Today:
As has been shown in the past two nights’ entries, a look to the west-southwest at 9 PM reveals a whole host of bright objects, including the Moon, Jupiter, and 7 of the 12 brightest stars that shine within the northern celestial hemisphere. Turning around and facing east-northeast shows a much sparser picture, with the only representative of the top 12 brightest stars being Arcturus, low in the east.
Friday:
Like Arcturus rising in the east, another lonely denizen of its sector of the sky is Polaris, the North Star. It appears prominent in the north because of its isolattion from any bright neighbors, but is only the 33rd brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. At a distance of 432 light years from Earth, Polaris isn’t actually a single star, but a system comprised of three star that appear as one to the naked eye.
Saturday:
High in the south this evening are two “twin” stars, the Twins of Gemini. The stars of Gemini are the location where the planet Uranus was discovered in March of 1781 by Sir William Herschel. Uranus was last in Gemini between 1950 and 1956. Its 84 year orbit will bring it back here in 2034.