Posts Tagged ‘waning crescent moon’
Sky Tonight—May 1, Star hopping from constellation
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Rebecca wrote, “What is ‘star hopping?’ What does that mean?” Rebecca, amateur astronomers use star hopping to go from stars and constellations they know … to ones they do not know yet. First, look for noticeable patterns on the sky’s dome. One very easy pattern to find at this time of year is the constellation Orion the Hunter. You will find it descending in the west after sunset. Orion is easy to ... Full Story
April 30, Watch for Venus and moon east before sunrise
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Given an unobstructed eastern horizon and clear skies, many people around the world should be able to see the waning crescent moon with the planet Venus at morning dawn tomorrow (Sunday, May 1). At mid-northern latitudes – like those in the continental US – the moon and Venus sit close to the eastern horizon around 60 to 45 minutes before sunup. Understanding waning crescent moon The farther north you live, ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—April 29, Five planets before sunrise
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Only Venus easily visible We show the moon and planets for about 30 minutes before sunrise tomorrow (Saturday, April 30) as seen from North American mid-northern latitudes. At mid-northern latitudes all around the world, the only two worlds that you are likely to see before sunrise tomorrow are the moon and blazing planet Venus. Look for them low in the east some 60 to 30 minutes before sunup. Binoculars might ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—April 2, Follow the arc to Arcturus
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Now is a perfect time to look outside in the evening and learn a playful phrase useful to skywatchers. Scouts learn it. Grandparents teach it to kids. It was one of the first sky tools I learned to use in astronomy. The phrase is: follow the arc to Arcturus. First locate the Big Dipper asterism in the northeastern sky in mid-evening, maybe around 9 p.m. Can’t find the Big Dipper? Look ahead to our chart for ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—April 1, Use Big Dipper to find Polaris
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Here is the view northward on April evenings. At present the Big Dipper is high in the north. Notice the two outer stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper. These two stars – called Duhbe and Merak – always point to Polaris, the North Star. Polaris is special because it always stays in the same spot in the northern sky. It is the star around which the entire northern sky appears to turn. That is because Polaris is ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 31, Moon and Venus side by side
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Our sky chart shows the thin waning crescent moon and the planet Venus for about an hour before sunrise tomorrow (Friday, April 1, 2011), as seen from middle latitudes in North America. Mid-northern latitudes all around the world will see the moon and Venus shining more or less side by side as well. You will want an unobstructed horizon in the direction of sunrise, because the moon and Venus will be sitting low in ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 30, Moon very close to Venus at
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Did you see the waning crescent moon and the blazing planet Venus today (Wednesday, March 30, 2011), before sunrise? At morning dawn tomorrow (Thursday, March 31) a thinner lunar crescent will pair up with Venus, which is sometimes called the “morning star.” As seen from the northern hemisphere, the moon and Venus will sit low in the east at dawn. Therefore, you will need an unobstructed view eastward to see ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 29, Moon and Venus low in east at
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org As seen from mid-northern latitudes on Wednesday, March 30, the waning crescent moon and the blazing planet Venus will be sitting low over the eastern horizon, starting around an hour before sunrise. Any obstructions – such as trees or houses – might block your view of Venus. The moon will be easier to spot because it will be higher up in the sky. Venus is the third brightest celestial body to light up the ... 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