Coyote enjoying a Sunday morning in the park. Apparently, there were 2 of them, and they had this videographer surrounded. Video still via Steven A. Sweet of Lunar 101-Moon Book.
Steven A. Sweet of Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada – who runs the Facebook page Lunar 101-Moon Book – frequently shares his moon photos with us. He posted the video below at EarthSky on Facebook on June 10, 2018. It shows what’s become a common subject, if not necessarily a common sight, to those of us who live in cities. Urban coyotes are now a fact of life for city dwellers.
Thank you, Steven!
Bottom line: Coyotes have become a common feature within cities.
Coyote enjoying a Sunday morning in the park. Apparently, there were 2 of them, and they had this videographer surrounded. Video still via Steven A. Sweet of Lunar 101-Moon Book.
Steven A. Sweet of Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada – who runs the Facebook page Lunar 101-Moon Book – frequently shares his moon photos with us. He posted the video below at EarthSky on Facebook on June 10, 2018. It shows what’s become a common subject, if not necessarily a common sight, to those of us who live in cities. Urban coyotes are now a fact of life for city dwellers.
Thank you, Steven!
Bottom line: Coyotes have become a common feature within cities.
A neutron star is a formerly large star that has run out of fuel and exploded as a supernova. As gravity forces the star to collapse to the size of a small city, the star becomes so dense that a single teaspoon of the collapsed star would have as much mass as a mountain. The star’s core, now a neutron star, can be rotating as fast as 10 times a second or more. Over time the rotation of the core can start speeding up by pulling matter from its surroundings, rotating over 700 times a second!
Some neutron stars, called radio pulsars, have strong magnetic fields and emit radio waves in predictable, reliable pulses. Other neutron stars have even stronger magnetic fields, displaying violent, high-energy outbursts of X-ray and gamma ray light. These are called magnetars, and their magnetic fields are the strongest known in the universe, a trillion time stronger than that of our sun.
Since the 1970s, scientists have treated pulsars and magnetars as two distinct populations of objects. But, in the last decade, evidence has emerged that shows they might sometimes be stages in the evolution of a single object. A neutron star might just be two sides of the same coin – first it’s a radio pulsar and later becomes a magnetar. Or maybe it’s the other way around.
Some scientists argue that objects like magnetars gradually stop emitting X-rays and gamma rays over time. Others propose the opposite theory: that the radio pulsar comes first and then, over time, a magnetic field emerges from the neutron star causing those magnetar-like outbursts to start.
No one knows for sure which scenario is correct, but this is an active area of study among astronomers. The NASA video above – released on May 30, 2018 – has more.
A neutron star is a formerly large star that has run out of fuel and exploded as a supernova. As gravity forces the star to collapse to the size of a small city, the star becomes so dense that a single teaspoon of the collapsed star would have as much mass as a mountain. The star’s core, now a neutron star, can be rotating as fast as 10 times a second or more. Over time the rotation of the core can start speeding up by pulling matter from its surroundings, rotating over 700 times a second!
Some neutron stars, called radio pulsars, have strong magnetic fields and emit radio waves in predictable, reliable pulses. Other neutron stars have even stronger magnetic fields, displaying violent, high-energy outbursts of X-ray and gamma ray light. These are called magnetars, and their magnetic fields are the strongest known in the universe, a trillion time stronger than that of our sun.
Since the 1970s, scientists have treated pulsars and magnetars as two distinct populations of objects. But, in the last decade, evidence has emerged that shows they might sometimes be stages in the evolution of a single object. A neutron star might just be two sides of the same coin – first it’s a radio pulsar and later becomes a magnetar. Or maybe it’s the other way around.
Some scientists argue that objects like magnetars gradually stop emitting X-rays and gamma rays over time. Others propose the opposite theory: that the radio pulsar comes first and then, over time, a magnetic field emerges from the neutron star causing those magnetar-like outbursts to start.
No one knows for sure which scenario is correct, but this is an active area of study among astronomers. The NASA video above – released on May 30, 2018 – has more.
The new moon coming on June 13, 2018, is a supermoon. But you won’t see it. That’s because at new moon, the moon more or less rises and sets with the sun and is lost in the sun’s glare all day. Moreover, the dark side of a new moon faces Earth, while the lit side faces the sun. However, you might – if you’re really lucky – see the young moon returning to visibility in the western sky for a brief while after sunset June 14.
The term supermoon, which has entered the general lexicon during the last decade or two, was coined by the astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. He defines a supermoon as “a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.” By that somewhat vague definition, we can say any new moon or full moon coming to within 224,000 miles (361,000 km) of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth, counts as a supermoon.
This is the first in a series of three new moon supermoons, which are to fall on June 13, July 13 and August 11, 2018. The closest supermoon of the trio will come in July, to stage a partial eclipse of the sun in the far southern regions of the globe on July 13, 2018.
As a general rule, the year’s closest new moon or full moon is about 14% (30,000 miles or 50,000 km) closer than the farthest new moon or full moon. Therefore, the angular diameter of the closest new/full moon versus the farthest new/full moon is 14% greater as well. The proportion is akin to that of a US quarter to a US nickel.
Here’s a comparison between the December 3, 2017, full moon at perigee (closest to Earth for the month) and the year’s farthest full moon in June 2017 at apogee (farthest from Earth for the month) by Muzamir Mazlan at Telok Kemang Observatory, Port Dickson, Malaysia. More photos of the December 2017 supermoon.
For instance, the year’s farthest full moon is sometimes called a micro-moon or mini-moon. The micro-moon on July 27, 2018, will be 252,334 miles (406,092 km) distant. That’s in contrast to the year’s closest full moon that took place on January 2, 2018, sweeping to within 221,583 miles (356,604 km) of Earth.
Perhaps, the farthest new moon (like the farthest full moon) could be called a micro-moon, too.
Although the diameter of the largest new/full moon is about 14% larger than that of the smallest new/full moon, the square area of the moon’s disk is actually 30% greater. In the case of the full moon, that means the closest full moon is 30% brighter than the farthest full moon, or 15% brighter than the full moon at its average distance of 238,885 miles or 384,400 km.
Some people assert that a new moon supermoon has no actual relevance in sky gazing because you can’t see the new moon. That may be so, but people living along the ocean shorelines may well notice the wide-ranging spring tides in the few days following the new supermoon, whereby the variation in high and low tide is especially profound.
Around each new moon (left) and full moon (right) – when the sun, Earth, and moon are located more or less on a line in space – the range between high and low tides is greatest. These are called spring tides. A supermoon – new or full moon at its closest to Earth – accentuates these tides. Image via physicalgeography.net.
