-23) | |
| The elegant but little-known constellation Draco the Dragon lies coiled around the Little Dipper, with its head high in the sky. | |||||
| 46 | 40 | "SkyWeek October 1–7, 2012" | view | September 30, 2012 (2012-09-30) | |
| The constellations of the Great Sea spill from the jug of Aquarius, the Water Carrier. And Neptune, the outermost planet, is in Aquarius now. | |||||
| 47 | 41 | "SkyWeek October 8–14, 2012" | view | October 7, 2012 (2012-10-07) | |
| Cassiopeia and Perseus are the prime constellations of the autumn Milky Way. And they’re home to some of the sky’s finest star clusters. | |||||
| 48 | 42 | "SkyWeek October 15–21, 2012" | view | October 14, 2012 (2012-10-14) | |
| The constellations Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and Perseus are linked in Greek mythology by a wonderful story. | |||||
| 49 | 43 | "SkyWeek October 22–28, 2012" | view | October 21, 2012 (2012-10-21) | |
| The Moon, our closest neighbor in space, is amazing to the unaided eye and binoculars. Its surface reveals a lot about Earth’s history, too. | |||||
| 50 | 44 | "SkyWeek October 29 - November 4, 2012" | view | October 28, 2012 (2012-10-28) | |
| Jupiter’s four biggest moons are whole worlds in their own right. They include the most active volcanoes known and a suspected habitat for life. | |||||
| 51 | 45 | "SkyWeek November 5–11, 2012" | view | November 4, 2012 (2012-11-04) | |
| The Andromeda Galaxy is on fine display these evenings. It’s the most distant object you’re likely to see without binoculars or a telescope, but it’s right next door in cosmic terms. | |||||
| 52 | 46 | "SkyWeek November 12–18, 2012" | view | November 11, 2012 (2012-11-11) | |
| A superthin Moon floats below Venus before sunrise on Monday, November 12th. And you might be able to spot the reborn crescent on Wednesday or Thursday evening. | |||||
| 53 | 47 | "SkyWeek November 19–25, 2012" | view | November 18, 2012 (2012-11-18) | |
| Dazzling Jupiter blazes near the sky’s two most spectacular star clusters — the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, and the Hyades, the closest rich star cluster to Earth. | |||||
| 54 | 48 | "SkyWeek November 26 - December 2, 2012" | view | November 25, 2012 (2012-11-25) | |
| Saturn glows very close to brilliant Venus before sunrise on Monday, November 26th. And the Moon is spectacularly close to bright Jupiter on Wednesday evening. | |||||
| 55 | 49 | "SkyWeek December 3–9, 2012" | view | December 2, 2012 (2012-12-02) | |
| Three of the sky’s finest star formations are climbing the southeastern sky. The Pleaides lead the way, then Jupiter with the Hyades, and magnificent Orion rounds out the group. | |||||
| 56 | 50 | "SkyWeek December 10–16, 2012" | view | December 9, 2012 (2012-12-09) | |
| The Geminid meteor shower will be strongest from Thursday evening through Friday morning, though more meteors than usual will fall all week. Conditions are perfect this year, with no Moon to blind you to the faintest meteors. | |||||
| 57 | 51 | "SkyWeek December 17–23, 2012" | view | December 16, 2012 (2012-12-16) | |
| Winter starts on Friday, and coincidentally the ancient Mayan calendar flips over to a new "baktun." Contrary to the doomsayers, nothing unusual will happen. But some astronomical phenomena are genuinely dangerous. | |||||
| 58 | 52 | "SkyWeek December 24–30, 2012" | view | December 23, 2012 (2012-12-23) | |
| The Moon pairs spectacularly with Jupiter on the evening of Christmas Day, December 25. And Sirius, the night sky’s brightest star, is at its highest at midnight as the year winds to its end. | |||||
| 59 | 53 | "SkyWeek December 31 - January 6, 2012" | view | December 30, 2012 (2012-12-30) | |
| A splendid vista of bright stars and one dazzling planet greets stargazers on the stroke of the New Year. And two remarkable stars that vary in brightness are high in the northwest. | |||||
Season 3: 2013
The 2013 season started on January 1, 2013.
