Sun rises at 5:42am
Sun sets at 6:35pm
Moon phase: 2nd quarter moon, gibbous waxing
Moon rises at 4:09pm
Moon sets at 3:35am
This weekend, use the Moon to see a grand procession of celestial bodies – the Moon, Jupiter and Spica. The Moon swings past these two bright lights across the weekend’s nights. You really can’t miss this one! Just look east and watch for the moon and the dazzling planet Jupiter to pop out almost immediately after sunset. Then as dusk ebbs into nightfall, look for the bright star Spica (in Virgo) below Jupiter.
Tonight’s grand celestial procession – the moon, Jupiter and Spica – will travel westward across the nighttime sky for the same reason that the sun goes westward during the day. It’s because the Earth spins from west-to-east on its rotational axis, causing the sun, moon, stars and planets to rise in the east, set in the west, and to go westward across our sky each day.
If you take the time to observe, you’ll see that the moon travels eastward about ½ degree (which is about the moon’s diameter) against the backdrop of the stars. So in one day, the moon travels roughly 13o in front of the starry constellations. In fact, if you note the moon’s position at the same time each day, you’ll see that it actually moves eastward (that is, towards the direction of sunrise) relative to the celestial sphere.
The moon’s daily change of position is due to the moon’s orbital motion around Earth. Watch for yourself as the moon swings by Jupiter and then Spica over the next few days.
After sunset enjoy two bright stars in the sw sky: Sirius and Canopus. These two stars are beacons of the south, used for navigation, farming schedules and story-telling. These are the two brightest true stars in the entire night sky. Sirius is the ‘Dog Star’ being the dominant star of Canis Major (the big dog) and Canopus is in the constellation Carina (the ship’s keel). Canopus has many nicknames, such as the ‘Old Man of the South Pole,’ and ‘Stands Alone.’
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.
