If you’re an early riser, you can see the rather wide waning crescent moon close to the star Antares during the predawn and dawn hours on Sunday, February 19. Look in the south to southeast sky for this shining couple an hour or more before sunrise.
Scorpius? Here’s your constellation
Antares is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. In our Northern Hemisphere, Antares is considered a summertime star, because it’s during the summer months that this star shines in the evening sky. By October, this star appears only briefly after sunset, and follows the sun beneath the horizon shortly thereafter. By November, Antares has disappeared from the nighttime sky.
Every year, the sun and Antares are in conjunction on or near December 1. In other words, that’s when Antares is most directly behind the sun each year, as seen from our earthly vantage point. Then, the sun and Antares rise and set pretty much in unison, so that Antares is lost in the light of the sun throughout late November and early December. However, by mid to late January, Antares drifts far enough west of the sun so that it appears above the southeast horizon before sunrise. What’s really happening, of course, is that Earth has moved far enough along in its orbit that this star begins to appear to one side of the sun, instead of behind it.
The return of the stinger stars, Shaula and Lesath, to the morning sky is a welcome sign at northerly latitudes. At this juncture, the short days of winter are giving way to the longer days of spring.
Seeing Antares and the constellation of Scorpius before dawn is a sure sign that the shortest days of winter are gone – especially if you can spot the Scorpion stinger stars: Shaula and Lesath. Look for these stars to showcase the first glimmers of spring!
Tomorrow, before sunrise February 19, see the moon, Antares and Saturn adorning the predawn/dawn sky.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2l7Bnlj
If you’re an early riser, you can see the rather wide waning crescent moon close to the star Antares during the predawn and dawn hours on Sunday, February 19. Look in the south to southeast sky for this shining couple an hour or more before sunrise.
Scorpius? Here’s your constellation
Antares is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. In our Northern Hemisphere, Antares is considered a summertime star, because it’s during the summer months that this star shines in the evening sky. By October, this star appears only briefly after sunset, and follows the sun beneath the horizon shortly thereafter. By November, Antares has disappeared from the nighttime sky.
Every year, the sun and Antares are in conjunction on or near December 1. In other words, that’s when Antares is most directly behind the sun each year, as seen from our earthly vantage point. Then, the sun and Antares rise and set pretty much in unison, so that Antares is lost in the light of the sun throughout late November and early December. However, by mid to late January, Antares drifts far enough west of the sun so that it appears above the southeast horizon before sunrise. What’s really happening, of course, is that Earth has moved far enough along in its orbit that this star begins to appear to one side of the sun, instead of behind it.
The return of the stinger stars, Shaula and Lesath, to the morning sky is a welcome sign at northerly latitudes. At this juncture, the short days of winter are giving way to the longer days of spring.
Seeing Antares and the constellation of Scorpius before dawn is a sure sign that the shortest days of winter are gone – especially if you can spot the Scorpion stinger stars: Shaula and Lesath. Look for these stars to showcase the first glimmers of spring!
Tomorrow, before sunrise February 19, see the moon, Antares and Saturn adorning the predawn/dawn sky.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2l7Bnlj
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