2nd eclipse season of 2024 starts September 17-18

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Vineeth Kaimal in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, captured this image on October 29, 2023. Vineeth wrote: “Partial lunar eclipse at maximum captured from Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.” Thank you, Vineeth! The 2nd eclipse season of 2024, starts with the partial lunar eclipse on September 17-18.

These are two different kinds of eclipses: lunar and solar. And they fall within a single eclipse season.

An eclipse season is an approximate 35-day period during which it’s inevitable for at least two (and possibly three) eclipses to take place.

The 2nd eclipse season of 2024 is here. The September-October eclipse season will feature a very shallow partial lunar eclipse on September 17-18, 2024, and an annular solar eclipse on October 2, 2024.

The first eclipse season of 2024 started March 24. There was a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-25, 2024, followed two weeks later by a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

What are eclipse seasons?

What’s an eclipse season? It’s an approximate 35-day period during which it’s inevitable that at least two (and possibly three) eclipses will take place. Typically, there are two eclipses in one eclipse season, and two eclipse seasons in one calendar year. So we typically have at least four eclipses per year. Eclipse seasons repeat in cycles of 173.3 days (somewhat shy of six calendar months).

So, why don’t you see that many eclipses then? To see a lunar eclipse, the moon has to be above your horizon. So it has to be night, or close to night, and that only happens for half of Earth at once. Solar eclipses are even harder to catch. In fact, a total solar eclipse can be seen only from a narrow track along Earth’s surface. The accompanying partial solar eclipse can be seen only in areas adjacent to that track.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Alan Howell from Albuquerque, New Mexico, took this photo in Mariposa Basin Park during the maximum annularity on October 14, 2023, and wrote: “What an incredible adventure! It took months of planning, gear testing, software and equipment training, booking flights and hotels, car traveling, weather forecast monitoring and location scouting to produce this colorized H-alpha image of the ‘ring of fire’ eclipse, showing prominences. This was certainly one of the most challenging and rewarding astrophotography images I’ve taken.” No doubt why … Very well done! We’re in the 2nd eclipse season of 2024.

The 2024 eclipse seasons

The March-April 2024 eclipse season featured a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-25, 2024, and a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

The September-October eclipse season features a very shallow partial lunar eclipse on September 17-18, 2024, and an annular solar eclipse on October 2, 2024.

By the way, in 2024, the middle of the eclipse seasons come on April 5 and September 29. At the middle of an eclipse season, which recurs in periods of about 173 days, the lunar nodes are in exact alignment with the Earth and sun.

What causes an eclipse season?

There are many cycles in the heavens. In fact, an eclipse season is just one of these many celestial cycles.

Consider a scenario where the moon orbited Earth on the same plane as the Earth orbits the sun. Then we’d have a solar eclipse at every new moon, and a lunar eclipse at every full moon.

But, in reality, the moon’s orbit is inclined by 5 degrees to the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane). Most of the time the new moon or full moon swings too far north, or south, of the ecliptic for an eclipse to take place.

For instance, in the year 2024, we will have 13 new moons and 12 full moons, but only two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses.

In the year 2024, there are 13 new moons and 12 full moons. Moon phases table via Fred Espenak/ AstroPixels.com. Used with permission.

Why we have eclipses

Eclipses are all about alignments. In a solar eclipse, the sun, moon and Earth line up, with the moon in the middle. Image via NASA.

In a lunar eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, with the Earth in the middle. Image via NASA.

Earth (shown as a white dot in the center of each blue disk) at each date when it’s aligned with the sun and moon. The moon is shown on the outer edge of the blue disk. It’s either sunward from Earth (new moon) or outward from it (full moon). The blue disk is the plane of the moon’s orbit around Earth, darker blue for the half north of the ecliptic. This plane gradually rotates backward. There is an eclipse if the moon is new or full when near ascending or descending node through the ecliptic plane. Small arrows show the moon’s course over 7 days. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

Nodal precession of the lunar nodes as the Earth revolves around the sun causes an eclipse season approximately every six months. Image via Nela/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lunar nodes point at the sun

Twice every month, as the moon circles Earth in its orbit, the moon crosses the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane) at points called nodes. If the moon is going from south to north, it’s called the moon’s ascending node. If the moon is moving from north to south, it’s called the moon’s descending node.

Read more: Node passages of the moon: 2001 to 2100

Whenever the lunar nodes point directly at the sun, that momentous event marks the middle of the eclipse season. The alignment of the moon, sun and Earth is most exact when an eclipse happens at the middle of an eclipse season. It’s the least so when an eclipse occurs at the start, or the end, of an eclipse season. Any lunar eclipse happening early or late in the eclipse season presents a penumbral lunar eclipse, whereas any solar eclipse happening early or late in the eclipse season features a skimpy partial eclipse of the sun.

The plane of the moon’s orbit is inclined at 5 degrees to the plane of Earth’s orbit around the sun (the ecliptic). The moon’s orbit intersects the ecliptic at 2 points called nodes (labeled here as N1 and N2). It’s the middle of the eclipse season whenever this line of nodes points directly at the sun. In the above diagram, the line of nodes does not point at the sun. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

2 or 3 eclipses in one eclipse season?

An eclipse season most often presents only two eclipses. However, if the first eclipse falls early in the eclipse season, then it’s possible for a third eclipse to occur before the eclipse season ends.

For example, the last time three eclipses happened in one eclipse season was June-July 2020:

June 5, 2020: Penumbral lunar eclipse
June 21, 2020: Annular solar eclipse
July 5, 2020: Penumbral lunar eclipse

Likewise, the next time three eclipses will occur in one eclipse season will be June-July 2029:

June 12, 2029: Partial solar eclipse
June 26, 2029: Total lunar eclipse
July 11, 2029: Partial solar eclipse

Read more: How often are there three eclipses in a month?

Eclipse season terminology

With this in mind, here are some words you need to know to understand eclipse seasons: lunar nodes and ecliptic. The ecliptic is the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. A lunar node is the point where, in its monthly orbit of Earth, the moon’s orbit intersects that plane. An eclipse season is when – from Earth’s perspective – the sun is close enough to a lunar node to allow an eclipse to take place. If the sun is close to a lunar node at full moon, we see a lunar eclipse. If the sun is close to a lunar node at new moon, we see a solar eclipse.

To put it another way, if the moon turns new or full in close concert with the moon’s crossing of one of its nodes, then an eclipse is not only possible, but inevitable.

The moon’s orbit around Earth is inclined 5 degrees to Earth’s orbit around the sun, so the moon crosses the Earth’s orbital plane twice a month at points called nodes. Every 173.3 days, the line of nodes points at the sun, which is the middle of the approximate 5-week eclipse season (highlighted in gray). During any eclipse season, there is always at least 1 solar eclipse and 1 lunar eclipse, occurring within one fortnight of the other. If the 1st eclipse arrives early enough in the eclipse season, 3 eclipses can fit within a lunar month, and up to 7 eclipses occur in one year’s time. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Minimum of 4 eclipses in one year

A lunar month (period of time between successive new moons or successive full moons) is about 29.5 days long. So a minimum of two eclipses (one solar and one lunar, in either order) happens in one eclipse season. A maximum of three eclipses is possible (either lunar/solar/lunar or solar/lunar/solar), though the first eclipse of the eclipse season has to come quite early to allow for a third eclipse near the end.

So a minimum of two lunar eclipses and two solar eclipses occur in one calendar year. Yet, depending on how the eclipse seasons and lunar phases align, it’s possible to also have five, six or seven eclipses in one year.

For the maximum of seven eclipses to occur in one calendar year, the first eclipse must come in early January. That leaves enough room for the seventh eclipse in late December. In one scenario, an eclipse season sporting two eclipses comes early in the year and late in the year. The middle eclipse season stages three eclipses.

It’s quite rare for seven eclipses to occur in one calendar year, however. Seven eclipses last happened in the year 1982, and will next occur in the year 2038.

Maximum of 7 eclipses in one year

Also, it’s remotely possible for a calendar year to sport two eclipse seasons with three eclipses each, and one eclipse from an eclipse season that straddles into the previous or following year. By way of example, we present the years 1935 and 1879-80.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Rob Pettengill in Little Rock, Arkansas, captured the eclipsed sun on April 8, 2024. Rob wrote: “We set up on a street corner at my son’s place and soon gathered about a dozen people from the neighborhood to share the experience.” Awesome! Thank you, Rob.

Eliot Herman shared this image of the total solar eclipse and wrote: “The clouds really limited my photography.” Thank you, Eliot, it looks great!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Nikolaos Pantazis in Athens, Greece, captured these images on October 28, 2023. Nikolaos wrote: “A collage of tonight’s partial eclipse. The photos were shot at hours UTC, 19:45, 20:00 and 20:15, from start to maximum cover by the Earth’s shadow.” Thank you, Nikolaos!

