We saw some beautiful clear nights over the weekend and I was able to catch my first glance at Comet Lulin which was pretty amazing! If you want more information look at my last blog and I have all the details in there. You need at least a pair of binoculars to view the comet!
On Wednesday this week you will see a bright star that is very close to the Moon, and this star actually paints a very good picture as to what will eventually be the fate of our own sun. Aldebaran, which I have spoke about before, is the orange eye of Taurus the bull. Sitting brightly in this constellation it is actually nearing the end of its life, so looking at it in a telescope you can tell that it is puffed up like a balloon or swollen eye. Our Sun will experience the same fate as Aldebaran (not any time soon though so don’t be too worried about it). Our Sun will eventually follow that road in several billion years, but it is so interesting to see it unfold in this star.
An interesting constellation in the night sky (which happens to be the largest of the 88 constellations) is Hydra, the sea serpent. It stretches a quarter of the way around the sky! The head of the sea serpent rises when the sky is dark, which will be to the lower right of the Moon this week. However it’s going to be a long wait to see Hydra in its entirety as it takes about six hours for the entire body of the snake to be in full view! This leaves the tail of the serpent to rise about midnight! It’s a beautiful constellation to see though!
Monday night the Moon will go through an eclipse that will be hardly noticeable, but still notable in the night sky. You will have to pay very special close attention as the Moon moves through the very faint outer portion of the Earth’s shadow. This would make it a lunar eclipse which will partially be seen in the
Wednesday night we can also see Titan, Saturn’s largest moon with a small telescope! This night Titan will be about four ring lengths to Saturn’s east. If you have a 6 inch telescope or bigger you can observe the orange color of its smoggy atmosphere, it will give LA a run for its money! Again make sure that you get away from any light pollution for better gazing!
As we move into this weekend the Moon will play a little dance through the middle of the constellation Gemini. On Friday night look for the stars Pollux and Castor to be located to the Moon’s left. As the moon continues to wax in full, it will move through Gemini which will also help you learn where one more constellation is located in the sky since the moon is easy to find! Make sure you look to the east to locate it, and very high in the sky! Another bright star you might notice nearby to the right is Procyon. It is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor and the seventh brightest in the night sky. It is also one of the three stars that form the Winter Triangle, along with Sirius and Betelgeuse.
