Today on Beyond Bones, HMNS’ resident astronomer James Wooten shows us what to look for in the night sky this month. Mars is low in the west northwest at dusk. This is the last month to see it easily, as it now sets in twilight. Mercury enters the evening sky, approaching within ½ degree of […]
Can the stars tell you about your future? No. But our resident astronomer James Wooten can tell you what stars to look for in the future! This December is an action packed month, celestially speaking. First off, we have a comet approaching, followed by a whole lot of meteors. Not happy news for our […]
Constellations in the November southern sky are almost entirely devoid of bright stars. They represent beasts and gods related to water, indicating that they are part of the ‘Celestial Sea’. Examples are Aquarius, the Water Bearer and Pisces, the Fish. Even Capricornus, the Goat, has a fish tail because he’s originally Ea, Babylonian god […]
Autumn represents sort of an ‘intermission’ in the sky, with bright summer stars setting at dusk, while bright winter patterns such as Orion have not yet risen. The ‘teapot’ of Sagittarius sets in the southwest early in the evening. The Summer Triangle is high in the west. Meanwhile, the Great Square […]
Lecture – Grand Tour of the Universe—Updated with the Latest Discoveries by Carolyn Sumners The new release of “Passport to the Universe” contains spectacular, never-before-seen views of the observable Universe in large format. Dr. Carolyn Sumners, HMNS VP of Astronomy, will provide an update on these latest images and what they reveal. Highlights include our […]
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 west at dusk. Leo, the Lion, is also in the west at dusk. Jupiter is to the left of Spica in […]
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 […]
In May, you can watch as the Dog Days begin! We are in the Dog Days when the Dogs have vanished from the sky. As May begins, Orion, the Hunter is clearly visible due west right after sunset. To his left, aligned with Orion’s belt, is Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star we […]
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 […]
