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Tonight – April 5, 2017 – follow the arc to Arcturus and drive a spike to Spica. If it’s the only star mnemonic you ever learn, it’s worth it! And it’s especially worth knowing this year, since Jupiter can be found in the vicinity of these stars. Follow the arc to Arcturus and drive a spike to Spica. Scouts learn this phrase. Grandparents teach it to kids. It was one of the first sky tools I learned to use in astronomy. Follow the links below to learn more.
Drive a spike to Spica, and Jupiter
View larger. | Here are the moon, Jupiter and the star Spica in the moon’s glare in mid-March, 2017. The star Arcturus is above left. Shot with a mild 12mm fisheye lens, by Ken Christison in North Carolina.
Follow the arc to Arcturus. Here’s how to locate the star Arcturus, using the Big Dipper as a guide. Find the Big Dipper asterism in the northeastern sky in the evening sky this month, maybe around 9 p.m. It’s very easy to see, a large noticeable dipper-shaped pattern in the northeast in the evening. Once you can see the Big Dipper, notice that it has two parts: a bowl and a handle. Then, with your mind’s eye, draw an imaginary line following the curve in the Dipper’s handle until you come to a bright orange star: follow the arc to Arcturus. Arcturus is the brightest star the constellation Bootes the Herdsman. This star is known in skylore as the Bear Guard.
Arcturus is a giant star with an estimated distance of 37 light-years. It’s special because it’s not moving with the general stream of stars in the flat disk of the Milky Way galaxy. Instead, Arcturus is cutting perpendicularly through the galaxy’s disk at a tremendous rate of speed . . . some 93 miles (150 km) per second.
Millions of years from now this star will be lost from the view of any future inhabitants of Earth, or at least those who are earthbound and looking with the eye alone.
Tom Wildoner caught this shot of bright Jupiter near the star Spica on February 3, 2017. He wrote at his blog, LeisurelyScientist.com: “Jupiter remains in Virgo through much of 2017, crossing into Libra in mid-November.”
Drive a spike to Spica. Once you’ve followed the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle to the star Arcturus, you’re on your way to finding the star Spica. Just extend that same curve on the sky’s dome. Read more about Spica here.
And Jupiter? Well, it’s the brightest object in the evening sky now, so you should have no trouble finding it. Plus it’s just two days away from its opposition on April 7. On that date, Earth will go between the sun and Jupiter. The next day, April 8, Jupiter will be closest to us for this year.
But, in case you’re not sure it’s Jupiter you’ve found, just remember … follow the arc to Arcturus and drive a spike to Spica!
On springtime evenings in the Northern Hemisphere, extend the handle of the Big Dipper to arc to Arcturus, spike Spica and slide into the constellation Corvus the Crow. We sometimes call this extended arc the spring semicircle.
Bottom line: Use the curve in the handle of the Big Dipper to “follow the arc” to the star Arcturus. Then “drive a spike” to the star Spica. The planet Jupiter will be near Spica throughout 2017. Have fun.
EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store
Donate: Your support means the world to us
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/18G0W4A
Our annual fund-raiser is here! Help EarthSky stay an independent voice.
Tonight – April 5, 2017 – follow the arc to Arcturus and drive a spike to Spica. If it’s the only star mnemonic you ever learn, it’s worth it! And it’s especially worth knowing this year, since Jupiter can be found in the vicinity of these stars. Follow the arc to Arcturus and drive a spike to Spica. Scouts learn this phrase. Grandparents teach it to kids. It was one of the first sky tools I learned to use in astronomy. Follow the links below to learn more.
Drive a spike to Spica, and Jupiter
View larger. | Here are the moon, Jupiter and the star Spica in the moon’s glare in mid-March, 2017. The star Arcturus is above left. Shot with a mild 12mm fisheye lens, by Ken Christison in North Carolina.
Follow the arc to Arcturus. Here’s how to locate the star Arcturus, using the Big Dipper as a guide. Find the Big Dipper asterism in the northeastern sky in the evening sky this month, maybe around 9 p.m. It’s very easy to see, a large noticeable dipper-shaped pattern in the northeast in the evening. Once you can see the Big Dipper, notice that it has two parts: a bowl and a handle. Then, with your mind’s eye, draw an imaginary line following the curve in the Dipper’s handle until you come to a bright orange star: follow the arc to Arcturus. Arcturus is the brightest star the constellation Bootes the Herdsman. This star is known in skylore as the Bear Guard.
Arcturus is a giant star with an estimated distance of 37 light-years. It’s special because it’s not moving with the general stream of stars in the flat disk of the Milky Way galaxy. Instead, Arcturus is cutting perpendicularly through the galaxy’s disk at a tremendous rate of speed . . . some 93 miles (150 km) per second.
Millions of years from now this star will be lost from the view of any future inhabitants of Earth, or at least those who are earthbound and looking with the eye alone.
Tom Wildoner caught this shot of bright Jupiter near the star Spica on February 3, 2017. He wrote at his blog, LeisurelyScientist.com: “Jupiter remains in Virgo through much of 2017, crossing into Libra in mid-November.”
Drive a spike to Spica. Once you’ve followed the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle to the star Arcturus, you’re on your way to finding the star Spica. Just extend that same curve on the sky’s dome. Read more about Spica here.
And Jupiter? Well, it’s the brightest object in the evening sky now, so you should have no trouble finding it. Plus it’s just two days away from its opposition on April 7. On that date, Earth will go between the sun and Jupiter. The next day, April 8, Jupiter will be closest to us for this year.
But, in case you’re not sure it’s Jupiter you’ve found, just remember … follow the arc to Arcturus and drive a spike to Spica!
On springtime evenings in the Northern Hemisphere, extend the handle of the Big Dipper to arc to Arcturus, spike Spica and slide into the constellation Corvus the Crow. We sometimes call this extended arc the spring semicircle.
Bottom line: Use the curve in the handle of the Big Dipper to “follow the arc” to the star Arcturus. Then “drive a spike” to the star Spica. The planet Jupiter will be near Spica throughout 2017. Have fun.
EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store
Donate: Your support means the world to us
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/18G0W4A
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