Strictly speaking, it’s not always true that you can’t see the moon at new moon. At favorable times, you can view the new moon silhouette during a solar eclipse. When the new moon goes directly in between the Earth and sun, the result is either a total solar eclipse or an annular eclipse – whereby a ring of sunshine surrounds the new moon silhouette. The new moon is closer to Earth at a total solar eclipse and farther away from Earth during an annular eclipse.
A = total solar eclipse, B = annular eclipse and C = partial solar eclipse
It’s no accident that the new supermoon on July 22, 2009, brought about the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century (2001 to 2100), and that the new moon “micro-moon” on January 15, 2010, presented the longest annular eclipse of the 21st century.
At greatest eclipse during the total solar eclipse on July 22, 2009, the new moon supermoon was only 222,161 miles (357,534 km) distant. Another contributing factor was the Earth being rather close to aphelion – its farthest point from the sun in its orbit. The lunar diameter was 1.08 times the solar diameter.
At greatest eclipse during the annular eclipse of January 15, 2010, the new moon “micro-moon” was a whopping 251,897 miles (405,389 km) away. This time around, the Earth was near perihelion – its closest point to the sun. The lunar diameter was only 0.92 times the solar diameter.
One way or another, any new moon supermoon makes its impact, whether we directly see it or not.
The new moon coming on June 13, 2018, is a supermoon. But you won’t see it. That’s because at new moon, the moon more or less rises and sets with the sun and is lost in the sun’s glare all day. Moreover, the dark side of a new moon faces Earth, while the lit side faces the sun. However, you might – if you’re really lucky – see the young moon returning to visibility in the western sky for a brief while after sunset June 14.
The term supermoon, which has entered the general lexicon during the last decade or two, was coined by the astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. He defines a supermoon as “a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.” By that somewhat vague definition, we can say any new moon or full moon coming to within 224,000 miles (361,000 km) of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth, counts as a supermoon.
This is the first in a series of three new moon supermoons, which are to fall on June 13, July 13 and August 11, 2018. The closest supermoon of the trio will come in July, to stage a partial eclipse of the sun in the far southern regions of the globe on July 13, 2018.
As a general rule, the year’s closest new moon or full moon is about 14% (30,000 miles or 50,000 km) closer than the farthest new moon or full moon. Therefore, the angular diameter of the closest new/full moon versus the farthest new/full moon is 14% greater as well. The proportion is akin to that of a US quarter to a US nickel.
Here’s a comparison between the December 3, 2017, full moon at perigee (closest to Earth for the month) and the year’s farthest full moon in June 2017 at apogee (farthest from Earth for the month) by Muzamir Mazlan at Telok Kemang Observatory, Port Dickson, Malaysia. More photos of the December 2017 supermoon.
For instance, the year’s farthest full moon is sometimes called a micro-moon or mini-moon. The micro-moon on July 27, 2018, will be 252,334 miles (406,092 km) distant. That’s in contrast to the year’s closest full moon that took place on January 2, 2018, sweeping to within 221,583 miles (356,604 km) of Earth.
Perhaps, the farthest new moon (like the farthest full moon) could be called a micro-moon, too.
Although the diameter of the largest new/full moon is about 14% larger than that of the smallest new/full moon, the square area of the moon’s disk is actually 30% greater. In the case of the full moon, that means the closest full moon is 30% brighter than the farthest full moon, or 15% brighter than the full moon at its average distance of 238,885 miles or 384,400 km.
Some people assert that a new moon supermoon has no actual relevance in sky gazing because you can’t see the new moon. That may be so, but people living along the ocean shorelines may well notice the wide-ranging spring tides in the few days following the new supermoon, whereby the variation in high and low tide is especially profound.
Around each new moon (left) and full moon (right) – when the sun, Earth, and moon are located more or less on a line in space – the range between high and low tides is greatest. These are called spring tides. A supermoon – new or full moon at its closest to Earth – accentuates these tides. Image via physicalgeography.net.
Strictly speaking, it’s not always true that you can’t see the moon at new moon. At favorable times, you can view the new moon silhouette during a solar eclipse. When the new moon goes directly in between the Earth and sun, the result is either a total solar eclipse or an annular eclipse – whereby a ring of sunshine surrounds the new moon silhouette. The new moon is closer to Earth at a total solar eclipse and farther away from Earth during an annular eclipse.
A = total solar eclipse, B = annular eclipse and C = partial solar eclipse
It’s no accident that the new supermoon on July 22, 2009, brought about the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century (2001 to 2100), and that the new moon “micro-moon” on January 15, 2010, presented the longest annular eclipse of the 21st century.
At greatest eclipse during the total solar eclipse on July 22, 2009, the new moon supermoon was only 222,161 miles (357,534 km) distant. Another contributing factor was the Earth being rather close to aphelion – its farthest point from the sun in its orbit. The lunar diameter was 1.08 times the solar diameter.
At greatest eclipse during the annular eclipse of January 15, 2010, the new moon “micro-moon” was a whopping 251,897 miles (405,389 km) away. This time around, the Earth was near perihelion – its closest point to the sun. The lunar diameter was only 0.92 times the solar diameter.
One way or another, any new moon supermoon makes its impact, whether we directly see it or not.
Thousands of Indonesian Muslims congregrate during Eid al-Fitr mass prayer in Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, located in Central Jakarta, Indonesia. Image via Gunawan Kartapranata/Wikimedia Commons.
The Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr – the festival of breaking the fast – will begin with the sighting of this month’s young moon in the west after sunset. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. It’s always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, a lunar calendar, but the date varies from year to year on the more commonly used Gregorian calendar, a solar calendar. The date of Eid al-Fitr also typically varies from country to country, depending on whether the moon has been sighted. In 2018, much of the world’s Muslim community will celebrate it on June 14, although – for countries just west of the International Date Line, for example, countries in far eastern Asia – the date will likely be June 15.
In actuality, the date of Eid is set by Muslim clerics. My apologies to that community if I’m wrong about the date of Eid for any particular country. My expertise isn’t Eid by any means, but instead young moon sightings.
Every month, the date of a young moon sighting depends on the date and time of new moon. This month’s new moon falls on June 13 at 19:43 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). Note that UTC used to be called GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). Nowadays UTC, not GMT, is the time standard. Translate UTC to your time.
Please look below for more about expected young moon sightings this month, and Eid in 2018.
Photo of last year’s very young moon in June, as seen from South America – June 24, 2017 – by Helio C. Vital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A very young moon – like the moon on June 14, 2018 – is exceedingly slim, fragile-looking and very near the sun. It can be tough to spot against a bright twilight background.
At this time of year, from most places in the world, it’s not difficult to see a young moon in the west after sunset 24 hours or more after new moon. Astronomers say such a moon is 24 hours old. It’s more difficult to see a moon less than 24 hours old. Such a moon shows us less of its lighted face, and it’s closer to the sun, more deeply buried in twilight after sunset.
