Venus heads towards Spica

Venus moves towards Spica each evening until September 5th when it passes it.  From now until then, Venus will be a little closer to Spica. Saturn comes next when Venus catches it on September 18. Look to the west-southwest about 8:45 p.m. for this ever changing trio.

In this image taken August 26, Venus glows at the lower right while the much dimmer Spica twinkles to the farther left.

 

Saturn can be seen at the upper left of the image.

Such is our view from Earth...

September 2013 Celestial Highlights

Roanoke Valley's 

September Sky

Early September - 10:00 p.m. (EDT)

Late September - 9:00 p.m. (EDT)

MILKY WAY: The glow of the Milky Way stretches from the southwest to the northeast at 9:30 p.m. each night. Observe when there is no moon in the sky (from August 26 through September 10 and after September 24) and from a dark location away from city lights to best appreciate this glorious sight. 

SUN reaches Autumnal Equinox in the constellation Virgo on September 22 at 4:44 p.m.

Visible Planets:

MERCURY lost in the solar glare.  

VENUS low in the west 60 minutes after sunset. Next to the crescent Moon on Sept. 8 and next to Saturn on Sept. 18. 

MARS rises in the east before 4 a.m. at the end of August and before 3:30 at the end of September.  To the upper left of the waning crescent moon on September 2.  Crosses in front of the Beehive Cluster on September 8 and 9. 

JUPITER  rises in the east-northeast after 2 a.m. and before 1 a.m. at the end of September. Brightly shines near the waning crescent moon on August 31 and September 28.

SATURN very low in the west-southwest just after sunset. To the right of the waxing crescent moon on September 9. Next to Venus on September 18 and 19.

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Arcturus

Deneb

Cassiopeia

To use this map:

Face south and hold the map above your head. Place the zenith directly overhead. The stars on the map will match those in the sky.

Such is our view from Earth...

August 2013 Celestial Highlights

Roanoke Valley's 

August Sky

Early August - 10:30 p.m. (EDT)

Late August - 9:30 p.m. (EDT)

MILKY WAY: The glow of the Milky Way stretches from the south to the northeast at 10 p.m. each night. Observe when there is no moon in the sky (from July 28 through August 12 and after August 26) and from a dark location away from city lights to best appreciate this glorious sight.

Meteor Shower: 

PERSEIDS visible in the northeast after 11:15 p.m. on August 12. Perhaps up to 60 meteors per hour can be seen from a dark site. 

Visible Planets:

MERCURY very low in the east-northeast 45 minutes before sunrise from August 1 through August 7. Above the waning crescent moon on August 5. 

VENUS low in the west at 8:45 p.m. Above the waxing crescent moon on August 9. 

MARS low in the east-northeast at 5:00 a.m. during August. The waning crescent moon sits to its lower right on August 4. 

JUPITER  rises in the east-northeast before 4:00 a.m. at the beginning of August and before 2:30 a.m. at the end of the month. Left of the moon on August 3. 

SATURN in the south-southwest at sunset. Sets after midnight at the beginning of August and at 10:30 p.m. at the end of the month. Upper left of the waxing crescent moon on August 12. 

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Arcturus

Spica

Cassiopeia

Deneb

To use this map:

Face south and hold the map above your head. The relative positions of the stars on the map will match those in the sky.

Such is our view from Earth...

July 2013 Celestial Highlights

Roanoke Valley's 

July Sky

Early July - 11:30 p.m. (EDT)

Late July - 10:30 p.m. (EDT)

MILKY WAY: The glow of the Milky Way stretches from the south to the northeast at 11 p.m. each night. Observe when no moon is present in the sky (from June 30 to July 12 and from July 28 to July 31) and from a dark location away from city lights to best appreciate this glorious sight.

EARTH reaches aphelion (its farthest point from the sun) on July 5 when the Earth-sun distance will be 94.5 million miles.

Visible Planets:

MERCURY lost in the solar glow..

VENUS low in the west-northwest 45 minutes after sunset. 

MARS rises before 5:00 a.m. in the east-northeast at the beginning of July and before 4:15 a.m. at the end of the month. Near the brighter Jupiter on the mornings around July 22. 

JUPITER  lost in the solar glow until July 15, then very low in the east-northeast at 5:15 a.m. To the right of  the much dimmer Mars on July 22. 

SATURN in the south at sunset. Sets before 2:30 a.m. at the beginning of July and at 12:30 a.m. at the end of the month. Above the first quarter moon on July 16.

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Arcturus

Spica

Deneb

Cassiopeia

Such is our view from Earth...

Look for tonight's Supermoon

Beginning tonight night and heading into tomorrow morning, the full moon becomes a “supermoon,” being closer than any other full moon of the year. When it is at its nearest one hour after sunrise on Sunday, the moon appears 7% wider and 15% larger than the average full moon. Its distance shrinks to 222,000 miles, some 18,000 miles less than that of the average full moon. 

Reports are circulating on its unusual brightness in the sky and its unusual closeness to our planet. Curious skywatchers should take the hyperbole with more than a grain of moon dust. 

While the June 22/23 full moon will be the closest of the year, it will not necessarily be the brightest. Saturday’s full moon lies in the same low region of the sky where the December sun shines. Therefore, it won’t reach a high sky position, but it will trace a shallow arc beginning in the southeast thirty minutes before sunset, rising low in the south, then ending in the southwest fifteen minutes after sunrise. 

Summer haze may substantially diminish the brightness of tonight’s supermoon, causing it to be dimmer than the year’s smallest full moon which occurs on December 17. That cold moon, while being 21% smaller, climbs much higher in the December night reaching the same height as June’s noonday sun. It’s light cuts through much less atmospheric muck, appearing glaringly bright, possibly brighter than this weekend’s supermoon.

Moonrise in the Roanoke area today is about 8 p.m. Any judgement about its brightness shouldn’t be made until after 10 p.m. when it has risen appreciably above the south-southeastern horizon. If it is cloudy, the next supermoon can be seen next year on August 10.

Such is our view from Earth...

Mercury passes Venus

Say goodbye to Mercury until it pops up in the dawn sky in July. The smallest planet can be found tonight to the lower left of Venus. Look to the west-northwest at 9:35 p.m. for Venus shining low above the horizon. Mercury lies to its left. Binoculars most likely will be need to spot i, though,t unless the sky is very clear. After tonight, it will be too low to spy its feeble light in the bright twilight. 

These two images were taken June 18 at 9:40 p.m.

Such is our view from Earth...

Spotting Mercury as it rounds the sun

At 9:40 p.m. in the west-northwest, Venus can be easily found shining low above the horizon. The solar system's innermost planet, Mercury, while in the same general area, is not nearly so easily found. Over the next week, it drops quickly past Venus to the horizon as it orbits the sun. Mercury sits just to Venus' left on Tuesday night (June 18). Use binoculars to positively ID it since Mercury and Venus both glow in the same field of view. If conditions are very clear, binoculars may not be necessary to see Mercury.

In the image, taken at 9:40 p.m. on June 15, Mercury is seen to Venus' upper left.

Why not give Mercury spotting a try?

Such is our view from Earth...