Bottom line: Eclipse seasons are periods during which eclipses not only can take place, but must take place. A minimum of two eclipses (one solar and one lunar, in either order) happens in one eclipse season. A maximum of three eclipses is possible (either lunar/solar/lunar, or solar/lunar/solar). In 2024, the first eclipse season was in March-April, and the second eclipse season is in September-October.

The post 2nd eclipse season of 2024 starts September 17-18 first appeared on EarthSky.

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View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Vineeth Kaimal in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, captured this image on October 29, 2023. Vineeth wrote: “Partial lunar eclipse at maximum captured from Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.” Thank you, Vineeth! The 2nd eclipse season of 2024, starts with the partial lunar eclipse on September 17-18.

These are two different kinds of eclipses: lunar and solar. And they fall within a single eclipse season.

An eclipse season is an approximate 35-day period during which it’s inevitable for at least two (and possibly three) eclipses to take place.

The 2nd eclipse season of 2024 is here. The September-October eclipse season will feature a very shallow partial lunar eclipse on September 17-18, 2024, and an annular solar eclipse on October 2, 2024.

The first eclipse season of 2024 started March 24. There was a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-25, 2024, followed two weeks later by a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

What are eclipse seasons?

What’s an eclipse season? It’s an approximate 35-day period during which it’s inevitable that at least two (and possibly three) eclipses will take place. Typically, there are two eclipses in one eclipse season, and two eclipse seasons in one calendar year. So we typically have at least four eclipses per year. Eclipse seasons repeat in cycles of 173.3 days (somewhat shy of six calendar months).

So, why don’t you see that many eclipses then? To see a lunar eclipse, the moon has to be above your horizon. So it has to be night, or close to night, and that only happens for half of Earth at once. Solar eclipses are even harder to catch. In fact, a total solar eclipse can be seen only from a narrow track along Earth’s surface. The accompanying partial solar eclipse can be seen only in areas adjacent to that track.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Alan Howell from Albuquerque, New Mexico, took this photo in Mariposa Basin Park during the maximum annularity on October 14, 2023, and wrote: “What an incredible adventure! It took months of planning, gear testing, software and equipment training, booking flights and hotels, car traveling, weather forecast monitoring and location scouting to produce this colorized H-alpha image of the ‘ring of fire’ eclipse, showing prominences. This was certainly one of the most challenging and rewarding astrophotography images I’ve taken.” No doubt why … Very well done! We’re in the 2nd eclipse season of 2024.

The 2024 eclipse seasons

The March-April 2024 eclipse season featured a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-25, 2024, and a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

The September-October eclipse season features a very shallow partial lunar eclipse on September 17-18, 2024, and an annular solar eclipse on October 2, 2024.

By the way, in 2024, the middle of the eclipse seasons come on April 5 and September 29. At the middle of an eclipse season, which recurs in periods of about 173 days, the lunar nodes are in exact alignment with the Earth and sun.

What causes an eclipse season?

There are many cycles in the heavens. In fact, an eclipse season is just one of these many celestial cycles.

Consider a scenario where the moon orbited Earth on the same plane as the Earth orbits the sun. Then we’d have a solar eclipse at every new moon, and a lunar eclipse at every full moon.

But, in reality, the moon’s orbit is inclined by 5 degrees to the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane). Most of the time the new moon or full moon swings too far north, or south, of the ecliptic for an eclipse to take place.

For instance, in the year 2024, we will have 13 new moons and 12 full moons, but only two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses.

In the year 2024, there are 13 new moons and 12 full moons. Moon phases table via Fred Espenak/ AstroPixels.com. Used with permission.

Why we have eclipses

Eclipses are all about alignments. In a solar eclipse, the sun, moon and Earth line up, with the moon in the middle. Image via NASA.

In a lunar eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, with the Earth in the middle. Image via NASA.

Earth (shown as a white dot in the center of each blue disk) at each date when it’s aligned with the sun and moon. The moon is shown on the outer edge of the blue disk. It’s either sunward from Earth (new moon) or outward from it (full moon). The blue disk is the plane of the moon’s orbit around Earth, darker blue for the half north of the ecliptic. This plane gradually rotates backward. There is an eclipse if the moon is new or full when near ascending or descending node through the ecliptic plane. Small arrows show the moon’s course over 7 days. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

Nodal precession of the lunar nodes as the Earth revolves around the sun causes an eclipse season approximately every six months. Image via Nela/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lunar nodes point at the sun

Twice every month, as the moon circles Earth in its orbit, the moon crosses the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane) at points called nodes. If the moon is going from south to north, it’s called the moon’s ascending node. If the moon is moving from north to south, it’s called the moon’s descending node.

Read more: Node passages of the moon: 2001 to 2100

Whenever the lunar nodes point directly at the sun, that momentous event marks the middle of the eclipse season. The alignment of the moon, sun and Earth is most exact when an eclipse happens at the middle of an eclipse season. It’s the least so when an eclipse occurs at the start, or the end, of an eclipse season. Any lunar eclipse happening early or late in the eclipse season presents a penumbral lunar eclipse, whereas any solar eclipse happening early or late in the eclipse season features a skimpy partial eclipse of the sun.

The plane of the moon’s orbit is inclined at 5 degrees to the plane of Earth’s orbit around the sun (the ecliptic). The moon’s orbit intersects the ecliptic at 2 points called nodes (labeled here as N1 and N2). It’s the middle of the eclipse season whenever this line of nodes points directly at the sun. In the above diagram, the line of nodes does not point at the sun. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

2 or 3 eclipses in one eclipse season?

An eclipse season most often presents only two eclipses. However, if the first eclipse falls early in the eclipse season, then it’s possible for a third eclipse to occur before the eclipse season ends.

For example, the last time three eclipses happened in one eclipse season was June-July 2020:

June 5, 2020: Penumbral lunar eclipse
June 21, 2020: Annular solar eclipse
July 5, 2020: Penumbral lunar eclipse

Likewise, the next time three eclipses will occur in one eclipse season will be June-July 2029:

June 12, 2029: Partial solar eclipse
June 26, 2029: Total lunar eclipse
July 11, 2029: Partial solar eclipse

Read more: How often are there three eclipses in a month?

Eclipse season terminology

With this in mind, here are some words you need to know to understand eclipse seasons: lunar nodes and ecliptic. The ecliptic is the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. A lunar node is the point where, in its monthly orbit of Earth, the moon’s orbit intersects that plane. An eclipse season is when – from Earth’s perspective – the sun is close enough to a lunar node to allow an eclipse to take place. If the sun is close to a lunar node at full moon, we see a lunar eclipse. If the sun is close to a lunar node at new moon, we see a solar eclipse.

To put it another way, if the moon turns new or full in close concert with the moon’s crossing of one of its nodes, then an eclipse is not only possible, but inevitable.

The moon’s orbit around Earth is inclined 5 degrees to Earth’s orbit around the sun, so the moon crosses the Earth’s orbital plane twice a month at points called nodes. Every 173.3 days, the line of nodes points at the sun, which is the middle of the approximate 5-week eclipse season (highlighted in gray). During any eclipse season, there is always at least 1 solar eclipse and 1 lunar eclipse, occurring within one fortnight of the other. If the 1st eclipse arrives early enough in the eclipse season, 3 eclipses can fit within a lunar month, and up to 7 eclipses occur in one year’s time. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Minimum of 4 eclipses in one year

A lunar month (period of time between successive new moons or successive full moons) is about 29.5 days long. So a minimum of two eclipses (one solar and one lunar, in either order) happens in one eclipse season. A maximum of three eclipses is possible (either lunar/solar/lunar or solar/lunar/solar), though the first eclipse of the eclipse season has to come quite early to allow for a third eclipse near the end.

So a minimum of two lunar eclipses and two solar eclipses occur in one calendar year. Yet, depending on how the eclipse seasons and lunar phases align, it’s possible to also have five, six or seven eclipses in one year.

For the maximum of seven eclipses to occur in one calendar year, the first eclipse must come in early January. That leaves enough room for the seventh eclipse in late December. In one scenario, an eclipse season sporting two eclipses comes early in the year and late in the year. The middle eclipse season stages three eclipses.

It’s quite rare for seven eclipses to occur in one calendar year, however. Seven eclipses last happened in the year 1982, and will next occur in the year 2038.

Maximum of 7 eclipses in one year

Also, it’s remotely possible for a calendar year to sport two eclipse seasons with three eclipses each, and one eclipse from an eclipse season that straddles into the previous or following year. By way of example, we present the years 1935 and 1879-80.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Rob Pettengill in Little Rock, Arkansas, captured the eclipsed sun on April 8, 2024. Rob wrote: “We set up on a street corner at my son’s place and soon gathered about a dozen people from the neighborhood to share the experience.” Awesome! Thank you, Rob.

