Posts Tagged ‘EarthSky’
Earthsky Tonight Everything you need to know: June
The June solstice is your signal to celebrate the first day of summer in this hemisphere. South of the equator, winter begins. When is the solstice where I live? The solstice happens at the same instant for all of us, everywhere on Earth. However, our clocks say different times. This solstice takes place on Monday, June 21, 2010 at 11:28 Universal Time. To find the time of the solstice in your location, you have to translate to your time zone. Here is an example of how to do that. In the ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—June 18: A half-moon Joins Saturn
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Tonight, you have another planet-packed evening in store, with a couple of brilliant beacons to point the way. Dazzling Venus is visible in the west as evening falls, and the first-quarter moon shines in the southwest as seen from the northern hemisphere. The brightest “star” near the half-lit moon is Saturn. Thanks to its majestic system of rings, it has become an icon of “outer space” and staple of science-fiction ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—June 17, View Mars tonight via
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The crescent moon glides by Mars tonight, making it easy to identify the planet, which has been getting dimmer for the past few months. If you face west about an hour after sunset, Mars is the yellow or orange “star” just to the north of the moon. Saturn, very slightly brighter than Mars, is a bit farther from and above the moon. Mars is known as the “Red Planet,” but most people do not see it with a truly red color. ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—June 16, Waxing Crescent Moon meets
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org If you have been watching the crescent moon over the past few days, you know that since it passed Venus a couple of nights ago, it slips farther east and is slightly fuller each evening. Tonight it is well placed in the sunset sky in the early evening, appearing to pass near Regulus, the “Little King” or “Heart of the Lion,” in Leo. Face the western sky just after it gets dark and you can easily find the lunar crescent, ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—June 15: Moon and Venus still close
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Our chart shows the sky scene for mid-northern latitudes in North America. Depending on where you live worldwide, Venus may appear closer or farther from tonight’s waxing crescent moon, or may even appear below the moon. But no matter. Nighttime’s two brightest heavenly bodies bask away in the west as darkness falls around the world. These two bathing beauties shine by reflecting sunlight. Over time, both worlds exhibit the ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—June 14: Young moon and Venus in
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Tonight, the slender waxing crescent moon lodges close to the planet Venus. This dazzling world ranks as the third brightest celestial body in all the heavens, after the sun and moon. As seen from both the northern and southern hemispheres, Venus will set beneath the west-northwest horizon about 2.5 hours after sunset. Our chart shows the sky as it looks from mid-northern latitudes in North America. From almost everywhere ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—June 12: Zodiac means Pathway of
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Today’s chart shows which zodiacal constellations are up soon after darkness falls on an evening in the middle of June. You are facing due south for this chart, looking southeast to west, more or less following the path the sun takes during the day. One of you wrote, “What does Zodiac mean?” The word “zodiac” just means “pathway of animals.” It is an important pathway across our sky because the sun moves across it ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—11: Altair, guide star to two small
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Look in the east at nightfall and evening to locate a sparkling blue-white star not far from the horizon. That is Altair, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila the Eagle, and the second brightest star in the Summer Triangle. The Summer Triangle formation is made up of the three bright summer stars, Vega, Deneb and Altair. The Summer Triangle lights up the eastern sky on June evenings. Once you have found Altair, it is a ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—June 10: Find the Summer Triangle
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org An asterism is not the same thing as a constellation. Constellations generally come to us from ancient times. Earlier in this century, the boundaries of 88 constellations were officially drawn by the International Astronomical Union. On the other hand, asterisms are whatever you want them to be. They are just patterns on the sky’s dome. You can also make up your own asterisms, in much the same way you can recognize shapes in ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—June 9: Ophiuchus and the Serpent
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Hopefully, you will have a dark, country sky for today’s view. If so, you might catch a glimpse of the constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer. Its head is marked by the star Rasalhague. Ophiuchus is joined in legend and in the sky to the constellation of the Serpent, called Serpens. This is one constellation that looks to me like what it is supposed to: a big guy holding a snake. The constellation is identified with ... Full Story
