‘Earth & Sky’ Archives
Earthsky Tonight—August 8, Look overhead to see the
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The moon will be new tomorrow and then in a waxing crescent phase in the west after sunset in the next few days. That means that, over the coming week, the moon will set soon after sunset and be mostly absent from the evening sky. A moonless sky means this is a good time to get out into the country for a look at the summer Milky Way: the edgewise view into our own galaxy. Here is the view if you are standing facing east – but ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—August 7, Venus, Mars, Saturn form
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Around August 7 and 8, look in the west after sunset for the planets Venus, Mars and Saturn as they form what is known as a planetary trio. Around August 7 and 8, look in the west after sunset for the planets Venus, Mars and Saturn as they form what is known as a planetary trio. A planetary trio is a grouping of three planets that fits inside a circle that is only 5 degrees wide. Typically, a binocular field spans about 5 degrees, ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—August 6, Mercury challenging, but
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system, is not often visible in our sky because it is always near the sun. When this inner world does become visible, it appears but briefly in the evening after sunset – or in the morning before sunrise. At present Mercury shines as an evening “star.” Today, Mercury reaches its greatest elongation for the entire year: 27 degrees east of the sun. (Your fist at an arm length ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—August 5, Constellation Cepheus
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The constellation Cepheus represents a King. It is faint, but its distinctive shape makes it easy to locate, if you look in the north on August evenings. Cepheus resembles the stick house we all drew as children – and that children today still draw – with a square for the base and a triangle for the roof. In the case of Cepheus, the tip of the roof (a star known as Gamma Cephei, or Er Rai) points generally northward. In the ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—August 4, Cassiopeia the Queen on
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org One of the most recognizable constellations is Cassiopeia the Queen, which now can be found in the northeastern sky a couple of hours after the sun goes down. This constellation has the distinct shape of a W, or M, depending on your perspective. Cassiopeia is associated with a queen of Ethiopia. She is sometimes called the Lady of the Chair. Queen Cassiopeia was said to have offended the sea nymphs, or Nereids, by boasting that ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—August 3, Dipper points to Polaris,
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The two outer stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper – Dubhe and Merak – always point to Polaris, the North Star. To find this Dipper at this time of year, look toward the northwest in the evening. Once you have found it – after locating Polaris – look more carefully at the second star from the end of the Big Dipper’s handle. If your sky is dark enough, and your eyesight is good, you will see that this star, Mizar, has a ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—August 2, Find a globular cluster
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org At nightfall, look in your southern sky for the bright ruddy star that is called the Scorpion’s Heart – Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Antares is always up on summer evenings. It is a bright red star known for twinkling rapidly. If you have binoculars, sweep for an object near Antares on the sky’s dome. This object is called M4, and it’s a globular star cluster located just one degree to the ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—July 27, Saturn, Mars, Venus –
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The planets Saturn, Mars and Venus are still in the west after sunset, to the delight of stargazers across the globe. In addition, the planet Mercury –our solar system’s innermost world – teams up with Regulus around now in the same part of the sky. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion. Tonight, Mercury and Regulus form the year’s closest pairing of a planet with a first-magnitude star. Look for ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—July 26, The ‘forgotten’
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The faint constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer appears in the southern sky at nightfall, and descends into the southwest sky as evening deepens into late night. Look for Ophiuchus above the bright ruddy star Antares, the brightest in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. Ophiuchus’ brightest star – called Rasalhague – highlights the head of Ophiuchus and is nowhere as bright as Antares, the star that depicts the ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—July 25, Full moon falls on July 25
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org To the casual observer, the moon looks full for up to two or three days in a row each month. Astronomically speaking, however, the full moon has no actual duration, but occurs at a well-defined instant. The moon is astronomically full when it stands 180 degrees opposite the sun in Earth’s sky. That happens this evening – on Sunday, July 25 – at 8:36 p.m. Central Time (9:36 p.m. Eastern Time, 7:36 p.m. Mountain Time and 6:36 ... Full Story
