USPS Star Calendar entries now available on The Ensign website 21 June 2015
Posted by amedalen in June 2015.add a comment
Thank you for being faithful followers of the USPS Star Calendar. Entries will now be posted on The Ensign’s website at http://theensign.org/category/departments/stargazer.
You can subscribe to the blog by accessing the feed link on your favorite RSS feed reader: http://theensign.org/category/departments/stargazer/feed/.
The older blog will remain available as a resource.
USPS Star Calendar for 21-27 June 14 June 2015
Posted by amedalen in June 2015.Tags: greatest elongation, Jupiter, Mercury, Regulus, Saturn, Spica, summer solstice, Venus
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21 Jun The summer solstice occurs at 1638 UT. Regulus is less than 3 finger-widths to the moon’s upper right.
23 Jun Venus and Jupiter are separated by less than the width of 2 fingers held at arm’s length.
24 Jun At its greatest elongation 22.5 degrees west of the sun, Mercury rises more than an hour before sunrise.
25 Jun Spica is little more than 1 finger-width to the moon’s lower left this evening.
26 Jun The moon lies between Spica, 1 fist-width to the right or lower right, and Saturn, 2½ fist-widths to the lower left. Venus and Jupiter are separated by only 1 finger-width.
27 Jun The moon moves closer to Saturn this evening. Spica is more than 2 fist-widths to the right, and Saturn is 1 fist-width to the lower left.
USPS Star Calendar for 14-20 June 7 June 2015
Posted by amedalen in June 2015.Tags: Big Dipper, Jupiter, Pleiades, Pollux, Regulus, Venus
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14 Jun Before dawn, the Pleiades Cluster is less than a fist-width to the moon’s upper left.
15 Jun Watch Jupiter and Venus line up between Regulus and Pollux in the west. At dusk, Venus becomes visible first. Jupiter is next, 4 finger-widths to the upper left. The stars come last: Pollux, 1½ fist-widths to Venus’ lower right, and Regulus, 1 fist-width to Jupiter’s upper left.
17 Jun Early this evening, far to the upper right of brilliant Venus is the Big Dipper, its handle pointing straight up.
19 Jun Low in the west at dusk, Venus is 3 finger-widths above the moon, while Jupiter is 3 finger-widths to Venus’ upper left. In the next few days, the planets grow closer until they pass closely on the 30th.
20 Jun Venus and Jupiter are to the moon’s right tonight. Regulus is 4 finger-widths to the moon’s upper left.
USPS Star Calendar for 7-13 June 31 May 2015
Posted by amedalen in June 2015.Tags: Alpheratz, Altair, Deneb Kaitos, equation of time, first-quarter moon, Fomalhaut, Hamal, Mira, perigee
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7 Jun High in the south before dawn, the moon is midway between Altair, 3 fist-widths to the upper right, and Fomalhaut, to the lower left.
9 Jun Before dawn, the first-quarter moon is high in the southeast.
10 Jun The moon is at perigee, 57.97 Earth-radii (370,000 kilometers) away.
12 Jun Rising less than three hours before the sun, the waning crescent moon is low in the east before first light. The moon is surrounded by several second-magnitude stars: Mira 1½ fist-widths to the right or lower right, Hamal 1½ fist-widths to the upper left, Alpheratz 3 fist-widths above, and Deneb Kaitos 3 fist-widths to the lower right.
13 Jun The equation of time is zero. Local mean time and sun time are equal.
USPS Star Calendar for 31 May-6 June 24 May 2015
Posted by amedalen in June 2015, May 2015.Tags: Antares, full moon, Gemini Twins, Pollux, Sagittarius, Saturn, Teapot, Venus
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31 May Saturn is less than 4 finger-widths to the moon’s lower left tonight.
1 Jun This evening Saturn is two finger-widths to the moon’s upper right.
2 Jun Tonight Venus is a little more than 2 finger-widths to the left of Pollux, forming a straight line with the Gemini Twins. Antares and the moon rise a few minutes after sunset.
