Saturday, October 07, 2023

Today: Over the next few mornings, the pre-dawn skies host a conjunction of Leo, the Lion’s brightest star, Regulus, one third of the way up in the east-southeast by 6 o’clock, joined by the far-brighter Venus to its lower right. A waning Crescent Moon...

Friday, October 06, 2023

Today: Just as the clock strikes midnight, a Last Quarter Moon arrives in the northeast, just to the right of a pair of stars, known as the Twins of Gemini. Although the arrangement varies from month to month, the Moon makes it a monthly habit to visit the Twins, part...

Thursday, October 05, 2023

Today: October offers our best view of a bright but rarely noticed star in the south. Look low in the south-southeast near 8:00 PM for a rather bright star, known to astronomers as Fomalhaut, reaching due south near 10:50 PM. The name originates from Arabic for the...

Wednesday, October 04, 2023

Today: Arcturus, the brightest star in the evening skies, still close to due west, one quarter of the way up as twilight ends, setting earlier each evening, and heads below the west-northwest horizon at 9:30 PM EDT. Arcturus owes its brilliance to its relatively close...

Tuesday, October 03, 2023

Today: Directly overhead this evening at 8:40 PM is Deneb, the tail of the Swan, or the top of the Northern Cross. Although Deneb appears as the faintest star of the Summer Triangle, it is by far the most powerful. While Vega shines 40 times brighter than our Sun, and...

Monday, October 02, 2023

Today: Autumn has not discouraged the Summer Triangle, just given us a different view. Seen crossing overhead near midnight in the summer, it now appears overhead in the evening. Look for the faintest of the three stars, Deneb, close to the zenith this evening, while...