In the Sky Tonight
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Moon in the daytime
Sunday, January 8, 2006
Looking East in Mid-Afternoon
Here’s the daytime moon, as you might see it in the eastern sky in mid-afternoon . We have gotten this question: “I have seen both the sun and moon during a day. How does this happen?” The moon orbits around Earth once a month. Once each month, it comes nearly in between the Earth and sun . . . and at such times the moon rises with the sun and travels across the sky all day long. As it moves in its orbit, the moon gets farther from the sun on our sky's dome. It moves toward the east in our sky by about 12 degrees (about the width of your fist held at arm's length) each day. After two weeks, the moon is about 180 degrees from the sun. Then it’s on the exact opposite side of the sky's dome from the sun. When the sun goes down in the west, the full moon rises in the east. Now we’re a couple of days past full moon. The moon -- still moving eastward -- has moved more than 180 degrees opposite the sun . . . now it’s beginning to move closer to the sun again on the sky’s dome. At that time you’ll see the moon higher in the west each morning for the next several days. -
"Hands" of Big Dipper, Queen
Monday, January 9, 2006
Looking North-Northeast in Late Evening
The Big Dipper and the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen are like the hands of a clocks, wheeling around eternally in the northern sky. The Big Dipper is an "asterism" . . . or noticeable pattern of stars . . .within the constellation Ursa Major the Greater Bear. The Big Dipper can be used to find Polaris, the North Star. Simply look in the sky, and draw an imaginary line between the two outermost stars in the Dipper's Bowl. This line points to Polaris. Keep that line going . . . and you will come to another famous constellation Cassiopeia. The Queen is very recognizable for having the shape of the letter "M" or "W," depending on what time of year and what time of night you see it. At this time of year, the Big Dipper is in the northeast in late evening, and Cassiopeia is in the northwest. These two constellations are "circumpolar" -- as seen from northerly latitudes, they never set. They circle endlessly around the North Star, are always opposite each other. In other words, when the Dipper is at about 4 o'clock -- as it appears on today's chart -- then Cassiopeia must be at about 10 o'clock -- using the North Star as the clock's middle. -
Queen in close view
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Looking North-Northeast in Late Evening
Look back to yesterday's chart to find out how to identify the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen in the night sky. In the lore of the sky, Cassiopeia was a very vain queen of Ethiopia, mother to the lovely princess Andromeda. She claimed to be more beautiful than the Nereids, or sea nymphs. And so the gods placed her in the heavens so that she'd be upside-down for part of every night and part of every year. Tonight, if you look, the stars of Cassiopeia will be oriented in such a way that the Queen is upside-down. The stars of the queen are quite luminous -- its stars Schedar, Caph, and Gamma Cass all have approximately mid-second magnitudes. The star Ruchbach is close in brightness to them, with a magnitude of about 2.68. Segin trails the other stars in brightness with a third magnitude rating. Also be sure to sweep in this area with binoculars if you have access to a clear, dark, country sky. You'll see many hazy patches in this region, which are often open star clusters in our own Milky Way galaxy. A particularly easy one is M52, marked on today's chart. M52 looks like a hazy clump, but it's actually a cluster of some 200 stars, spanning about 15 light-years. This cluster lies an estimated 5,000 light-years away. -
Fiery eye of Bull near moon tonight
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Looking South-Southeast in Early Evening
Today's chart is once again set in the south-southeast in early evening. You can see the fiery red star Aldebaran to the lower right of the now waxing gibbous moon. This star is part of a V-shaped grouping of stars that represent the face of the constellation Taurus the Bull. Aldebaran -- known as the fiery "eye of the Bull" -- is a giant star, some 45 times bigger in diameter than our sun. In other words, if Aldebaran replaced our sun in the solar system, its outer layers would extend halfway to the orbit of the innermost planet in our sun's family, Mercury. Another fiery red object is up in the south at this time-- the planet Mars. -
Hyades star cluster
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Looking South-Southeast in Early Evening
Tonight, look for the Hyades star cluster -- not just a pattern on our sky's dome -- but an actual, gravitationally bound cluster of stars in space. You can find it in the south-southeastern horizon to the lower left of the planet Mars. To the eye, the Hyades appears to be shaped like the letter V (you'd see many more stars if you looked through binoculars or a telescope). On the sky's dome, this V represents the face of Taurus the Bull. In the lore of the sky, the Hyades are half-sisters to another cluster of stars -- the dipper-shaped Pleiades star cluster. The reddish star Aldebaran appears to be a part of the V-shaped Hyades cluster. However, at about 60 light-years away, Aldebaran is only about half the distance to the Hyades star cluster in space -- and not so not a true part of the cluster. -
