Sun rises at 6:11am
Sun sets at 6:02pm
Moon phase: New Moon to thinnest crescent
Moon sets at 7:13pm on Sunday
Ah the moon! Do you miss it when it’s gone? Our moon is not visible most of this weekend, hiding behind the sun as it does once a month. So the new moon is virtually invisible on Saturday and Sunday morning, but if you examine the western horizon on Sunday night after the sun has set, you might just catch a glimpse of the thinnest slice of crescent moon as it starts the new cycle. This particular new moon marks the start of the Jewish New Year and also the Muslim New Year. Look to the sky for common ground!
Depending on where you live worldwide, the upcoming new moon ushered in the second of two new moons in September, or will usher in the first of two new moons in October. The second of two new moons in one calendar month is sometimes called a Black Moon. This is a traditional almanac term, similar to Blue Moon which sounds so romantic, but actually just means the second full moon in a month. By say Tuesday, the moon will appear as slender crescent hanging gracefully in the western sky after sunset.
Ah the Milky Way! You can use the Summer Triangle and the constellation Cygnus the Swan to locate the galactic equator, or plane, of our Milky Way galaxy. Even though it’s not actually summer, the three brilliant stars that make up the Summer Triangle are still up there. You’ll find them way up high in the October evening sky.
As seen from mid-northern latitudes, the stars Deneb and Vega hang high overhead at nightfall and early evening. Vega, the brightest Summer Triangle star, shines to the west (or right) of Deneb; and Altair, the second brightest, is found roughly halfway between your southern horizon and straight overhead.
As evening deepens, look for a modestly bright star to pop out in between Altair and Vega. That’s Albireo, which depicts the Swan’s eye or beak. The line from Albireo to Deneb shows you the underside of the Swan’s body from head to tail. Three stars cross the body near Deneb to form what is known as the Northern Cross. Go one star farther out on each side of the Northern Cross to finish off the Swan’s wings.
Extend the Albireo to Deneb line in either direction to soar along the galactic equator (plane). Through binoculars, you can see that star clouds, star clusters and nebulae abound on this great galactic boulevard!
The Great Rift in the Milky Way is easy to see if you have dark skies. However, you aren’t looking for a bright object. You actually want to see the dark lanes running the length of the starlit Milky Way band.
Look south in a dark sky and you should see the Milky Way come off the southern to southwestern horizon. Notice that the Milky Way band looks milky white. The skies aren’t really black like ink between stars in the Milky Way. You will know when you see the Great Rift because it is as if someone took a marker and coloured it darker.
The Great Rift is caused by the star forming regions in that part of our galaxy. The proto-stars (or newly forming stars) are generating molecular dust that doesn’t allow light in the visual spectrum to shine through.
A few ancient cultures in Central and South America saw the dark areas of the Milky Way as “constellations,” and they had a variety of myths associated with them. They were more interested in the images of the blackness than the images made by the stars!
Meteor showers
Look for the Draconid meteor showers on October 7 – next Friday night. This is best seen in the evening hours, and the meteors tend to be quite slow moving! Look to the north, by Draco and the Dippers, and enjoy!
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.