A reliable record for young moon sightings was set by writer, photographer, and naturalist Stephen James O’Meara in May 1990. He saw a young crescent with the unaided eye 15 hours and 32 minutes after new moon. Click here to read more about the youngest moons it’s possible to see. To my knowledge, it’s not possible to see a moon less than 15 hours and 32 minutes old, but there are unsubstantiated reports of such sightings.
North and South America will see the young moon on June 14. New moon is June 13 at 19:43 UTC, which translates to 4:43 p.m. BRT in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 3:43 p.m. EDT in New York City; and 12:43 p.m. PDT in San Francisco. Thus, from all of those places – and west of all of those places to the International Date Line – the moon will be greater than 24 hours old on June 14. It will be visible – albeit low in the sky, hidden by any low-lying clouds, trees or tall buildings – on June 14. Eid will be June 14.
London will see the young moon on June 14 (in theory). New moon on June 13 at 19:43 UTC translates to 8:43 p.m. BST in London, England. In London on June 14, the sun sets at 9:19 p.m. BST, so the moon will be 23-and-one-half hours old at the time of sunset in London. It’ll be old enough to see, in theory, although – at London’s high latitude – the late summertime twilight will interfere. Are you beginning to see why these young moon sightings can be so complicated? Just as Nature expresses itself slightly differently from place to place on Earth, so there are little (or big) differences in the sky, as seen from around the globe. Yet it’s all just one Nature, as we know. I suspect that, in London, Eid will be June 14.
Mecca will see the young moon on June 14. New moon on June 13 at 19:43 UTC translates to 10:43 p.m. AST in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Islam’s holiest city. The sun sets in Mecca at 7:04 AST on June 14. The moon will be about 21-and-one-half hours old at that June 14 sunset, still possible to see (although difficult). And Mecca is much farther south than London, and so its twilights will be shorter than those in London. Hence, darkness will fall more swiftly after sunset, making the young moon easier to see. In Mecca, Eid will be June 14.
Thus, for Mecca and points west – to the International Date Line – the young moon will be possible to see on June 14. Going east from the longitude of Mecca – into time zones in South and East Asia – the prospects for young moon sighting on June 14 grow dimmer.
India may or may not see the moon on June 14. Mumbai – India’s largest city – on the west coast of India will have a better chance of seeing the young moon than, for example, than any city on the east coast of India. But I don’t know if the clerics will decide the date of Eid for India as a whole, or city by city. If anyone knows, please tell me in the comments below.
Far east Asia will likely see the moon on June 15. Jakarta, Indonesia, is 7 hours ahead of UTC. So the new moon in Jakarta came not on June 13, but on June 14 at 2:43 a.m. Thus at sunset in Jakarta on June 14 – which happens at 5:46 p.m. that day – the moon would be only 15 hours old, younger than Stephen O’Meara’s record sighting. In Singapore, which is 8 hours ahead of UTC, the moon on June 14 will be even younger and surely impossible to see. In Jakarta and Singapore, Eid will likely be June 15.
The chart below is set for the middle of North America. The moon will be offset from other places around the globe. However, you might enjoy this chart – if watching for young moons this week – because it identifies the bright planet that will be near this young moon in the west after sunset. That planet is Venus. Mercury is also in the west after sunset, but closer to the horizon, not as bright as Venus, and thus harder to spot.
From the Americas, the young moon will return to the west after sunset on June 14. The bright starlike object in this part of the sky is the planet Venus. Mercury is there, too, lower in the sky, harder to see. Read more.
Bottom line: A day – or two – after this month’s new moon, Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the “festival of breaking the fast.” Its date is variable and begins with a young moon sighting. When to expect that sighting in 2018, here.
Thousands of Indonesian Muslims congregrate during Eid al-Fitr mass prayer in Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, located in Central Jakarta, Indonesia. Image via Gunawan Kartapranata/Wikimedia Commons.
The Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr – the festival of breaking the fast – will begin with the sighting of this month’s young moon in the west after sunset. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. It’s always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, a lunar calendar, but the date varies from year to year on the more commonly used Gregorian calendar, a solar calendar. The date of Eid al-Fitr also typically varies from country to country, depending on whether the moon has been sighted. In 2018, much of the world’s Muslim community will celebrate it on June 14, although – for countries just west of the International Date Line, for example, countries in far eastern Asia – the date will likely be June 15.
In actuality, the date of Eid is set by Muslim clerics. My apologies to that community if I’m wrong about the date of Eid for any particular country. My expertise isn’t Eid by any means, but instead young moon sightings.
Every month, the date of a young moon sighting depends on the date and time of new moon. This month’s new moon falls on June 13 at 19:43 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). Note that UTC used to be called GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). Nowadays UTC, not GMT, is the time standard. Translate UTC to your time.
Please look below for more about expected young moon sightings this month, and Eid in 2018.
Photo of last year’s very young moon in June, as seen from South America – June 24, 2017 – by Helio C. Vital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A very young moon – like the moon on June 14, 2018 – is exceedingly slim, fragile-looking and very near the sun. It can be tough to spot against a bright twilight background.
At this time of year, from most places in the world, it’s not difficult to see a young moon in the west after sunset 24 hours or more after new moon. Astronomers say such a moon is 24 hours old. It’s more difficult to see a moon less than 24 hours old. Such a moon shows us less of its lighted face, and it’s closer to the sun, more deeply buried in twilight after sunset.
A reliable record for young moon sightings was set by writer, photographer, and naturalist Stephen James O’Meara in May 1990. He saw a young crescent with the unaided eye 15 hours and 32 minutes after new moon. Click here to read more about the youngest moons it’s possible to see. To my knowledge, it’s not possible to see a moon less than 15 hours and 32 minutes old, but there are unsubstantiated reports of such sightings.
North and South America will see the young moon on June 14. New moon is June 13 at 19:43 UTC, which translates to 4:43 p.m. BRT in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 3:43 p.m. EDT in New York City; and 12:43 p.m. PDT in San Francisco. Thus, from all of those places – and west of all of those places to the International Date Line – the moon will be greater than 24 hours old on June 14. It will be visible – albeit low in the sky, hidden by any low-lying clouds, trees or tall buildings – on June 14. Eid will be June 14.
London will see the young moon on June 14 (in theory). New moon on June 13 at 19:43 UTC translates to 8:43 p.m. BST in London, England. In London on June 14, the sun sets at 9:19 p.m. BST, so the moon will be 23-and-one-half hours old at the time of sunset in London. It’ll be old enough to see, in theory, although – at London’s high latitude – the late summertime twilight will interfere. Are you beginning to see why these young moon sightings can be so complicated? Just as Nature expresses itself slightly differently from place to place on Earth, so there are little (or big) differences in the sky, as seen from around the globe. Yet it’s all just one Nature, as we know. I suspect that, in London, Eid will be June 14.
