Posts Tagged ‘EarthSky’
Sky Tonight—January 30, Jupiter and Great Square of
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org On these winter evenings, the dazzling planet Jupiter and the Great Square of Pegasus light up the western sky at nightfall. Be sure to catch them at early evening, because Jupiter and the Great Square start plunging beneath the horizon by around 9 to 10 o’clock this evening. You simply can’t miss Jupiter. It is the fourth brightest body in all the heavens, after the sun, moon and the planet Venus. ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—December 20, Total lunar eclipse
Total lunar eclipse on December 20 or 21, depending on time zone Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org There is a lunar eclipse on the night of December 20 or 21 – depending on your time zone. See below for the date in your location. This December solstice eclipse is also the northernmost total lunar eclipse for several centuries. There will not be a total lunar eclipse this far north on the sky’s dome until December 21, ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—December 19, Use moon to imagine
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org As seen from around the world this Friday evening, the very round and full-looking moon will be a few days shy of full moon. Tonight’s moon will actually be a waning gibbous moon, though it will be so big and bright that you might think it is full. It will be so bright that it will erase most of the stars from the sky. Northernmost total lunar eclipse of 21st century on December 20/21 It is possible ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—December 18, Moon glides by
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Tonight, moving eastward as it always does in orbit around Earth, the moon will pass by the famous Pleiades star cluster. Our sky chart shows you what the moon and the Pleiades cluster might look like through binoculars this early evening. Notice that the Pleiades has a dipper shape. Total lunar eclipse on December 20 or 21, depending on time zone Early stargazers sometimes described the Pleiades as a ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—December 17, Moon between Ram’s
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Total lunar eclipse on December 20 or 21, depending on time zone As seen from North America, the waxing gibbous moon will shine midway between the head of the constellation Aries the Ram and the Pleiades star cluster tonight. The Pleiades star cluster shines to the east of the moon. Can you see the small dipper-shaped Pleiades cluster tonight in the moon’s glare? If not, try binoculars. The ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—December 16, Jupiter at eastern
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org If you could look down on the solar system plane from outer space today, you would see that the sun, Earth and Jupiter form a 90-degree angle. Astronomers will say that Jupiter is at eastern quadrature – or 90 degrees east of the sun – today. Geometric markers such as these, for planets and moons in our solar system, are more than just academic. They indicate where you can find these bodies in our sky ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight, December 15: Bellatrix—Orion’s
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org The third-brightest star in Orion, Bellatrix, is often overlooked. Yet, Bellatrix is such a wonderful star. According to Richard Hinckley Allen’s classic book Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning, the Latin name Bellatrix means Female Warrior, which some find odd since the original Arabic title translates as the Conqueror. But women understand. Bellatrix represents Orion’s left shoulder. Although it ... Full Story
December 14, Focus on stars Betelgeuse and Rigel in
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Orion the Hunter is one of the most prominent constellations in all the heavens. You cannot fail to spot Orion’s Belt – three medium-bright stars in a short, straight row – if you look eastward in the evening. The magnificent Orion Nebula, or M42, is a fuzzy patch in Orion’s Sword. Most constellations have only one bright star, but Orion has two: Rigel and Betelgeuse. Rigel is Orion’s left foot. ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—Tonight December 11, Radiant point
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Today’s chart shows the radiant point for December’s famous Geminid meteor shower. The 2010 shower is peaking around now. You might see some Geminid meteors on the night of December 11, but the forecast calls for them to be falling most richly after the moon sets on Sunday, December 12 and Monday, December 13 – from late at night until dawn. About the radiant point. You don’t have to locate ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—December 10, Celestial Chariot high
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org On these long December nights, you can find the constellation Auriga the Charioteer. The Heavenly Chariot – with its brilliant yellow star Capella – starts the journey in the northeast at dusk, flies overhead at midnight and finishes up in the northwest at dawn. Our chart shows Auriga at around midnight, when this pentagon-shaped pattern hits the zenith, or highest point in the sky. With no moon in ... Full Story
