Tonight – February 4, 2015 – the full-looking waning gibbous moon closely partners up with Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion. There’s an even brighter starlike object nearby, but it’s not a star. It’s the blazing planet Jupiter, now only two days away from its annual opposition and so now at its brightest and best. From North America, the moon is closer to Reg ulus than Jupiter. From Africa, Europe and Asia, the moon shines in the vicinity of Regulus but is more offset toward Jupiter. You’ll find these object above your eastern horizon at early evening. They climb highest up for the night at roughly 1 a.m. local time and sit low in the west as darkness gives way to dawn on February 5.
The moon and Regulus go westward during the night for the same reason that the sun travels westward across the sky during the day. The Earth rotates from west-to-east on its axis, making it appear as if the sun, moon, planets and stars move westward across the sky while the Earth stays still.
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If you’re up before sunrise on February 5, look for the moon, Jupiter and Regulus in the western sky.
Regulus is the brightest star in Leo the Lion. Here’s how to find Leo anytime. An imaginary line drawn between the pointer stars in the Big Dipper – the two outer stars in the Dipper’s bowl – points in one direction toward Polaris, the North Star, and in the opposite direction toward Leo.
In fact, the moon’s orbital direction is actually eastward (toward sunrise). Note the moon’s position relative to Regulus tonight. Then note its position relative to Regulus tomorrow night – or 24 hours later. The moon’s change of position in front of the background stars lets you know how far the moon revolves around our planet Earth in one day.
Regulus is well known for its extremely fast rotation rate. Our sun takes nearly four weeks to complete one rotation. In contrast, Regulus rotates one time in only 16 hours. This star has an equatorial diameter that’s 4.3 times greater than the sun’s but it still rotates at 700,000 miles (1,100,000 kilometers) per hour. At that speed, you could reach the moon in a little over twenty minutes!
Starting on December 18, 2016, a series of monthly lunar occultations of Regulus will take place until the series’ conclusion on April 24, 2018.
Bottom line: Enjoy the pairing of the waning gibbous moon and star Regulus on this Tuesday night, February 4, 2015! The blazing planet Jupiter – now at its best for this year – is nearby.
Live by the moon with your 2015 EarthSky lunar calendar!
Donate: Your support means the world to us
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1Dl4MtF
Tonight – February 4, 2015 – the full-looking waning gibbous moon closely partners up with Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion. There’s an even brighter starlike object nearby, but it’s not a star. It’s the blazing planet Jupiter, now only two days away from its annual opposition and so now at its brightest and best. From North America, the moon is closer to Reg ulus than Jupiter. From Africa, Europe and Asia, the moon shines in the vicinity of Regulus but is more offset toward Jupiter. You’ll find these object above your eastern horizon at early evening. They climb highest up for the night at roughly 1 a.m. local time and sit low in the west as darkness gives way to dawn on February 5.
The moon and Regulus go westward during the night for the same reason that the sun travels westward across the sky during the day. The Earth rotates from west-to-east on its axis, making it appear as if the sun, moon, planets and stars move westward across the sky while the Earth stays still.
Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!
If you’re up before sunrise on February 5, look for the moon, Jupiter and Regulus in the western sky.
Regulus is the brightest star in Leo the Lion. Here’s how to find Leo anytime. An imaginary line drawn between the pointer stars in the Big Dipper – the two outer stars in the Dipper’s bowl – points in one direction toward Polaris, the North Star, and in the opposite direction toward Leo.
In fact, the moon’s orbital direction is actually eastward (toward sunrise). Note the moon’s position relative to Regulus tonight. Then note its position relative to Regulus tomorrow night – or 24 hours later. The moon’s change of position in front of the background stars lets you know how far the moon revolves around our planet Earth in one day.
Regulus is well known for its extremely fast rotation rate. Our sun takes nearly four weeks to complete one rotation. In contrast, Regulus rotates one time in only 16 hours. This star has an equatorial diameter that’s 4.3 times greater than the sun’s but it still rotates at 700,000 miles (1,100,000 kilometers) per hour. At that speed, you could reach the moon in a little over twenty minutes!
Starting on December 18, 2016, a series of monthly lunar occultations of Regulus will take place until the series’ conclusion on April 24, 2018.
Bottom line: Enjoy the pairing of the waning gibbous moon and star Regulus on this Tuesday night, February 4, 2015! The blazing planet Jupiter – now at its best for this year – is nearby.
Live by the moon with your 2015 EarthSky lunar calendar!
Donate: Your support means the world to us
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1Dl4MtF
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