Mecca will see the young moon on June 14. New moon on June 13 at 19:43 UTC translates to 10:43 p.m. AST in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Islam’s holiest city. The sun sets in Mecca at 7:04 AST on June 14. The moon will be about 21-and-one-half hours old at that June 14 sunset, still possible to see (although difficult). And Mecca is much farther south than London, and so its twilights will be shorter than those in London. Hence, darkness will fall more swiftly after sunset, making the young moon easier to see. In Mecca, Eid will be June 14.
Thus, for Mecca and points west – to the International Date Line – the young moon will be possible to see on June 14. Going east from the longitude of Mecca – into time zones in South and East Asia – the prospects for young moon sighting on June 14 grow dimmer.
India may or may not see the moon on June 14. Mumbai – India’s largest city – on the west coast of India will have a better chance of seeing the young moon than, for example, than any city on the east coast of India. But I don’t know if the clerics will decide the date of Eid for India as a whole, or city by city. If anyone knows, please tell me in the comments below.
Far east Asia will likely see the moon on June 15. Jakarta, Indonesia, is 7 hours ahead of UTC. So the new moon in Jakarta came not on June 13, but on June 14 at 2:43 a.m. Thus at sunset in Jakarta on June 14 – which happens at 5:46 p.m. that day – the moon would be only 15 hours old, younger than Stephen O’Meara’s record sighting. In Singapore, which is 8 hours ahead of UTC, the moon on June 14 will be even younger and surely impossible to see. In Jakarta and Singapore, Eid will likely be June 15.
The chart below is set for the middle of North America. The moon will be offset from other places around the globe. However, you might enjoy this chart – if watching for young moons this week – because it identifies the bright planet that will be near this young moon in the west after sunset. That planet is Venus. Mercury is also in the west after sunset, but closer to the horizon, not as bright as Venus, and thus harder to spot.
From the Americas, the young moon will return to the west after sunset on June 14. The bright starlike object in this part of the sky is the planet Venus. Mercury is there, too, lower in the sky, harder to see. Read more.
Bottom line: A day – or two – after this month’s new moon, Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the “festival of breaking the fast.” Its date is variable and begins with a young moon sighting. When to expect that sighting in 2018, here.
When ISS astronauts shot this photo on May 22, this chunk of iceberg B-15 measured 10 nautical miles long and 5 nautical miles wide, still within trackable size. It probably won’t be for long. Image via NASA Earth Observatory.
Iceberg B-15 was about the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut when it broke from Antarctica in late March 2000. It’s still the biggest iceberg recorded so far from Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf. Now in its 18th year drifting with the currents – being battered by wind and sea – B-15 has since fractured into many smaller bergs, and most have melted away. Just four pieces of B-15 are still big enough to be tracked by the National Ice Center (at least 20 square nautical miles, or 69 square km). The photo at top – taken on May 22, 2018, by astronauts aboard the International Space Station – shows the piece of the original iceberg called B-15Z.
This chunk of ice – one of the only remaining pieces of the original iceberg – is likely nearing the end of its voyage. As these images show, there’s already a large fracture along the center of the berg, and smaller pieces are splintering off from the edges.
Melting and breakup would not be surprising, given the berg’s long journey and northerly location. A previous image showed B-15Z farther south in October 2017, after it had ridden the coastal countercurrent about three-quarters of the way around Antarctica bringing it to the Southern Ocean off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Currents prevented the berg from continuing through the Drake Passage; instead, B-15Z cruised north into the southern Atlantic Ocean. When the May 2018 photograph was acquired, the berg was about 150 nautical miles northwest of the South Georgia islands. Icebergs that make it this far have been known to rapidly melt and end their life cycles here.
Satellite image from April 13, 2000. Iceberg B-15 broke from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica in late March 2000. Image via NASA.
Bottom line: The enormous iceberg B-15, which broke off Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf in 2000, has melted and fractured. Shown here is a May 22, 2018, image from space of one of four remaining pieces of the iceberg.
When ISS astronauts shot this photo on May 22, this chunk of iceberg B-15 measured 10 nautical miles long and 5 nautical miles wide, still within trackable size. It probably won’t be for long. Image via NASA Earth Observatory.
Iceberg B-15 was about the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut when it broke from Antarctica in late March 2000. It’s still the biggest iceberg recorded so far from Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf. Now in its 18th year drifting with the currents – being battered by wind and sea – B-15 has since fractured into many smaller bergs, and most have melted away. Just four pieces of B-15 are still big enough to be tracked by the National Ice Center (at least 20 square nautical miles, or 69 square km). The photo at top – taken on May 22, 2018, by astronauts aboard the International Space Station – shows the piece of the original iceberg called B-15Z.
This chunk of ice – one of the only remaining pieces of the original iceberg – is likely nearing the end of its voyage. As these images show, there’s already a large fracture along the center of the berg, and smaller pieces are splintering off from the edges.
Melting and breakup would not be surprising, given the berg’s long journey and northerly location. A previous image showed B-15Z farther south in October 2017, after it had ridden the coastal countercurrent about three-quarters of the way around Antarctica bringing it to the Southern Ocean off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Currents prevented the berg from continuing through the Drake Passage; instead, B-15Z cruised north into the southern Atlantic Ocean. When the May 2018 photograph was acquired, the berg was about 150 nautical miles northwest of the South Georgia islands. Icebergs that make it this far have been known to rapidly melt and end their life cycles here.
Satellite image from April 13, 2000. Iceberg B-15 broke from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica in late March 2000. Image via NASA.
Bottom line: The enormous iceberg B-15, which broke off Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf in 2000, has melted and fractured. Shown here is a May 22, 2018, image from space of one of four remaining pieces of the iceberg.
If you think that daytime sky nature-watching is limited to clouds and birds, you might be missing out. Observing space objects in the daytime has its limitations and difficulties, but, as with all skywatching, it also has its rewards. So here is a list of 10 surprising space objects to see in the daytime sky. Aside from the first three listed below, each of these daylight observations is relatively difficult, but straightforward if you’re prepared. On the other hand, the observations toward the bottom of the list aren’t possible to predict.
That said, here they are, in increasing order of difficulty: your top 10 space objects to see in daylight.
In addition to the 10 items listed here, there are atmospheric phenomena such as this beautiful solar halo and sun dogs. While not quite space related, they are sky related and well worth coming to know. Image via Rima Biswas in Baltimore, Maryland, December 2016.
1. The sun. Obviously, you can see the sun during the day, but paradoxically, we’re told not to look, for fear of harming our eyes. And that is quite right. Gazing at the sun directly can damage your eyes.
