‘Earth & Sky’ Archives
Sky Tonight—January 11,Two stars flag sun’s path
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org You can use the brilliant star Sirius – and the star Vega – to imagine the direction our sun and solar system are traveling through space. The sun in its orbit is traveling away from Sirus and toward the star Vega. Although we could not fit them both on one chart, Vega shines over your northwestern horizon, opposite Sirius, at nightfall at this time of year. If you stand outside in early evening with ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—Moon and Jupiter still close
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Our sky chart shows the waxing crescent moon and the blazing planet Jupiter as viewed from North America. However, no matter where you live, it should be a piece of cake to find Jupiter this evening. Look for the very brilliant star-like object near tonight’s moon, and that will be Jupiter. For us in North America, the moon will shine at roughly the same distance from Jupiter tonight that it did ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—January 9, Watch moon and Jupiter
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org The first two celestial objects to pop out at evening dusk are the waxing crescent moon and the dazzling planet Jupiter. The moon and Jupiter rank as the brightest and second brightest heavenly bodies in the evening sky, respectively. The position of the moon and Jupiter at evening dusk depends on where you live worldwide. Way up north – like in Alaska – the moon and Jupiter will appear rather low in ... Full Story
Sky Tonight— January 8, Elusive Mercury farthest
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Bright star on January 2011 evenings? It’s the planet Jupiter Tomorrow – on Sunday, January 9, 2011 – the planet Mercury swings to its greatest distance west of the sun as seen in Earth’s sky. That means people around the world with a level horizon and a clear sky can view Mercury climbing over the eastern horizon just as darkness gives way to dawn. If you don’t see Mercury right away, wait for ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—January 7, Venus farthest west of sun in
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org The most brilliant of all the planets, Venus, reaches its farthest point west of the sun in Earth’s sky on January 8, 2011. Astronomers call this a “greatest elongation” of Venus. At such times, Venus shines as the brilliant morning ’star’ in the east before sunrise. At its greatest morning elongation, Venus typically rises 3 hours or more before sunrise. Because the orbit of Venus lies inside ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—January 6, Use bright stars to find
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org You will need a very dark sky to see the constellation Monoceros the Unicorn on these cold January nights. How can you find the Unicorn? Focus in on the bright stars Betelgeuse, Sirius and Procyon. They make a triangle, sometimes called the Winter Triangle. Within this triangle of stars, hidden in between the many bright and glittering stars and constellations visible at this time of year, there is a ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—January 5, Latest sunrises for
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org If you like to sleep late but don’t want to miss the sunrise, this time of year should be your favorite. The latest sunrises of the year for mid-latitudes in the northern hemisphere are happening around now. For those in Wichita, Kansas, for example, the sunrise time for the next several days will be around 7:45 in the morning. Sleep on! The December solstice always brings the shortest day. However, ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—January 4, Solar eclipse today, but not
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Photo courtesy of junction’s photostream, some rights reserved. If you live on the right spot on Earth, you can observe the partial eclipse of the sun today, on Tuesday, January 4, 2011. Given clear skies, the following places will see the partial solar eclipse: most of Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, and the western and central portions of Asia. Sorry, America … no eclipse for us. The ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—January 3, Quadrantid meteors for Asia
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Two major events will take place tomorrow – on Tuesday, January 4 – a meteor shower and a solar eclipse. Neither one is particular well placed for the Americas. The annual Quadrantid meteor shower is expected to produce its greatest number of meteors in the wee hours before dawn tomorrow. If predictions hold true, it should be best seen from western Asia and Eastern Europe. Then a partial eclipse of ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—January 2, Earth’s closest
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org When 2011 began on January 1, our planet Earth was very close to its perihelion – its closest point to the sun for the year. That closest point will come tomorrow. In 2011, Earth will be closest to the sun on Monday, January 3 at 19 hours Universal Time (12 p.m. Mountain Time). How do I translate Universal Time to my time? Earth is closest to the sun every year in early January, when it is winter ... Full Story
