The sky: January 1-7; Jupiter’s moons put on a show on the 6th

The sky: January 1-7; Jupiter’s moons put on a show on the 6th

Special to CosmicTribune.com, January 1, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, JANUARY 1 ■ After the noise and celebration at the turning of midnight tonight, step outside into the silent, cold dark. The waning gibbous Moon will be shining high in the east, with the Sickle of Leo floating about a fist at arm’s length above it. […]

The sky: December 26 – January 1; Venus, a bright ‘morning star’ at -4.0 magnitude

The sky: December 26 – January 1; Venus, a bright ‘morning star’ at -4.0 magnitude

Special to CosmicTribune.com, December 26, 2023, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26 ■ Full Moon tonight (exact at 7:33 p.m. EST). Now shining above the feet of Gemini in the evening, the Moon forms a deeper triangle with Capella and Aldebaran than it did last night. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27 ■ As the stars come out, face due […]

The sky: December 17-24: The Moon, Saturn and Jupiter

The sky: December 17-24: The Moon, Saturn and Jupiter

Special to CosmicTribune.com, December 17, 2023, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 ■ This evening, spot Saturn about 3° upper right of the Moon. The Moon is 1.3 light-seconds from us. Saturn is currently 84 light minutes away in the background, almost 4,000 times farther from us. ■ Algol dips to its minimum brightness, magnitude […]

The sky: December 4-10; Earliest sunset on December 7

The sky: December 4-10; Earliest sunset on December 7

Special to CosmicTribune.com, December 4, 2023, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, DECEMBER 4 ■ Last-quarter Moon tonight (exact at 12:49 a.m. EST). The Moon rises around 11 or midnight local time. By the time Tuesday’s dawn begins to break the Moon is high in the south. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5 ■ At this time of year the Big Dipper […]

The sky: November 28-December 3: Spotlight on M31, the Andromeda Galaxy

The sky: November 28-December 3: Spotlight on M31, the Andromeda Galaxy

Special to CosmicTribune.com, November 28, 2023, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 ■ The Moon, just past full, rises in the northeast in mid-twilight. Bright Capella, magnitude 0, sparkles about two fists to the Moon’s upper left. As night deepens, watch for Beta Tauri, magnitude 1.6, to come into view only about a fifth as […]

The Sky, November 20-26: Sun sets earlier on Thanksgiving than Christmas

The Sky, November 20-26: Sun sets earlier on Thanksgiving than Christmas

Special to CosmicTribune.com, November 21, 2023, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20 ■ First-quarter Moon (exact at 5:50 a.m. EST Monday morning). The Moon accompanies Saturn more closely than it did yesterday, as shown. ■ The tiny black shadow of Io crosses Jupiter’s face from 9:16 to 11:26 p.m. EST, moving across Jupiter from east […]

The Sky, November 13-19: Cassiopeia, Orion and the winter sky

The Sky, November 13-19: Cassiopeia, Orion and the winter sky

Special to CosmicTribune.com, November 13, 2023, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13 ■ Perseus is high in the northeast these November evenings, below W-shaped Cassiopeia. The W is standing on end. To find the famous Double Cluster in Perseus, count down the segments of the W starting from the top. The third segment points almost […]

The Sky: November 6-11: Double clusters and double stars

The Sky: November 6-11: Double clusters and double stars

Special to CosmicTribune.com, November 6, 2023, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6 ■ Perseus is high in the northeast these November evenings. The Perseus Double Cluster is below W-shaped Cassiopeia; the W is currently standing on end. Count down the segments of the W starting from the top. The third segment points almost straight down. […]

India upends lunar geopolitics; China snarls

India upends lunar geopolitics; China snarls

Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 25, 2023 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher There are now three countries with announced ambitions to place their people on the Moon; in addition to the United States (late 2025) and China (by 2029), on Oct. 17 Indian Prime Minister Nahendra Modi announced India’s intention to place Indians on the Moon by […]

The Sky: October 21-29: Jupiter at its brightest and largest, telescopically

The Sky: October 21-29: Jupiter at its brightest and largest, telescopically

Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 22, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 ■ First-quarter Moon (exact at 11:29 p.m. EDT). ■ The shadow of Jupiter’s fast-moving moon Io crosses onto the eastern edge of Jupiter’s face at 8:07 p.m. EDT, followed closely by Io itself 20 minutes later. Jupiter’s Red Spot should transit the planet’s central […]