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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Posts Tagged ‘Pollux’

Sky Tonight—April 12, Use moon to locate Cancer the

Sky Tonight—April 12, Use moon to locate Cancer the Crab

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org The moon can guide you to Cancer the Crab tonight – if you are patient. You have probably heard of the constellation Cancer, but there is a good chance you have never seen it. As constellations go, Cancer the Crab is probably the most famous constellation that the fewest people can actually identify in the night sky. Its primary competitors in the famous-but-not-recognizable category are probably Aries the Ram ... Full Story

Sky Tonight—April 11, Moon passes by Gemini stars

Sky Tonight—April 11, Moon passes by Gemini stars

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Tonight, the moon shines near Castor and Pollux, the brightest stars in the constellation Gemini the Twins. As seen mid-northern latitudes, the moon and the Gemini stars shine fairly high in the south to southwest sky at nightfall, and all three luminaries set in the west after midnight. As viewed from middle latitudes in the southern hemisphere, the moon, Castor and Pollux sit low in the northern sky at ... Full Story

Sky Tonight—April 10, Moon approaching Gemini stars

Sky Tonight—April 10, Moon approaching Gemini stars

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Tonight the wide waxing crescent moon passes in front of the constellation Gemini the Twins. The two brightest stars in Gemini are Castor and Pollux. Beyond the fact that both are bright, they don’t really look alike. Pollux is golden in color, and Castor is pure white. These stars are extremely noticeable in the night sky. No other two such bright stars appear so close together. Of course, many myths explain ... Full Story

Sky Tonight—March 13, Moon shines in front of Winter

Sky Tonight—March 13, Moon shines in front of Winter Circle

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org As seen tonight from all over the world, the moon passes right in front of the great big loop of stars known to northern hemisphere residents as the Winter Circle or the Winter Hexagon. This huge star formation makes even the constellation Orion the Hunter look small. Orion sits in the southwest (lower right) corner of the Winter Circle. The Winter Circle is an asterism – a group of stars that is NOT a ... Full Story

Sky Tonight—February 16, Bright moon puts Cancer in

Sky Tonight—February 16, Bright moon puts Cancer in spotlight

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org The almost-full waxing gibbous moon puts the constellation Cancer in the spotlight – but out of view – this Wednesday night. Demure Cancer the Crab is the faintest constellation of the Zodiac. You can see it only on dark, moonless nights. Understanding moon phases The starry sky is like a great big connect-the-dots book, enabling stargazers to star-hop from brighter stars to more obscure nighttime treasures. ... Full Story

Sky Tonight—February 15, Moon close to Castor and

Sky Tonight—February 15, Moon close to Castor and Pollux

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Tonight, the waxing gibbous moon shines close to Castor and Pollux, the constellation Gemini’s two brightest stars. Although the brilliant moon will obscure much of the starry heavens, Castor and Pollux will probably be able to withstand tonight’s lunar glare. Understanding moon phases When the moon leaves the evening sky by the last week of February, you can use the constellation Orion’s two brightest ... Full Story

Sky Tonight—February 13, Moon points the way to

Sky Tonight—February 13, Moon points the way to Winter Circle

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Tonight’s waxing gibbous moon resides inside the Winter Circle – an incredibly large star configuration made of six brilliant winter stars. Be sure to notice the variety in the colors of these stars. The Winter Circle – sometimes called the Winter Hexagon – is not one of the 88 recognized constellations. Rather, it is an asterism – a pattern of stars that is easy to recognize. Our sky chart cannot ... Full Story

Sky Tonight—January 21, Identify the Winter Circle

Sky Tonight—January 21, Identify the Winter Circle and winter’s brightest stars

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Tonight’s chart covers a wider area of sky than what we typically show. It is in answer to a reader in Nashville, who wrote, I have heard mention of the Winter Circle of Stars. Could you list the stars in this circle? You will find these stars at this time of year by looking east-southeast at early to mid evening. Again, this is a large pattern and covers a wide area of sky, but as always, it is easiest to start ... Full Story

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

Sky Tonight—December 22, Moon and heavenly Twins

Sky Tonight—December 22, Moon and heavenly Twins

Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org The big and bright waning gibbous moon shines in front of Gemini the Twins tonight. Our chart today shows you the view toward the east-northeast sky about three hours after sunset. Gemini’s two brightest stars are Castor and Pollux. They shine quite close to the moon tonight. The moon and Gemini swing westward throughout the night, for the same reason the sun moves westward during the day. It is because the ... Full Story

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