Backyard Astronomer - Delta College Public Radio

This week offers an evening rendezvous of Venus and the crescent moon.

Look low to the east after dark and you should see a pretty little cluster of stars. Its shape might remind you of a miniature Little Dipper, but it’s actually the famous Pleiades Star Cluster.

Each season has a notable constellation or group of stars that can serve as a guidepost to that part of the sky. In summer it’s common to use the Summer Triangle and in autumn we have the Great Square of Pegasus.

The Moon will take on an oval shape this week as the visible portion starts to wane, or become smaller. This allows the Moon to be seen in the morning sky after sunrise.

The media buzz is growing about what could be a bright comet gracing our skies this month. It’s called Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, or “A3” for short, and astronomers have been eagerly anticipating its approach for many weeks.

Look high in the northeast for a group of bright stars that resembles a big “W” sitting on its end. This is the constellation of Cassiopeia the Queen.

If you look low in the southeast sky after dark, you’ll see a moderately bright star that doesn’t twinkle as much as the others. This is the famous ringed planet Saturn, and it recently made its closest approach to Earth.

By September 13, the Moon will look a little more than half illuminated in the south. This is when the Delta College Planetarium in Bay City will celebrate this year’s International Observe the Moon Night!

From late August through September, Sagittarius the Archer will appear low in the south at evening twilight. With the Milky Way running through it, Sagittarius is a treasure trove of deep sky wonders for binoculars.

Away from city lights and bright moonlight, this is the time of year to see the faint band of the Milky Way stretching right over the top of the sky.

For decades now, amateur astronomy continues to be one of the fastest growing hobbies in the world. Why is that? What gets people so hooked on space and the night sky?

On August 19, the moon will be full, but this won’t be just any ordinary full moon. It’s the first "super moon" of 2024.

One of the best meteor showers of the year comes to a maximum on the evening of August 11th and morning of the 12th.

After a long hiatus, the planets Jupiter and Mars are making their way back into the pre-dawn sky.

After dusk, look about a third of the way up the eastern sky for Altair, the brightest star in Aquila the Eagle and part of the Summer Triangle.

Now is a good time to see the dark round plains called “maria,” and bright splashes of lighter material called “rays.” The southern maria offer some interesting sights in a small telescope.

Hercules, the strong man of ancient mythology, rides high overhead in early summer. While its stars are not particularly bright, its most distinctive shape are the four stars in its center known as the Keystone. Within its borders lies one of the most famous globular star clusters of the entire night sky.

As twilight ends around 10:30 pm, look low in the southeast for a bright reddish star – this is Antares, the heart of the Scorpion.

Now that summer has arrived, the famous “Summer Triangle” of stars has returned to guide us around the evening sky.

Even to the unaided eye, the moon reveals round dark regions called "maria." Before the age of telescopes, people imagined these dark stretches as oceans of water. In reality, they are vast lava plains left behind by asteroid impacts.

At the beginning of the week of June 10, the moon appears as a crescent in the west after sunset. But each night, the moon will appear to slip a little farther back or eastward among the stars.

If you follow the arc to Arcturus and keep the curve going even farther down into the south, you’ll come to a fainter bluish star, Spica.

Observe the night sky long enough and you’re bound to see something strange that’s hard to identify. It’s easy to think of a UFO, but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s an alien spaceship.

In binoculars, look near the very center of the lunar disk for a large crater that seems to have a dark, smooth floor. This is Ptolemaeus, named for Claudius Ptolemy, an astronomer of ancient Greece. Two more large craters in a line below Ptolemaeus, Aphonsus and Arzachel, complete the chain.

The moon is "new" this week, which keeps the night sky dark enough to see more stars and deep sky wonders. One distinctive little springtime constellation to look for in the south is called Corvus, the Crow.

Each season has that one constellation that serves as a signpost to the sky. In spring, many stargazers use the zodiacal constellation of Leo the Lion.

Mid-April to mid-May is a good time to see a collection of bright stars in the west called "The Arch of Spring."

As the phase of the moon grows steadily from Crescent to First Quarter to Full, it’s a good opportunity to explore the contrasts of light and dark on its surface.

This is the time of year when the Big Dipper climbs to its highest point in the north, appearing almost directly overhead by month’s end.

There's a fuzzy glow in the constellation of Cancer the Crab that's barely visible to the naked eye, but binoculars will reveal a pretty little star cluster called the Beehive.

One of the most amazing spectacles in nature is coming on Monday, April 8 – a total eclipse of the sun! Here's how you can make the most of it.

Mercury is rarely visible because it never wanders far from the sun in the sky, but we're approaching the opportunity to see it now. As a bonus, Comet Pons-Brooks is visible in binoculars in the west at dusk!

Whenever the crescent moon is thin, the nighttime side of the moon can look faintly illuminated. This effect is called Earthshine.

