Posts Tagged ‘planet’
Sky Tonight—March 8, The Summer Triangle, a signpost
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org To see Jupiter in March 2011, look west soon after sunset As seen from our northern temperate latitudes, the three brilliant stars of the Summer Triangle – Vega, Deneb and Altair – are out for at least part of the night every night of the year. Presently, the Summer Triangle shines in the eastern sky at and before dawn. Like the Big Dipper, the Summer Triangle is an asterism – a pattern of stars that is not ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 7, Mercury lurks beneath moon and
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org If you have clear skies and live in the northern hemisphere, you should have no trouble spotting the waxing crescent moon and the blazing planet Jupiter after sunset, but the planet Mercury is a different story altogether. At mid-northern latitudes around the world tonight, Mercury follows the sun beneath the horizon around 45 minutes after sunset. The moon and Jupiter stay out until after dark. Looking for a sky ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 6, Crescent moon and Jupiter after
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org As seen from North America on March 6, the waxing crescent moon and dazzling planet Jupiter shine nearly side by side in the western sky after sunset. Understanding moon phases Given clear skies, virtually everyone in the northern hemisphere will see the two brightest celestial bodies of the March evening sky – the moon and Jupiter – at dusk and nightfall tonight. In Europe, Africa, and Asia, people will see ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 5, Young moon and Jupiter low in
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org For us in North America, March 5 presents a golden opportunity to catch a very young moon. As seen from North America, tonight’s waxing crescent moon is less than 30 hours old. In other words, the moon will make its first appearance in the March evening sky less than 30 hours after the moon turns new. You will need a level horizon and crystal-clear skies to see the very thin lunar crescent in the west after ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 1, Moon still close to Venus
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org The thin crescent moon still shines near Venus, the sky’s brightest planet, at morning dawn on Wednesday, March 2. However, you will need a level and unobstructed horizon to catch the moon and Venus low in your east-southeast sky. Look for them over the horizon about 75 to 60 minutes before sunup. Venus, the 2nd planet outward from the sun, orbits the sun one step inward from Earth. Because Venus’ orbit lies ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—Feb 28, Moon and Venus closest together
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Our sky chart shows the waning crescent moon and the brightest planet Venus for about an hour before sunrise on March 1. We are showing mid-northern latitudes, like those in the U.S. As seen from the world’s eastern hemisphere – Europe, Africa, the Middle East, western Asia, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand – the moon and Venus pair up even more closely together than they do in the Americas. In the ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—Feb 27, Moon and Venus in southeast
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org If it is clear in the wee hours before sunrise on February 28, there is no way that you can miss the waning crescent moon and the dazzling planet Venus in the east or southeast sky. After all, the moon and Venus rank as the second- and third-brightest heavenly bodies, respectively, after the sun. From middle latitudes in the northern hemisphere, the moon and Venus will rise about 2 hours before the sun ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—Feb 21, Zodiacal light is glowing
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Moonless February and March evenings present the best time of year to see zodiacal light in the northern hemisphere evening sky. The light appears when all traces of twilight have left the sky. It looks like a hazy pyramid of light in the west after true darkness falls. This light can be noticeable and easy to see from latitudes like those in the southern U.S. I’ve seen it many times from the latitude of ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—Feb 20, Moon, Saturn, Spica rise in late
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Jupiter is the bright object in the west after sunset You will have to stay up late to see the waning gibbous moon, the planet Saturn, and the star Spica tonight. Alternatively, you can wake up early tomorrow. Our chart shows the eastern sky for mid-northern North American latitudes somewhere around 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. tonight. The sky scene will look similar for mid-northern latitudes in Europe and Asia, ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—January 31, Star-hop from Great Square
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Tonight, try star-hopping to the famous Andromeda galaxy – the large spiral galaxy next-door to our Milky Way – from the Great Square of Pegasus. The planet Jupiter will be your guide. Ready? First, look westward for the four stars of the Great Square. You will find them to the right or upper right of the blazing planet Jupiter – in the west at nightfall and early evening. Keep in mind that our sky chart ... Full Story
