Date: 22 Sep 2006 16:38:48
From: Lowtuc Zowtuc
Subject: stargazing tips.sept 22?11:03CDTAutumn Arrives tonight(NA)
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September 22, 2006
Autumn arrives in the northern hemisphere tonight, as the Sun crosses
the equator on its journey southward. Autumn officially begins at 11:03
p.m. CDT, which is the moment of the September equinox.
September 23, 2006
One of the oddest constellations climbs across the south this evening,
and it's not hard to pick out. It's Capricornus, the sea-goat, and it's
well up in the southeast at nightfall. Its stars form a wide triangle
that looks like the bottom half of a bikini bathing suit.
September 24, 2006
Capricornus is in the southeast at nightfall, and looks like a wide
triangle. The modest star at its western point is Beta Capricorni.
Binoculars reveal two stars, not one. But the system really consists of
at least five stars, and perhaps as many as eight or more.
September 25, 2006
The crescent Moon swings past the bright planet Jupiter the next couple
of evenings. They are low in the southwest at sunset. This evening, look
for Jupiter just above the Moon. It looks like a brilliant star.
September 26, 2006
The Moon and two companions team up in the southwest early this evening.
The brighter companion, the planet Jupiter, is to the upper right of the
Moon. The other one is the true star Antares, in Scorpius. It is a
little farther to the left or upper left of the Moon.
September 27, 2006
Antares, the leading light of Scorpius, the scorpion, appears to the
upper left of the Moon as they descend the southwestern sky this
evening. Antares is a red supergiant, so it is much larger than the Sun.
If it replaced the Sun, it would extend out to the orbit of Mars.
September 28, 2006
The star Antares glimmers well to the right of the Moon as twilight
fades this evening. The star represents the "heart" of Scorpius. The
scorpion's head is to the upper right of Antares, with its body and tail
curling to the lower left.
Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of
time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally,
for Alaska and Hawaii).
Copyright 1995-2006 The University of Texas McDonald Observatory
http://stardate.org/
half way there?.
K.I.S.S. Bite me.
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