‘Earth & Sky’ Archives
EarthSky Tonight—September 9, Cassiopeia the Queen
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Cassiopeia the Queen can be found in the northeast after sunset on September evenings. This constellation has the distinct shape of a W, or M, depending on the time of night you see it. The shape of this constellation makes Cassiopeia’s stars very noticeable. Cassiopeia represents an ancient Queen of Ethiopia. The entire constellation is also sometimes called Cassiopeia’s Chair, and some old star maps depict the Queen ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—September 8, High tide alert!
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Today – September 8 – features the closest new moon of 2010. Look for higher-than-usual tides along coastlines throughout the world. Because it crosses the sky with the sun during the day, you cannot see today’s extra-close new moon. Yet, it will usher in large tides along the ocean coastlines for the next several days, especially if these high tides are accompanied by strong onshore winds. Why is this moon so close? ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—September 7, Use Big Dipper to
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Tonight’s chart shows the Polaris, the Big and Little Dippers for a September evening. Notice that a line from the two outermost stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper point to Polaris, the North Star. Also notice that Polaris marks the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper. Bright star in east? Might be planet Jupiter, nearly at its closest since 1951. The Big Dipper swings full circle (360 degrees) around Polaris in about 23 ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—September 6, Star-hop to Sirius
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Sure, we have said it before, but we will say it again, because it is one of the neatest tricks in all the heavens. That is … Orion’s Belt points to Sirius. Sirius is the brightest star in the sky. It is up before dawn now, but will be shifting into the evening sky as the months pass. You can find Orion. Trust me. If you go outside and look southward before dawn now, you will notice Orion’s Belt, which consists of a short, ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—September 5, Hazy pyramid of light
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Late summer and early autumn present the best time of year to see the false dawn, also known as the zodiacal light. With the moon out of the morning sky for the next two weeks, this is your chance to catch the zodiacal light before dawn. This light can be noticeable and easy to see from latitudes like those in the southern U.S. I’ve seen it many times from the latitude of southern Texas, sometimes while driving a lonely ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—Tonight September 4, Orion the
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Mike wrote, “I noticed on your site that Orion returned to the predawn sky in late July. You called it the ghost of the summer dawn. Due to cloudy skies and other conditions, I was not able to see it until August 6. When will Orion return to the evening sky?” Mike, Orion the Hunter is always behind the sun as seen from Earth in June. It comes back to the predawn sky every year in late July. By early September, Orion is rising ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—Tonight September 2, Venus sets
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org All this month – during September 2010 – the queen planet Venus sets in the west as the king planet Jupiter rises in the east. Our chart shows the eastern sky at early evening for mid-northern latitudes, with Jupiter – the sky’s second brightest planet – shining to the lower right of the Great Square of Pegasus. Venus – the sky’s brightest planet – pops out in the west shortly after sunset. As dusk deepens, the ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—September 1, Venus, Mars, Spica
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The first few evenings of September 2010 present a celestial trio – the planets Venus and Mars, and the star Spica fitting within a circle that is smaller than 5 degrees in diameter. Because a typical binocular field spans about 5 degrees of sky, there is a good chance of seeing all three luminaries squeezing up together inside a single binocular field. All three should be bright enough to see with the unaided eye, if your sky ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—August 31, Moon and Pleiades from
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The moon is not quite yet at its last quarter phase as it and the Pleiades star cluster rise over your east-northeast horizon around midnight tonight. The Pleiades cluster follows the slightly waning gibbous moon upward during the morning hours after midnight on Wednesday. The two luminaries shine high in the southeast as morning dawn starts to color the sky. As seen from Madagascar, the Mauritius Islands to the east of ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight— August 30, Andromeda Galaxy
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The Great Square of Pegasus sparkles over your eastern horizon at early to mid evening. For some idea of the Great Square’s size, extend your hand an arm length from your eye. You will see that any two Great Square stars are farther apart than the width of your hand. The Square of Pegasus is a great jumping off point for finding the famous Andromeda galaxy, also known to astronomers as M31. As seen from mid-northern latitudes, ... Full Story
