Sunrise Sunset

Fri., Sept. 25 6:31 6:34

Sat., Sept. 26 6:32 6:32

Sun., Sept. 27 6:33 6:30

Mon., Sept. 28 6:34 6:29

Tues., Sept. 29 6:35 6:27

Wed., Sept. 30 6:36 6:25

Thurs., Oct. 1 6:37 6:24

Fri., Oct. 2 6:39 6:22

Jupiter and Moon

On Tuesday night, a gibbous moon appears next to the brilliant planet Jupiter. Both are in the zodiacal constellation Capricornus. Jupiter has been appearing nightly in this part of the sky. With the moon moving through the zodiac, at least once every 28 days the two are side by side. On Tuesday evening they will appear especially close.

Another planet is nearby. The distant planet Neptune is impossible to spot without a telescope. Some experienced astronomers can pick it out amid the stars using a pair of binoculars and a planet and star chart.

Venus and Mars

We saw Venus rising in the eastern sky one morning this past week and what an impressive sight it was. We saw it at sea; riding the 6 a.m. ferryboat, the planet was a beacon in the East. It was one of those spectacular mornings, when the air was clear and dry. Dawn was colorful, velvet overhead and a crepuscular red on the horizon.

Venus is the most brilliant planet in our sky. It is so bright it looks like an airplane approaching a runway with landing lights on.

Not too far up, higher in the sky, there was another planet. Mars, a faint red, appeared high in the east. Mars resides in the zodiacal constellation Gemini and it is one of the brightest. However, the color is what makes Mars the easiest to spot. There is not another body in that area of the sky with that warm color.

M.A.L.