Today:
Some daytime astronomy today features a partial solar eclipse. While nothing as dramatic as the Total Eclipse of April, 2024, if you have a pair of eclipse glasses from that event, you can watch the Moon “take a bite” out of the Sun starting at 12:54 PM, reaching its maximum near 28 percent at 1:49 PM, finishing a little less than an hour later.
Thursday:
Receiving minimal competition from the slightest of a Crescent Moon, the Scorpion emerges from the twilight around 8:45 PM, near its best viewing position of the year, with its tail curving down and left to the southern horizon, then curling back up to the stinger on the very end of its tail. Just right of due south, the star on the very end of the tail is Shaula, coming from the Arabic meaning “raised tail”.
Friday:
The dark, moonless evenings feature the brightest section of the Milky Way in south-southwest near 10:00 PM. We are viewing into the heart of our galaxy, where the density of stars is estimated to be up to one million times more dense than our skies, 25 thousand light years from the center.