If you do take precautions – and rig up a simple indirect viewing method for sun-watching, like the one shown here – what would you be looking for? Most people look for sunspots, which are sometimes quite large. It’s easy and fun to count the number of sunspots you see from day to day. That doesn’t take long, and, if you keep a record of what you see, you can notice profound changes over time. That’s because there’s an 11-year sunspot cycle, during which the dark spots on the sun’s surface wax and wane. We’re in an ebbing phase of the cycle now, but we still sometimes receive photos from people of sunspots, captured through telescopes with safe solar filters. And, in the coming years, the number of spots you see on the sun will gradually increase until the cycles peak.
If you’re interested in sunspots, we recommend following the website Spaceweather.com, which tracks them and offers mobile phone alerts.
And of course, the sun is the source of a whole range of atmospheric effects, which are beyond the scope of this post. Try searching here at EarthSky for words like “halo around the sun,” “rainbows,” “iridescent clouds,” “the glory.” Or browse Les Cowley’s great website Atmospheric Optics.
You can often see the moon during the day. Here’s an almost full moon, ascending in the east in evening twilight. Beautiful! Photo by Jenney Disimon in Sabah, North Borneo.
2. The moon. I don’t have any survey statistics, but I’d be willing to bet that at least 75% of the public is unaware that the moon can be seen in the daytime sky. That’s not too hard to understand, since so many people nowadays spend so much time indoors and are unaware of the sky at all.
In addition, the moon is not in the daytime sky every day. Like the sun, it is below the horizon half the time. Add that to the fact that much of the time the moon is up during the day, it’s a thin crescent too close to the sun to be seen easily.
It’s easy to see why some people are surprised to discover the moon in the daytime sky. But voila. If you look up frequently, you’ll notice it often.
Daylight occultation of Venus by the moon, via John Ashley. He said it’s “… a composite of 6 photos taken at 1-minute intervals, photographed in August 2000 from Glacier National Park, Montana. It’s one of 100+ photos from my book, Glacier National Park After Dark.“
3. The planet Venus. Anyone who is surprised that the moon can be seen in the daytime will be amazed that, under the right conditions, you can see the planet Venus with the sun also in the sky.
The image above shows Venus as a crescent, like a tiny crescent moon, but Venus appears as a crescent only at certain times in its orbit, and some optical aid is needed (in this case, a telephoto lens) to see it. More about that below. To the eye alone, though, Venus appears as the brightest planet, a tiny white dot that often seems to “pop” out at you in a daylight sky, once you find it.
Anyone who has seen Venus in a reasonably dark sky knows that it is usually truly brilliant. Observations in the daytime sky are more difficult simply because the surrounding sky is so bright during the day. The contrast between planet and sky is much lower during the day, making the planet harder to see. Imagine how easy it is to see a bright light at the top of a tower at night versus daytime. That’s similar to seeing Venus at night versus day.
In June, 2018, as seen from around the globe, Venus can be found easily in the west after sunset. It’s exceedingly bright, but not as bright as it will be later this year. What’s happening is that Venus is catching up to Earth in the race of the planets around the sun. It will pass between us and the sun on October 26, 2018. In the weeks before and after that event (which is called an inferior conjunction of Venus), the planet will be visible as a crescent in a telescope, much as you see in the photo by John Ashley above.
What, no telescope? Never fear. There’s another event that takes place in the weeks before and after Venus’ inferior conjunction. That is Venus’ greatest illuminated extent – when it appears brightest in the sky as seen from Earth. At such times, people frequently mistake Venus for a UFO! It is low in the sky, very bright and quite eerie-looking. Greatest illuminated extent for Venus will come on September 21 in the evening sky, then again on December 2 in the morning sky. Don’t miss it! The morning event, especially, is always a great time to see Venus in the daytime because you can just see it before sunup, and keep watching …
ISS is sometimes (and sometimes not) brighter than Venus. Here it is in a daytime sky. Image via Spaceweather.com/UniverseToday.com.
4. Earth-orbiting satellites.
Many folks are very surprised that satellites can be seen at all, but these days they are quite common in dark, nighttime skies. Seasoned observers are more surprised when an hour of nighttime observing goes by without seeing at least one! They look like steadily moving “stars” – silent – and very high up. So, at night, it’s very easy to see satellites. But how about during the day?
There are two sorts of satellites you’re most likely to see in daylight. One is the International Space Station (ISS), which is sometimes (but not always) the third-brightest object visible in our sky, after the sun and moon. Why only sometimes? The position and thus brightness of ISS in your sky is variable, depending, for example, on where the space station is with respect to you (i.e., passing overhead versus passing farther away, and nearer your horizon). Also, the brightness of Venus – which we also often describe as the sky’s third-brighest object – varies. Sometimes ISS is brighter than Venus, and sometimes Venus is brighter than ISS.
Still, ISS is a very bright satellite. If conditions are optimum, you might see it in daylight. Spotting ISS when it’s visible in your sky is a fun pastime. Eventually, you can get so experienced with these sightings that you’ll recognize when one will occur in daytime, over your location. Here’s an article that’ll help you get started.
But we said there were two sorts of satellites you might see in daylight. The second is an Iridium communications satellite, which also have very reflective surfaces. Under the right conditions, they can reflect enough sunlight to appear as bright dots moving across the sky for a few seconds. These flashes are known as Iridium flares.
5. The planet Jupiter. Even some seasoned astronomers are surprised to learn that mighty Jupiter can be glimpsed with the unaided eye in a sunlit sky. I don’t want to mislead you, as this isn’t an easy observation. Jupiter is significantly dimmer than Venus, and finding it takes a good bit more effort (not to mention exceptionally good eyesight and excellent atmospheric conditions).
The best time to see Jupiter in daylight is when it’s near a “quadrature” when Jupiter is about 90 degrees away from the sun in the sky. This is similar to the arrangement of first quarter and last quarter moon. In fact, it is also very helpful to have a quarter moon nearby as a kind of sky landmark to guide you to Jupiter. Notice the quarter moon in the image above, for example.
And, by the way, the reason you want the planet at quadrature – about 90 degrees from the sun – is that the sky is slightly darker there, due to a phenomenon known as polarization.
When will Jupiter be at quadrature next? Pretty soon, as it happens, in early August, 2018.
Okay, it’s not quite daylight in this image, but close. See the bright triangle? Brightest is Venus. Mars just below it. Jupiter – second-brightest – above Venus. Bryan Goff took this photo on October 30, 2015 from the USCGC Stratton, deployed in the Pacific Ocean.
6. The planet Mars. Only a relative few observers have caught Jupiter with the unaided eye the daytime, and even fewer have seen Mars. However, it is possible. And indeed 2018 is the year to attempt this observation because Mars will be briefly and very slightly brighter than Jupiter, for a few weeks around July 27, 2018.
Although I personally have not seen Mars in the daytime sky (I’ve seen Jupiter twice), a correspondent in the Middle East has reported to me an apparently genuine observation, and I have no doubt that it can be done.