Eliot Herman shared this image of the total solar eclipse and wrote: “The clouds really limited my photography.” Thank you, Eliot, it looks great!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Nikolaos Pantazis in Athens, Greece, captured these images on October 28, 2023. Nikolaos wrote: “A collage of tonight’s partial eclipse. The photos were shot at hours UTC, 19:45, 20:00 and 20:15, from start to maximum cover by the Earth’s shadow.” Thank you, Nikolaos!

Bottom line: Eclipse seasons are periods during which eclipses not only can take place, but must take place. A minimum of two eclipses (one solar and one lunar, in either order) happens in one eclipse season. A maximum of three eclipses is possible (either lunar/solar/lunar, or solar/lunar/solar). In 2024, the first eclipse season was in March-April, and the second eclipse season is in September-October.

The post 2nd eclipse season of 2024 starts September 17-18 first appeared on EarthSky.

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September full moon is a Super Harvest Moon September 17-18

On the night of September 17-18, 2024, the Earth, the sun and the Super Harvest Moon will line up in space, causing a lunar eclipse. The eclipse will be far from total. At mid-eclipse, only 8% of the moon will lie in Earth’s dark shadow. Still, the EarthSky team – in cooperation with our friends at TimeandDate.com – plans to have a blast watching the eclipse LIVE beginning at 8 p.m. CDT on September 17 (1 UTC on September 18). We’ll be talking about why this September full moon is a Super Harvest Moon, about how eclipses prove the Earth is round, and more. Join us for an eclipse watch party!

When and where to look in 2024: As seen from around the globe, look for the bright, round full Super Harvest Moon rising in the east at sunset on September 17-18. It’ll glow highest in the sky near midnight, and drop low in the west before sunrise on September 18. This is the full moon closest to the equinox and so we call it a Harvest Moon. It’s also an especially close full moon, a supermoon.
Crest of the full moon falls at 2:34 UTC on September 18, 2024 (9:34 p.m. CDT on September 17).
Partial lunar eclipse: People in the Americas, parts of Antarctica, western Indian Ocean, Middle East, Africa, Europe, Atlantic Ocean, and eastern Polynesia will see a shallow partial lunar eclipse overnight on September 17-18, 2024. Join the EarthSky team for a watch party.

The 2024 Super Harvest Moon will lie near the golden Saturn, whose opposition – when it was opposite the sun from Earth – fell on September 4. A full moon is always opposite the sun. And Saturn is opposite the sun now, too. So it makes sense that this full moon and Saturn are close together. Check Stellarium.org for a precise view from your location.

Want more aboutthe Harvest Moon, or the supermoon? Keep reading. Want more about the ecipse? Try the video below, or this article:

What’s a Harvest Moon?

Harvest Moon isn’t just a name. It denotes a time of year when the full moon – as seen from the Northern Hemisphere – has special characteristics.

We in the Northern Hemisphere have long called the full moon closest to the September equinox by the name Harvest Moon. That name – Harvest Moon – might be the best known full moon name of the year. This year, the September equinox occurs at 12:44 UTC (7:44 a.m. CDT) on September 22, 2024. The full moon falls about five days earlier.

What’s special about a Harvest Moon? As seen across Earth, the moon on average rises about 50 minutes later each day, as it orbits Earth. But in mid-to-late September – for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere – that moonrise time drops to 20 minutes later each day around the time of full moon. The higher the latitude, the shorter the interval between successive moonrises.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Elmarie van Rooyen of Smoky Lake Alberta, Canada, captured this image of the Harvest Moon on September 10, 2022. Thank you, Elmarie! Read more about the September full moon below.

September full moon lies in Pisces and near Saturn

The September Harvest full moon always lies in front of one of three constellations of the zodiac. Most years, it lies in Pisces the Fish, as it does this year. About every three years, though, it’ll lie in Aquarius the Water Bearer. Very infrequently – once about every 20 years – it’ll fall in the less-familiar constellation lying to their south, Cetus the Whale.

The Super Harvest Moon will occur on the overnight of September 17, 2024. It’ll lie close to the planet Saturn. Chart via EarthSky.

September full moon and the ecliptic

Why? It’s because the ecliptic – or path of the sun, moon and planets across our sky – makes a narrow angle with the eastern horizon near sunset, around the time of the autumn equinox. For Northern Hemisphere observers, that means September or October. For Southern Hemisphere observers, it means March or April. The narrow angle of the ecliptic to the evening horizon – around the time of the autumn equinox – gives us the short interval between successive moonrises and the Harvest Moon.

Click here for a printable calendar showing the time of moonrise for your location

And a short interval between successive moonrises means that – for several evenings in a row, around the time of this September full moon – you’ll find a full or nearly full-looking moon low in the east in evening twilight. Before the days of electric lights, the early evening light of this full moon let farmers working in the fields have more time to work, before darkness settled. Hence, the name Harvest Moon.

And, by the way, for the Southern Hemisphere at this full moon, there’s a particularly long interval between successive moonrises!

It’s also a supermoon

Yes, the September full moon is another supermoon. As you might recall, the last full moon was a supermoon as well. In fact, the September Harvest Moon is the second of four supermoons in a row for 2024.

How close is it? The moon will be 222,131 miles (357,486 kilometers) away. Comparatively, the average distance between Earth and the moon is 238,900 miles (384,472 km). So – while the September 17-18 full moon might not look bigger to the eye – it’ll surely look brighter than an average full moon.

And of course since it’s closer than usual it’ll also be pulling harder, via gravity, on Earth’s oceans. People who live near an ocean might notice particularly high tides in the day or so after this full moon.

Watch a 1-minute preview video of the Super Harvest Moon and partial lunar eclipse.

Bottom line: The Harvest Full Moon – and second of four full supermoons in 2024 – happens overnight on September 17-18, 2024, for us in the Americas. There’s also a partial lunar eclipse that night. This full moon lies in front of the constellation Pisces. And it lies near the golden planet Saturn.

Want to see 2023’s brightest supermoon? Photos here

Read more: Does a supermoon have a super effect on us?

The post September full moon is a Super Harvest Moon September 17-18 first appeared on EarthSky.

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On the night of September 17-18, 2024, the Earth, the sun and the Super Harvest Moon will line up in space, causing a lunar eclipse. The eclipse will be far from total. At mid-eclipse, only 8% of the moon will lie in Earth’s dark shadow. Still, the EarthSky team – in cooperation with our friends at TimeandDate.com – plans to have a blast watching the eclipse LIVE beginning at 8 p.m. CDT on September 17 (1 UTC on September 18). We’ll be talking about why this September full moon is a Super Harvest Moon, about how eclipses prove the Earth is round, and more. Join us for an eclipse watch party!

When and where to look in 2024: As seen from around the globe, look for the bright, round full Super Harvest Moon rising in the east at sunset on September 17-18. It’ll glow highest in the sky near midnight, and drop low in the west before sunrise on September 18. This is the full moon closest to the equinox and so we call it a Harvest Moon. It’s also an especially close full moon, a supermoon.
Crest of the full moon falls at 2:34 UTC on September 18, 2024 (9:34 p.m. CDT on September 17).
Partial lunar eclipse: People in the Americas, parts of Antarctica, western Indian Ocean, Middle East, Africa, Europe, Atlantic Ocean, and eastern Polynesia will see a shallow partial lunar eclipse overnight on September 17-18, 2024. Join the EarthSky team for a watch party.

The 2024 Super Harvest Moon will lie near the golden Saturn, whose opposition – when it was opposite the sun from Earth – fell on September 4. A full moon is always opposite the sun. And Saturn is opposite the sun now, too. So it makes sense that this full moon and Saturn are close together. Check Stellarium.org for a precise view from your location.

Want more aboutthe Harvest Moon, or the supermoon? Keep reading. Want more about the ecipse? Try the video below, or this article:

What’s a Harvest Moon?

Harvest Moon isn’t just a name. It denotes a time of year when the full moon – as seen from the Northern Hemisphere – has special characteristics.

We in the Northern Hemisphere have long called the full moon closest to the September equinox by the name Harvest Moon. That name – Harvest Moon – might be the best known full moon name of the year. This year, the September equinox occurs at 12:44 UTC (7:44 a.m. CDT) on September 22, 2024. The full moon falls about five days earlier.

What’s special about a Harvest Moon? As seen across Earth, the moon on average rises about 50 minutes later each day, as it orbits Earth. But in mid-to-late September – for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere – that moonrise time drops to 20 minutes later each day around the time of full moon. The higher the latitude, the shorter the interval between successive moonrises.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Elmarie van Rooyen of Smoky Lake Alberta, Canada, captured this image of the Harvest Moon on September 10, 2022. Thank you, Elmarie! Read more about the September full moon below.

September full moon lies in Pisces and near Saturn

The September Harvest full moon always lies in front of one of three constellations of the zodiac. Most years, it lies in Pisces the Fish, as it does this year. About every three years, though, it’ll lie in Aquarius the Water Bearer. Very infrequently – once about every 20 years – it’ll fall in the less-familiar constellation lying to their south, Cetus the Whale.

