Today:
Daylight Saving Time begins today, as we move the clocks ahead one hour, making the sunrise and sunset an hour later. There is actually a connection to astronomy, as time used to be “local”, based on the Sun at noon. That changed in the 1800s, when trains needed a “standard” time system.
Monday:
Looking one third of the way above the west-northwest horizon near 8:00 PM EDT, a vertical string of three moderately bright stars marks the constellation Andromeda. From the middle star, look for two fainter stars to its right, and then a smudge of light. This is the Andromeda Galaxy, our nearest neighboring galaxy, 2.5 million light years away.
Tuesday:
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.