A ghostly crescent Moon joins Venus

If you have clear skies, look to the west-northwest tomorrow night (Tuesday) thirty minutes after sunset. The very thin crescent mMon, after having slid across the face of the sun yesterday, hovers above the ridge lines as a ghostly image. Next to it lies bright point of Venus. Use binoculars for an easier, better view.

Such is our view from Earth...

Annular Eclipse? Not for us!

On Sunday May 20, the sun becomes partially eclipsed by the Moon beginning as the sun sets. While the eclipse will be missed completely by Virginia observers, those farther west will see at least some of the event. For observers in parts of northern California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas, an annular eclipse just might be witnessed. This special type of partial solar eclipse happens when the whole moon crosses directly in front of the sun, which normally gives a total solar eclipse. This time, however, the moon is near apogee, i.e., in its farthest point from the Earth, and therefore, appears smaller in the sky than usual. Since it is smaller, it does't cover the full face of the sun, but leaves a ring of brilliant sunlight streaming around it. This is an "annular eclipse." As with other partial solar eclipses, do not observe it without the proper solar filters!

Such is our view from Earth...

Venus: the beginning of the end

Brilliant Venus is sinking fast in the west-northwest right after sunset. The planet, which has dominated our western sky over the past few months, ends its reign in just a few weeks as it approaches the sun. Since Venus orbits closer to the sun than the Earth, occasionally it moves between the sun and the Earth. This happens on June 5.

Be sure to watch this beacon over the next few weeks as it drops closer to the set sun each evening. Venus' evening reign is ending.

Such is our view from Earth...

May Celestial Events

Celestial Events: May 2012

April 30: Venus at greatest brilliancy. Magnitude -4.5

April 30: First quarter Moon forms a tight triangle with Regulus and Mars.  

May 20: Annular eclipse of the sun. Begins at sunset here.

May 22: Venus is next to the thin crescent moon in the bright evening twilight at 9:00 p.m.

May 31: Gibbous moon forms a straight line with Saturn and Spica.

Such is our view from Earth...

Moon meets Venus in Taurus

The crescent moon entered the constellation Taurus to join Venus in our early evening sky tonight. This magical scene was made even more mysterious by fast passing clouds riding the latest front.

Tomorrow night, the moon will be higher in the sky, farther from Venus.  Over the next few weeks, Venus drops closer to the horizon and closer to the sun as it catches the Earth. It eventually passes exactly between the Earth and the sun on June 5. Then the brilliant planet enters our morning sky.

Such is our view from Earth...

Our Moon Positions Itself next to Jupiter, then Venus

Tonight, our moon positions itself next to mighty Jupiter very low in the western sky directly after sunset. If you have a good view of the western horizon, catch this sight through binoculars. It will likely be the last time you see Jupiter for a month or two. In July mornings it will be found peeking above the eastern horizon before sunrise.

Tuesday night features the moon glowing next to brilliant Venus. This just might be the prettiest moon - planet pairing of 2012.

Such is our view from Earth...

Saturn Saunters in the early evening Spring Sky

This is the best time of year to spot Saturn in our early evening sky. Of the five "bright" planets, it is the farthest and the dimmest. It does not blaze forth, nor does it shine brightly. It appears as another bright star.

Look to the southeast about 9:30 p.m. for Saturn and another object of similar brightness, Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. In the accompanying top image, Saturn lies just to the upper left of Spica. Saturn appears a tad bit brighter than Spica. The four quadrangle stars of Corvus lie to Spica's far right. To top two stars of that quadrangle point left directly to Spica, helping to identify it.

The planet takes about 29 years to orbit the sun, and, as a result, it moves quite slowly across the celestial sphere. It takes 29 years to move through all the zodiacal constellations along the ecliptic before it returns to its starting spot.

The bottom image shows Saturn and Spica as they were on April 28, 2011. Saturn was to Spica's upper right, near the moderately bright star Porrima. In the past year, it has crawled only 1/14 across the evening's celestial dome. Next year about this date, it will have moved another 1/14 across the sky far to Spica's lower left. 

Such is our view from Earth...