Basic astronomy and night sky information
Articles about how to understand, find and see solar system objects including planets, the Moon, the Sun, asteroids, meteors, and comets with binoculars, telescopes, and the naked eye.
A quick DSLR image of the Moon about to pass in front of Venus. This snapshot taken on a warm December afternoon from Chevy Chase, MD. Venus was easily visible in the daytime sky. As the Moon moves eastward by about 1/2 degree per hour, Venus will re-emerge about a hour later. You can indeed enjoy astronomy by daylight!
Here’s a crude video of the beginning of the occultation:
Alan Dyer captured this image of Comet Catalina this morning from Arizona. His verdict on the comet is: “Meh.” It’s still a binocular comet, if that. Let’s hope it brightens over the next week or two. Will there EVER be another great comet for northern-hemisphere observers? It’s been nearly 19 years since Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake graced the northern skies!
Here’s a first look at Capturing Comet Catalina in the Arizona desert. https://t.co/8jPxRDZDcU pic.twitter.com/5Ut6tfarc5
— Alan Dyer (@amazingskyguy) December 6, 2015
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An image of the Earth-Moon system from the Japanese Hayabusa 2 probe taken on Nov. 26, 2015. The craft, which is on the way to rendezvous with asteroid Ryugu, passed by Earth on December 3, 2015 on its outbound flight. It will probe the asteroid in late 2018, then return a sample of the asteroid to Earth in 2020.
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If the nights are growing too chilly for you to go stargazing, then take heart. You can do a little daytime astronomy this week when the waning crescent Moon passes in front of the planet Venus on December 7, 2015. The occultation will occur in daylight skies and can easily be enjoyed with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. The event is visible in all of North and Central America. In the rest of the world, the Moon will not pass in front of Venus, but it will lie very close to the planet and guide your eye so you can see Venus in broad daylight. [Read more…] about Daytime Occultation of Venus by the Moon
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A Christmas comet is on the way to our skies. Comet Catalina (C/2013 US 10), which has been slowly brightening in the southern-hemisphere skies all year, has crossed the celestial equator moving north. It will finally become visible to northern-hemisphere observers in the pre-dawn sky from this week through late January, and will remain visible to southern-hemisphere observers until late December. Grab your binoculars and get ready to see this end-of-year visitor from the most distant reaches of the solar system [Read more…] about Comet Catalina Arrives in the Dawn Sky
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