The Super Harvest Moon will occur on the overnight of September 17, 2024. It’ll lie close to the planet Saturn. Chart via EarthSky.

September full moon and the ecliptic

Why? It’s because the ecliptic – or path of the sun, moon and planets across our sky – makes a narrow angle with the eastern horizon near sunset, around the time of the autumn equinox. For Northern Hemisphere observers, that means September or October. For Southern Hemisphere observers, it means March or April. The narrow angle of the ecliptic to the evening horizon – around the time of the autumn equinox – gives us the short interval between successive moonrises and the Harvest Moon.

Click here for a printable calendar showing the time of moonrise for your location

And a short interval between successive moonrises means that – for several evenings in a row, around the time of this September full moon – you’ll find a full or nearly full-looking moon low in the east in evening twilight. Before the days of electric lights, the early evening light of this full moon let farmers working in the fields have more time to work, before darkness settled. Hence, the name Harvest Moon.

And, by the way, for the Southern Hemisphere at this full moon, there’s a particularly long interval between successive moonrises!

It’s also a supermoon

Yes, the September full moon is another supermoon. As you might recall, the last full moon was a supermoon as well. In fact, the September Harvest Moon is the second of four supermoons in a row for 2024.

How close is it? The moon will be 222,131 miles (357,486 kilometers) away. Comparatively, the average distance between Earth and the moon is 238,900 miles (384,472 km). So – while the September 17-18 full moon might not look bigger to the eye – it’ll surely look brighter than an average full moon.

And of course since it’s closer than usual it’ll also be pulling harder, via gravity, on Earth’s oceans. People who live near an ocean might notice particularly high tides in the day or so after this full moon.

Watch a 1-minute preview video of the Super Harvest Moon and partial lunar eclipse.

Bottom line: The Harvest Full Moon – and second of four full supermoons in 2024 – happens overnight on September 17-18, 2024, for us in the Americas. There’s also a partial lunar eclipse that night. This full moon lies in front of the constellation Pisces. And it lies near the golden planet Saturn.

Want to see 2023’s brightest supermoon? Photos here

Read more: Does a supermoon have a super effect on us?

The post September full moon is a Super Harvest Moon September 17-18 first appeared on EarthSky.

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The shoebill stork is our imposing lifeform of the week

This formidable bird is not afraid of anything. When this gigantic creature spreads its wings, it measures 8.5 feet (2.6 meters). It lives in the predator-infested swamps of Africa. The shoebill feeds on any living being that fits in its beak, eating it in a single bite. It even eats crocodiles!

The shoebill is unique

The shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), or whale-headed stork, is one of the most impressive birds in Africa. It has the long, thin legs of a stork and a huge beak like a pelican. Though it was once classified as a stork, it now has a family of its own. The shoebill is the only member of the Balaenicipitidae family.

This creature stands out thanks to its deep gaze, its gray-blue plumage, a crest on the back of its head and, of course, its enormous beak shaped like a Dutch wooden shoe, hence its name. The name “rex” also makes you think of dinosaurs, right? But it’s all about the appearance, because rex is Latin for “king.”

The shoebill is the largest bird on the African continent and one of the largest birds on the planet. It measures about 3.6 to 5 feet (110 to 150 cm) in height. The length from tail to beak can vary between 3.3 and 4.6 feet (100 and 140 cm). When this majestic avian spreads its wings, the total wingspan is 7.5 to 8.5 feet (230 to 260 cm).

It’s one of the longest-lived birds in the world, with a lifespan of about 50 years. That gives the shoebill many years for fighting.

The shoebill is the largest bird in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Image via Melissa Askew/ Unsplash.

The shoebill has a beak made to kill

This impressive creature inhabits the wetlands and swamps of Africa, which are full of predators. But, of course, the shoebill is an amazing predator itself. It feeds at night and walks on floating vegetation or through mud, thanks to its strong legs. It usually hunts fish, but it can eat anything that fits in its beak. In addition, it devours its prey in a single bite.

The beak measures about 10 inches (25 cm) in length and 8 inches (20 cm) in width. It’s the 3rd-longest beak in the world, which allows it to hunt extremely large prey. The shoebill remains motionless and completely silent for long periods of time. When prey approaches, the shoebill pounces on it, beak first. The good news is because the beak is so strong and sharp, the prey usually dies by decapitation. So at least it’s a quick death.

Shoebills can consume snakes, eels, frogs, turtles, lizards, rodents, birds and baby crocodiles. One may think baby crocodiles are small, but their protective parents are not! The shoebill must enter swamps infested with huge crocodiles in order to hunt. This bird is not afraid of anything.

Shoebills possess the 3rd-longest beak in the world. They can eat quite large prey in just 1 bite. Image via David Valentine/ Unsplash.

Shoebills possess a strong personality

The shoebill is a silent creature that can remain motionless for hours and hours. Likewise, it is quite solitary, so much so that after mating, the male and female go in opposite directions to hunt and feed independently. But they are usually monogamous.

Now, the silence is broken when the time for mating arrives. Then, these birds are loud. They open and close their beaks quickly many times to produce a sound like a machine gun. They do this to attract a mate or to scare away intruders.

Shoebills don’t like to share territory, which is made up of between 0.8 and 1.5 square miles (2 and 4 square km). Shoebills fiercely defend their territory, as they don’t like to see other birds loitering in that range. However, when bred in captivity, they prove to be docile toward humans.

These birds are not known for making long migratory journeys. They normally only travel short distances to find food or mate.

They are silent and solitary creatures, but they are also fierce hunters and very territorial. Image via Tomáš Ejem/ Unsplash.

Family life? No, thanks

The shoebill’s incubation period lasts approximately 30 days, and both the female and male are dedicated to caring for, feeding and providing all the necessary protection to their young. However, territoriality also applies to the chicks themselves, who don’t want to compete for the affection of mom and dad.

Some time after the eggs hatch, the earliest chick to hatch (which is usually larger), attacks the smaller chick while its parents are away from the nest to monopolize all the attention and sustenance. The older sibling may even kill the younger sibling. The best thing the youngest can do is run away and find its own territory.

In addition, Birdlife.org says:

Females lay up to three eggs and when hatched, both parents feed, guard, and shade the chicks. Although shoebills commonly hatch more than one chick, they only raise one. The younger chicks are usually left to die, unless the eldest is weak or doesn’t survive.

Only the fittest survive. A shoebill’s life is not an easy one. Plus, living in swamps presents extreme danger, as multiple diseases exist, predators are everywhere, and food can be scarce. For this reason, the shoebill is ruthless. These animals fight small and large animals alike.

Females usually lay 2 eggs, but only 1 chick survives. Image via Marvin Ssemakula/ Pexels.

The shoebill is vulnerable

It is curious to find the word vulnerability and shoebill in the same sentence, but the truth is that this peculiar creature is in danger. The species is listed as a vulnerable species. It is estimated there are between 3,300 and 5,300 specimens left in the wild.

The bird is threatened by poachers, human destruction of its environment and cultural taboos. Many tribes believe these birds bring bad luck and kill them to cleanse their land of bad omens. This has led to the extinction of the species in some parts of Africa.

Unfortunately, the demand for shoebills is high both in zoos and for private collectors. The problem is that many birds taken from their native environment and placed in zoos don’t mate, as these animals have specific habitat requirements. Likewise, the stress of transit to unknown environments and the presence of humans stress and kill them.

From certain angles shoebills may look menacing, but they are truly unique and beautiful birds. The shoebill’s wing beat is one of the slowest of all birds, with approximately 150 wing beats per minute. It is a pleasure to see this creature take flight in its natural environment.

Even though they are tough birds, they need a specific habitat to thrive. Shoebills are listed as a vulnerable species. Image via Melissa Askew/ Unsplash.

More images of the majestic shoebill

Shoebills have an enormous beak shaped like a Dutch wooden shoe. Image via Cyrill/ Pexels.

They open and close their beaks very quickly many times to produce a sound like a machine gun. They do this to find a mate or scare away animals entering their territory. Image via Erik Ding/ Pexels.

This creature stands out thanks to its deep gaze, gray-blue plumage, a crest on the back of the head and enormous beak. Image via Alice Teh Larsson/ Unsplash.

More images of the shoebill

Shoebills feed at night and walk on floating vegetation or through mud, thanks to their strong legs. Image via Marvin Ssemakula/ Pexels.

This impressive creature inhabits wetlands and swamps of Africa. Image via Morriz 95/ Pexels.

Usually, shoebills are gray, but they also show blue plumage. Image via Francesco Ungaro/ Pexels.

Bottom line: Meet one of the biggest birds in the animal kingdom. The shoebill looks like an imposing dinosaur. And indeed it is fierce. It eats everything that fits in its beak, and in just one bite!