Venus reaches inferior conjunction today
Friday, January 13, 2006
Visualization Only -- Looking West-Southwest Before Sunset
Today the planet Venus will not be seen in the night sky. It reaches what is called its "inferior conjunction." That is when an interior planet (Mercury or Venus) passes between the Earth and the sun. It is rare to see an inferior conjunction because the sun is usually too bright and thus drowns out our view of the planet (the June 2004 transit of Venus being a notable exception.) Today's inferior conjunction is no exception. Thus, today's chart is not meant for viewing (please don't ever look directly at the sun!) It is meant for visualization purposes only. -
Sighting Stardust
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Looking Westward in the Early Morning Hours
Here is a view of the western sky in the early morning hours of January 15th. U.S. observers in or near the state of Nevada may catch a strange unexplained point of light in the sky near the full moon at approximately 3 a.m. MST. Some may mistake it for a meteor or a UFO -- but it is an actual identified object. It is the return of the Stardust spacecraft capsule, sent out two years ago by NASA to collect and bring back comet particles from the comet Wild 2. -
Meteor hunting
Monday, January 16, 2006
Looking Westward in the Early Morning Hours
Today’s chart is identical to yesterday’s. About a week from now when the moon is smaller and less present in early morning skies, will be a great opportunity to look for random meteors. We get lots of questions about where and when to catch meteor showers. To everyone who longs to see a “shooting star” or meteor streaking across a clear night sky . . . it’s possible to see a meteor any night of the year. Just recently on a holiday trip to Timberon, New Mexico, I spotted a minimum of 3-4 meteors each night just randomly gazing up in the sky. There are dozens of minor meteor showers, and also “random” meteors appearing in our skies that aren’t associated with any shower. But, not all of us have the chance to be in a dark mountain or country area -- and so it’s true that you’ll have the best chance to see meteors on nights when a major meteor shower reaches its peak. You can always check Sky & Telescope magazine’s great web site or Gary Kronk’s page to learn about upcoming meteor showers. The next best time to watch for meteors would be in mid-late April, when the Lyrid meteor shower will be in full swing (though a waning gibbous moon may drown out any spectacular views). One further tip -- you’ll see more meteors after midnight than before, when Earth’s spin will place you on the forward side of the planet with respect to our orbit around the sun. -
Moon in Lion tonight
Monday, January 16, 2006
Looking East-Southeast in Late Evening
Today we are looking at the same area of the sky as yesterday's chart, but at a different time -- in late evening. Thus todayÂ’s chart, though it essentially contains the same information as yesterdayÂ’s, is set in the east-southeast. TodayÂ’s chart shows a closer view, so that you can identify not only the planet Saturn, but also the stars in the constellation Leo the Lion. At least try to pick out Regulus, LeoÂ’s brightest star and Denebola, the star representing the LionÂ’s Tail. -
Southeastern evening highlights
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Looking Southeast In Early Evening
Today’s chart is set in the southeast in the early hours of nightfall. In this area of the sky, people have been catching sight of a brilliant point of light, flashing green and red near the southeastern horizon. This is none other than the dogstar Sirius of the constellation Canis Major. Above Sirius is one of the most easily recognizable and beautiful of constellations -- the constellation Orion -- easily spottable by its famous “Belt” of three bright stars. Towards the upper left of Orion is the bright star Capella of the constellation Auriga the Charioteer. To the upper right of Orion are two bright red lights -- the star Aldebaran and the planet Mars (which has noticeably waned in brilliance since last November.) Sandwiched between the two red lights is the Pleaides star cluster, known for its striking dipper-like appearance. -
Saturn and Beehive Cluster
Thursday, January 19, 2005
Looking West One-Two Hours Before Sunrise
This chart is set at the same area and time of our January 15th chart. If you turn your gaze towards the westward an hour or two before dawn, you will spot the planet Saturn. We wanted to point out the famous Beehive Cluster now located to the right of Saturn. This star cluster is best seen in a very dark country sky (although it can be glimpsed with binoculars from the suburbs). In a dark sky, it appears as a fuzzy patch to the eye alone. A small telescope shows about 50 stars here, but astronomers know that the Beehive actually contains some 400 stars. The cluster is 15 light-years across, and is located about 500 light-years from Earth. -
Jupiter in early morning southeast
Friday, January 20, 2006
Looking Southeast One Hour Before Sunrise
"When will I be able to see Jupiter through my new telescope?"
