The Big Dipper is above the North Star, with its handle pointing up. From that handle, you can ‘arc to Arcturus’ and then ‘speed on to Spica’; those stars are in the south at dusk. Arcturus is the fourth brightest star in the night sky, but the brightest one we see from Houston […]
April is the last month to see the full set of brilliant winter stars which now fill the western evening sky. Dazzling Orion is in the southwest at dusk. His three-starred belt is halfway between reddish Betelgeuse and bluish Rigel. Orion’s belt points rightward to Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull. To Orion’s upper […]
Jupiter is almost due south at dawn; it outshines all the stars we ever see at night. Mars is in the south-southeast at dawn. It brightens a little each morning as moves away from Jupiter and towards Saturn. Saturn is in the southeast at dawn this month. Venus is lost […]
This time of year, most planetariums (including ours) are offering shows explaining what the Christmas Star might actually have been. Of course, to have this conversation we must make two assumptions, each of which many dispute: 1) the star was a true historical event and 2) it has a natural scientific explanation and is not […]
. Mars is higher in the southeast at dawn than it was last month. It is in Virgo, leaving Spica and approaching Jupiter in Libra. Jupiter is low in the southeast at dawn; watch Mars approach it this month. Saturn is lost in the Sun’s glare and out of […]
The Summer Triangle is overhead. This consists of the brightest stars in Cygnus, Lyra, and Aquila. Scorpius, the Scorpion, is in the southwest, with the ‘teapot’ of Sagittarius to his left. Saturn is between these two constellations. From the Big Dipper’s handle, ‘arc to Arcturus’ in the west. The Great Square of […]
Total Solar Eclipse The New Moon of Monday, August 21 casts its shadow onto the Earth, causing a total solar eclipse! And this time, the Moon casts its shadow across the USA, allowing Americans to join in the experience much more easily than in recent memory. (The last total eclipse visible form the contiguous […]
The Summer Triangle is high in the east. This consists of the brightest stars in Cygnus, Lyra, and Aquila. Scorpius, the Scorpion, is in the south, with the ‘teapot’ of Sagittarius to his left. Leo, the Lion, sets in the west. From the Big Dipper’s handle, ‘arc to Arcturus’ and ‘speed on to […]
This star map shows the Houston sky at 10 pm CDT on June 1, 9 pm CDT on June 15, and dusk on June 30. To use the map, put the direction you are facing at the bottom. The Big Dipper is high in the north. From the Big Dipper’s handle, arc to Arcturus […]
This star map shows the Houston sky at 10 pm CDT on May 1, 9 pm CDT on May 15, and dusk on May 31. To use the map, put the direction you are facing at the bottom. A swath of brilliant winter stars sets in the west at dusk. Orion, the Hunter, is […]
