On February 25 and 26, 2018, the waxing gibbous moon will be bright enough to erase many stars from the blackboard of night. But you’ll likely still see the two bright Gemini “twins” – the stars Castor and Pollux – in the moon’s glare. Another bright star is nearby; it’s Procyon, brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor the Lesser Dog, also known as the Little Dog Star.
The dark side of a waxing moon always points in the direction of its travel around Earth – eastward – in front of the backdrop stars. As Earth spins under the sky, the stars, planets and moon all appear to shift westward throughout the night. Meanwhile, the moon’s orbital motion is carrying it eastward through the constellations of the zodiac … and through Gemini on these two nights.
Look for the moon and constellation Gemini to reach their high point for the night somewhere around 9 to 10 p.m. local time (that’s the time on your clock, no matter where you live around the globe).
Castor and Pollux, the Gemini twins, via Wikipedia.
Are you in the Southern Hemisphere? The moon passes between the Gemini stars and Procyon once a month for you, as well. People at temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere will see the moon, Gemini stars and Procyon in their northern evening sky. We in the Northern Hemisphere will see all of these objects more south to overhead.
From the vantage point of either hemisphere, the other hemisphere see things upside down.
Up or down is a matter of perspective. To avoid ambiguity, we can say that Castor and Pollux lie north of the moon (in the direction toward the North Star), and Procyon lies south of the moon (in the direction away from the North Star).
The 2 bright stars of Gemini – Castor and Pollux – are often depicted as marking a starry eye of a Twin. If you have binoculars and a dark sky, be sure to check out Gemini’s beautiful star cluster, Messier 35, or M35, in western Gemini near the Taurus border. See it, at the foot of Castor?
Bottom line: On the nights of February 25 and 26, 2018, watch the moon pass to the south of the Gemini stars and to the north of Procyon.
EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store
Want more about Gemini? Here’s your constellation
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1QmfnQh
On February 25 and 26, 2018, the waxing gibbous moon will be bright enough to erase many stars from the blackboard of night. But you’ll likely still see the two bright Gemini “twins” – the stars Castor and Pollux – in the moon’s glare. Another bright star is nearby; it’s Procyon, brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor the Lesser Dog, also known as the Little Dog Star.
The dark side of a waxing moon always points in the direction of its travel around Earth – eastward – in front of the backdrop stars. As Earth spins under the sky, the stars, planets and moon all appear to shift westward throughout the night. Meanwhile, the moon’s orbital motion is carrying it eastward through the constellations of the zodiac … and through Gemini on these two nights.
Look for the moon and constellation Gemini to reach their high point for the night somewhere around 9 to 10 p.m. local time (that’s the time on your clock, no matter where you live around the globe).
Castor and Pollux, the Gemini twins, via Wikipedia.
Are you in the Southern Hemisphere? The moon passes between the Gemini stars and Procyon once a month for you, as well. People at temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere will see the moon, Gemini stars and Procyon in their northern evening sky. We in the Northern Hemisphere will see all of these objects more south to overhead.
From the vantage point of either hemisphere, the other hemisphere see things upside down.
Up or down is a matter of perspective. To avoid ambiguity, we can say that Castor and Pollux lie north of the moon (in the direction toward the North Star), and Procyon lies south of the moon (in the direction away from the North Star).
The 2 bright stars of Gemini – Castor and Pollux – are often depicted as marking a starry eye of a Twin. If you have binoculars and a dark sky, be sure to check out Gemini’s beautiful star cluster, Messier 35, or M35, in western Gemini near the Taurus border. See it, at the foot of Castor?
Bottom line: On the nights of February 25 and 26, 2018, watch the moon pass to the south of the Gemini stars and to the north of Procyon.
EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store
Want more about Gemini? Here’s your constellation
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1QmfnQh
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