The planet Jupiter can be found in early morning skies right now. It is undeniably the brightest object up in the southeast in the early hours before sunrise. And it's no wonder -- it is considered to be the fourth brightest object in the sky after the sun, the moon, and Venus. The next brightest object in this area is the star Spica of the constellation Virgo the Maiden, located to the upper right of Jupiter. -
Venus emerges in morning sky
Saturday, Janaury 21, 2006
Looking East-Southeast at Sunrise
Our sister planet Venus reached its greatest brilliancy in our evening skies last month. Since then, Venus sunk out of view as it reached its "inferior conjunction" on January 13th. Venus has now re-emerged in the east-southeast at sunrise. It will continue to rise earlier each successive morning, and soon it’ll be high up enough in the sky for early risers to notice the bright “morning star.” -
Jupiter, Spica near moon tomorrow
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Looking South-Southwest Shortly Before Sunrise
The bright star to the left of the last quarter moon tomorrow morning is actually not a star -- it is the planet Jupiter. If you have a clear sky, you can also catch sight of a smaller object closer and to the right of the moon. This little star is Spica in the constellation Virgo the Maiden. Virgo is associated with Demeter, Greek goddess of the harvest. DemeterÂ’s daughter was Persephone, who was captured by Pluto, god of the underworld. According to the myths, Pluto allowed Persephone to return to her mother for six months of every year. During the time that Persephone and Demeter are reunited, the world is warm and fruitful. But when Persephone returns to the underworld, Demeter withdraws from the world as well . . . and winter falls on the land. -
Jupiter near the moon Sunday, Monday
Monday, January 23, 2006
Looking South-Southwest Shortly Before Sunrise
This chart shows tomorrowÂ’s predawn sky. Jupiter will be the brightest object near the crescent moon on both Sunday and Monday mornings. The bright star near Jupiter is Spica in the constellation Virgo. The other bright star up before dawn is Arcturus in the constellation Bootes the Herdsman. -
Flashing Sirius
Monday, January 23, 2006
Looking Southeast In Early Evening
A bright star in the southeast in early evening, twinkling madly and flashing different colors, is sure to be Sirius. ItÂ’s the brightest star visible from any part of Earth. A couple of months ago, Sirius was below our horizon. Now this star is relatively low in the southeast when night begins. And when we look at objects low in the sky, we see them through a greater thickness of EarthÂ’s atmosphere than when they are overhead. The flashing colors of Sirius now come from the refraction (or splitting) of starlight as it travels through Earth's atmosphere. All the stars have their light split in this way by our atmosphere. But the colors are more noticeable with Sirius, because it's such a bright star! -
Lag of the seasons
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Looking South in the Hour Before Sunrise
Tomorrow, shortly before dawn, you can find the waning crescent moon near the planet Jupiter. Lots of people wonder whether the phases of the moon affect earthly weather, but there’s no evidence that they do. Still, there’s an astronomical reason why it might be colder outside for you this month than it was last month, even though last month had the December solstice and the least daylight of the year. The reason has nothing to do with the moon and everything to do with the Earth under your feet. It’s always coldest some weeks after the shortest day because the land beneath our feet can’t change its temperature instantaneously. The whole hemisphere in which we live (both land and oceans) takes some time to lose heat after the time of least daylight. So the coldest weather of the year generally follows the time of least daylight by a month or so. This is called “the lag of the seasons.” -
Early morning planet crescent
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Looking East-Southeast at Sunrise
You can find our sister planet Venus in the southeast at sunrise tomorrow. The further south you are located on the globe, the better your chances of seeing Venus right now, though all locales would benefit from an unobstructed eastern view of the sky. If you happen to own a telescope or a pair of binoculars, you may be surprised to find that Venus takes the shape of a slim crescent on closer view -- about 6% illuminated. -
How to tell a planet from a star
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Looking East-Southeast in Early Evening
Today's chart shows a view of the east-southeast in early evening, where the famous constellation Orion the Hunter resides with a smattering of bright stars and the planets Saturn and Mars. We get lots of questions about how to tell the difference between stars and planets. We might take a few tips from our ancient astronomers. When they looked into the skies, they noticed that most bright objects in the sky travel in fixed positions with relation to each other, while a few bright objects didn't seem to follow this pattern. They took the "fixed objects" and grouped them into constellations, whose movements were so regular and reliable that these groupings helped them find their way on the ocean, on land, and even helped them predict annual events like floods and harvests. If you were to look at the sky night after night, you'd notice the same thing. Stars will appear in fixed positions; think about how constellations retain their familiar shapes but still move across our sky. Planets, on the other hand, move in much more complex paths with respect to stars -- sometimes even appearing to move backwards in our sky, in an event known as retrograde. So, it'll take a little practice -- and some patience -- but if you can track the movement of objects in the sky for several nights in a row, you will be able to tell which are stars and planets by the movements that they make relative to each other in the sky. Another way of telling planets apart from stars is that stars appear to twinkle in the sky, and planets generally do not. -