Read more: Vultures are the best clean-up crew: Lifeform of the week

Read more: Flamingos are beautiful and peculiar: Lifeform of the week

The post The shoebill stork is our imposing lifeform of the week first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/qXIgx7c

This formidable bird is not afraid of anything. When this gigantic creature spreads its wings, it measures 8.5 feet (2.6 meters). It lives in the predator-infested swamps of Africa. The shoebill feeds on any living being that fits in its beak, eating it in a single bite. It even eats crocodiles!

The shoebill is unique

The shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), or whale-headed stork, is one of the most impressive birds in Africa. It has the long, thin legs of a stork and a huge beak like a pelican. Though it was once classified as a stork, it now has a family of its own. The shoebill is the only member of the Balaenicipitidae family.

This creature stands out thanks to its deep gaze, its gray-blue plumage, a crest on the back of its head and, of course, its enormous beak shaped like a Dutch wooden shoe, hence its name. The name “rex” also makes you think of dinosaurs, right? But it’s all about the appearance, because rex is Latin for “king.”

The shoebill is the largest bird on the African continent and one of the largest birds on the planet. It measures about 3.6 to 5 feet (110 to 150 cm) in height. The length from tail to beak can vary between 3.3 and 4.6 feet (100 and 140 cm). When this majestic avian spreads its wings, the total wingspan is 7.5 to 8.5 feet (230 to 260 cm).

It’s one of the longest-lived birds in the world, with a lifespan of about 50 years. That gives the shoebill many years for fighting.

The shoebill is the largest bird in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Image via Melissa Askew/ Unsplash.

The shoebill has a beak made to kill

This impressive creature inhabits the wetlands and swamps of Africa, which are full of predators. But, of course, the shoebill is an amazing predator itself. It feeds at night and walks on floating vegetation or through mud, thanks to its strong legs. It usually hunts fish, but it can eat anything that fits in its beak. In addition, it devours its prey in a single bite.

The beak measures about 10 inches (25 cm) in length and 8 inches (20 cm) in width. It’s the 3rd-longest beak in the world, which allows it to hunt extremely large prey. The shoebill remains motionless and completely silent for long periods of time. When prey approaches, the shoebill pounces on it, beak first. The good news is because the beak is so strong and sharp, the prey usually dies by decapitation. So at least it’s a quick death.

Shoebills can consume snakes, eels, frogs, turtles, lizards, rodents, birds and baby crocodiles. One may think baby crocodiles are small, but their protective parents are not! The shoebill must enter swamps infested with huge crocodiles in order to hunt. This bird is not afraid of anything.

Shoebills possess the 3rd-longest beak in the world. They can eat quite large prey in just 1 bite. Image via David Valentine/ Unsplash.

Shoebills possess a strong personality

The shoebill is a silent creature that can remain motionless for hours and hours. Likewise, it is quite solitary, so much so that after mating, the male and female go in opposite directions to hunt and feed independently. But they are usually monogamous.

Now, the silence is broken when the time for mating arrives. Then, these birds are loud. They open and close their beaks quickly many times to produce a sound like a machine gun. They do this to attract a mate or to scare away intruders.

Shoebills don’t like to share territory, which is made up of between 0.8 and 1.5 square miles (2 and 4 square km). Shoebills fiercely defend their territory, as they don’t like to see other birds loitering in that range. However, when bred in captivity, they prove to be docile toward humans.

These birds are not known for making long migratory journeys. They normally only travel short distances to find food or mate.

They are silent and solitary creatures, but they are also fierce hunters and very territorial. Image via Tomáš Ejem/ Unsplash.

Family life? No, thanks

The shoebill’s incubation period lasts approximately 30 days, and both the female and male are dedicated to caring for, feeding and providing all the necessary protection to their young. However, territoriality also applies to the chicks themselves, who don’t want to compete for the affection of mom and dad.

Some time after the eggs hatch, the earliest chick to hatch (which is usually larger), attacks the smaller chick while its parents are away from the nest to monopolize all the attention and sustenance. The older sibling may even kill the younger sibling. The best thing the youngest can do is run away and find its own territory.

In addition, Birdlife.org says:

Females lay up to three eggs and when hatched, both parents feed, guard, and shade the chicks. Although shoebills commonly hatch more than one chick, they only raise one. The younger chicks are usually left to die, unless the eldest is weak or doesn’t survive.

Only the fittest survive. A shoebill’s life is not an easy one. Plus, living in swamps presents extreme danger, as multiple diseases exist, predators are everywhere, and food can be scarce. For this reason, the shoebill is ruthless. These animals fight small and large animals alike.

Females usually lay 2 eggs, but only 1 chick survives. Image via Marvin Ssemakula/ Pexels.

The shoebill is vulnerable

It is curious to find the word vulnerability and shoebill in the same sentence, but the truth is that this peculiar creature is in danger. The species is listed as a vulnerable species. It is estimated there are between 3,300 and 5,300 specimens left in the wild.

The bird is threatened by poachers, human destruction of its environment and cultural taboos. Many tribes believe these birds bring bad luck and kill them to cleanse their land of bad omens. This has led to the extinction of the species in some parts of Africa.

Unfortunately, the demand for shoebills is high both in zoos and for private collectors. The problem is that many birds taken from their native environment and placed in zoos don’t mate, as these animals have specific habitat requirements. Likewise, the stress of transit to unknown environments and the presence of humans stress and kill them.

From certain angles shoebills may look menacing, but they are truly unique and beautiful birds. The shoebill’s wing beat is one of the slowest of all birds, with approximately 150 wing beats per minute. It is a pleasure to see this creature take flight in its natural environment.

Even though they are tough birds, they need a specific habitat to thrive. Shoebills are listed as a vulnerable species. Image via Melissa Askew/ Unsplash.

More images of the majestic shoebill

Shoebills have an enormous beak shaped like a Dutch wooden shoe. Image via Cyrill/ Pexels.

They open and close their beaks very quickly many times to produce a sound like a machine gun. They do this to find a mate or scare away animals entering their territory. Image via Erik Ding/ Pexels.

This creature stands out thanks to its deep gaze, gray-blue plumage, a crest on the back of the head and enormous beak. Image via Alice Teh Larsson/ Unsplash.

More images of the shoebill

Shoebills feed at night and walk on floating vegetation or through mud, thanks to their strong legs. Image via Marvin Ssemakula/ Pexels.

This impressive creature inhabits wetlands and swamps of Africa. Image via Morriz 95/ Pexels.

Usually, shoebills are gray, but they also show blue plumage. Image via Francesco Ungaro/ Pexels.

Bottom line: Meet one of the biggest birds in the animal kingdom. The shoebill looks like an imposing dinosaur. And indeed it is fierce. It eats everything that fits in its beak, and in just one bite!

Read more: Vultures are the best clean-up crew: Lifeform of the week

Read more: Flamingos are beautiful and peculiar: Lifeform of the week

The post The shoebill stork is our imposing lifeform of the week first appeared on EarthSky.

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LIVE MONDAY: Space junk with Jonathan McDowell

At 12:15 p.m. CDT (17:15 UTC) on Monday, September 16, 2024, we’ll talk live about space junk and other human-made space hazards with astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell. He is a space historian and the author of Jonathan’s Space Report. And he’s concerned about the consequences of humanity’s presence in Earth-orbit, about how we’re already polluting our new home in space. McDowell has said:

The track record of the human species is not that great. All of these issues that cause us trouble here on Earth, we’re going to export them into space. That’s just the way it is.

As an illustration, the first satellite – Sputnik – was launched to Earth-orbit in 1957. Then for decades, the world was shooting around 150 objects per year – satellites, probes and landers, crew capsules, space station modules – into Earth-orbit.

But, in 2017, everything changed. The number of launches skyrocketed. In 2023, humanity flung 2,664 objects into Earth-orbit. Almost all of them are still up there. NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office estimates there are more than 25,000 objects drifting free in Earth-orbit 4 inches (10 cm) or larger. Nearly 500,000 smaller bits of space junk – 0.4 to 4 inches (1-10 cm) – and 100 million microscopic particles pepper low Earth orbit. In 2022, their mass exceeded 19.8 million pounds (8.9 million kg).

McDowell put the possible danger plainly in the HBO documentary Wild, Wild Space. Watch the Wild, Wild Space trailer below:

Meet astronomer, astrophysicist and spaceflight expert Jonathan McDowell

Jonathan McDowell is an astronomer and astrophysicist at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’s Chandra X-ray Center. McDowell is the author and editor of Jonathan’s Space Report, an email-distributed newsletter documenting satellite launches. McDowell’s main research interests include: the cosmological microwave background; the X-ray emission from the merging galaxy Arp 220; the nature of the broad emission line region in quasars; the broad-band spectral energy distribution in quasars; and studying nearby galaxies with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. In software, McDowell helped design the CIAO data analysis package and the software infrastructure for the Chandra data processing pipelines. More recently, McDowell led the creation of an exhibit of astronomical images at the Smithsonian. Minor planet (4589) McDowell is named after him. Image via Jonathan McDowell/ Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Bottom line: Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell will discuss humans’ unexpected impacts on space LIVE with EarthSky at 12:15 p.m. (17:15 UTC) on Monday, September 16. Join us!

