Tag Archives: Parker Solar Probe

In the Sky This Week – October 30, 2018

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This entry is part 67 of 79 in the series In the Sky This Week

The Moon will appear low in the eastern sky between the constellations Gemini and Orion during the early morning hours on Oct. 30th. That same Moon will appear high in the sky as dawn’s light begins to show. There will be a conjunction of the crescent Moon and the star Regulus low in the eastern sky, early in the morning hours on Nov. 2nd. A very thin crescent Moon will appear with the star Arcturus in the eastern predawn sky on Nov. 5th. Mars and Saturn continue to put on a show in the southern sky after sunset. Observing Target: The Dance of the Planets Over the next week, the positions of Jupiter and Mercury change drastically in southwestern sky at dusk! Mercury stays low but gets brighter – Jupiter makes a quick dive towards the horizon, and will soon to be hidden by the glare of the Sun. Comets Comet 46P/Wirtanen in the news: You can find Comet 46P/Wirtanen in … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – October 2, 2018

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This entry is part 63 of 79 in the series In the Sky This Week

The Moon joins the constellations Gemini and Orion high south in the predawn sky. Mars and Saturn continue to be excellent observing targets in the southern sky after sunset. You might be able to catch a glimpse of Venus this week if you have a clear southwestern horizon; Venus is VERY low in the sky at sunset. Observing Target: M45 – The Pleiades The Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters) is an open star cluster located in the constellation of Taurus. The cluster contains several hot, B-type stars, and is among the nearest star clusters to Earth. The Pleiades easily visible to the naked eye – binoculars work great for viewing the Pleiades; if you want to use a telescope, you’ll need to use a longer focal-length (lower magnification) eyepiece. Time-exposures of the Pleiades reveal a blue nebulosity surrounding the stars; once thought to be left over from the formation of the cluster, it is now thought to be … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – September 18, 2018

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This entry is part 61 of 79 in the series In the Sky This Week

Canis Major, with the bright star Sirius, is now fully above the horizon in the southeastern predawn sky. The Moon joins Mars and Saturn in the southwestern sky after dusk for several days this week. Venus is very low on the Southwestern sky, and is only visible for about 1/2 hour at dusk before being obscured by trees or buildings on the horizon. Jupiter sets shortly before 10:00 PM The Moon The Moon is a waxing gibbous just after first quarter; visible in the southern sky after dusk, the Moon is an excellent observing target for the next several days. The Moon will be full on September 24th. Observing Target: The Lunar Terminator The lunar terminator – NOT a rampaging cyborg from a dystopian future… but rather the division between the illuminated and dark hemispheres of the Moon. Observing the terminator on the Moon around the time of first or third quarters can be fascinating! Over the course of several hours, you can … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – August 28, 2018

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This entry is part 58 of 79 in the series In the Sky This Week

Sirius “the Dog Star” appears in the southeastern predawn sky below the constellation Orion. If you look closely you may catch a glimpse of Mercury low in the east shortly before sunrise. The splash of planets across the southern sky is free of the glare of the Moon – assuming your skies aren’t obscured by smoke, or the ever-present cloud cover Michigan frequently offers, they should make for excellent observing all week. In the southwestern sky at dusk, Jupiter continues to move slowly westward toward Venus, as Venus moves slowly southward. Venus continues to appear lower in the sky each evening. The Moon The Moon is a waning gibbous heading towards third-quarter on September 3rd. Next week the Moon will be a waning crescent. Observing Target: The Double Cluster NGC 869 and NGC 884 are open clusters located about 7600 light years away in the constellation of Perseus. The clusters most likely formed around 12.5 – 13 million years ago. “The clusters are both located in the Perseus … Continue reading →