Monday, December 2, 2024

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

HomeLearningEYES TO THE...

EYES TO THE SKY: Summer’s evening sky, morning’s winter sky

Be radical: Awaken in time to see the brightest star in Earth’s sky, Sirius, appear after a long absence.

August 20 – September 2, 2018

Image courtesy EarthSky.org

Mount Washington — The Summer Triangle, an impressive star pattern shaped by three bright stars, is visible high in the southeast as twilight deepens and is prominent all night. In the evening sky, the Summer Triangle hovers above Mars, the not-to-be-missed brightest celestial body – excepting the moon – in the southeastern sky. Altair, the lowest star of the Triangle, is directly above the planet, with Deneb and Vega above Altair, to the left and right, respectively.

Through less than ideal viewing conditions – whether haze, high clouds, moonlight or light pollution – Mars shines in the southeast at dusk and is visible until well after midnight, setting in the southwest. I have seen the planet appear redder of late, a riveting sight to look forward to every night.

Familiar stars of winter nights. Betelgeuse is Orion’s shoulder star; Rigel represents his foot. Friday, Aug. 24, Sunrise at 6:10 a.m. Image courtesy EarthSky.org

The waxing moon is to the right of Saturn tonight and to the right and above Mars on Wednesday the 22nd. On Saturday, the 25th, enjoy the almost full moon as it lifts above the east-southeast horizon at 7:30 p.m., or later if obstructions intervene. Enjoy the Full Moon on Sunday morning, the 26th, before it sets in the southwest-west at about 6 a.m., opposite the rising sun in the east-northeast. Adjust times for your topography.

Be radical: Awaken in time to see the brightest star in Earth’s sky, Sirius, appear after a long absence. Sirius’ heliacal rising – emerging from the Sun’s glare – occurred about a week ago at our location. Considering the Berkshire terrain, it is a little less challenging to capture a glimpse of Sirius now that sunrise is several minutes later and Sirius rises nearly half an hour earlier. Be at a lookout with a view to the east-southeast horizon by 4:45 a.m. Planet Mercury may be spotted along with Sirius during the timeframe of this post. Look for Mercury to the left of Sirius; binoculars could prove useful. For enriching cultural context, please refer to the “Resources” links that follow.

Note: This schema is for Boston on Aug. 13, 2016, shown here simply for visual information and reference point. Sirius stands about 3 degrees above the southeastern horizon during its heliacal rising in Boston, Mass. (latitude 42° N), on Aug. 13, 2016. The star will be about 50 degrees to the right (south) of the bright spot near the horizon in the sunrise direction. Image courtesy Skyandtelescope.com

Resources

For a 13-second video of heliacal rising of Mercury, go to link, then scroll down:
http://planetfacts.org/heliacal-rising/

Heliacal rising of Sirius
https://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/a-real-scorcher-sirius-at-heliacal-rising/
http://solar-center.stanford.edu/AO/dawn-rising.html

Opportunities to participate

For Educators K – 12 Bringing the Universe to America’s Classrooms https://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/universe/#.W3YH6yephAY, https://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/the-big-bang-and-the-universe/#.W3YJpSephAY

spot_img

The Edge Is Free To Read.

But Not To Produce.

Continue reading

DATELINE STOCKBRIDGE: Pullman cars and the first recognized Black labor union

For 101 years, from 1867 to 1968, the Pullman car, built by engineer and industrialist George M. Pullman, was the epitome of luxury.

EYES TO THE SKY: Early evening string of planets

I enjoy marking day’s end, beginning of nighttime, with a glance to the dazzling white Evening Star low in the south-southwest.

NATURE’S TURN: Good medicine

In the garden, when a melon harvest was complete at the end of August and potatoes dug in early September, the bare ground was sown to cover crops of peas and oats.

The Edge Is Free To Read.

But Not To Produce.