Learn more about Jonathan McDowell

The post LIVE MONDAY: Space junk with Jonathan McDowell first appeared on EarthSky.

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At 12:15 p.m. CDT (17:15 UTC) on Monday, September 16, 2024, we’ll talk live about space junk and other human-made space hazards with astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell. He is a space historian and the author of Jonathan’s Space Report. And he’s concerned about the consequences of humanity’s presence in Earth-orbit, about how we’re already polluting our new home in space. McDowell has said:

The track record of the human species is not that great. All of these issues that cause us trouble here on Earth, we’re going to export them into space. That’s just the way it is.

As an illustration, the first satellite – Sputnik – was launched to Earth-orbit in 1957. Then for decades, the world was shooting around 150 objects per year – satellites, probes and landers, crew capsules, space station modules – into Earth-orbit.

But, in 2017, everything changed. The number of launches skyrocketed. In 2023, humanity flung 2,664 objects into Earth-orbit. Almost all of them are still up there. NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office estimates there are more than 25,000 objects drifting free in Earth-orbit 4 inches (10 cm) or larger. Nearly 500,000 smaller bits of space junk – 0.4 to 4 inches (1-10 cm) – and 100 million microscopic particles pepper low Earth orbit. In 2022, their mass exceeded 19.8 million pounds (8.9 million kg).

McDowell put the possible danger plainly in the HBO documentary Wild, Wild Space. Watch the Wild, Wild Space trailer below:

Meet astronomer, astrophysicist and spaceflight expert Jonathan McDowell

Jonathan McDowell is an astronomer and astrophysicist at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’s Chandra X-ray Center. McDowell is the author and editor of Jonathan’s Space Report, an email-distributed newsletter documenting satellite launches. McDowell’s main research interests include: the cosmological microwave background; the X-ray emission from the merging galaxy Arp 220; the nature of the broad emission line region in quasars; the broad-band spectral energy distribution in quasars; and studying nearby galaxies with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. In software, McDowell helped design the CIAO data analysis package and the software infrastructure for the Chandra data processing pipelines. More recently, McDowell led the creation of an exhibit of astronomical images at the Smithsonian. Minor planet (4589) McDowell is named after him. Image via Jonathan McDowell/ Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Bottom line: Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell will discuss humans’ unexpected impacts on space LIVE with EarthSky at 12:15 p.m. (17:15 UTC) on Monday, September 16. Join us!

Learn more about Jonathan McDowell

The post LIVE MONDAY: Space junk with Jonathan McDowell first appeared on EarthSky.

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Why can’t I find the Big Dipper in September?

• The Big Dipper is a prominent pattern made from seven bright stars.
• It’s part of the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear.
• Use the two end stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star.

The Big Dipper

The Big Dipper is a famous and favorite group of seven bright stars. It’s supposed to be easy to find. So what if you can’t find it? In the northern autumn months, the Big Dipper rides low in the northern sky during the evening hours. For some parts of the U.S. and similar latitudes, some or all of it is below the horizon in the evening this time of year. The best time to see it now is to look north shortly before dawn!

The Big Dipper forms a highly recognizable asterism – or star pattern – that resembles an old-fashioned water dipper. The Dipper has a bowl made of four stars, and a handle made of three stars. It is part of the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear.

The northern sky is like a large celestial clock, with Polaris – aka the North Star – at its center. In other words, the entire northern sky wheels in a great circle throughout the night (although it’s wheeling in a counter-clockwise direction). But Polaris stays still (or nearly so). That’s because Earth’s northern axis nearly points to it. And so Polaris is the famous North Star, used by sea navigators and scouts to find the direction north. Want to find it? You can use the famous Big Dipper asterism to locate Polaris.

This chart shows Polaris and the Big and Little Dippers on any September evening (from the Northern Hemisphere). You can use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, aka the North Star. Chart via EarthSky.

Use Big Dipper to find Polaris

Notice that a line from the two outermost stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper points to Polaris. Thus, those two stars – Dubhe and Merek – are sometimes called “the Pointers”. And notice that Polaris marks the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper.

However, go look soon, because, in September, the Big Dipper is headed for its least noticeable time of year. The reason is that the Big Dipper swings full circle – 360 degrees – around Polaris in about 23 hours and 56 minutes. So in 24 hours, the Big Dipper actually swings more than a full circle, or 361 degrees. Does that make a difference? Yes! It means that – if you look at the same time each autumn evening – the Big Dipper will appear just a little bit lower in the northwestern evening sky.

In other words, the Dipper is descending in the northwestern evening sky, from one night to the next. And that means that, a month from now at mid-evening (say around mid October), the Big Dipper will be noticeably lower in the northwest. For some months in autumn and winter, parts or even all of the Big Dipper is beneath the horizon in the evening, as seen from the southernmost latitudes in the United States. That might be why, if you’re just learning the sky, you sometimes can’t find the Big Dipper when you look for it.

This animation shows the Big Dipper by seasons from mid-northern latitudes. The Big Dipper is shown at the same time – mid-evening – on the days of the solstices and equinoxes. Charts via Stellarium. Animation by EarthSky. Used with permission.

The Big Dipper is circumpolar from mid-northern latitudes

On the other hand, the Big Dipper is circumpolar, or always above the northern horizon, from more northerly latitudes. You’ll find it in your sky throughout the year as seen from the northern U.S., Canada and similar latitudes.

Watch the Big and Little Dippers circle around Polaris tonight!

The Big Dipper and the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia circle around Polaris, the North Star, in a period of 23 hours and 56 minutes. The Dipper is circumpolar at 41 degrees north latitude, and all latitudes farther north. Image via Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 2.5).

The Dipper throughout time

The constant motion from night to night of these stars circling Polaris is a bit like a bear circling its prey, looking for a way to attack. Several ancient cultures from the Greeks and Romans to the Mi’kmaq Indians likened these stars to a bear.

In Greek mythology, the Big Dipper asterism represents the hindquarters and tail of the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear. The Mi’kmaq saw the three stars of the Big Dipper handle as hunters chasing the bear.

Bottom line: On northern autumn evenings, the famous Big Dipper lies low on – or even below – the northern horizon. You can use it to find Polaris, the North Star.

The Big and Little Dippers: How to find them

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

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The post Why can’t I find the Big Dipper in September? first appeared on EarthSky.

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• The Big Dipper is a prominent pattern made from seven bright stars.
• It’s part of the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear.
• Use the two end stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star.

The Big Dipper

The Big Dipper is a famous and favorite group of seven bright stars. It’s supposed to be easy to find. So what if you can’t find it? In the northern autumn months, the Big Dipper rides low in the northern sky during the evening hours. For some parts of the U.S. and similar latitudes, some or all of it is below the horizon in the evening this time of year. The best time to see it now is to look north shortly before dawn!

The Big Dipper forms a highly recognizable asterism – or star pattern – that resembles an old-fashioned water dipper. The Dipper has a bowl made of four stars, and a handle made of three stars. It is part of the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear.

The northern sky is like a large celestial clock, with Polaris – aka the North Star – at its center. In other words, the entire northern sky wheels in a great circle throughout the night (although it’s wheeling in a counter-clockwise direction). But Polaris stays still (or nearly so). That’s because Earth’s northern axis nearly points to it. And so Polaris is the famous North Star, used by sea navigators and scouts to find the direction north. Want to find it? You can use the famous Big Dipper asterism to locate Polaris.

This chart shows Polaris and the Big and Little Dippers on any September evening (from the Northern Hemisphere). You can use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, aka the North Star. Chart via EarthSky.

Use Big Dipper to find Polaris

Notice that a line from the two outermost stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper points to Polaris. Thus, those two stars – Dubhe and Merek – are sometimes called “the Pointers”. And notice that Polaris marks the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper.

However, go look soon, because, in September, the Big Dipper is headed for its least noticeable time of year. The reason is that the Big Dipper swings full circle – 360 degrees – around Polaris in about 23 hours and 56 minutes. So in 24 hours, the Big Dipper actually swings more than a full circle, or 361 degrees. Does that make a difference? Yes! It means that – if you look at the same time each autumn evening – the Big Dipper will appear just a little bit lower in the northwestern evening sky.

In other words, the Dipper is descending in the northwestern evening sky, from one night to the next. And that means that, a month from now at mid-evening (say around mid October), the Big Dipper will be noticeably lower in the northwest. For some months in autumn and winter, parts or even all of the Big Dipper is beneath the horizon in the evening, as seen from the southernmost latitudes in the United States. That might be why, if you’re just learning the sky, you sometimes can’t find the Big Dipper when you look for it.

