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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Posts Tagged ‘constellations’

Sky Tonight—May 1, Star hopping from constellation

Sky Tonight—May 1, Star hopping from constellation Orion

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Rebecca wrote, “What is ‘star hopping?’ What does that mean?” Rebecca, amateur astronomers use star hopping to go from stars and constellations they know … to ones they do not know yet. First, look for noticeable patterns on the sky’s dome. One very easy pattern to find at this time of year is the constellation Orion the Hunter. You will find it descending in the west after sunset. Orion is easy to ... Full Story

Sky Tonight—Feb 22, Stars in the daytime

Sky Tonight—Feb 22, Stars in the daytime

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org People often ask if stars are up there, beyond our blue sky, during the day. The answer is surely yes, because Earth is a planet in space, surrounded on all sides by stars. Here is a view looking southeast at morning in late February or early March. Of course you really cannot see the stars, but they are there. Cool image of daytime moon from December 18, 2010 The constellation behind the sun around now is ... Full Story

EarthSky Tonight—October 14, Find constellations of

EarthSky Tonight—October 14,  Find constellations of the Zodiac on October evenings

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Today’s sky chart shows the constellations of the Zodiac that are up after nightfall on these October evenings. We got this question: "I’m having a difficult time being able to recognize the constellations of the Zodiac . . . do you have any advice?" Yes . . . we can recommend a few things. First, the zodiacal constellations are the backdrop for the pathway of the sun around our sky each year, and of the moon for every month. ... Full Story

EarthSky Tonight—Sept 26, The first point of Aries

EarthSky Tonight—Sept 26, The first point of Aries marks March equinox point

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org In ancient times, the March equinox sun shone in front of the rather small constellation Aries the Ram. You can find this constellation ascending in the east around 9 to 10 p.m. tonight, the Ram’s starlit bust perhaps faintly visible to the upper right of the waning gibbous moon. Be forewarned. Aries is not conspicuous, especially in the moonlit glare. Tomorrow night, at this time, a smaller waning gibbous moon will shine right ... Full Story

Earthsky Tonight—June 4: Rastaban and Eltanin belong

Earthsky Tonight—June 4: Rastaban and Eltanin belong to constellation Draco

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org One of you asked, "What are constellations?" The answer is that they are just patterns of stars on the sky’s dome. The Greeks and Romans, for example, named them for their gods and goddesses, and for many sorts of animals. In the 20th century, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) formalized the names and boundaries of the constellations. Now every star in the sky belongs to one or another constellation. The stars within ... 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