Man Stargazing

Moon Phases

Eye on the Night Sky, May 14, 2024

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Today:
The star Spica, due south at 10:40 this evening, will help guide you to the stars of Corvus, the Crow. Well to the lower right of Spica, look for an odd shaped “box” of stars. The lower left star is the tail of the Crow, while the three other stars form his head, flanked by out-stretched wings.

Wednesday:
High in the southwest in the failing twilight, the First Quarter Moon appears rather cozy with the bright star Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, the Lion, just below our silvery neighbor. Regulus sits very close to the path of the Sun, the same general path that the Moon follows, so these two have a regularly scheduled meeting every 27 days and 8 hours.

Thursday:
One of the summer’s brightest stars, Antares, crests due south near 1:30 AM, marking the “heart” of the Scorpion, but also leading the Milky Way back up into the eastern skies. Look to the left of Antares, where the band of faint light belonging to our galaxy, the Milky Way, has reached more than halfway up in the east, highlighted by the stars of the Summer Triangle.

This program is a partnership between the Fairbanks Museum and Vermont Public.