Identify Saturn in tonight's sky
Friday, January 27, 2006
Looking East in Early Evening
Here is the view of the eastern sky about one hour after the sun goes down. Tonight there is a bright golden object ascending in the east shortly after the sun sets. This is the famous planet of the rings, Saturn. Today Earth passes between Saturn and the sun. Thus the sun is now opposite Saturn as seen from Earth. Astronomers call this an "opposition" of Saturn. Although Saturn is the faintest of the planets visible to the eye, and although this part of the sky has many bright stars, today's chart will help you spot it. Your best bet is to identify the twin luminary stars Castor and Pollux of the constellation Gemini. Due to the closeness of these two bright stars to each other, they should be fairly easy to spot in the night sky. -
Morning ‘star’
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Looking East-Southeast at Sunrise
The planet Venus is always a sight to behold. Even at its dimmest, it easily outshines any other star or planet in the night sky. And sharp-sighted people can see Venus against the early morning light of sunrise in the southeast every morning for the next couple of weeks. As time moves on, and Venus rises earlier each morning, people will soon be wondering about the bright “morning star” up in the east. But you’ll know that that “star” is actually our neighbor planet Venus! -
New moon
Monday, January 30, 2006
Visualization Only - Looking Southeast at About 9 AM
If you don't see this ghostly moon near the sun tomorrow morning, don't worry. The image shows up fairly well on a computer screen -- but it won't show up at all in the real sky -- and you shouldn't ever look toward the sun without a protective filter. Today's chart is purely an illustration of the fact that the moon is new tomorrow. That means it's passing more or less between the Earth and sun as these bodies move in space. Thus, although the moon is near the sun in the sky, you won't see the moon anywhere in it. There are two reasons why. First, the moon's lighted face -- its "day side" -- is turned entirely away from us at this point. Also, the moon is hidden in the sun's glare. As the moon moves eastward in orbit around Earth, it'll edge slowly away from the sun on our sky's dome. When might you next glimpse the moon in the night sky? You might see it in the southwest after sunset tomorrow, but it'll be tough. In a couple of days from now, it'll be easier to see the moon as it'll be higher in the southwest at sunset, and its crescent shape will be a bit plumper. -
Early evening eastern stars
Monday, January 30, 2006
Looking East-Southeast in Early Evening
The bright star Capella in the constellation Auriga the Charioteer can be found shining bright and strong high in the east-southeastern sky in the early hours of evening. It's the sixth brightest star in the sky, and it's located just to the left of an other identifiable object -- the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters -- a misty-looking star cluster in the shape of a tiny dipper. Capella is the most northern of all the bright stars. Tonight, it looks like any ordinary bright star. However, when it appears lower in the horizon, it can appear as a multi-colored shining star. Its colorful appearance when seen low in the sky isn't unusual. Any bright star can appear to flash different colors when near the horizon -- because then you're looking at the star through a greater thickness of Earth's atmosphere than when the same star is overhead. In fact, it would be hard to overlook the current brightly flashing star low in the horizon in this area -- the dogstar Sirius. -
Saturn, Crab leads to Beehive cluster
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
Looking East in Early Evening
Tonight look for the constellation Cancer the Crab in the east in early evening. You will probably notice golden colored Saturn in this area first. Cancer is the faintest of the 12 constellations of the zodiac. You won't see much of this constellation with the eye alone, but some people describe Cancer's shape as resembling the spokes of a wheel. You can aim your binoculars in this direction, just next to Saturn to see one of the sky's hidden treasures. It's a cluster of stars called M44, otherwise known as Praesepe or the Beehive, and it's right in the middle of the Crab. As usual, the darker your night sky, and the farther you are from city lights, the better the view. -
Hare, Dove in south
Thursday, February 2, 2006
Looking South-Southeast in Mid Evening
If you look south-southeast around 8-10 p.m., you'll easily notice a short, straight row of three medium bright stars. These stars represent the Belt of Orion the Hunter. Also, notice the star Sirius nearby. On old sky maps, the mighty Hunter of the ancient myths is seen poised with an upraised club and shield, as though fending off the raging Bull, Taurus. Meanwhile, two meek animals seem to cower at the Hunter's feet. Lepus the Hare was described by Roman stargazers as being "swift," "light-footed," and "eared." Columba the Dove can be found to the south of the Hare. This little constellation is sometimes ignored in books about the sky, probably because it is so far south as seen from the U.S. Richard Hinckley Allen, in his classic book, Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning, wrote that Columba was first seen in constellation drawings in 1603. But, he said, there are hints in early writings that stargazers knew the name Columba, and identified a Dove here, as much as 17 centuries ago.