7. Stars during eclipses. Stars can be seen in the daytime sky, but this is a bit of a cheat. Stars, along with the brighter planets already mentioned, can be seen with the unaided human eye in a daytime sky (that is, when the sun is above the horizon) normally only during a total solar eclipse. Such observations are of historical significance, and in fact played a crucial role in one of the first confirmations of Einstein’s theories of relativity.
A few observers report that they have seen some bright stars, such as Sirius, with the unaided eye in the daytime sky. If indeed this is possible, it would require exceptional eyesight and exceptional sky conditions.
On the other hand, observers with telescopes can see certain bright stars (not to mention the bright planets) on any clear day, although the scientific reasons for doing so are few and far between.
Stefan Seip, in Stuttgart, Germany, captured Comet McNaught in broad daylight, with a blue sky and white puffy clouds on January 13, 2007, one day after the comet’s closest point to the sun (perihelion). He used an Astro-Physics 155mm aperture f/7 refractor working at f/14 with a 2x barlow lens and a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II DSLR and 1/500th of a second exposure (!) at ISO 100. 24 frames were stacked for the final image. Image via AstroPix.com.
8. Daytime comets. Like the meteors with which they are sometimes confused, bright comets have been documented in the daytime sky. In fact, although not necessarily easy to observe, they are not all that rare. Comet McNaught became visible in daylight skies in 2007, and a bright daytime comet preceded Halley’s Comet in 1910.
Daytime comets are perhaps easier than daytime meteors because they sometimes can be predicted a short time ahead.
The Sutter’s Mill meteor – a daylight meteor – caught from near Reno, Nevada on April 22, 2012. Photo via Lisa Warren.
9. Daytime meteors. Rare and unpredictable, very bright meteors – or bits of space debris vaporizing as they encounter Earth’s atmosphere – are sometimes seen in the daylight sky. Although they occur in the high atmosphere, they are included in this list because they are caused by small space objects, many which are known to be parts of comets or from the asteroid belt. One of the most famous incidents occurred over the western part of North America in 1972. It was seen and even filmed by observers from Utah to Alberta. Another recent daylight meteor was reported over California and Nevada on April 22, 2012. This meteor streaked across the daylight sky, creating a sonic boom that rattled windows. It was seen by thousands. Later, astronomers said the meteor began as a mini-van-sized asteroid, and they located a debris field containing fragments of the meteorite, which is now known as the Sutter’s Mill meteorite.
By the way, the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor also would surely have been seen in daytime, if the sun had been up over Russia when it penetrated the atmosphere, causing an exceedingly bright flash and powerful shock wave, and breaking windows in six Russian cities. Needless to say, the meteor caused a panic, and with good reason. It caused some 1,500 people to seek medical treatment, mostly from flying glass.
10) Daytime supernovae.
Last on our list of space objects (sometimes) visible in the daytime sky are supernovae, or exploding stars. Estimates vary as to the expected frequency of supernova explosions in our Milky Way galaxy from as many as once every 20 years to once every 300 years. We don’t have enough records of these infrequent phenomena to give much of an average. Many of these would not even be visible from Earth due to intervening gas and dust. In any event, the last supernova bright enough to be seen in the daytime sky was in 1572, and then only barely. The most likely candidate for a supernova explosion visible during daytime is the star Betelgeuse. Unquestionably it will be visible in the day sky when it explodes, but when that will be is still unknown. It could be tonight, but more likely in a few thousand, or tens of thousands, or maybe even a million years from now.
The supernova of 1006 was likely the brightest observed stellar event in recorded history, reaching an estimated -7.5 magnitude, and exceeding the brightness of Venus by roughly 16 times. Observers across China, Japan, Iraq, Egypt and Europe saw and described it. Astronomer Tunç Tezel offers this suggestion of how it might have looked (at night), based on a photograph he took in 1998 from a site overlooking the Mediterranean south of Antalya, Turkey. The image is described further in the Astronomy Picture of the Day for March 28, 2003.
Bottom line: A rundown of the top 10 space objects you can see – under the right conditions – with the unaided human eye during the day.
If you think that daytime sky nature-watching is limited to clouds and birds, you might be missing out. Observing space objects in the daytime has its limitations and difficulties, but, as with all skywatching, it also has its rewards. So here is a list of 10 surprising space objects to see in the daytime sky. Aside from the first three listed below, each of these daylight observations is relatively difficult, but straightforward if you’re prepared. On the other hand, the observations toward the bottom of the list aren’t possible to predict.
That said, here they are, in increasing order of difficulty: your top 10 space objects to see in daylight.
In addition to the 10 items listed here, there are atmospheric phenomena such as this beautiful solar halo and sun dogs. While not quite space related, they are sky related and well worth coming to know. Image via Rima Biswas in Baltimore, Maryland, December 2016.
1. The sun. Obviously, you can see the sun during the day, but paradoxically, we’re told not to look, for fear of harming our eyes. And that is quite right. Gazing at the sun directly can damage your eyes.
If you do take precautions – and rig up a simple indirect viewing method for sun-watching, like the one shown here – what would you be looking for? Most people look for sunspots, which are sometimes quite large. It’s easy and fun to count the number of sunspots you see from day to day. That doesn’t take long, and, if you keep a record of what you see, you can notice profound changes over time. That’s because there’s an 11-year sunspot cycle, during which the dark spots on the sun’s surface wax and wane. We’re in an ebbing phase of the cycle now, but we still sometimes receive photos from people of sunspots, captured through telescopes with safe solar filters. And, in the coming years, the number of spots you see on the sun will gradually increase until the cycles peak.
If you’re interested in sunspots, we recommend following the website Spaceweather.com, which tracks them and offers mobile phone alerts.
And of course, the sun is the source of a whole range of atmospheric effects, which are beyond the scope of this post. Try searching here at EarthSky for words like “halo around the sun,” “rainbows,” “iridescent clouds,” “the glory.” Or browse Les Cowley’s great website Atmospheric Optics.
You can often see the moon during the day. Here’s an almost full moon, ascending in the east in evening twilight. Beautiful! Photo by Jenney Disimon in Sabah, North Borneo.
2. The moon. I don’t have any survey statistics, but I’d be willing to bet that at least 75% of the public is unaware that the moon can be seen in the daytime sky. That’s not too hard to understand, since so many people nowadays spend so much time indoors and are unaware of the sky at all.
In addition, the moon is not in the daytime sky every day. Like the sun, it is below the horizon half the time. Add that to the fact that much of the time the moon is up during the day, it’s a thin crescent too close to the sun to be seen easily.
It’s easy to see why some people are surprised to discover the moon in the daytime sky. But voila. If you look up frequently, you’ll notice it often.
