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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Posts Tagged ‘ecliptic’

Sky Tonight—January 18, Moon near Gemini stars

Sky Tonight—January 18, Moon near Gemini stars Castor and Pollux

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at0 www.EarthSky.org The moon will look full tonight as it shines close to the constellation Gemini’s brightest stars, Castor and Pollux. The moon will not actually be astronomically full – or most opposite the sun – until tomorrow, on Wednesday, January 19. Although we draw in the stick figure of the Gemini Twins on tonight’s chart, you will not see much of Gemini in the moonlight except for Castor and Pollux. By the last ... Full Story

EarthSky Tonight—Nov 30, Sun in Ophiuchus until

EarthSky Tonight—Nov 30, Sun in Ophiuchus until December 17

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org If you could see the stars during the daytime, you would see the sun shining in front of the constellation Ophiuchus today. At about this time each year, the sun passes out of Scorpius to enter Ophiuchus. Like Scorpius, Ophiuchus is a constellation of the Zodiac, and every year the sun passes in front of Ophiuchus from about November 30 until December 17. The ecliptic – which translates on our sky’s dome as ... Full Story

EarthSky Tonight—October 13, Moon is waxing, but

EarthSky Tonight—October 13, Moon is waxing, but still low in sky

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Diana from Potsdam, NY asked, "Why are the evening crescent and the first quarter moon always so low in the autumn evening sky?" The answer is that, as seen from our northern hemisphere, the ecliptic – the pathway of the moon and planets – sinks very low in the southern sky on autumn evenings. That is why the waxing crescent moon and the first quarter moon always loom low in the sky in September and October, as seen from this ... Full Story

EarthSky Tonight—October 9, Last 2010 evening

EarthSky Tonight—October 9, Last 2010 evening pairing of moon and Venus

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Tonight presents the final pairing of the moon and the planet Venus in the evening sky until the autumn of 2011. Or, if you live in the southern hemisphere, it is the last evening pairing until the spring of 2011. Unfortunately, for much of the northern hemisphere, a “perfect” storm of events makes the sighting of the waxing crescent moon and dazzling Venus difficult – if not downright impossible – to observe. Bright star ... Full Story

EarthSky Tonight-June 26: See Earth’s orbital plane

EarthSky Tonight-June 26: See Earth’s orbital plane with the mind’s eye

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org It is early evening, and our chart covers a much larger section of sky than we usually display. We are showing the sky’s southeast quadrant – from east-southeast (where the moon lies) to south-southwest (where the star Spica resides). As seen from mid-northern latitudes, this evening’s line-up of lights – the moon, the stars Antares, Zubenelgenubi and Spica – arcs rather low across the southern sky. The farther north ... Full Story

Earthsky Tonight — April 23, Waxing gibbous moon

Earthsky Tonight — April 23, Waxing gibbous moon near Regulus

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Tonight, the waxing gibbous moon shines fairly close to the silvery-blue star Regulus in the constellation Leo. To the east of the moon shines the golden planet Saturn. If you cannot distinguish color with the unaided eye, try binoculars. By tomorrow night, a somewhat fuller waxing gibbous moon will have moved away from Regulus and closer to Saturn. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion, and it represents ... Full Story

Earthsky Tonight — March, 26, 2010: Moon swings

Earthsky Tonight — March, 26, 2010: Moon swings close to Regulus

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Can you find the star that is shining close to the big and bright waxing gibbous moon tonight? That is Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion. Regulus is the only first-magnitude star to sit almost exactly on the ecliptic. The ecliptic is the Earth’s orbital plane projected outward onto the sphere of stars. The ecliptic is often shown on sky charts, because the moon and planets are always found on or ... Full Story