Tag Archives: Zodiacal light

In the Sky This Week – September 11, 2018

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This entry is part 61 of 170 in the series In the Sky This Week

Orion is high in the southeastern predawn sky as fall stars rise earlier each morning. The Moon joins Venus and Jupiter in the southwestern sky after dusk for several days early this week. The Moon will join Mars and Saturn in the Southern sky after dusk, appearing very near Saturn on September 17th. The Moon The Moon is a waxing crescent, visible in the southwestern sky after dusk. The Moon will be at first-quarter on September 17th, and should be a good observing target all week. Observing Target: The Zodiacal Light Zodiacal light (also called the “false dawn” when seen before sunrise) is a faint, diffuse, and roughly triangular white glow that is visible in the night sky and appears to extend from the Sun’s direction and along the zodiac, straddling the ecliptic. Sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust causes this phenomenon. Zodiacal light is best seen during twilight after sunset in spring and before sunrise in autumn, when the zodiac is … Continue reading →

NASA Space Place: A Trip Through the Milky Way

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A Trip Through the Milky Way By Jane Houston Jones and Jessica Stoller-Conrad Feeling like you missed out on planning a last vacation of summer? Don’t worry—you can still take a late summertime road trip along the Milky Way! The waning days of summer are upon us, and that means the Sun is setting earlier now. These earlier sunsets reveal a starry sky bisected by the Milky Way. Want to see this view of our home galaxy? Head out to your favorite dark sky getaway or to the darkest city park or urban open space you can find. While you’re out there waiting for a peek at the Milky Way, you’ll also have a great view of the planets in our solar system. Keep an eye out right after sunset and you can catch a look at Venus. If you have binoculars or a telescope, you’ll see Venus’s phase change dramatically during September—from nearly half phase to a larger, thinner … Continue reading →

In the Sky this Week- November 28, 2017

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This entry is part 16 of 170 in the series In the Sky This Week

Mars is in conjunction with the star Spica for the next couple weeks, and Jupiter rises a bit earlier each morning in the eastern predawn sky. You might catch a short glimpse of Venus as it rises shortly before the Sun. For an observing challenge, see if you can spot the zodiacal light in the eastern sky a few hours before dawn; use Mars and Spica as a guide – you’ll need to be in a dark sky location. The light of the waxing gibbous Moon will make Uranus a poor observing target – the Moon, however, should be a great observing target all week long. The Moon will be full on Dec. 3rd. For an observing challenge, see if you can spot Saturn and Mercury in the southwestern sky at 5:30 PM – look quick, you’ll only have a few minutes to see them before they set! The Sun Sunspots come and go – last week one vanished from … Continue reading →