Articles by J. Alex Knoll

Sky Watch-Topsy-Turvy

Looking at a star map, the world really is turned upside-down

A reader asked what she was seeing from her northeast-facing window. “Would I see evening or morning stars in this direction?” And would the same be true for planets? “I did look at your column and thought I understood the paragraph about Venus, but now I'm not so sure. Help! Thanks a bunch.” Only after reading and re-reading did I realize her problem: I was flat-out wrong, falling victim to my own sky map, inverting east and west, thus greatly confusing this reader...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 6/24/10

Sky Watch-Sentinels of the Sun

The statues of Easter Island have front-row seats for solar eclipse

Early risers Friday might catch the last of the waning crescent moon low in the east in the 90 minutes before daybreak at 5:48. Ten degrees to its left, glows Aldebaran, the bright red heart of Taurus the bull. Later that same day, as darkness settles in after 8:30, Venus appears above the west horizon. The bluish light of Regulus shines about one degree to the lower left of Venus, but there is no comparison, as the so-called evening star shines more than 150 times brighter than...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 7/8/10

Sky Watch-Twilight’s Alignment

This week, the west is best

The sun this week passes a psychological yardstick, setting at 8:30 Friday and then a little less than a minute earlier each night. The sun’s exit, stage right, is the parting of the night’s curtain, revealing a stage full of luminaries. The waxing moon reveals a shadow of itself even in the glare of twilight, high in the southwest at week’s end. Thursday it shines just a few degrees below Mars and 10 degrees to the right of golden Saturn. Venus, unmistakably brilliant...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 7/15/10

Sky Watch - Standing Up to the Moon

July’s Thunder Moon deadens all but the brightest lights

The gibbous moon waxes through southern skies this week, becoming full on the 25th. July’s full moon is known as the Hay Moon or the Thunder Moon. Rising at dusk and setting at dawn, the full moon dominates the sky this week, blotting out all but the brightest planets and stars. As the sun sets in the northwest before 8:25 this week, the first light to appear is the evening star Venus, 20 degrees above the western horizon. As dusk gives way to darkness, Venus is joined by ruddy...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 7/22/10

Sky Watch - Bright Lights, all Tight

Saturn, Mars and Venus vie for position in the west at twilight

The waning moon rises after 10pm at week’s end, then crests the horizon 20-plus minutes later each night, so that by Tuesday, the last-quarter moon rises after midnight. Friday’s gibbous moon rises with glowing Jupiter only six degrees to the south, and the two remain tight through the wee hours before dawn, appearing high in the south with sunrise Saturday at 6:06. The sun sets this week around 8:15, and each day it leaves us more than a minute earlier. As the sky...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 7/29/10

Sky Watch - Heavenly Dust

Tiny particles make bright lights

The sun sets a few minutes after 8:00 this week, revealing a triumvirate of bright planets in its wake. Venus, Mars and Saturn continue their weeks-long dance above the western horizon. Over the next week, watch as Mars and Saturn jockey for position just above brilliant Venus. The three planets are their tightest on Saturday, all within five degrees of one another. As these three planets set in the west around 10pm, Jupiter rises in the east. With Venus gone and the waning...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 8/5/10

The Twitch of the Socks

With the autumnal equinox, that footwear comes to life

Labor Day has come and gone, but the celestial clock still reads summer. While our days are still longer than our nights, we have lost two hours 45 minutes of sunlight over the past three months. After this week, the hours of darkness each day will trump those of light. In the late hours Wednesday, as the earth’s equator faces the sun head-on, all across the Bay region, a strange phenomenon takes place. It begins in dust-coated drawers throughout Eastport but then spreads quickly to...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 9/16/10

Gazing into the Cat’s Eyes

There’s more to Shaula and Lesath than appears at first glance

Soon after sunset on September 10th and 11th, the nascent crescent moon joins Venus low in the west. These two are the first two lights to appear after sunset, around 7:20 Saturday, when Venus shines six degrees to the right of the moon. Sunday, the moon and Venus form a loose triangle with the dim star Zubenelgenubi in the constellation Libra. Monday, the waxing crescent moon shines just a few degrees to the west of Antares, the heart of Scorpius. A summer constellation traveling along the...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 9/9/10

Summer’s Waning Lights

Less daytime and a waning moon leave plenty to see

With summer on the wane, the sun sets around 7:30 at week’s end, shedding more than a minute of evening sunlight each night. In the morning it’s more of the same, as the sun rises at 6:37 Saturday and almost a minute later each morning. The setting sun reveals three bright objects in its wake: Venus and Mars, and the first-magnitude star Spica, all within five degrees of one another, the field of view of most binoculars. Look to the west immediately after sunset. While closest to...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 9/2/10

Chasing Civilization

One of our greatest feats follows us on four legs

When you look to the constellations, it’s like paging through history. Creatures abound in the constellations, both real and fanciful. We see kings and queens, beasts and heroes, all recounting the travails and triumphs of ancient times. Today, many are obscure and unfamiliar. But testament to perhaps the greatest triumph of civilization survives the test of time in the heavens. There is no constellation in recognition of the harnessing of fire. Nor is their a constellation commemorating...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 8/26/10