Daylight occultation of Venus by the moon, via John Ashley. He said it’s “… a composite of 6 photos taken at 1-minute intervals, photographed in August 2000 from Glacier National Park, Montana. It’s one of 100+ photos from my book, Glacier National Park After Dark.“
3. The planet Venus. Anyone who is surprised that the moon can be seen in the daytime will be amazed that, under the right conditions, you can see the planet Venus with the sun also in the sky.
The image above shows Venus as a crescent, like a tiny crescent moon, but Venus appears as a crescent only at certain times in its orbit, and some optical aid is needed (in this case, a telephoto lens) to see it. More about that below. To the eye alone, though, Venus appears as the brightest planet, a tiny white dot that often seems to “pop” out at you in a daylight sky, once you find it.
Anyone who has seen Venus in a reasonably dark sky knows that it is usually truly brilliant. Observations in the daytime sky are more difficult simply because the surrounding sky is so bright during the day. The contrast between planet and sky is much lower during the day, making the planet harder to see. Imagine how easy it is to see a bright light at the top of a tower at night versus daytime. That’s similar to seeing Venus at night versus day.
In June, 2018, as seen from around the globe, Venus can be found easily in the west after sunset. It’s exceedingly bright, but not as bright as it will be later this year. What’s happening is that Venus is catching up to Earth in the race of the planets around the sun. It will pass between us and the sun on October 26, 2018. In the weeks before and after that event (which is called an inferior conjunction of Venus), the planet will be visible as a crescent in a telescope, much as you see in the photo by John Ashley above.
What, no telescope? Never fear. There’s another event that takes place in the weeks before and after Venus’ inferior conjunction. That is Venus’ greatest illuminated extent – when it appears brightest in the sky as seen from Earth. At such times, people frequently mistake Venus for a UFO! It is low in the sky, very bright and quite eerie-looking. Greatest illuminated extent for Venus will come on September 21 in the evening sky, then again on December 2 in the morning sky. Don’t miss it! The morning event, especially, is always a great time to see Venus in the daytime because you can just see it before sunup, and keep watching …
ISS is sometimes (and sometimes not) brighter than Venus. Here it is in a daytime sky. Image via Spaceweather.com/UniverseToday.com.
4. Earth-orbiting satellites.
Many folks are very surprised that satellites can be seen at all, but these days they are quite common in dark, nighttime skies. Seasoned observers are more surprised when an hour of nighttime observing goes by without seeing at least one! They look like steadily moving “stars” – silent – and very high up. So, at night, it’s very easy to see satellites. But how about during the day?
There are two sorts of satellites you’re most likely to see in daylight. One is the International Space Station (ISS), which is sometimes (but not always) the third-brightest object visible in our sky, after the sun and moon. Why only sometimes? The position and thus brightness of ISS in your sky is variable, depending, for example, on where the space station is with respect to you (i.e., passing overhead versus passing farther away, and nearer your horizon). Also, the brightness of Venus – which we also often describe as the sky’s third-brighest object – varies. Sometimes ISS is brighter than Venus, and sometimes Venus is brighter than ISS.
Still, ISS is a very bright satellite. If conditions are optimum, you might see it in daylight. Spotting ISS when it’s visible in your sky is a fun pastime. Eventually, you can get so experienced with these sightings that you’ll recognize when one will occur in daytime, over your location. Here’s an article that’ll help you get started.
But we said there were two sorts of satellites you might see in daylight. The second is an Iridium communications satellite, which also have very reflective surfaces. Under the right conditions, they can reflect enough sunlight to appear as bright dots moving across the sky for a few seconds. These flashes are known as Iridium flares.
5. The planet Jupiter. Even some seasoned astronomers are surprised to learn that mighty Jupiter can be glimpsed with the unaided eye in a sunlit sky. I don’t want to mislead you, as this isn’t an easy observation. Jupiter is significantly dimmer than Venus, and finding it takes a good bit more effort (not to mention exceptionally good eyesight and excellent atmospheric conditions).
The best time to see Jupiter in daylight is when it’s near a “quadrature” when Jupiter is about 90 degrees away from the sun in the sky. This is similar to the arrangement of first quarter and last quarter moon. In fact, it is also very helpful to have a quarter moon nearby as a kind of sky landmark to guide you to Jupiter. Notice the quarter moon in the image above, for example.
And, by the way, the reason you want the planet at quadrature – about 90 degrees from the sun – is that the sky is slightly darker there, due to a phenomenon known as polarization.
When will Jupiter be at quadrature next? Pretty soon, as it happens, in early August, 2018.
Okay, it’s not quite daylight in this image, but close. See the bright triangle? Brightest is Venus. Mars just below it. Jupiter – second-brightest – above Venus. Bryan Goff took this photo on October 30, 2015 from the USCGC Stratton, deployed in the Pacific Ocean.
6. The planet Mars. Only a relative few observers have caught Jupiter with the unaided eye the daytime, and even fewer have seen Mars. However, it is possible. And indeed 2018 is the year to attempt this observation because Mars will be briefly and very slightly brighter than Jupiter, for a few weeks around July 27, 2018.
Although I personally have not seen Mars in the daytime sky (I’ve seen Jupiter twice), a correspondent in the Middle East has reported to me an apparently genuine observation, and I have no doubt that it can be done.
7. Stars during eclipses. Stars can be seen in the daytime sky, but this is a bit of a cheat. Stars, along with the brighter planets already mentioned, can be seen with the unaided human eye in a daytime sky (that is, when the sun is above the horizon) normally only during a total solar eclipse. Such observations are of historical significance, and in fact played a crucial role in one of the first confirmations of Einstein’s theories of relativity.
A few observers report that they have seen some bright stars, such as Sirius, with the unaided eye in the daytime sky. If indeed this is possible, it would require exceptional eyesight and exceptional sky conditions.
On the other hand, observers with telescopes can see certain bright stars (not to mention the bright planets) on any clear day, although the scientific reasons for doing so are few and far between.
Stefan Seip, in Stuttgart, Germany, captured Comet McNaught in broad daylight, with a blue sky and white puffy clouds on January 13, 2007, one day after the comet’s closest point to the sun (perihelion). He used an Astro-Physics 155mm aperture f/7 refractor working at f/14 with a 2x barlow lens and a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II DSLR and 1/500th of a second exposure (!) at ISO 100. 24 frames were stacked for the final image. Image via AstroPix.com.
8. Daytime comets. Like the meteors with which they are sometimes confused, bright comets have been documented in the daytime sky. In fact, although not necessarily easy to observe, they are not all that rare. Comet McNaught became visible in daylight skies in 2007, and a bright daytime comet preceded Halley’s Comet in 1910.
Daytime comets are perhaps easier than daytime meteors because they sometimes can be predicted a short time ahead.
