Stargazing This Week
The Waning Night Skies
It’s that time of year. We’re slowly losing our night sky to the summer sun. Evening stargazing begins around 8:30pm. As the week wears on, the moon will rise later each evening. Get out after sunset Sunday to enjoy some of the darkest skies of the week. The moon won’t rise until well after 9:30pm. At least, it will be dark unless the Northern Lights fire up again.
If you’re an early riser, be out the door before 5am to catch the morning stars. Bring your camera and catch the sunrise as the soft morning light on our Valley’s walls make it more than worth it. Viewing in town is great away from the streetlights. For the best viewing near town, find a wide open space, perhaps near Big Valley or the Sun Mountain Lodge.
Early Evening Bright Stars
On Monday the waxing gibbous moon will hover just below Leo’s face, making the constellation easy to find. Look for the bright star Regulus just below the moon.
Including Regulus, the early spring skies are full of bright stars! Find the brightest of them all, Sirius, as its con- stellation, Canis Major, sets across the southwest horizon.
From Sirius, look just right (west) to find Orion, with Betelgeuse for his left shoulder and Rigel for a right knee. Keep looking right to find the eye of Taurus - the giant star Aldebaran, and then of course the Pleiades star cluster.
The Eastern sky hosts the ancient constellation Boötes /boh-OH-teez/, with its own bright star Arcturus. You can find it just below the handle of the Big Dipper.
The planet Mercury makes a surprise appearance on the Western Horizon just after sunset. To see the other planets this week, you’ll have to wake up early!
Early Morning Planets
Early in the week, Venus, Mars and Saturn will all cluster around the Eastern horizon.
The planets will be tough to see from the east side of the Valley floor. A sunrise hike with binoculars will be well rewarded with a chance to also catch Jupiter who rises just before the sun rises.
As the week wears on, the planets will rise earlier, making them easier to see. Mars and Venus will also drift slowly towards Jupiter, fanning out completely by Sunday morning.
While you’re up, make sure to look South. The pincers of Scorpius will just peak over the horizon this week, showing off its own bright star Antares.
Antares will be faint competing with both the sunrise and the nearby setting moon. As the week ends, the moon passes through the constellation Virgo who will also be setting in the Western sky.
Stargazing notes brought to you each week by the the Methow’s own Pasayten Institute, an organization on a mission to build and share physics knowledge, without barriers. Star charts generated on stellarium, an open access program. Try them out at stellarium-web.org.
