Tonight – May 31, 2015 – be sure to enjoy the picturesque pairing of the bright waxing gibbous moon and the golden planet Saturn above the ruddy star Antares. Saturn is at its best now, having passed its 2015 opposition – when Earth flew between Saturn and the sun – on May 22-23.
In the bright moonlight, you might have difficulty distinguishing the colors of Saturn and Antares. But if you have binoculars, they can help you to make out the colors of these celestial gems. Saturn is golden, and Antares is reddish.
Have a telescope – even a modest backyard one? Dust it off and try your luck viewing Saturn’s majestic rings. In your telescope, the rings should be visible tonight, despite the drenching moonlight.
Watch for the threesome – the moon, Saturn and Antares – to go westward across the sky throughout the night. They’ll be highest up for around midnight, and will sit low in the southwest at dawn June 1.
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Are you an early riser? Look in the southeast sky in the predawn sky for the moon, Saturn and Antares.
Saturn will stay in the vicinity of Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion, for the rest of this year.
Antares depicts the Scorpion’s beating Heart. Beating? Yes, because from our northerly latitudes we tend to look at Antares low in the south, and the atmosphere causes it to scintillate.
Thus Antares, a red star, is know to twinkle fiercely. Antares is a red supergiant star, whose volume is a few hundred million times greater than that of our sun. If Antares replaced the sun in our solar system, its circumference would extend all the way into the asteroid belt in between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Contrasting the sizes of the red supergiant Antares, the red giant star Arcturus and the sun.
Saturn is near Antares – Scorpius’ brightest star – but Saturn actually resides in front of the constellation Libra the Scales, quite close to the Libra-Scorpius border. Saturn will remain within Libra until October 2015, at which time the ringed planet will pass in front of the constellation Scorpius.
When the moon drops out of the early evening sky in the second week of June 2015, it will be much easier to see Libra’s two brightest stars, Zubenelgenubi and Zubenschamali. These moderately-bright stars are easily visible in a dark country sky. In fact, if you have binoculars, you can see that Zubenelgenubi is actually a double star – two stars in one (even on a moonlit night).
The constellation Libra the Scales and its brightest stars Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali. Image via Wikimedia Commons
At one time, Scorpius was a much larger constellation, and included what is now known as the constellation Libra. Before Libra became its own constellation, the stars Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali depicted the Scorpion’s Claws.
The names of these two stars pay tribute to the glory days of Scorpius as a super constellation. Zubenelgenubi is an Arabic term meaning “the Southern Claw of the Scorpion” whereas Zubeneschamali is Arabic for “the Northern Claw of the Scorpion.”
Bottom line: Use the moon to locate the ring planet planet Saturn and the red supergiant star Antares on the night of May 31, 2015. After that, look for Saturn to light up the constellation Libra, and to guide you to the Scorpion’s ancient Claw stars, for months to come!
Looking for a sky almanac? EarthSky recommends…
EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1d6K8q5
Tonight – May 31, 2015 – be sure to enjoy the picturesque pairing of the bright waxing gibbous moon and the golden planet Saturn above the ruddy star Antares. Saturn is at its best now, having passed its 2015 opposition – when Earth flew between Saturn and the sun – on May 22-23.
In the bright moonlight, you might have difficulty distinguishing the colors of Saturn and Antares. But if you have binoculars, they can help you to make out the colors of these celestial gems. Saturn is golden, and Antares is reddish.
Have a telescope – even a modest backyard one? Dust it off and try your luck viewing Saturn’s majestic rings. In your telescope, the rings should be visible tonight, despite the drenching moonlight.
Watch for the threesome – the moon, Saturn and Antares – to go westward across the sky throughout the night. They’ll be highest up for around midnight, and will sit low in the southwest at dawn June 1.
Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!
Are you an early riser? Look in the southeast sky in the predawn sky for the moon, Saturn and Antares.
Saturn will stay in the vicinity of Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion, for the rest of this year.
Antares depicts the Scorpion’s beating Heart. Beating? Yes, because from our northerly latitudes we tend to look at Antares low in the south, and the atmosphere causes it to scintillate.
Thus Antares, a red star, is know to twinkle fiercely. Antares is a red supergiant star, whose volume is a few hundred million times greater than that of our sun. If Antares replaced the sun in our solar system, its circumference would extend all the way into the asteroid belt in between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Contrasting the sizes of the red supergiant Antares, the red giant star Arcturus and the sun.
Saturn is near Antares – Scorpius’ brightest star – but Saturn actually resides in front of the constellation Libra the Scales, quite close to the Libra-Scorpius border. Saturn will remain within Libra until October 2015, at which time the ringed planet will pass in front of the constellation Scorpius.
When the moon drops out of the early evening sky in the second week of June 2015, it will be much easier to see Libra’s two brightest stars, Zubenelgenubi and Zubenschamali. These moderately-bright stars are easily visible in a dark country sky. In fact, if you have binoculars, you can see that Zubenelgenubi is actually a double star – two stars in one (even on a moonlit night).
The constellation Libra the Scales and its brightest stars Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali. Image via Wikimedia Commons
At one time, Scorpius was a much larger constellation, and included what is now known as the constellation Libra. Before Libra became its own constellation, the stars Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali depicted the Scorpion’s Claws.
The names of these two stars pay tribute to the glory days of Scorpius as a super constellation. Zubenelgenubi is an Arabic term meaning “the Southern Claw of the Scorpion” whereas Zubeneschamali is Arabic for “the Northern Claw of the Scorpion.”
Bottom line: Use the moon to locate the ring planet planet Saturn and the red supergiant star Antares on the night of May 31, 2015. After that, look for Saturn to light up the constellation Libra, and to guide you to the Scorpion’s ancient Claw stars, for months to come!
Looking for a sky almanac? EarthSky recommends…
EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1d6K8q5
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