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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

‘Earth & Sky’ Archives

Earthsky Tonight — Moon between Capella and

Earthsky Tonight — Moon between Capella and Betelgeuse

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The rather wide waxing crescent moon will be shining in between two brilliant stars tonight. Capella, the brightest star in the constellation Auriga, will be beaming north of the moon, while Betelgeuse, the star marking the right shoulder in the constellation Orion, will be shining south of the moon. The moon swings full circle in front of the starry heavens in a little over 27 days. Twenty-seven days from now – on the night ... Full Story

Earthsky Tonight —Saturn closest, brightest,

Earthsky Tonight —Saturn closest, brightest, opposite the sun

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The planet Saturn is at opposition today. That means Saturn is opposite the sun in Earth’s sky. At opposition, Saturn rises in the east at sunset and sets in the west at sunrise. This is when Saturn comes closest to Earth for all of 2010. As a result, it is when Saturn shines most brilliantly in our sky. If you had a bird’s-eye view of the solar system today, you would see our planet Earth passing in between the sun and ... Full Story

Earthsky Tonight —The 2010 equinox comes on March 20

Earthsky Tonight —The 2010 equinox comes on March 20

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The March equinox marks that special moment when the sun crosses celestial equator, going from south to north. It happens today at 17:32 Universal Time, or 11:32 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time. The March equinox signals the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere. The equinox is a hallmark in Earth’s orbit, but it is also an event that happens on the imaginary dome of Earth’s sky. ... Full Story

Earthsky Tonight — On eve of equinox, moon between

Earthsky Tonight — On eve of equinox, moon between Pleiades and Ram’s Head

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Just after sunset tonight you will spot the crescent moon above the western horizon. The moon floats between the faint head stars of the constellation Aries and the mythic sisters in the constellation Taurus, known as the Pleiades. The waxing crescent moon is only four days past new so it still appears to us as a rather thin crescent. This is a great time to tour the moon with your binoculars or telescopes. The craters and the ... Full Story

Earthsky Tonight — March 18: Venus in Pisces, moon

Earthsky Tonight — March 18: Venus in Pisces, moon in Aries

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Tonight, as soon as it gets dark, the waxing crescent moon can help you locate the small constellation Aries the Ram. Look to the west, just above the place where the sun went down. You will see the thin crescent by the head of the constellation Aries. Although we draw in the constellation Pisces, this faint group of stars is not really visible at this time of year. Given clear skies, there is no way that you can miss the ... Full Story

Earthsky Tonight — Young moon and Venus low after

Earthsky Tonight — Young moon and Venus low after sunset

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org It is nearly spring in the northern hemisphere. The March equinox - when the sun crosses the celestial equator from south to north – will fall on March 20. This time of year – near the spring equinox – is the most favorable for spotting a young moon. See if you can catch one today after sunset by the blazing planet Venus. A young moon is a thin waxing crescent moon visible in the west in evening twilight. The thinnest ... Full Story

Earthsky Tonight: March 15—The westward shift of

Earthsky Tonight: March 15—The westward shift of Orion and all the stars

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org We got this question: “Orion seems to have moved and turned considerably in the last two weeks. Will Orion disappear before summer?” The answer is that all the stars and constellations shift westward as the seasons pass . . . and they also move westward in the course of a single night. Orion is no exception. Exactly when Orion will disappear from the evening sky – into the sunset – depends on your latitude. The farther ... Full Story

Earthsky Tonight—March 14, Leo loses his tail, we

Earthsky Tonight—March 14, Leo loses his tail, we gain a constellation

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Tonight’s chart again shows the evening sky high to the east. Below and to the left of the constellation Leo the Lion are dozens of very faint stars. They are Coma Berenices, otherwise known as Bernice’s Hair. The Greek-Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy and others considered it Leo the Lion’s bushy tail. Coma Berenices remained part of Leo until several hundred years ago, when it was first listed as a separate constellation. The ... Full Story

Earthsky Tonight—March 13, Use the Big Dipper to

Earthsky Tonight—March 13, Use the Big Dipper to locate the Hunting Dogs

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org You can locate the Big Dipper in the northeast in mid- to late evening around now. The Big Dipper is part of the constellation Ursa Major, the Greater Bear. In addition, if you can find the Big Dipper, you can find two Hunting Dogs seen by the ancient stargazers to be nipping at the Bear’s heels. The Hunting Dogs are a separate constellation: tiny Canes Venatici. You will need a dark sky to see these two little stars ... Full Story

Earthsky Tonight—March 12, Tangle of stars in

Earthsky Tonight—March 12, Tangle of stars in Berenice’s Hair

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org What we are about to describe requires a dark sky to be seen: a faraway cluster of stars known as “Coma Berenices.” How can you spot it? One way is to use the famous constellation Leo the Lion, now in the east each evening. Leo is relatively easy to see. The front part of the Lion looks like a backwards question mark, and the back part is a little triangle, which includes the star Denebola, marked on today’s chart. The ... Full Story

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