Posts Tagged ‘waxing gibbous Moon tonight’
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 to use ... 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 ’swarm of ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—October 18, Bright object near
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Here is the waxing gibbous moon shortly after sunset on Monday, not real far away from the largest planet in our solar system Jupiter. The waxing moon will be closer to Jupiter on Tuesday. If you are outside in twilight this evening, turn your focus on the moon. The best time to observe craters, mountains and valleys on the moon is in morning or evening twilight. That is when the moon appears bright against the darkening sky, but ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—October 17, Solar system’s
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Do not expect to see Neptune, even though it is close to the moon tonight. Neptune, the 8th planet out from the sun, is the only solar system planet that you absolutely cannot see with the unaided eye. Pluto is not visible to the unaided eye, either, but in 2006, this distant world was reclassified – some say demoted – to “dwarf planet” status. Because of the moonlit glare, you probably will not even see the rather faint ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight—August 18, Moon shines above
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Every month, the moon swings full circle in front of the constellations of the Zodiac. And each month, as the moon parades past the constellation Scorpius, the moon makes sure to stay a safe distance above the Scorpion’s stinger stars, Shaula and Lesath. After all, the lore of the skies tells us the Scorpion’s stinger put Orion the Mighty Hunter to death. As seen from mid-northern latitudes in North America, the stinger ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—July 23, Jupiter appears to stop,
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Jupiter may be a giant planet, but compared to Earth it moves like an oxcart in the race around the sun. The Earth’s average speed is about 67,000 miles an hour, while Jupiter lumbers along at less than half that speed, or about 29,000 miles an hour. Because of its faster speed and shorter distance to go around its orbit, our Earth laps Jupiter about once every 13 months. It is a lot like a fast racecar in the inner track ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—July 22, Shaula and Lesath near the
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org If you can see Antares and the moon – and if your sky is unobstructed in the direction toward the southern horizon – you might be able to pick out a graceful looping stream of stars, despite the moonlit glare. These stars represent the Scorpion’s curved Tail. They are the reason Scorpius has been identified as a Scorpion by stargazers. Now notice two stars in the Scorpion’s Tail, Shaula and Lesath. Together, these two ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—July 21,Moon and Antares even
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The southernmost constellation of the Zodiac – Scorpius the Scorpion – lurks low in the evening sky tonight. You can recognize it easily because the moon is moving through this part of the sky. You will find tonight’s moon near Antares, the star that represents the Scorpion’s Heart. From the perspective of mid-northern latitudes, the Scorpion comes up in the southeast in evening twilight now and skitters near the southern ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—July 20, Moon and Antares cross the
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org There’s a bright star to the east (left) of tonight’s waxing gibbous moon. It’s Antares, often called the Heart of the Scorpion in the constellation Scorpius. You can’t miss this star because it’s bright and reddish in color. Because it’s low in the sky as seen from the northern hemisphere, people in this part of the world often notice that Antares twinkles a lot. You’ll find the moon to the west (right) of Antares ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight—July 19, Summer Triangle: Altair
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org In the east after dark, near the horizon, Altair, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila, the Eagle, springs into view. This is the bottom star of the Summer Triangle. The Great Rift of the Summer Milky Way passes through the Summer Triangle, between the stars Vega and Altair. Thought the Great Rift and the Milky Way will be hard to see tonight because of the waxing gibbous moon. In dark skies in late July and the first ... Full Story