| Series # | Episode # | Title | View Episode | Original air date | Production Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 1 | "SkyWeek January 7–13, 2013" | view | January 6, 2013 (2013-01-06) | |
| Auriga the Charioteer is nearly overhead in the evening sky. Its prominent pentagon includes dazzling Capella, meaning She Goat, the sixth brightest star in the night sky. | |||||
| 61 | 2 | "SkyWeek January 14–20, 2013" | view | January 13, 2013 (2013-01-13) | |
| This is a great week to observe the Moon, Earth's closest neighbor in space. It shows much detail to the unaided eye, and it’s amazing through binoculars and small telescopes. | |||||
| 62 | 3 | "SkyWeek January 21–27, 2013" | view | January 20, 2013 (2013-01-20) | |
| The Moon forms a spectacular pair with Jupiter high in the southeast. They’re in the constellation Taurus the Bull, which was the first constellation of the zodiac at the dawn of history. | |||||
| 63 | 4 | "SkyWeek January 28 - February 3, 2013" | view | January 27, 2013 (2013-01-27) | |
| Look just below Orion’s Belt for his Sword. It’s centered on the Great Orion Nebula, which is currently giving birth to hot young stars at a furious rate. | |||||
| 64 | 5 | "SkyWeek February 4–10, 2013" | view | February 3, 2013 (2013-02-03) | |
| Mars is spectacularly close to Mercury shortly after sunset on Friday February 8th. Spot the two smallest planets side by side in the sky — but nowhere near each other in space. | |||||
| 65 | 6 | "SkyWeek February 11–17, 2013" | view | February 10, 2013 (2013-02-10) | |
| A beautifully thin crescent Moon floats upper right of Mercury on Monday. This is a great week to spot Mercury, something few people have knowingly done. | |||||
| 66 | 7 | "SkyWeek February 18–24, 2013" | view | February 17, 2013 (2013-02-17) | |
| The constellation Gemini, the Twins, flies almost overhead in late February and early March. Its brightest stars are Castor and Pollux, named after the famous twins of Greek and Roman mythology. | |||||
| 67 | 8 | "SkyWeek February 25 - March 3, 2013" | view | February 24, 2013 (2013-02-24) | |
| Splendid Leo the Lion rears up on its hind legs in the evening sky. Most constellations bear little resemblance to their names, but Leo really does look like a lion. | |||||
| 68 | 9 | "SkyWeek March 4–10, 2013" | view | March 3, 2013 (2013-03-03) | |
| Cancer the Crab is home to the Praesepe, or Beehive. It looks like a cloud of light to the unaided eye, but binoculars show that it’s a glorious star cluster. | |||||
| 69 | 10 | "SkyWeek March 11–17, 2013" | view | March 10, 2013 (2013-03-10) | |
| If we’re lucky, Comet PANSTARRS will shine low in the west shortly after sunset this week. But comets are notoriously unpredictable, so we won’t know for sure until the day arrives. | |||||
| 70 | 11 | "SkyWeek March 18–24, 2013" | view | March 17, 2013 (2013-03-17) | |
| Spring begins this week on Wednesday morning. This is the day when the Sun rises due East and sets due West all over the world. | |||||
| 71 | 12 | "SkyWeek March 25–31, 2013" | view | March 24, 2013 (2013-03-24) | |
| The Big Dipper, the sky’s best-known star pattern, is now high in the northeast. Find out how you can use it to tell the directions and the time of night. | |||||
| 71 | 12 | "SkyWeek April 1–7, 2013" | view | March 31, 2013 (2013-03-31) | |
| The constellation Puppis floats lower left of dazzling Sirius. It’s just the tip of the gigantic ancient constellation Argo, the ship that carried Jason and the Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece. | |||||
| 72 | 13 | "SkyWeek April 8–14, 2013" | view | April 7, 2013 (2013-04-07) | |
| The Moon pairs beautifully with Jupiter on Sunday, April 14th. Take a good look at Jupiter, the king of the planets, because it’s getting lower each evening. | |||||
| 73 | 14 | "SkyWeek April 15–21, 2013" | view | April 14, 2013 (2013-04-14) | |
| Three bright lights dominate the late-spring sky: Spica, the brightest star of Virgo the Maiden, Arcturus, the brightest star of Boötes the Herdsman, and the ringed planet Saturn. | |||||
| 74 | 15 | "SkyWeek April 22–28, 2013" | view | April 21, 2013 (2013-04-21) | |
| Saturn is the second-biggest planet in the Solar System, big enough to fit 800 Earths inside. Its most prominent feature is its magnificent ring system, made of countless chunks of ice. | |||||
| 75 | 16 | "SkyWeek April 29 - May 5, 2013" | view | April 28, 2013 (2013-04-28) | |
| The Big Dipper is now at its highest in the northern sky. Galileo discovered the double star Mizar in its handle because he was looking for parallax, trying to prove that Earth goes around the Sun. | |||||
| 76 | 17 | "SkyWeek May 6–12, 2013" | view | May 5, 2013 (2013-05-05) | |