If you’ve heard reports of increased Aurora activity, there’s a good reason for it! The sun is approaching the peak of its 11-year sunspot cycle, and that can trigger solar storms that effect the Earth.

Sirius, Procyon, and Betelgeuse form a giant triangle in the southern sky known as the Winter Triangle. And like Orion’s Belt, it can make for an excellent pointer and guidepost to the winter night sky.

All this week, the phase of the moon grows larger and brighter as it moves from First Quarter toward Full. It’s also a good time to look for the 'Man in the Moon'.

No matter the time of year, under a clear dark sky you can expect to see four or five little streaks of light each hour. Sometimes called shooting stars or falling stars, these are meteors that burn up in our atmosphere.

About two hours after sunset, the distinctive constellation of Orion the Hunter is almost due south. You can use the three stars in Orion's belt as a guidepost to the sky.

About two hours after sunset, look halfway up the eastern sky for two bright stars that are relatively close to one another. These are Pollux and Castor, the heads of Gemini the Twins.

After the Full Moon of January 25 the shape of the lunar disc will decrease into a thinner oval each night called the Waning Gibbous.

The orange star Aldebaran – the fiery eye of Taurus the Bull – is a great target for the January sky. It also lies within a beautiful star cluster called the Hyades.

Venus is the second planet from the sun, but during the week of January 8th you’ll have a rare opportunity to glimpse the elusive planet Mercury, hugging the eastern horizon at morning twilight.

Ushering in the new year is one of the best-known constellations of all, Orion the Hunter.

December's full moon, called the Cold Moon, falls on the 26th and will be placed among the season's brightest constellations as it says goodbye to 2023.

Many of our modern holiday traditions have their roots in the winter festivals of long ago, and that includes the dating of Christmas Day.

One of the best meteor showers of the year is already active and comes to a peak on the evenings of December 13 and 14.

About 90 minutes after sunset, look low in the south for the medium bright star, Fomalhaut. At only 25 light years away, astronomers have found a disk of material that could be new planets forming.

The holidays are one of the most popular times of year for buying a telescope. So, what's the best one to look for?

Right now is the best time to see the seventh planet from the sun. Uranus is at its closest approach to earth right now, which makes it barely visible as a faint star to the naked eye if you know exactly where to look under dark skies.

Look low the east after dark and you should see a pretty little cluster of stars. Its shape might remind you of a miniature little dipper, but it’s actually the famous Pleiades Star Cluster.

Also called the “sister spiral” to our own Milky Way Galaxy, Andromeda is the most distant object you can see in the entire night sky without a telescope.

Low in the east, soon after dark, you’ll find a star so bright that it looks like a fiery beacon in the sky. It’s actually the planet Jupiter, and it’s making its closest approach to Earth this week.

Even though the nights are cooling down, throw on that coat and grab your binoculars for a look at the Moon! There are many special features to look for.

Each year in late October, our planet crosses the orbit of Halley’s Comet, sweeping up millions of little bits of ice and dust to create the Orionid Meteor Shower.

The first of two Great American Solar Eclipses happens on Saturday, October 14 with an "annular" (ring of fire) eclipse of the sun visible along a narrow path from Oregon to Texas. Michigan will experience a partial eclipse of about 35% coverage.

When evening twilight ends, look high in the northeast for a group of bright stars that resembles a big “W” sitting on its end. This is the constellation of Cassiopeia the Queen.

The Harvest Full Moon might seem a little extra bright this year when it rises in the east just after sunset on September 28. That's because it coincides with a Supermoon!

The Summer Triangle is a useful guidepost to many interesting deep sky objects, but it’s also a way to find other constellations nearby, such as Delphinus the Dolphin.

If you look low in the southeast sky after dark, you’ll see a moderately bright "star" that doesn’t twinkle like the others. It’s the famous ringed planet Saturn, and it recently made its closest approach to Earth.

About 45 minutes before sunrise, look low in the east and you’ll find the brightest planet in the sky, Venus.

For decades now, amateur astronomy continues to be one of the fastest growing hobbies in the world. Why is that? What gets people so “hooked” on space and the night sky?

August 30 will be the first time a Blue Moon and Supermoon have intersected since 2009.

Away from city lights and bright moonlight, this is the time of year to see the faint band of the Milky Way stretching right over the top of the sky.

Conditions this year will be nearly ideal for watching the annual Perseid meteor shower when it reaches peak activity on the nights of August 12 and 13.

When you look into the night sky, you’re seeing across vast distances. But what’s the most distant object you can see with the unaided eye?

As the phase of the moon grows steadily from crescent to first quarter to full, it’s a good opportunity to explore the contrasts of light and dark on its surface.

While the stars of Hercules are not particularly bright, its most distinctive shape are the four stars in its center known as the Keystone.

