‘Earth & Sky’ Archives
EarthSky Tonight—Nov 11, North Taurid meteors during
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org You’re likely to see the most North Taurid meteors in the wee hours – just after midnight. This shower is going on now and might continue through the weekend. The North Taurids are generally a very modest shower, offering perhaps 10 meteors per hour. However, even one bright meteor can be a treat. The North Taurid meteors derive their name from the constellation Taurus the Bull. If you trace the paths of the Taurid ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—Tonight Nov 10, Can we see stars
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org One of you wrote, “Are there any stars outside our own galaxy that we can see with just the eye?” The answer is no – unless you count seeing the combined light of many billions of stars. From the northern hemisphere, the only galaxy outside our Milky Way that is easily visible to the eye is the great galaxy in the constellation Andromeda – also known as M31. It is shown in the image at the top of this post. In ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—Nov 9, Use constellation Cassiopeia
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org David Smith of Michigan wrote, "What is the easiest way to find the Andromeda galaxy at this time of year?" “I tried a couple times with my telescope, but had no luck." Dave, the image at right shows the view of the Andromeda galaxy through a telescope. We hope you are not looking through the eyepiece of your telescope when sweeping through the sky for this galaxy. That would be hard. You need a wider field of view ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—Nov 8, Young moon easier to spot
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The young waxing crescent moon should be much easier to spot after sunset this evening than it was yesterday. Yesterday, the moon shone closer to the setting sun, so the moon followed the sunbeneath the horizon shortly after sundown. Tonight’s moon will be higher in the sky and will stay out longer after sunset. From our mid-northern latitudes, the lunar crescent sits low in the southwest sky at dusk and nightfall. ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—Tonight Nov 7, Can you see the
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Bright object in the southeast on November evenings? It’s the planet Jupiter Will you catch the young moon slip in and out of the twilight dusk after sunset tonight? You might, if you live at mid-northern latitudes or farther south in North America. At mid-northern latitudes in Europe and Asia, you will have to wait until after sunset Monday. However, all latitudes south of the equator have a decent chance of spotting ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—Nov 6, A famous variable star in
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Delta Cephei is a famous variable star in the constellation Cepheus. With clock-like precision, this rather faint star doubles in brightness every 5.36 days. You can see the brightness change best if you contrast this star to others nearby. The constellation Cepheus requires a dark sky to be seen, but if you can spot this constellation, you might be able to find the variable star. You will find it high in your northern ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—Tonight Nov 5, Constellation
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The constellation Cassiopeia the Queen can be found high in the northeast in the evening at this time of year, not far from Polaris, the North Star. Cassiopeia is an easy constellation to recognize because it is small and compact and looks like the letter M or W, depending on what time of night and what time of year it is. The constellation on today’s chart used to be known among astronomers and skywatchers alike as ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—Nov 4, Modest meteor shower
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The radiant points for two November meteor showers – the South Taurids and North Taurids – both reside in front of the constellation Taurus the Bull. If you trace the paths of shower meteors backward, each shower appears to radiate from a certain point in the starry sky. As can be expected, the radiant point for the South Taurids is found in southern Taurus, while that of the North Taurids is found in northern ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—Nov 3, Crescent moon, planet Venus
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org It is lucky the moon and planet Venus rank as the second- and third-brightest celestial bodies after the sun. Otherwise, we would have little chance of catching either object in the glow of morning twilight tomorrow (Thursday morning, November 4). Comet Hartley 2 to bring meteor shower on November 2 and 3? The moon will be the easier of the two worlds to see. Given a clear sky and an unobstructed eastern horizon, people ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—Nov 2, Use Great Square of Pegasus
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org You can see the Andromeda galaxy at this time of year … simply by looking eastward at nightfall. By late evening, this galaxy will climb almost straight overhead, so you might want to enjoy the comfort of a reclining lawn chair for viewing this deep-sky treasure. This neighboring spiral galaxy appears in our sky as a large hazy patch – bigger than a full moon. It’s very noticeable in a star-filled sky, far from ... Full Story
