Today:
As the Big Dipper rides low in the northwest, consider the Native American tale of this bear being hunted by three hunters (the three stars of the handle). When they see him and shoot, his blood falls from the sky, turning the leaves red during the fall.
Saturday:
Late this evening, you can see Jupiter rising in the northeast at around 10:30 PM. Quite late, just before midnight, true night owls can wait to see Mars follow in Jupiter’s footsteps, as it also rises in the northeast, embedded betwixt the stars of Gemini, the Twins. The waning Gibbous Moon, much higher, will slide by these planets in a few more days.
Sunday:
The Autumnal Equinox, the first day of fall by the calendar, occurs today at 12:44 Greenwich Mean Time, or 8:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time. Sunrise tables show the length of the day about 12 hours and 10 minutes. Although the equinox is supposed to represent equal amounts of night and day, the Sun takes a few additional minutes to both rise and set, and the atmosphere “bends” the sun’s light, accounting for the extra time.