Regulars (Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll)

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 5/3/12

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane!

No, It’s Super Moon

Saturday’s full moon is commonly called the Flower Moon the Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon. But you can call it Super Moon. Not only does this full moon coincide with perigee — its nearest monthly approach to earth — but this is the closest perigee of the year. As a result, the full moon will appear almost 10 percent bigger and brighter than normal. Thursday’s near-full moon leads Saturn and Spica by only a few degrees, appearing in the...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 4/26/12

Sharing the Night Sky

Every night is Astronomy Day

Join the party Saturday, April 28, as people around the globe take aim at the heavens for Astronomy Day. This annual event was begun in 1973 by California astronomer Doug Berger, who organized a drive to set up telescopes along city sidewalks and other public spaces so that ordinary people could better appreciate the night sky. With four of the five naked-eye planets visible along with the near-first-quarter moon, the evening shouldn’t disappoint. Even before sunset,...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 4/19/12

A Shower of Stellar Debris

The new moon bodes well for this year’s Lyrid meteor shower

The new moon in the nether hours between Friday and Saturday leaves this weekend’s night skies clear for the annual Lyrid meteor shower, which peaks Saturday-Sunday. While the Lyrids seldom storm like the Perseids and the Geminids, they are reliable stalwarts, with recorded sightings dating back in China more than 2,500 years. The Lyrids, producing long glowing trails that can last several seconds, range between 10 to 20 meteors an hour. Every so often, however, they...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 4/12/12

Join the Globe at Night Count

How many stars can you spot with the lion’s perch?

This next week marks the last of this year’s Globe At Night citizen-science sessions, where ordinary folks like you and me lend an eye observing the night sky. This month’s target is the constellation Leo. Armed with a star chart downloaded from the group’s website, backyard astronomers count how many stars they can spot. You can submit results — from one or more locations — thru the 20th. Collectively, the data mined from the Globe At Night...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 4/5/12

Following the Full Moon

While its glow overwhelms some objects, it points to others

Friday’s full moon is commonly called the Grass Moon and the Egg Moon. As the first full moon following vernal equinox, this is also the Paschal Moon, used to pinpoint the dates of Passover and Easter. The moon appears full through the weekend, shining pretty much from dusk till dawn. Blue-white Spica twinkles a few degrees away, while golden Saturn is a little farther still. Saturn is at its best this month, revealing its rings to even a modest telescope. Spica is the...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 3/15/12

All Things Being Equal

Perched above the equator, the sun splits the day between light and dark

As darkness settles, Venus and Jupiter blaze in the west, and with the moon absent there is no brighter objects visible. After drawing together for weeks, Venus has pulled ahead. At week’s end they are four degrees apart, and the distance grows by about a half-degree each night. Both planets are climbing higher into view, heading from Aries toward Taurus and the Pleiades star cluster. Opposite Venus and Jupiter, Mars burns a fiery orange above the east horizon. By...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 3/8/12

The Night’s Brightest Lights

Venus and Jupiter are at their best, and the moon isn’t too shabby, either

As the sun dips toward the horizon, Venus and Jupiter appear high in the west. Venus, the brighter of the two, shines roughly five degrees below Jupiter at week’s end, but that gap is closing fast. They reach their nearest on Tuesday, shining side by side a mere three degrees apart. Visible for almost four hours after sunset, this is the best conjunction of Venus and Jupiter for years to come. After Tuesday, Venus pulls above Jupiter, appearing a little higher each night. Even so, the two...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 3/1/12

Catching Up with the Neighbors

Our sister planets are at peak display this week

This is a week for watching the planets. Mercury is emerging from the glow of twilight in its best appearance of the year. Higher above, Venus and Jupiter are drawing together on their way to an incredible conjunction. Mars reaches opposition and is at its largest and brightest for the year. Saturn’s there, too, a golden sentinel visible from 10pm until dawn. As darkness settles, look to the west in the sun’s wake for the solar system’s innermost planet. At...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 2/23/12

Catch the Naked-Eye Five

How many planets can you spot?

The waxing crescent moon and Mercury appear low in the west-southwest after sunset Thursday. While the moon is easy to spot, Mercury is 10 degrees lower, buried amid twilight’s glow. Your chance to catch the innermost planet hinges between its own setting, around 6:45, and the sun’s glare, which doesn’t give way to full darkness until 7pm. Scanning the horizon with a pair of binoculars will help. And while the waxing moon moves on, Mercury gets easier to see the next few weeks...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 2/16/12

Shine a Light on Light Pollution

Citizen scientists add to the night sky’s picture

The waning crescent moon rises a few hours before dawn at week’s end, edging closer to the sun before reaching a new phase Tuesday. This week’s dark winter skies coincide with the Great Worldwide Star Count, going on this month through February 21. Sponsored by the GLOBE at Night Foundation, the goal is to enlist 15,000 “citizen scientists” to report their sightings from three constellations, Orion, Leo and Crux. Additional counts go on March 13-22 and April 11-20....