October 8, 2023 Tonight at 8 pm the bright star directly overhead is called Vega. This bright A-class star is only 25 light years away in the constellation Lyra. Vega rotates every 12.5 hours and has been discovered to have a belt of debris around it. It will also become the North Star in roughly… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 7, 2023
October 7, 2023 When Uranus is near opposition, it becomes bright enough to see with the unaided eye if viewing from a dark location. Tonight, Uranus will be within naked eye visibility at magnitude 5.65, but if you contend with light pollution, you will need to use binoculars. Currently, Uranus is found between Jupiter and… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 6, 2023
October 6, 2023 Tomorrow morning around 1:46 am, the bright star Algol will begin to dim. This happens because Algol is an eclipsing binary system. In this star system, there are two stars that orbit one another. From Earth we look along their orbital plane allowing the pair to eclipse one another. The primary eclipse… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 5, 2023
October 5, 2023 The Earth is about 93 million miles away from the Sun (1 AU). It takes light 8 ½ minutes to travel that distance. Pluto is 39 times that distance so it takes light around 5 ½ hours to travel from the Sun to Pluto. By observing Venus passing in front of the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 4, 2023
October 4, 2023 Today in 1957, the first artificial satellite was launched by the Soviet Union. This satellite was named Sputnik I, which orbited the Earth until January 4, 1958, when it burned up in Earth’s atmosphere. A replica of the Sputnik 1 satellite. Image credit: NASA
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 3, 2023
October 3, 2023 Looking east around 11 pm you will see a red star called Aldebaran. This red giant star is part of the constellation Taurus the Bull and is 67 light years away. The eastern sky as it will look tonight at 11 pm. The bright red star Aldebaran is visible as the brightest… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 2, 2023
October 2, 2023 Looking east around 8 pm, you will see four stars that form the Great Square of Autumn. Also visible near the zenith are 3 bright stars that form the Summer Triangle. The southeastern sky as it will look tonight at 8 pm. At this time it is possible to see both the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 1, 2023
October 1, 2023 Tonight, the Moon and Jupiter are rising around 8:20 pm. At 10:19 pm, The Moon and Jupiter will be in conjunction. In astronomy, a conjunction is when two or more objects share the same right ascension. The eastern sky as it appears at 10:20 pm tonight. A waning gibbous moon and Jupiter… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: September 30, 2023
September 30, 2023 This time of year it can be difficult to spot the Big Dipper. This famous asterism is currently found low in the northern skies from sunset to sunrise. In the early evening, it is low in the northwest. Just before sunrise it is rising in the northeast. The north-northwestern sky as it… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: September 29, 2023
September 29, 2023 Full Moon for September occurred today just before 5 am. As it is the nearest full moon to the autumnal equinox, this is the Harvest Moon. The west-southwestern sky as it appeared at 5 am this morning. A full moon is visible at this time, and it will set at approximately the… Continue reading