| The faint constellation Coma Berenices hosts one of the closest star clusters in the sky. It has a fascinating history and is a splendid sight through binoculars. | |||||
| 77 | 18 | "SkyWeek May 13–19, 2013" | view | May 12, 2013 (2013-05-12) | |
| Stargazers throughout the contiguous U.S. can see parts of the huge, ancient constellation Centaurus poking above the southern horizon. From Hawaii or southern Florida this constellation is splendid indeed. | |||||
| 78 | 19 | "SkyWeek May 20–26, 2013" | view | May 12, 2013 (2013-05-12) | |
| The planets Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury form an amazingly tight triangle by the end of this week. This is the closest conjunction of three bright planets until January 2021. | |||||
| 79 | 20 | "SkyWeek May 20–26, 2013" | view | May 19, 2013 (2013-05-19) | |
| The planets Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury form an amazingly tight triangle by the end of this week. This is the closest conjunction of three bright planets until January 2021. | |||||
| 80 | 21 | "SkyWeek May 27 - June 2, 2013" | May 19, 2013 (2013-05-19) | ||
| 81 | 22 | "SkyWeek June 3–9, 2013" | view | June 2, 2013 (2013-06-02) | |
| This is the best week in 2013 to view Mercury, the elusive innermost planet. And find out how the quasar 3C 273 was first discovered. | |||||
| 82 | 23 | "SkyWeek June 10–16, 2013" | view | June 9, 2013 (2013-06-09) | |
| A beautifully thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Mercury and Venus after sunset on Monday. Then Venus appears a little higher each evening and Mercury a little lower. | |||||
| 83 | 24 | "SkyWeek June 17–23, 2013" | view | June 16, 2013 (2013-06-16) | |
| This week features a close pairing of Mercury and Venus, the beginning of summer, and the largest and closest full Moon of the year. | |||||
| 84 | 25 | "SkyWeek June 24–30, 2013" | view | June 23, 2013 (2013-06-23) | |
| Days are long and nights are short during the first full week of summer. Learn how summer is defined in astronomical terms, and why it matters to all life on Earth. | |||||
| 85 | 26 | "SkyWeek July 1–7, 2013" | view | June 30, 2013 (2013-06-30) | |
| As the sky grows dark in the evening, the stars of the Summer Triangle are rising in the east: Vega in the constellation Lyra, Altair in Aquila, and Deneb in Cygnus the Swan. | |||||
| 86 | 27 | "SkyWeek July 8–14, 2013" | view | July 7, 2013 (2013-07-07) | |
| Magnificent Scorpius is near its highest at nightfall. This is one of the few constellations that really resembles its name. Antares, its chief star, is strikingly bright and red. | |||||
| 87 | 28 | "SkyWeek July 15–21, 2013" | view | July 14, 2013 (2013-07-14) | |
| Three spectacularly close approaches take place in the heavens this week. The Moon meets the stars Spica and Zubenelgenubi, and Venus passes close to Regulus. | |||||
| 88 | 29 | "SkyWeek July 22–28, 2013" | view | July 21, 2013 (2013-07-21) | |
| Two fine constellations are side by side in the south: hook-tailed Scorpius and Sagittarius, the Archer. The center of our Milky Way galaxy lies behind the stars of Sagittarius. | |||||
| 89 | 30 | "SkyWeek July 29 - August 4, 2013" | view | July 28, 2013 (2013-07-28) | |
| The Milky Way band is one of nature’s most magnificent sights. But most Americans are unable to see it because of the creeping blight of light pollution. | |||||
| 90 | 31 | "SkyWeek August 5–11, 2013" | view | August 4, 2013 (2013-08-04) | |
| The Perseid meteor shower is ramping up this week, reaching its strongest from midnight on Sunday, August 11th, to dawn’s first light the next morning. | |||||
| 91 | 32 | "SkyWeek August 12–18, 2013" | view | August 11, 2013 (2013-08-11) | |
| The Perseid meteor shower winds down this week. Learn about the different kinds of meteoroids, and what happens on the rare occasions when they strike Earth’s surface. | |||||
| 92 | 33 | "SkyWeek August 19–25, 2013" | view | August 18, 2013 (2013-08-18) | |
| Vega, the brightest star of the Summer Triangle, is almost overhead now. Together with five fainter stars, Vega forms the strikingly geometric constellation Lyra, the Lyre. | |||||
| 93 | 34 | "SkyWeek August 26 - September 1, 2013" | view | August 25, 2013 (2013-08-25) | |
| Deneb, the faintest star of the Summer Triangle, belongs to the magnificent constellation Cygnus, the Swan, which flies along the Milky Way. Cygnus’s brightest stars form the splendid Northern Cross. | |||||
| 94 | 35 | "SkyWeek September 2–8, 2013" | view | September 1, 2013 (2013-09-01) | |
| The Moon pairs with Mars early on Monday morning, and it’s spectacularly close to Venus at dusk on the following Sunday. In between, Venus passes a finger’s width above the bright star Spica. | |||||
