EarthSky joins the numerous followers of beloved UK astronomer Guy Ottewell in wishing him a speedy restoration from a latest coronary heart surgical procedure. We have been thrilled to see this submit at Man’s blog on September 13, 2023. Reprinted right here with permission. Edits by EarthSky. Stay lengthy and prosper, Man!
Discovering patterns in stars
It’s human nature to see patterns in issues, and undoubtedly among the many stars. Are you able to discover a cosmic smile, an east-west line of at the least 4 stars, the tip ones tilted to the north? EarthSky’s John Jardine Goss discovered this one: A smiling cyclops asterism. When you discover one, hyperlink to it within the feedback beneath.
The western night sky this week
The highest chart exhibits the present night sky. Not a lot is occurring to the left (east) of the sun. Mars is on the horizon however is faint proper now and misplaced within the night twilight. Ceres, largest of the dwarf planets, is way beneath the visibility wanted for the unaided eye. Arrows via the solar system objects and the sun present how they transfer, in relation to the starry background, over 5 days. The moon is beneath the horizon, and it’s proven on 5 completely different dates. You possibly can see the way it will later emerge within the night twilight as a slender crescent.
Most different options proven are both summary – such because the celestial equator, and the antapex of Earth’s movement or the wrong way we’re flying – or too low to see within the vibrant twilight. However the broad arrow exhibiting how far the sky rotates in a single hour suggests the way it will darken because the sun goes decrease, and the celebrities pop in to view.
The view from the Southern Hemisphere
Let’s see how completely different it’s in case you are in Australia or New Zealand:
The traces within the sky – the celestial equator and the ecliptic – minimize the night horizon at a special angle, since you are on a southerly a part of the globe. They lean over to the correct as an alternative of the left. And Mars, being on part of the ecliptic south of the equator, has been swung by this transformation of angle to a place 10 degrees vertically above the western level on the horizon. Additionally, Ceres is increased within the sky.
Backside line: Man Ottewell explores and explains the completely different view of the present objects close to the western horizon from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Read more from Guy Ottewell: Is there a smile across the sky?
The web model of Man Ottewell’s 2024 Astronomical Calendar is already out there; the printed model shall be out there in a couple of days.