As evening twilight fades into night, look for three bright stars high in the east that form a giant triangle in the sky. The Summer Triangle is a great way to “star hop” to areas of interest.

Every year on or about July 6, the Earth reaches aphelion, its farthest point from the sun in that elliptical orbit. How can we be at our farthest from the sun in summer?

Earth is at its farthest point from the Sun on July 6th, called Aphelion. Does our distance from the Sun have any effect on the weather?

Keep watching the upper left portion of the Moon all this week for one of its largest "seas." Mare Imbium, or "The Sea of Rains," spans over 700 miles.

As the planets drift very slowly among the stars, sometimes they appear close to each other in the sky – a meetup called a conjunction.

Are there any green stars? Astronomers say no, but observers insist that the brightest star in the constellation Libra the Scales, does look green.

During the month of June, about 90 minutes after sunset, look high in the east, almost overhead for a faint semi-circular pattern of stars. This is the constellation of Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown.

At the end of evening twilight, look about halfway up the northeast sky for a bright bluish star. This is Vega, and it’s another sign that summer is on its way.

The week of May 22 offers a perfect opportunity to follow the waxing crescent moon. In this case, “waxing” refers to the crescent shape growing larger each night. It's also a good time to identify some of the dark lava basins called Maria.

The early evening sky remains dark for longer periods as the moon rises later each night. This reveals a really nice target for binoculars called the Coma Star Cluster.

Look for the three stars in the handle of the Big Dipper and you’ll notice they form a curve or arc in the sky that you can use to find the star Arcturus.

This week you can see what’s called the Moon Illusion, that time when the full moon seems so much larger near the horizon than when it’s overhead.

Mid-April to mid-May is a good time to see a collection of bright stars in the west called "The Arch of Spring." Even though they’ve been around all winter, we notice these stars more when they get lower in the sky because they’re closer to the horizon.

After three months of what people call the meteor drought, the annual Lyrid meteor shower comes to a peak this week.

For weeks we’ve been treated to the brilliant planet Venus piercing the western sky after sunset, but during the week of April 10, you’ll have a rare opportunity to glimpse the elusive planet Mercury.

If you look high into the northeast after dark, you can find the seven bright stars of the Big Dipper. This is the time of year when the dipper climbs to its highest point in the north, appearing almost directly overhead by month’s end.

The waxing of quarter to gibbous to full is a good time to see details on the lunar surface. With nothing more than a pair of binoculars, you can make out craters, mountains, and the dark colored plains called "maria," or "seas." Probably the best known maria is the Sea of Tranquility, where Apollo 11 made the first manned lunar landing in 1969.

While you may know Cancer the Crab as one of the constellations of the zodiac, chances are you’ve never seen it because it’s the faintest of the twelve. But Cancer contains one of the best star clusters for binoculars and small telescopes - The Beehive!

This month offers a unique opportunity to see an asteroid with your own eyes - the largest asteroid in the solar system, Ceres!

The sun is headed toward its peak storm activity and that is why there are more reports of Northern Lights right now. Get some tips on how to watch for the "Aurora Borealis"!

All this week, the phase of the moon grows larger and brighter as it moves from First Quarter toward Full. We call this period the “waxing gibbous moon” as the oval shape becomes wider and more rounded.

Look low in the west near the end of evening twilight and you should see two exceptionally bright stars. On closer inspection, you might notice that they don't twinkle very much. That's because you're looking at the planets Venus and Jupiter!

Three bright stars form a giant triangle in the southern sky known as the Winter Triangle. And like Orion’s Belt, it can make for an excellent pointer and guidepost to the winter night sky.

As the moon wanes and rises later each night, the early evening skies are dark again, allowing us to see the faint deep sky marvels of winter. One of the most famous is actually visible to the naked eye – the Great Orion Nebula.

The February Full Moon is often times called the Snow Moon because of the heavy snowfall typical in this month. But it’s also been referred to as the Hunger Moon or Bone Moon by Native Americans because of the lack of food.

You might have heard that there's a big green comet coming our way. But how bright is it really going to get?

As the planets slowly move among the stars, sometimes they appear close to each other in the sky – a meetup called a conjunction. The planets Venus and Saturn will be in just such a conjunction on January 23rd.

About two hours after sunset, look halfway up the eastern sky for two bright stars that are relatively close to one another. These are Pollux and Castor, the heads of Gemini the Twins.

Every year on or about January 4, the Earth reaches perihelion, its closest point to the sun in its elliptical orbit. Does that have any effect on the seasons?

Ushering in the new year is one of the best known constellations of all, Orion the Hunter.

Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn have been prominent targets for months, but now Venus and Mercury will join them as they reappear low in the southwest shortly after sunset during twilight.

One of the best meteor showers of the year comes to a peak on the evening of December 13 and 14. Known as the Geminid Meteor Shower, it rivals the famous Perseids in August in numbers and brightness.