| 95 | 36 | "SkyWeek September 9–15, 2013" | view | September 8, 2013 (2013-09-08) | |
| The waxing Moon traverses the sky this week, and can be tracked in its appearance each night as it changes from 20% to 85% lit. The same side of the Moon always faces Earth. | |||||
| 96 | 37 | "SkyWeek September 16–22, 2013" | view | September 15, 2013 (2013-09-15) | |
| Autumn begins on Sunday, September 22nd. The full Moon closest to this date, called the Harvest Moon, rises just before sunset on Wednesday and sets just after sunrise on Thursday. | |||||
| 97 | 38 | "SkyWeek September 23–29, 2013" | view | September 22, 2013 (2013-09-22) | |
| You can view the change of seasons in the evening sky. The signature constellations of summer are setting in the west, while bright Cassiopeia, Perseus, Andromeda, and Pegasus rise in the northeast. | |||||
| 98 | 39 | "SkyWeek September 30 - October 6, 2013" | view | September 29, 2013 (2013-09-29) | |
| Jupiter, the king of the planets, passes extraordinarily near the star Wasat in the sky. Although they appear close together, they’re actually totally different kinds of objects at wildly different distances from Earth. | |||||
| 99 | 40 | "SkyWeek October 7–13, 2013" | view | October 6, 2013 (2013-10-06) | |
| Venus passes the star Delta Scorpii this week. In June 2000, Argentine stargazer Sebastián Otero caught Delta in a midlife crisis, changing from a normal star to one that varies in brightness. | |||||
| 100 | 41 | "SkyWeek October 14–20, 2013" | view | October 13, 2013 (2013-10-13) | |
| Dazzling Venus creeps through Scorpius, passing a short distance above the strikingly red star Antares. And in the predawn sky, Mars passes slightly farther from Regulus, the brightest star of Leo. | |||||
| 101 | 42 | "SkyWeek October 21–27, 2013" | view | October 20, 2013 (2013-10-20) | |
| The Perseus constellation group fills the northeastern sky. The W of Queen Cassiopeia is most striking. Her son-in-law Perseus below is home to one of the sky’s best but least-known star clusters. | |||||
| 102 | 43 | "SkyWeek October 28 - November 3, 2013" | view | October 27, 2013 (2013-10-27) | |
| Look to the right of Cassiopeia for a formation that I call the Really Big Dipper. It’s composed of the three brightest stars of Andromeda together with the Great Square of Pegasus. | |||||
| 103 | 44 | "SkyWeek November 4–10, 2013" | view | November 3, 2013 (2013-11-03) | |
| The ancient constellations of the Great Sea fill the southern sky, from Cetus the Sea Monster to strange Capricornus the Sea Goat, whose origin is lost in the mists of time. | |||||
| 104 | 45 | "SkyWeek November 11–17, 2013" | view | November 10, 2013 (2013-11-10) | |
| Comet ISON may become faintly visible in the predawn sky this week. But comets are notoriously unpredictable, so this is not a certainty. | |||||
| 105 | 46 | "SkyWeek November 18–24, 2013" | view | November 17, 2013 (2013-11-17) | |
| Mercury, the innermost planet, appears in the predawn sky as Comet ISON races toward its rendezvous with the Sun. And Saturn, the ringed wonder, joins the action late in the week. | |||||
See also
- The Sky Above Us, a television show on astronomy
- The Sky at Night, the longest running television show in the world
- Star Gazers, a weekly television show on astronomy
- StarDate (radio), a daily syndicated radio show highlighting upcoming celestial events
- White House Astronomy Night
References
- ^ Horne, Johnny (November 23, 2011). "Check out "Skyweek TV"". The Fayetteville Observer. Fayetteville, North Carolina, US: Charles Broadwell. ISBN 9780899505114. ISSN 2155-9740. OCLC 45115389. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- Flanders, Tony (November 7, 2011). "Meet the Staff: Tony Flanders". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- Sutherland, Paul (January 24, 2012). "Stargazing Live USA! Could it happen?". Skymania. Skymania News and Guide. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^ "SKYWEEK - American Public Television". American Public Television. APT Online. 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
- Homan, Nate (April 2, 2012). "Students Invited to a Star Party at McCall Middle School". Patch Media. New York City, New York, USA: AOL. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
- "KET - Skyweek - Series Information". KET. Kentucky Educational Television. 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
- Flanders, Tony (April 16, 2014). "Last Month for SkyWeek TV". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
- "Episode Description for: SKYWEEK". KET. Kentucky Educational Television. 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2012.