Posts Tagged ‘Mars’
Earthsky Tonight—July 24,Why the hottest weather is
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Look westward at nightfall to see three planets in the July evening sky. In their order of brightness, these worlds are Venus, Saturn and Mars. Venus outshines Saturn and Mars by leaps and bounds. Venus is the first “star” to pop into view after sunset. If you keep watching the western sky into early August, you will see these three form a tight cluster in the west after sunset. EarthSky’s meteor guide for 2010 By the way, ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—Moon close to Mars. Venus, Mercury,
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Have you been watching the string of planets adorning the July evening sky after sunset? If so, you might have noticed that the order of the planets from up to down – Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury – has remained steady throughout the month. However, the moon’s position relative to the planetary line-up has been changing, with the moon now climbing this stairway of planets day by day by day by day! Yesterday evening, the ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—July 13, Young moon, Mercury sit
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Our sky chart shows the sky for mid-northern North American latitudes at about 45 minutes after sunset. If you have a level horizon and crystal-clear skies, you might catch the thin waxing crescent moon and the planet Mercury next to the horizon. Mercury sets about one hour after the sun and the moon sets about one hour and 15 minutes after. So, they’ll be hard to catch in the twilight glare. Try binoculars! Looking for a sky ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight-June 27: Latest sunsets of the year
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org For people living around 40 degrees north latitude, the latest sunset of the year happens around now. In the southern hemisphere, at 40 degrees south latitude, it is the year’s latest sunrise that is happening around now. That is in spite of the fact that the longest or shortest day of the year (in terms of daylight) took place about a week ago, on the June 21 solstice. To celebrate these late June sunsets, our sky chart shows ... 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 6: Mars and Regulus in
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The planet Mars and the star Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo, highlight their conjunction this evening. Two heavenly bodies are said to be in conjunction whenever they stand north and south of one another. Tonight, Mars and Regulus shine about a pinky-width apart. By all means, look at the evening couple through binoculars or low power on a telescope. The contrast of color makes their partner’s coloration ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—May 21, Gibbous moon between Mars
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Tonight’s waxing gibbous moon points out a colorful lineup of celestial lights. The planet Saturn shines to the left (or east) of the moon, whereas the star Regulus and the red planet Mars shine to the moon’s right (or west). These heavenly bodies exhibit distinctive colors, but you may need binoculars to discern them. Saturn, the 6th planet outward from the sun, appears yellow or golden through binoculars. What’s more, a ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—May 20, First quarter moon – or
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org In the west-southwest this evening, the first-quarter moon hangs below the “Sickle” of the constellation Leo the Lion, and its brightest star, Regulus. Note that the “Sickle” looks like a backward question mark. If you hold your outstretched fist to the right of the moon, it will span the distance to a ruddy “star” – but that’s no star, it’s the planet Mars. Ever since the end of January – when Mars and Earth ... Full Story
