night sky

Eyes on the Sky: Jan 13 thru Jan 19

Desert Gypsy's picture

Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

Eyesonthesky.org - 1/12/14

Published on Jan 12, 2014

www.eyesonthesky.com You've heard of the "Super Moon" but have you seen a "Mini Moon"? This week is the time to look; our nearest natural celestial neighbor reaches apogee mid-week. But before and after then, there's a lot of detail to see on the surface, despite "appearing" full for much of the next 7 days. Look for Pythagoras, Pascal and Brianchon along the edge, plus the hard-to-see Mares Humboltianum and Mare Smythi - both named after men, and the only mare on the Moon that are. All that and more about the Moon, plus where to see the naked eye planets. See what's up in the night sky every week with "Eyes on the Sky" videos, astronomy made easy.

Top Ten Tips for Meteor Watchers

Desert Gypsy's picture

Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

EarthSky.com - 12/13/2013

1. Be sure you know which days the shower will peak. The “peak” is just what it implies. It’s a point in time when Earth encounters the greatest number of particles from a particular meteor stream. You can find this date nowadays easily on the Internet. Try EarthSky’s meteor guide for 2013.

But there’s a catch.

That is, the peak of the shower comes at the same time for all of us on Earth. Meanwhile, our clocks are saying different times. So …

2. Find out the time of the shower’s peak in your time zone. The time of the peak may be given in Universal Time. That’s the time in London. During the winter months, it’s 6 hours ahead of central time in the U.S. To learn how to translate Universal Time to your time zone, try this article.

Eyes on the Sky: Oct 28 thru Nov 3

Desert Gypsy's picture

Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

EyesontheSky.com - 10/28/13

Published on Oct 27, 2013

www.eyesonthesky.com Cepheus is a large, somewhat dim constellation, but harbors some fascinating stars within it. Check out Alderamin, Mu Cephei, Delta Cephei and Xi Cephei this week - all different, and all with interesting traits that make this constellation worth seeking out as it passes the meridian during the evening hours over the next month or so. See what's up in the night sky every week with "Eyes on the Sky" videos, astronomy made easy.

Eyes on the Sky: Oct 21 thru Oct 27

Desert Gypsy's picture

Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

Eyes on the Sky- 10/21/13

www.eyesonthesky.com Dead stars are fun to see, especially since they bloat up and turn green - check out how you can find and see one this week! NGC7009 in Aquarius, also known as the Saturn Nebula, is not too hard to find from the stars in Capricornus. See what's up in the night sky every week with "Eyes on the Sky" videos, astronomy made easy.

October 2013 guide to the five visible planets

Desert Gypsy's picture

Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

Earthsky.org - 10/1/13, Bruce McClure, Deborah Byrd

http://en.es-static.us/upl/2013/10/2013-october-06-venus-saturn-mercury-night-sky-chart.jpg

 

Only one planet is easily visible at nightfall around the world in October 2013: Venus. Venus beams mightily in the west at dusk, as seen from across the Earth. You can’t miss it. It sets roughly two hours after sunset at mid-northern latitudes in early October, and about two-and-one-half hours after the sun by the month’s end. Venus! It’s the beautiful “evening star.”

Saturn can also be seen from around the world – near Venus after sunset – as October begins. It’s much more visible from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere than from northerly latitudes. Why? Because the ecliptic, or path of the planets, places objects in evening twilight straight above the sunset in spring, instead of to one side of the sunset, as in autumn.

Read More

Eyes on the Sky: Sept 30 thru Oct 6

Desert Gypsy's picture

Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

EyesontheSky.com - 10/1/13

Published on Sep 29, 2013

www.eyesonthesky.com The minor planet Juno and the gas giant Uranus are in somewhat dim constellations this week, but both are surprisingly easy to see with the right optical equipment. Learn where and how to observe each one. You can even see Uranus with just binoculars! See what's up in the night sky every week with "Eyes on the Sky" videos, astronomy made easy.

Sky alert: Three brightest planets together at sunset on May 26 (video)

Desert Gypsy's picture

Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

Earthsky.org- 5/14/13, Eleanor Imster

 

The May 26 sunset will be extra special – Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will gather in the fading twilight to form a bright triangle only three degrees wide. Triple conjunctions of planets are fairly rare. The last time it happened was in May 2011, and it won’t happen again until October 2015. This triple is especially good because it involves the three brightest planets in May’s night sky: #1, Venus; #2, Jupiter; and #3, Mercury. The triangle will be visible even in places with heavy urban light pollution.

 

 

 

Link: Earthsky.org

 

 

Venus and moon on May 10, with Jupiter nearby

Desert Gypsy's picture

Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

Earthsky.com - 5/10/13, Bruce McClure

 

http://en.es-static.us/upl/2013/05/13may10_430.jpg

 

The three brightest heavenly bodies of nighttime – the moon, Venus and Jupiter, respectively – can be found in the western sky after sunset now. Jupiter is easy to see because this king of planets stays out until about an hour after dark, but the moon and Venus are harder to catch because they follow the sun below the horizon before it gets truly dark outside. But – on May 10, 2013 – you’ll have a chance to catch the moon and Venus near each other, low in the western twilight sky. Whether you see them will depend on the clarity of your sky – and the lack of trees or tall buildings in the way!

 

Link: EarthSky.org

Sighting the Sombrero

Desert Gypsy's picture

Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

Eyes on the Sky.com - 5/6/13, David Fuller

 

 

The Sombrero Galaxy is one of the better-known photographs of night sky phenomenon.  But where to find it in the night sky?  It's not as difficult as it might seem, and Saturn helps point the way for the next few weeks as well.  With a fairly high surface brightness, along with several nearby double stars that are worth observing (even if you can't find or see the galaxy), get to know this area of sky this week while the Moon stay mostly out of the way and provides darker skies.  For a printable star chart of this area, use Star Chart #11 here at Eyes on the Sky, and look for M104 in the lower right hand corner near Corvus.  (Saturn will not be on this star chart.)

Eyes on the Sky astronomy videos are now closed captioned, allowing for translation into 58 languages as well as benefitting the hearing impaired.  Or, watch at work! Just don't tell your boss.

 

What's up in space

Desert Gypsy's picture

Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

Space Weather-4/14/13

http://spaceweather.com/images2013/14apr13/skymap.gif?PHPSESSID=8pho3thc557v2r6j5l51ikvj23

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY EVENING PLANETS: When the sun sets on Sunday, April 14th, step outside and look west into the deepening twilight. The crescent Moon and Jupiter are in conjunction only a few degrees apart. It's a nice way to end the day,

 

Link: Spaceweather.com

Subscribe to RSS - night sky