4 Jun Before dawn, the moon is above the dome of the Teapot constellation, Sagittarius.
5 Jun Only three days past full, the moon rises shortly before midnight and is low in the southwest at first light.
USPS Calendar for 24-30 May 17 May 2015
Posted by amedalen in May 2015.Tags: apogee, Castor, Gemini Twins, Jupiter, Pollux, Regulus, Saturn, Spica, Venus
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24 May Regulus is 2 finger-widths above the moon this evening, and Jupiter is 1 fist-width to the right.
25 May Regulus is 1 fist-width to the moon’s right.
26 May High in the south at dusk, the moon lies between Regulus, 2 fist-widths to the right or upper right, and Spica, 3 fist-widths to the left or lower left. The moon is at apogee, 63.38 Earth-radii (404,000 kilometers) away.
28 May Spica is 4 finger-widths to the moon’s lower left this evening. Venus sweeps past Pollux and Castor, the Gemini Twins, over the next few nights. Tonight Venus is 1 finger-width to Pollux’s lower left.
29 May Spica is 1 finger-width to the moon’s right or lower right.
30 May The moon lies between Spica, 1½ fist-widths to the upper right, and Saturn, 2 fist-widths to the lower left. Venus is a little higher this evening to Pollux’s lower left.
USPS Star Calendar for 10-16 May 3 May 2015
Posted by amedalen in May 2015.Tags: Alhena, Big Dipper, Castor, Gemini Twins, Jupiter, Kochab, Leo, Lion, Little Dipper, perigee, Pherkad, Polaris, Pollux, Regulus, Saturn, Spica, Venus, Virgo
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10 May Look to the lower left of the Big Dipper for the Gemini Twins, Pollux and Castor, in the west. Brilliant Venus is 2 fist-widths to the Twins’ lower right. You should be able to spot two bright stars to Venus’ left. Alhena is the brighter of the two. How many stars can you see between Alhena and Pollux? Now look again with binoculars.
12 May This evening, Jupiter is high in the southwest. Regulus, in the constellation Leo, the Lion, is 1½ fist-widths to Regulus’ left. Five fist-widths beyond Regulus is Spica, in the constellation Virgo. Saturn is nearly 4 fist-widths to Spica’s lower right, near the horizon in the southeast.
13 May To find the Little Dipper, follow the pointer stars at the end of the Big Dipper’s handle 3 fist-widths to the lower right to Polaris. Polaris is at the end of the Little Dipper’s handle. Kochab, 1½ fist-widths to Polaris’ upper right, is one of the Little Dipper’s corners. Another corner is Pherkad, 2 finger-widths to Kochab’s right or lower right. You may need binoculars to see the other stars of the dipper and handle.
15 May The moon is at perigee, 57.39 Earth-radii (366,000 kilometers) away.
16 May Only two days before new, the moon rises less than an hour before the sun and is no more than a thin sliver, low in the east before dawn.
USPS Star Calendar for 3-9 May 26 April 2015
Posted by amedalen in May 2015.Tags: Antares, Big Dipper, full moon, gibbous moon, greatest elongation, Mercury, Sagittarius, Saturn, Spica, Teapot
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3 May High in the east at midnight, the full moon is midway between Spica, 2 fist-widths to the upper right, and Saturn, to the lower left.
4 May The moon rises shortly after sunset and is followed a little more than a half-hour later by Saturn.
5 May Rising late, the moon, Saturn and Antares are low in the east at midnight. Saturn is 3 finger-widths to the moon’s upper right while Antares is 4 finger-widths to the lower right.
6 May Early this morning, the moon, Saturn and Antares travel low in the south and are low in the southwest at first light.
7 May At its greatest elongation 21.2 degrees east of the sun, Mercury sets an hour after sunset.
8 May The waning gibbous moon rises to the upper left of the dome of the Teapot, Sagittarius.
9 May Tonight and the next few nights, the moon rises after midnight, making for good stargazing in the evening. Look in the north for the Big Dipper, which is upside down and nearly overhead.
USPS Star Calendar entries now available on The Ensign website 22 April 2015
Posted by amedalen in April 2015.add a comment
Please note that USPS Star Calendar entries will no longer be posted to this blog after 14 June 2015.
Entries are now being posted to our new monthly Stargazer blog on The Ensign’s new website. You can subscribe to the blog by accessing the feed link below on your favorite RSS feed reader: http://theensign.org/category/departments/stargazer/feed/
USPS Stargazer 