Sun sets at 6:49pm
Sun rises at 5:47am
Moon phase: 1st quarter, waxing
Moon sets Saturday at 11:40pm
Moon rises Sunday at 12:05pm
Evening
Looking to the western sky after the sun goes down is something surely every human enjoys. Watching the sky shift slowly from blue to gold with streaks of orange and pink, and then slowly descend into the darkened sky of night is calming, inspiring, and a daily reminder that life is a blessing. We say the sun is setting, but of course it’s the earth’s turning that causes this glorious effect. Once the sky is fully dark, the stars start to wink into view, one by one, they shine through. When I was a child, we would make a wish on the first star each night, do children still do that?
This weekend, the darkening sky will offer quite a lot of stars, planets and a crescent moon on which to make your wishes. Look west after sunset to see Jupiter and the moon hanging like lanterns among the stars of the constellation Virgo.
To the northwest, the Big Dipper is scooping up bowlfuls of sky, very low and close to the horizon, and the Little Dipper hangs above it, inverted and spilling out, a bit farther north.
Look to the southwest to admire the planet Saturn and the constellation of Scorpius. The juxtaposition of Saturn and the constellation of Sagittarius haven’t changed much since last weekend; if the sky is dark enough the Milky Way Galaxy is still separating them.
’Round Midnight
Look to the northeast to find Cassiopeia, the constellation that looks like a sideways “W” rising up. She’s an easy one to spot. Just to the right of Cassiopeia is the Great Square of Pegasus, and looking farther right, to the southeast is Aquarius the Water Bearer.
Early Morning
About 3:30am, the eastern horizon is dominated by our old friend Orion. Yes, the hunter with his three-star belt is back after taking time away for the Spring Recess. He was hiding behind the sun for those few months and we couldn’t see him, but now he is coming out from his hiding spot. We tend to think of Orion as a “Winter Constellation” because he is up high in the sky during normal night-time hours during the winter months, but he shines in the east prior to sunrise at this time of year.
The morning star, Venus, is currently a breath-taking beacon in the pre-dawn sky. Venus was considered the goddess of love by the Romans in ancient times, and she still shares such warm emotions in our modern era.
Solar Eclipse
Mark those calendars – the total solar eclipse is only three weeks away. August 21, 2017, a Monday afternoon worthy of your attention! Our location in SXM is set to have a partial solar eclipse, with 84% coverage of the sun by the moon. It will begin at 2:18pm and last until 4:49pm. You must wear protection for your eyes to look at it, so get ready now and order some paper glasses from your favourite online retailer. They are very cheap!
Thank you for keeping up with the Night Sky articles. If you are out later on in the week, each star rises about four minutes earlier each day than written here, and the moon rises 50 minutes later. Night Sky is researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett. Earthsky.org is a key resource for information and images. Questions or comments? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
