This week’s Look Up report features July’s Full Moon and lunar footprints; three (maybe even four) sunset planets; and a fun asteroid challenge! Click here for the full report, including helpful graphics and links.
Posts Tagged ‘Mercury’
The Sky Tonight: July 22 – July 28
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010The Sky This Month – March 2010
Monday, March 1st, 2010Podcast: Play in new window | Download
We’re premiering a new feature, The Sky This Month, here and on AFM*Radio! In addition to our occasional daily report, The Sky Tonight, we’ll also be posting a monthly highlights report, here, and featuring the audio version each month, throughout the month, on AFM*Radio.
Don’t just talk about the stars – Go outside and look at them!
The month of March includes four bright planets, five moon & planet conjunctions, and a whole collection of open star clusters!
Venus/Saturn Conjunction!
Sunday, October 11th, 2009
Tomorrow’s sunrise sky offers a special treat for early risers. Not only will four bright planets be visible, two of those planets will appear less than 1/2 degree from each other, and another will be less than 3 degrees from the waning crescent Moon.
Just before sunrise, watch for Venus and Saturn to rise as a pair on your East horizon, with Mercury rising very close behind. Looking straight overhead, you’ll find ruddy Mars with a 38% illuminated Moon. That bright star to the pair’s right is Canis Minor’s brightest star, Procyon; while the night sky’s brightest star, Sirius, is positioned just a little further right, or towards your West horizon. Dropping straight down from Sirius, to your South horizon, you’ll find the 2nd brightest star in the night sky, constellation Carina’s Canopus.
Mercury with Pleiades
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009Last night’s sunset viewing was gorgeous. A few thin clouds drifted through and ground-level moisture kept me busy drying dew, but the sky was beautiful and the stars were bright.
Although I had more success through the binoculars than the camera lens, I did manage a couple of okay images of the crescent moon and Pleaides with Mercury, as well as a just-for-fun image of a passing jet. (You can click the first image for full-sized version, and then click next at the top-right corner of the image to scroll through to the other two images. Click the x in the bottom-right corner to close the images.)
Sharing the Sky
Sunday, April 26th, 2009I am so pleased. I found a very nice horizon for tonight’s sunset event, and it is in a safe and comfortable location! It is near the edge of a pretty little pond full of serenading frogs and surrounded by a small field that includes wild rabbits and killdeers. There are a couple of streetlights in the near vicinity; fortunately, they are a timer that turns them off and on every so often. I’ll be visiting this special spot often.
Watching tonight’s conjunction was so enjoyable. The weather was perfect – just enough of a light breeze to keep the mosquitoes away – and the sky was very clear. The pink and red hues of the sunset were gorgeous, especially when that thin crescent moon suddenly appeared in the still-blue region just above; and then of course, Mercury and Pleiades added perfect sparkle as the sky grew darker. Several distant airplanes passed through, adding occasional luminous trails to the view. I even managed to capture one crossing directly in front of the moon.
As I stood there, watching and waiting, I couldn’t help but think of the friends that I’ve made lately and how many of them were probably standing outside their own homes that very moment, feeling the same way that I do about the night sky. I thought about the way that those friendships formed across so many miles through one common passion – astronomy – and how those friendships have been my single most valuable resource in my own pursuit of astronomy. I could read a thousand books, visit a hundred websites, own all the astronomy tools in the world, but without those friendships – that sharing of experiences, knowledge, and excitement – astronomy just would not be the same for me. I would be just as curious and have that same feeling of wonder, but the pursuit would be almost mechanical and certainly lonely. Being alone with the stars is one thing – in fact a marvelous thing – but having no one with whom to share that oneness … well, I think it would take the heart and soul right out of astronomy, for me.
This is a meager offering (I wish I were a better photographer) but these pictures of tonight’s conjunction are for my astronomy friends – for all that you give simply by sharing your passion with others, and for allowing me to share with you. (You can click the images for the full-sized versions, and click the x in the bottom-right corner to close.)
