Tag: Vesta

The Terminator Returns, Peering at Pre-dawn Solar Neighbours, Peeking at Polaris, and Saving Daylight!

The southeastern sky, shown here at 6 am local time at the latitude of Toronto, hosts the bright planets Venus and Mars, with Saturn to the east (lower left). Before the sky brightens too much, observers can try to spot fainter main belt asteroid Vesta near Venus and Mars. Hello, March Stargazers! Here are your…
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A Peek at Polaris, the Waxing Moon and Dim Mars Duo in Evening, and the Equinox Arrives with a Lunar X!

This image of the waxing crescent moon was taken by Michael Watson of Toronto on March 2, 2014. It nicely shows the Earthshine phenomenon, and the way the position of the lit crescent on the young moon at this time of year resembles the Cheshire Cat’s smile. Michael’s gallery of images are hosted on his…
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The Evening Moon Wades through the Water Constellations and Blue Planets, Taurus’ Horns Strikes Sparks, and Vesta is Visually Easier!

While we’re used to looking for the Lunar X that appears every few months near the first quarter phase, a group of Japanese astronomers decided to add a little LOVE to the half-illuminated moon. This image by Masaru Takeo and Junichi Watanabe was NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for November 3, 2018. See if…
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