Tonight’s moon – December 4, 2014 – might look full to you, but, technically speaking, it’s still a waxing gibbous moon. Waxing means the illuminated portion of the moon’s disk is increasing; gibbous means the moon’s face is more than half-lit but less than full. You might – or might not – see the Pleiades star cluster, also called the Seven Sisters, in the moon’s glare tonight. The star Aldebaran is also nearby. If you can’t see these objects in the moonlit glare, try your luck with binoculars.
The moon will move closer to Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus the Bull, tomorrow, December 5, the night of 2014’s December full moon.
Aldebaran, a reddish star, depicts the Bull’s fiery eye. On a dark night, the ruddy color of this wonderful star really stands out in a dark, moonless sky. Be sure to check out the star Aldebaran and the starlit figure of the Bull in a week or so, after the moon has left the evening sky.
EarthSky lunar calendars make great gifts for astronomy-minded friends and family.
When the moon passes through Taurus, it can swing anywhere from 5o north to 5o south of the ecliptic, depending on where the moon is positioned in its 18.6-year cycle. When the moon is far enough north of the ecliptic, it can occult the Pleiades star cluster – or even the star Elnath. When the moon resides south of the ecliptic, it can occult the star Aldebaran. A series of Aldebaran occultations will begin on January 29, 2015.
Aldebaran is a star of the Zodiac, that narrow roadway of the starry sky upon which the moon forever travels. The moon passes relatively close to Aldebaran every month. But how close the moon approaches Aldebaran in any given month depends on where the moon crosses the ecliptic, due to the moon’s 18.6-year nodal cycle. At a certain point, the moon actually strays far enough south of the ecliptic to occult – cover over – Aldebaran during its monthly travels through Taurus the Bull.
In fact, the first of a series of 49 lunar occultations of Aldebaran will begin on January 29, 2015, and will end on September 3, 2018. The close pairing of the moon and Aldebaran tomorrow, on December 5, is only a prelude to closer encounters to come!
Bottom line: The star cluster obscured in the moon’s glare on December 4, 2014 is the Pleiades, the small dipper-shaped group of starlets in the constellation Taurus. Aldebaran, the Bull’s eye, is also nearby.
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Tonight’s moon – December 4, 2014 – might look full to you, but, technically speaking, it’s still a waxing gibbous moon. Waxing means the illuminated portion of the moon’s disk is increasing; gibbous means the moon’s face is more than half-lit but less than full. You might – or might not – see the Pleiades star cluster, also called the Seven Sisters, in the moon’s glare tonight. The star Aldebaran is also nearby. If you can’t see these objects in the moonlit glare, try your luck with binoculars.
The moon will move closer to Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus the Bull, tomorrow, December 5, the night of 2014’s December full moon.
Aldebaran, a reddish star, depicts the Bull’s fiery eye. On a dark night, the ruddy color of this wonderful star really stands out in a dark, moonless sky. Be sure to check out the star Aldebaran and the starlit figure of the Bull in a week or so, after the moon has left the evening sky.
EarthSky lunar calendars make great gifts for astronomy-minded friends and family.
When the moon passes through Taurus, it can swing anywhere from 5o north to 5o south of the ecliptic, depending on where the moon is positioned in its 18.6-year cycle. When the moon is far enough north of the ecliptic, it can occult the Pleiades star cluster – or even the star Elnath. When the moon resides south of the ecliptic, it can occult the star Aldebaran. A series of Aldebaran occultations will begin on January 29, 2015.
Aldebaran is a star of the Zodiac, that narrow roadway of the starry sky upon which the moon forever travels. The moon passes relatively close to Aldebaran every month. But how close the moon approaches Aldebaran in any given month depends on where the moon crosses the ecliptic, due to the moon’s 18.6-year nodal cycle. At a certain point, the moon actually strays far enough south of the ecliptic to occult – cover over – Aldebaran during its monthly travels through Taurus the Bull.
In fact, the first of a series of 49 lunar occultations of Aldebaran will begin on January 29, 2015, and will end on September 3, 2018. The close pairing of the moon and Aldebaran tomorrow, on December 5, is only a prelude to closer encounters to come!
Bottom line: The star cluster obscured in the moon’s glare on December 4, 2014 is the Pleiades, the small dipper-shaped group of starlets in the constellation Taurus. Aldebaran, the Bull’s eye, is also nearby.
Donate: Your support means the world to us
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/12y9sAv
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