Regulars (Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll)

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 7/12/12

Enveloped in the Milky Way

There’s a lot to see in our galaxy

Venus is at its brightest in the east before dawn this week, reaching its greatest illuminated extent on the 12th, when it occupies the greatest chunk of celestial real estate as viewed from Earth. After that, the planet pulls away from us, dimming a bit but by no means losing its clear title as the brightest object in the sky other than sun and moon. As a comparison, the next-brightest object, Jupiter, is just a few degrees above Venus. The waning crescent moon joins the picture...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 7/5/12

A Shout Out to the Heavenly Hero

Looking for ET with Hercules

Given the scorching temperatures of late, you might be surprised to know that earth is at its farthest point from the sun this time of year, called, aphelion. On July 4, Earth reached the apex of its elliptical orbit around the sun at 94,505,851 miles. That’s about three million miles farther than at perihelion, earth’s closest point to the sun. That may seem like a significant distance, it’s little more than three percent, not enough to account for earth...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 6/28/12

Finding the Buzz in Cancer

See if you can beat Galileo’s 40

As the sun sets this week, its latest of the year at 8:35, Saturn and Mars appear in the darkening skies, Mars high in the southwest and Saturn trailing 25 degrees at due south. Mars sets at midnight, with Saturn following 90 minutes later. Our neighbor isn’t called the red planet for nothing: its orange hue is quite distinct and a real contrast to golden Saturn, although both shine at around first magnitude and are as bright as any star. See if you...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 6/21/12

Cool Lights on Summer Nights

You’ll have to rise early and stay up late to see all five naked-eye planets

The nascent crescent moon emerges from the glow of sunset low in the west-northwest Thursday evening. Above the moon is Mercury with the Gemini twins Pollux and Castor higher still. Sunset Friday finds the waxing crescent a little higher in the west with Mercury, Pollux, and Castor farther to its right. Mercury outshines all but the brightest stars and even Mars and Saturn. Even so, Mercury is the least familiar of the naked-eye planets, as it is so close to the sun it never...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 6/14/12

Matters of Darkness and Light

Look for the moon’s shadowy face on these shortest nights

The waning crescent moon heralds the coming sun in pre-dawn eastern skies through week’s end. So close to the sun’s glow, there’s more to this moon than meets the eye. While the crescent appears clearly aglow, the supposedly missing face appears as a dark notch. This is a result of earthshine, sunlight reflected off our planet that casts a shadowy glow over the rest of the moon’s visible face. This is not to be confused with seeing the dark side of the moon, which is...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 6/7/12

Filling the Night’s Void

The season’s brightest star shines overhead

Look for Mars high above the southwest horizon at the feet of Leo the lion, with blue-white Regulus well to the west. Saturn is high in the south, with equally bright Spica five degrees below. Mars and Saturn both shine at first magnitude, as bright as a typical star, but Mars fades noticeably over the month. Right now they are more than 30 degrees apart, but through summer they draw closer together until Mars passes the ringed planet in mid-August. Mercury is just now...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 5/31/12

Will You See Venus’ Transit?

You won’t have another chance

This is the final countdown to one of the rarest sights in the heavens, a transit of Venus. Venus crosses the face of the sun in eight-year pairings, each cycle separated by 115 years. The last transit of Venus was in 2004. The next is Tuesday, June 5. After that, there won’t be another until December of 2117! Clear skies are a must if we’re to see this, but so is eye protection, as looking at the sun for even a moment can lead to permanent eye damage, even...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 5/24/12

The Buzz in the Night Sky

How many stars can you find in the Beehive Cluster?

Thursday the crescent moon appears high in the south at sunset, forming a line with the Gemini twins Pollux and Castor above. The three are still aligned Friday, but this time the moon is much farther below the two planets — closer actually to Cancer, the dimmest of the zodiac’s 13 constellations. The crab appears as an upside-down Y, its extended pinchers the letter’s arms. Friday’s moon is 10 degrees to the east of the point where the claws meet the...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 5/17/12

Three Planets in the Night

Watch as Venus sinks toward the horizon in the coming weeks

The moon wanes before reaching new phase on the 20th, when its visage is bleached out by the glare of the sun. The moon is still there, right in front of our eyes — and right in front of the sun. For people on the west coast and beyond, this is a special new moon, as it crosses directly in front of the Sun, causing an annular solar eclipse. Alas, here on the east coast, the sun will have set before this happens, so we’ll miss out. Just two weeks later,...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 5/10/12

Caught by the Bull’s Horn

El Nath can’t hold Venus’ descent

Sunset reveals Venus ablaze high in the west, shining as bright as she gets at magnitude –4.7. And while the light of a planet is usually steady, but as the Evening Star nears the horizon, she begins to shimmer and dance as her light is refracted by Earth’s atmosphere. The planet is so dazzling that at first glance you could easily mistake her for a passing jetliner or even a UFO. Venus is in fact the Number 1 culprit behind reported sightings. Like a fall from...