Sun rises at 6:10am.
Sun sets at 6:24pm.
Moon phase: Third quarter gibbous, waning.
Moon rises at 9:57pm.
Moon sets at 8:08am.
Early evening
Just after sunset, the northern sky offers a great view of the constellation of Ursa Minor or the Little Dipper with the North Star, Polaris, marking the tip of the handle. Ursa Minor means Little Bear which isthe name given by Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century.
Watching this constellation throughout the night is almost like watching the hour hand on a clock rotate around, albeit in the opposite direction. The two bright stars at the outer edge of the little dipper are Kochab and Pherkad, and they are sometimes called the Guardians of the Celestial Pole because they circle tightly around the North Star.
Looking north, take note of the sideways “W” just left of the North Star, that’s Cassiopeia the queen on her throne. And then to the right of the North Star you should see the Big Dipper or Ursa Major (Mama Bear).
Turn around and face south to see the two brightest stars in the sky: Sirius, high above, and Canopus, closer to the horizon. Another very bright star, Rigel, is just to the right of Sirius. Rigel is of course the foot of Orion the Hunter which dominates the vault of the heavens this time of year.
Late night
Canopus and Rigel both set around 10:30pm while Sirius sets about midnight. Orion dips below the horizon about that same time, followed by Gemini around 1:30am.
Our friend Comet 252P/LINEAR, which we learned about last week, is visiting the constellation of Scorpio this weekend. Scorpio will rise above the southeastern horizon about 1:00am. Each subsequent night, the comet will be found higher in the sky, passing just to the left of the triangle formed by Mars, Saturn, and the star Antares. Search this portion of the sky with binoculars or a scope, looking for a smudge-y looking “star” with a tail. By early April, the comet will move through the constellation Ophiuchus, which stands a bit to the left and above Scorpio. By this time, it will be on its way back into the outer reaches of the solar system. It won’t return to the inner solar system until 2021.
Early morning
About 3:30 to 4:30 in the morning is a fine time to focus on Jupiter as she sets in the western sky. Break out a telescope or a good pair of binoculars and find a dark viewing area away from any street or house lights. Jupiter is easy to find: just gaze at the only bright star in the western sky at this time of night.
On Saturday night, you can get a great view of Jupiter’s atmospheric patterns which appear like broad reddish, tan and white stripes. You’ll also see some of Jupiter’s larger moons, starting at the top left: Callisto and Io, then on the other side of Jupiter, you’ll see Ganymede and Europa snuggled up close together.
It’s fun to compare how these moons revolve around the gas giant from night to night. By Sunday night, the moons will have already shifted in their paths around Jupiter. Io is positioned on the right side of Jupiter and Ganymede and Europa are still side by side, but now on the left of the planet. Callisto is slower moving (from our vantage point) so has not changed its position relative to Jupiter.
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.
Researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett
