‘Earth & Sky’ Archives
Earthsky Tonight — April 19, two stars lead to
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The constellation Hercules the Kneeling Giant can be seen ascending in the east-northeast on these spring evenings. Our chart today shows the sky for late night, when all of these objects are well up in the northeastern to eastern sky. The stars Arcturus and Vega can help you identify Hercules, whose most noticeable pattern is a squarish figure in the center of the constellation. This sky pattern, or “asterism,” is ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight — April 18, Spica, your guide star
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Silvery-blue Spica, the only prominent star in the constellation Virgo, acts as your guide to the Omega Centauri globular star cluster. To the unaided eye, Omega Centauri looks like a fairly faint (and possibly fuzzy) star. Very few of the Milky Way galaxy’s 250 or so globular clusters are readily visible without optics. To find Spica, extend the curve of the Big Dipper handle, as illustrated on our April 4 EarthSky ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight — April 17, Heavenly Chariot flies
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org As darkness falls, there are several ways to distinguish the brilliant star Capella from the other bright stars in the western half of sky. Capella, the northernmost first-magnitude star, is the farthest bright star to your right as you’re facing west. In addition, Capella looks yellow, like our sun. Moreover, Capella has a famous trio of starlets accompanying her, dubbed “The Kids.” Moreover, at nightfall and early ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight — April 16, Moon between Venus and
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Our sky chart shows the western sky for early evening. The slender waxing crescent moon sits between the blazing planet Venus and the Pleiades star cluster. To the moon’s upper left shines the ruddy star Aldebaran, the brightest in the constellation Taurus the Bull. You should have little trouble spotting Venus, the third brightest celestial object to light up the heavens, after the sun and the moon. However, you might ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight – April 15: Catch the moon and
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Did you see the planet Mercury adorning the evening twilight earlier this month? On our April 8 program, for instance, we showed you Mercury next to the blazing planet Venus at dusk and early evening. Be forewarned. Mercury will be much harder to find this evening than it was at that time. Mercury will be several to many times fainter than it was in late March and early April. Moreover, Mercury will set about 45 minutes ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight —April 14: Sundial noon and clock
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Every year around middle April, time by the sun and the clock both agree. For instance, when the midday sun climbs highest in the sky at this time of year, the sundial reads 12:00 noon and your local clock time says 12:00 noon. Your local clock time is the same as standard clock time, as long as you live on the meridian that governs your time zone. If you live east of the time zone line, then your local time runs ahead of ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight — April 13: Mars and Beehive
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org These mid-April evenings provide you with a golden opportunity to see the Beehive star cluster, the crown jewel of the constellation Cancer the Crab. The moon will be absent from the sky for the next several evenings, featuring dark nights for observing this deep-sky treasure. The Beehive is faintly visible to the unaided eye in a dark country sky. However, you really need binoculars to transform this hazy smudge of light ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight — April 12: Star-hop from Leo to
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org We show the constellation Leo the Lion for about 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. tonight. At this time, the Lion will be due south and at his highest point in the sky. Two distinctive star patterns make the Lion fairly easy to identify. Leo’s brightest star – the sparkling blue-white gem Regulus – dots a backward question mark of stars known as The Sickle. If you could see a Lion in this pattern of stars, The Sickle would outline ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight — April 11, Moon and Jupiter side
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org In North America, the slender waning crescent moon and brilliant planet Jupiter shine side by side before sunrise tomorrow. At mid-northern latitudes, the moon and Jupiter rise a bit more than one hour before the sun. From far northern Canada and Alaska, you might not see the moon and Jupiter at all, because these worlds rise at nearly the same time as sunrise that far north. It’s a different story for the more ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—April 10: Crescent moon above
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org About 30 to 60 minutes before sunrise on April 11, look for the waning crescent moon to shine above the dazzling planet Jupiter, with Jupiter barely above the eastern horizon. Binoculars help you to spot these two worlds. Although the moon and Jupiter appear close together at Sunday dawn, they are not really near each other in space. These worlds simply reside on nearly the same line of sight now. The moon, our closest ... Full Story
