Tag: visual magnitude

A Diminishing Moon, the Green Comet Passes Yellow Capella and Red Mars, Mulling Over Magnitudes, and Pondering Dippers!

This image by Michael Watson from September, 2017 shows the sliver of shadow that appears along its right-hand (eastern) limbs just hours after it is officially full. Hello, February Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of February 5th, 2023 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and…
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The Waxing Crescent Moon Craves Attention, Mars at Maximum Size, and Holiday Season Evening Bright Lights!

This terrific image of Mars was taken by Andrea Girones of Ottawa on November 23, 2022 at 11:35 pm EST. The large bright area at upper left is named Aeria. the dark region below that is Sinus Sabaeus, and the dark feature to the right is Mare Acidalum. Dark features on Mars tend to be…
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Wednesday’s Raspberry Supermoon Won’t Belittle the Brightest Lights of July, But it Will Cramp the Comet Near Messier 10!

User Eberhard Stickel requested this north-up image of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) through the luminance filter of the robotic Burke-Gaffney Observatory at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, NS. The dust tail extending upwards reveals the comet’s trajectory downwards. The sun is toward upper right. The double star below the comet is Struve 2122 in central…
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Tips for Telescope-buying, Jupiter Sports Great Spots, Mars in Morning, and Night’s Brightest Lights!

On Tuesday evening November, 23, observers in the Americas with telescopes can view a rare treat when the shadows of Ganymede and Callisto traverse Jupiter, accompanied by the Great Red Spot, as shown here for 8 pm EST Hello, late-November Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of November 21st, 2021 by Chris…
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The Aging Moon’s Morning Tour of Bright Planets Let’s Us Enjoy June’s Brightest Lights and Boötes’ Bounty!

Messier 101 also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy and NGC 5457 is a large, face-on spiral galaxy in Ursa Major near the Big Dipper’s handle tip star, Alkaid. This Sloan digital Sky Survey image spans about 25 arc-minutes top to bottom – or about the diameter of the full moon. In June the galaxy is…
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The Bright Harvest Moon wades through Water Constellations, then Mambos with Mars, Venus Kisses Regulus, and Bright Baubles for Your Bubble!

This spectacular photograph of the pre-dawn zodiacal light was captured on September 25, 2020 at 5:37 am by Malcolm Park of Prince Edward County, Ontario. The bright point at centre is the planet Venus. The knot of stars above Venus is Messier 44, also known as the Beehive Cluster, in Cancer. Malcolm’s gallery of beautiful…
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