![]() ![]() Turn your eye to this large asterism and you’re actually (mostly) looking at a group of stars moving together through space. The Big Dipper - the most recognizable portion of Ursa Major the Great Bear - appears right-side up as it swings low under Polaris early this evening. And these stars, too, appear different colors, with the brighter sun shining yellow and the fainter with a whiter light. ![]() One shines at magnitude 3.5, while the other is a tad brighter than magnitude 9. This pair can be split through binoculars, as they sit just over 100" apart. If you want an easier pair to split - or a little more time to observe - then opt for Delta (δ) Boötis, which is 19.5° northeast of Arcturus, appearing directly above it in the sky as the constellation sets tonight. Once you can see them both, you’ll immediately notice the brighter, 5th-magnitude star appears white, while its dimmer, 7th-magnitude companion glows orangey-red. Xi’s two components are about 7" apart, so you’ll want to use higher powers to separate them through a telescope. We’re first after Xi (ξ) Boötis, a beautifully colored binary about 8.5° east of unmissable magnitude –0.1 Arcturus. this morning those currently on daylight time will “fall back” one hour.īecause of that change, our targets set early tonight as we chase Boötes the Herdsman, who’s sinking in the west after sunset. (Although Almaaz is now often included in this asterism, historically, only Haedus I and II were called the Kids.)ĭaylight saving time ends at 2 A.M. Together with Haedus I and Haedus II (45' due east of Haedus I), Almaaz forms a thin triangle-shaped asterism known as the Kids. ![]() But when it is eclipsed, it dips to nearly magnitude 4, closely matching the magnitude of Haedus I, a star 2.8° south of Almaaz. The last eclipse in this system ended in 2011, so Almaaz is currently at its brightest. This star is in an eclipsing binary system, which means its companion passes in front of it once every 27 years, blotting out its light for a span of 2 whole years. You’ll first see bright Capella glance to its upper right to spot Almaaz. local time, look 25° above the northeastern horizon. November’s pick is Almaaz, a 3rd-magnitude sun roughly 3.5° southwest of Auriga’s standout luminary, magnitude 0.1 Capella.īy about 9 P.M. Each month, the American Association of Variable Star Observers highlights a different variable star. local time from the same location.Ĭast your eyes toward Auriga the Charioteer a few hours after sunset tonight within this circular constellation, we’re looking for a star called Almaaz, cataloged as Epsilon (ϵ) Aurigae. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. ![]() *Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. EST, then moves west and eventually off the disk within a few hours as the large planet quickly rotates. The giant storm appears roughly in the center Jupiter around 6 P.M. If you do catch the planet early in the evening, you may also see its Great Red Spot. From then on out, Io appears closest to Jupiter, with Europa tracking east. EDT, Europa is less than 10" due north of Io. The configuration of the last two will depend on when you look, as Io starts the night farther east than Europa, but Europa then passes north of Io over the next few hours. If you turn a telescope on the giant planet, you may also be able to pick out its four Galilean moons: Ganymede sits to the west, while Callisto (farthest out), Europa, and Io are to the east. How soon after darkness begins to fall can you pick out magnitude –2.8 Jupiter, now 3° to our satellite’s upper left (northwest)? The task should be easy by an hour after sunset the two are nearly 30° high and despite the gibbous Moon, Jupiter’s bright light should be visible to the naked eye. The Moon is already visible at sunset, hanging low in the east. Let’s catch the latter pairing this evening. EDT, the Moon slips 2° south of Jupiter at 4 P.M. After passing 3° south of Neptune at 4 A.M. ![]()
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