This animation shows the Big Dipper by seasons from mid-northern latitudes. The Big Dipper is shown at the same time – mid-evening – on the days of the solstices and equinoxes. Charts via Stellarium. Animation by EarthSky. Used with permission.

The Big Dipper is circumpolar from mid-northern latitudes

On the other hand, the Big Dipper is circumpolar, or always above the northern horizon, from more northerly latitudes. You’ll find it in your sky throughout the year as seen from the northern U.S., Canada and similar latitudes.

Watch the Big and Little Dippers circle around Polaris tonight!

The Big Dipper and the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia circle around Polaris, the North Star, in a period of 23 hours and 56 minutes. The Dipper is circumpolar at 41 degrees north latitude, and all latitudes farther north. Image via Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 2.5).

The Dipper throughout time

The constant motion from night to night of these stars circling Polaris is a bit like a bear circling its prey, looking for a way to attack. Several ancient cultures from the Greeks and Romans to the Mi’kmaq Indians likened these stars to a bear.

In Greek mythology, the Big Dipper asterism represents the hindquarters and tail of the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear. The Mi’kmaq saw the three stars of the Big Dipper handle as hunters chasing the bear.

Bottom line: On northern autumn evenings, the famous Big Dipper lies low on – or even below – the northern horizon. You can use it to find Polaris, the North Star.

The Big and Little Dippers: How to find them

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

The post Why can’t I find the Big Dipper in September? first appeared on EarthSky.

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Cassiopeia ascends in September and October

Cassiopeia the Queen in autumn

Any late summer evening and throughout northern autumn, Cassiopeia the Queen will be ascending in the northeast after nightfall. The shape of this constellation makes Cassiopeia’s stars very noticeable. Cassiopeia looks like the letter W (or M).

Look for the Queen starting at nightfall every September. She’ll be higher up in the northeast as autumn unfolds.

For those in the northern U.S. and Canada, Cassiopeia is circumpolar, meaning above the horizon all night long.

How to see Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia represents an ancient queen of Ethiopia. You still sometimes hear the old name for this constellation: Cassiopeia’s Chair. And some old star maps depict the queen sitting on the chair, marked by five stars.

These stars – the brightest ones in Cassiopeia – are Schedar, Caph, Gamma Cassiopeiae, Ruchbah and Segin.

Around the middle of the night during the autumn months, Cassiopeia swings above Polaris, the North Star.

Before dawn, look in the northwest.

You can find Cassiopeia the Queen in the northeast around the month of September. If you have a dark sky, look below Cassiopeia for a famous binocular object. This object is called the Double Cluster in Perseus.

Opposite the Big Dipper

Cassiopeia is opposite the Big Dipper in the northern sky.

That is, the two constellations lie on opposite sides of the pole star, Polaris.

So when Cassiopeia is high in the sky, as it is on evenings from about September through February, the Big Dipper is low in the sky. Every March, when the Dipper is ascending in the northeast, getting ready to appear prominent again in the evening sky, Cassiopeia will be descending in the northwest.

The Big Dipper and the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia the Queen circle around Polaris, the North Star, in a period of 23 hours and 56 minutes. The Dipper is circumpolar at 41 degrees north latitude and all latitudes farther north. Image via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5).

A guide to deep-sky beauties

If you have a dark sky, look below Cassiopeia in the northeast on these autumn evenings for the Double Cluster in Perseus.

These are two open star clusters, each of which consists of young stars still moving together from the primordial cloud of gas and dust that gave birth to the cluster’s stars.

These clusters are familiarly known to stargazers as H and Chi Persei.

Stargazers smile when they peer at them through their binoculars, not only because they are beautiful, but also because of their names. Their names are from two different alphabets, the Greek and the Roman. Stars have Greek letter names, but most star clusters don’t. Johann Bayer (1572-1625) gave Chi Persei its Greek letter name.

Then, it’s said, he ran out of Greek letters. That’s when he used a Roman letter – the letter H – to name the other cluster.

Charts for Cassiopeia

In the 1930s, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) – an organization of professional astronomers – decided to define boundaries and officially name 88 constellations. This is the realm of night sky they identified as Cassiopeia. Read more about the constellations. Image via IAU.

Cassiopeia as depicted by Johannes Hevelius in the 1600s. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Lore of Cassiopeia

In skylore and in Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was a beautiful and vain queen of Ethiopia. It’s said that she committed the sin of pride by boasting that both she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than Nereids, or sea nymphs. Pridefulness, in mythology, is never wise.

Since her boast angered Poseidon, god of the sea, he sent a sea monster (Cetus the Whale) to ravage the kingdom. So to pacify the monster, Cassiopeia’s daughter, Princess Andromeda, was left tied to a rock by the sea. Cetus was about to devour her when Perseus the Hero happened by on Pegasus, the Flying Horse.

Perseus rescued the princess, and all lived happily … and the gods were pleased, so all of these characters were elevated to the heavens as stars.

But – because of her vanity – Cassiopeia suffered an indignity. At some times of the night or year, this constellation has more the shape of the letter M, and you might imagine the Queen reclining on her starry throne.

At other times of year or night – as in the wee hours between midnight and dawn in February and March – Cassiopeia’s Chair dips below the celestial pole. And then this constellation appears to us on Earth more like the letter W. That’s when the Lady of the Chair, as she is sometimes called, is said to hang on for dear life. If Cassiopeia the Queen lets go, she will drop from the sky into the ocean below, where the Nereids must still be waiting.

Cassiopeia by our EarthSky Community

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | V. Liard Photography in Champagne, France, took this wonderful image on July 22, 2023. It features the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. Thank you, V. Liard! Cassiopeia is a great constellation to come to know, especially if you have a dark sky. That’s because it points to our neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Monroe, Washington, captured this view of the Milky Way across the constellation Cassiopeia on July 19, 2022. He wrote: “Hours of 2-minute exposures reveal the Milky Way’s wall of stars, galaxies, and nebulae that’s practically a ‘star map’ of who’s who in common targets. Visible targets include Messier 52 (a cluster), the Bow-tie Nebula, the Bubble Nebula, and the Wizard Nebula. There are several other planetary and diffuse nebulae and galaxies to boot.” Thank you, Jeremy!

Bottom line: Cassiopeia the Queen is an easy-to-find constellation because it has the shape of a W or M. So look for it in the north-northeast sky on September and October evenings.

Help support EarthSky! Visit the EarthSky store to see the great selection of educational tools and team gear we have to offer.

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

The post Cassiopeia ascends in September and October first appeared on EarthSky.

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Cassiopeia the Queen in autumn

Any late summer evening and throughout northern autumn, Cassiopeia the Queen will be ascending in the northeast after nightfall. The shape of this constellation makes Cassiopeia’s stars very noticeable. Cassiopeia looks like the letter W (or M).

Look for the Queen starting at nightfall every September. She’ll be higher up in the northeast as autumn unfolds.

For those in the northern U.S. and Canada, Cassiopeia is circumpolar, meaning above the horizon all night long.

How to see Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia represents an ancient queen of Ethiopia. You still sometimes hear the old name for this constellation: Cassiopeia’s Chair. And some old star maps depict the queen sitting on the chair, marked by five stars.

These stars – the brightest ones in Cassiopeia – are Schedar, Caph, Gamma Cassiopeiae, Ruchbah and Segin.

Around the middle of the night during the autumn months, Cassiopeia swings above Polaris, the North Star.

Before dawn, look in the northwest.

You can find Cassiopeia the Queen in the northeast around the month of September. If you have a dark sky, look below Cassiopeia for a famous binocular object. This object is called the Double Cluster in Perseus.

Opposite the Big Dipper

Cassiopeia is opposite the Big Dipper in the northern sky.

That is, the two constellations lie on opposite sides of the pole star, Polaris.

So when Cassiopeia is high in the sky, as it is on evenings from about September through February, the Big Dipper is low in the sky. Every March, when the Dipper is ascending in the northeast, getting ready to appear prominent again in the evening sky, Cassiopeia will be descending in the northwest.

The Big Dipper and the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia the Queen circle around Polaris, the North Star, in a period of 23 hours and 56 minutes. The Dipper is circumpolar at 41 degrees north latitude and all latitudes farther north. Image via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5).

A guide to deep-sky beauties

If you have a dark sky, look below Cassiopeia in the northeast on these autumn evenings for the Double Cluster in Perseus.

These are two open star clusters, each of which consists of young stars still moving together from the primordial cloud of gas and dust that gave birth to the cluster’s stars.

These clusters are familiarly known to stargazers as H and Chi Persei.

Stargazers smile when they peer at them through their binoculars, not only because they are beautiful, but also because of their names. Their names are from two different alphabets, the Greek and the Roman. Stars have Greek letter names, but most star clusters don’t. Johann Bayer (1572-1625) gave Chi Persei its Greek letter name.