The Sutter’s Mill meteor – a daylight meteor – caught from near Reno, Nevada on April 22, 2012. Photo via Lisa Warren.
9. Daytime meteors. Rare and unpredictable, very bright meteors – or bits of space debris vaporizing as they encounter Earth’s atmosphere – are sometimes seen in the daylight sky. Although they occur in the high atmosphere, they are included in this list because they are caused by small space objects, many which are known to be parts of comets or from the asteroid belt. One of the most famous incidents occurred over the western part of North America in 1972. It was seen and even filmed by observers from Utah to Alberta. Another recent daylight meteor was reported over California and Nevada on April 22, 2012. This meteor streaked across the daylight sky, creating a sonic boom that rattled windows. It was seen by thousands. Later, astronomers said the meteor began as a mini-van-sized asteroid, and they located a debris field containing fragments of the meteorite, which is now known as the Sutter’s Mill meteorite.
By the way, the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor also would surely have been seen in daytime, if the sun had been up over Russia when it penetrated the atmosphere, causing an exceedingly bright flash and powerful shock wave, and breaking windows in six Russian cities. Needless to say, the meteor caused a panic, and with good reason. It caused some 1,500 people to seek medical treatment, mostly from flying glass.
10) Daytime supernovae.
Last on our list of space objects (sometimes) visible in the daytime sky are supernovae, or exploding stars. Estimates vary as to the expected frequency of supernova explosions in our Milky Way galaxy from as many as once every 20 years to once every 300 years. We don’t have enough records of these infrequent phenomena to give much of an average. Many of these would not even be visible from Earth due to intervening gas and dust. In any event, the last supernova bright enough to be seen in the daytime sky was in 1572, and then only barely. The most likely candidate for a supernova explosion visible during daytime is the star Betelgeuse. Unquestionably it will be visible in the day sky when it explodes, but when that will be is still unknown. It could be tonight, but more likely in a few thousand, or tens of thousands, or maybe even a million years from now.
The supernova of 1006 was likely the brightest observed stellar event in recorded history, reaching an estimated -7.5 magnitude, and exceeding the brightness of Venus by roughly 16 times. Observers across China, Japan, Iraq, Egypt and Europe saw and described it. Astronomer Tunç Tezel offers this suggestion of how it might have looked (at night), based on a photograph he took in 1998 from a site overlooking the Mediterranean south of Antalya, Turkey. The image is described further in the Astronomy Picture of the Day for March 28, 2003.
Bottom line: A rundown of the top 10 space objects you can see – under the right conditions – with the unaided human eye during the day.
Youngest possible lunar crescent, with the moon’s age being exactly zero when this photo was taken — at the instant of new moon – 07:14 UTC on July 8, 2013. Image by Thierry Legault.
When the moon is most nearly between the Earth and sun for any particular month, astronomers say it is new. We don’t see a new moon in the sky, unless there’s a solar eclipse, with the moon directly in front of the sun (the image above shows a new moon, not in eclipse, but it was taken by an expert using special equipment). That’s because, most of the time, the new moon passes not in front of the sun, but simply near it in our sky. On the day of new moon, the moon travels across the sky with the sun during the day. The new moon is largely hidden in the sun’s glare. In the language of astronomy – a day or two after each month’s new moon – a slim crescent moon always becomes visible in the west after sunset. Astronomers call this slim crescent a young moon.
And the young moon? Its next appearance is an important question for the 1.6 billion Muslims living in 200 countries on Earth, because this upcoming young moon sighting will mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. Read more: When is Eid in 2018?
Here’s the new moon of August 21, 2017, covering the sun in a total solar eclipse. Beverley Sinclair, who saw the 2017 eclipse outside Charleston, South Carolina wrote: “The skies were very cloudy leading up to totality but, miraculously, slowly cleared as totality approached. This photo shows the diamond ring and Bailey’s beads.”
New moons, and young moons, are fascinating to many. The Farmer’s Almanac, for example, still offers information on gardening by the moon. And many cultures have holidays based on moon phases; for example, the date of Easter is determined by the phase of the moon.
And, of course, many look forward to the return of the moon to the evening sky. This always happens a day or two after new moon. The chart below is set for middle North America, and it does show the young moon the day after this month’s new moon, on June 14. The young moon will be visible from all of North America on that date, in a cloud-free sky. You will also need an unobstructed horizon – free of tall buildings and trees – to see the returning young moon on June 14. The bright object just above the moon will be Venus:
From the Americas, the young moon will return to the west after sunset on June 14. The bright starlike object in the part of the sky is the planet Venus. Read more.
Bottom line: As the moon orbits Earth, it changes phase in an orderly way. New moon comes on June 13 at 19:43 UTC; translate UTC to your time.
Youngest possible lunar crescent, with the moon’s age being exactly zero when this photo was taken — at the instant of new moon – 07:14 UTC on July 8, 2013. Image by Thierry Legault.
When the moon is most nearly between the Earth and sun for any particular month, astronomers say it is new. We don’t see a new moon in the sky, unless there’s a solar eclipse, with the moon directly in front of the sun (the image above shows a new moon, not in eclipse, but it was taken by an expert using special equipment). That’s because, most of the time, the new moon passes not in front of the sun, but simply near it in our sky. On the day of new moon, the moon travels across the sky with the sun during the day. The new moon is largely hidden in the sun’s glare. In the language of astronomy – a day or two after each month’s new moon – a slim crescent moon always becomes visible in the west after sunset. Astronomers call this slim crescent a young moon.
And the young moon? Its next appearance is an important question for the 1.6 billion Muslims living in 200 countries on Earth, because this upcoming young moon sighting will mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. Read more: When is Eid in 2018?
Here’s the new moon of August 21, 2017, covering the sun in a total solar eclipse. Beverley Sinclair, who saw the 2017 eclipse outside Charleston, South Carolina wrote: “The skies were very cloudy leading up to totality but, miraculously, slowly cleared as totality approached. This photo shows the diamond ring and Bailey’s beads.”
New moons, and young moons, are fascinating to many. The Farmer’s Almanac, for example, still offers information on gardening by the moon. And many cultures have holidays based on moon phases; for example, the date of Easter is determined by the phase of the moon.
And, of course, many look forward to the return of the moon to the evening sky. This always happens a day or two after new moon. The chart below is set for middle North America, and it does show the young moon the day after this month’s new moon, on June 14. The young moon will be visible from all of North America on that date, in a cloud-free sky. You will also need an unobstructed horizon – free of tall buildings and trees – to see the returning young moon on June 14. The bright object just above the moon will be Venus:
From the Americas, the young moon will return to the west after sunset on June 14. The bright starlike object in the part of the sky is the planet Venus. Read more.
Bottom line: As the moon orbits Earth, it changes phase in an orderly way. New moon comes on June 13 at 19:43 UTC; translate UTC to your time.