Then, it’s said, he ran out of Greek letters. That’s when he used a Roman letter – the letter H – to name the other cluster.

Charts for Cassiopeia

In the 1930s, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) – an organization of professional astronomers – decided to define boundaries and officially name 88 constellations. This is the realm of night sky they identified as Cassiopeia. Read more about the constellations. Image via IAU.

Cassiopeia as depicted by Johannes Hevelius in the 1600s. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Lore of Cassiopeia

In skylore and in Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was a beautiful and vain queen of Ethiopia. It’s said that she committed the sin of pride by boasting that both she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than Nereids, or sea nymphs. Pridefulness, in mythology, is never wise.

Since her boast angered Poseidon, god of the sea, he sent a sea monster (Cetus the Whale) to ravage the kingdom. So to pacify the monster, Cassiopeia’s daughter, Princess Andromeda, was left tied to a rock by the sea. Cetus was about to devour her when Perseus the Hero happened by on Pegasus, the Flying Horse.

Perseus rescued the princess, and all lived happily … and the gods were pleased, so all of these characters were elevated to the heavens as stars.

But – because of her vanity – Cassiopeia suffered an indignity. At some times of the night or year, this constellation has more the shape of the letter M, and you might imagine the Queen reclining on her starry throne.

At other times of year or night – as in the wee hours between midnight and dawn in February and March – Cassiopeia’s Chair dips below the celestial pole. And then this constellation appears to us on Earth more like the letter W. That’s when the Lady of the Chair, as she is sometimes called, is said to hang on for dear life. If Cassiopeia the Queen lets go, she will drop from the sky into the ocean below, where the Nereids must still be waiting.

Cassiopeia by our EarthSky Community

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | V. Liard Photography in Champagne, France, took this wonderful image on July 22, 2023. It features the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. Thank you, V. Liard! Cassiopeia is a great constellation to come to know, especially if you have a dark sky. That’s because it points to our neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Monroe, Washington, captured this view of the Milky Way across the constellation Cassiopeia on July 19, 2022. He wrote: “Hours of 2-minute exposures reveal the Milky Way’s wall of stars, galaxies, and nebulae that’s practically a ‘star map’ of who’s who in common targets. Visible targets include Messier 52 (a cluster), the Bow-tie Nebula, the Bubble Nebula, and the Wizard Nebula. There are several other planetary and diffuse nebulae and galaxies to boot.” Thank you, Jeremy!

Bottom line: Cassiopeia the Queen is an easy-to-find constellation because it has the shape of a W or M. So look for it in the north-northeast sky on September and October evenings.

Help support EarthSky! Visit the EarthSky store to see the great selection of educational tools and team gear we have to offer.

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

The post Cassiopeia ascends in September and October first appeared on EarthSky.

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Jupiter’s moon Io has a new volcano! See pics here

Here’s an image of Jupiter’s moon Io from February 2024. The black-and-white inset shows the same area from November 1997. You can see a new volcanic feature has formed in this area. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ SwRI/ MSSS/ Europlanet.

Io has a new volcano

Io, the closest large moon to Jupiter, has a hot interior thanks to the tidal forces of the giant planet on one side and large moons on the other. In fact, these forces cause fountains of lava to erupt on Io’s surface. It’s the most geologically active place in our solar system. On September 11, 2024, scientists at the Europlanet Science Congress in Berlin said they’ve spotted a new volcano on Io. The volcano is absent in previous images from the Galileo spacecraft in 1997, but it appears in Juno spacecraft imagery from February 2024.

The before image (left, from Galileo) is from November 1997. The after image (right, from Juno) shows the new volcano and is from February 2024. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ SwRI/ MSSS/ Europlanet.

An ever-changing surface

The new volcano covers an area about 110 miles by 110 miles (180 km by 180 km) wide. The scientists have superimposed an image of it over a map of Europe (see below), centered on Berlin where the conference was, for comparison. Not surprisingly, the volcano is not the only change on Io’s surface since Galileo imaged the satellite back in the 1990’s. Michael Ravine of Malin Space Science Systems, responsible for the JunoCam on the Juno spacecraft, said:

Our recent JunoCam images show many changes on Io, including this large, complicated volcanic feature that appears to have formed from nothing since 1997.

Juno has made three recent flybys of the volcanic moon in the last two years. From those flybys, the JunoCam captured some 20 closeup color images of the moon’s surface. It saw:

… a total of nine plumes associated with active volcanic features on the moon, as well as other changes, such as new lava flows and other surface deposits.

As a size comparison, here’s the new volcano over Germany, centered on the city of Berlin. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ SwRI/ MSSS/ Europlanet/ Google Maps.

More on the new volcano

The volcano – still unnamed – lies just south of Io’s equator. And the new volcano is east of another volcano named Kanehekili. On the side of the new volcano closest to Kanehekili, we can see two dark streams of lava. Each of those streams flows for about 60 miles (100 km). At the end of the streams, where the lava has pooled, you can see overlapping gray deposits. In this area, the hot lava has vaporized frozen material on Io’s surface.

On the eastern side of the volcano, we can see a red stain. The red color comes from sulfur. The volcano vents sulfur, which then falls back to the surface.

On February 3, 2024, the Juno spacecraft captured this sequence of images of Jupiter’s moon Io. It shows phases, like our moon. The lit portion of Io is due to light shining off of Jupiter and onto the moon. The 2nd image shows the new volcano. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ SwRI/ MSSS/ Europlanet.

Bottom line: Jupiter’s moon Io has a new volcano! The volcano appears in Juno spacecraft images from February 2024. Streams of lava and sulfur stains mark its flanks.

Source: Results from recent close-up imaging of Io by JunoCam (perijoves 57, 58 and 60)

Via Europlanet

Read more: Jupiter’s moon Io as you’ve never seen it

The post Jupiter’s moon Io has a new volcano! See pics here first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/1jH830v

Here’s an image of Jupiter’s moon Io from February 2024. The black-and-white inset shows the same area from November 1997. You can see a new volcanic feature has formed in this area. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ SwRI/ MSSS/ Europlanet.

Io has a new volcano

Io, the closest large moon to Jupiter, has a hot interior thanks to the tidal forces of the giant planet on one side and large moons on the other. In fact, these forces cause fountains of lava to erupt on Io’s surface. It’s the most geologically active place in our solar system. On September 11, 2024, scientists at the Europlanet Science Congress in Berlin said they’ve spotted a new volcano on Io. The volcano is absent in previous images from the Galileo spacecraft in 1997, but it appears in Juno spacecraft imagery from February 2024.

The before image (left, from Galileo) is from November 1997. The after image (right, from Juno) shows the new volcano and is from February 2024. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ SwRI/ MSSS/ Europlanet.

An ever-changing surface

The new volcano covers an area about 110 miles by 110 miles (180 km by 180 km) wide. The scientists have superimposed an image of it over a map of Europe (see below), centered on Berlin where the conference was, for comparison. Not surprisingly, the volcano is not the only change on Io’s surface since Galileo imaged the satellite back in the 1990’s. Michael Ravine of Malin Space Science Systems, responsible for the JunoCam on the Juno spacecraft, said:

Our recent JunoCam images show many changes on Io, including this large, complicated volcanic feature that appears to have formed from nothing since 1997.

Juno has made three recent flybys of the volcanic moon in the last two years. From those flybys, the JunoCam captured some 20 closeup color images of the moon’s surface. It saw:

… a total of nine plumes associated with active volcanic features on the moon, as well as other changes, such as new lava flows and other surface deposits.

As a size comparison, here’s the new volcano over Germany, centered on the city of Berlin. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ SwRI/ MSSS/ Europlanet/ Google Maps.

More on the new volcano

The volcano – still unnamed – lies just south of Io’s equator. And the new volcano is east of another volcano named Kanehekili. On the side of the new volcano closest to Kanehekili, we can see two dark streams of lava. Each of those streams flows for about 60 miles (100 km). At the end of the streams, where the lava has pooled, you can see overlapping gray deposits. In this area, the hot lava has vaporized frozen material on Io’s surface.

On the eastern side of the volcano, we can see a red stain. The red color comes from sulfur. The volcano vents sulfur, which then falls back to the surface.

On February 3, 2024, the Juno spacecraft captured this sequence of images of Jupiter’s moon Io. It shows phases, like our moon. The lit portion of Io is due to light shining off of Jupiter and onto the moon. The 2nd image shows the new volcano. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ SwRI/ MSSS/ Europlanet.

Bottom line: Jupiter’s moon Io has a new volcano! The volcano appears in Juno spacecraft images from February 2024. Streams of lava and sulfur stains mark its flanks.

Source: Results from recent close-up imaging of Io by JunoCam (perijoves 57, 58 and 60)

Via Europlanet

Read more: Jupiter’s moon Io as you’ve never seen it

The post Jupiter’s moon Io has a new volcano! See pics here first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/1jH830v