Saturday: In 1979, the group Foreigner recorded the song “Head Games”. They could have been singing about the constellations Hercules and Ophiuchus when they said “head games, it’s just you and me baby, head games, I can’t take it anymore” because the heads of these two constellations have been right next to each other in the nighttime sky for all of human history. And just to make it easy for you, a star that bears an Arabic name that means “the head” represents each head. In Hercules, it's Ras Algethi (head of the kneeler); in Ophiuchus, Ras Alhague (head of the serpent charmer). At 11:00 p.m., Ras Alhague, the brighter of the two, is about two fists held upright and at arms length above the east-southeastern horizon. Ras Algethi is about a half a fist to the upper right of Ras Alhague.
Sunday: Are you thirsty? I'll wait while you get some water.
I will NOT wait while Corvus the crow gets you some water. The Greco-Roman god
Apollo made this mistake. He sent Corvus the crow to get some water in the cup
known as Crater. Some figs distracted Corvus and he waited for them to ripen so
he could eat them. When Corvus got back late, Apollo put Corvus and Crater in
the sky with the gently tipping cup just out of the reach of the perpetually
thirsty crow. Corvus is a trapezoid-shaped constellation about two fists above
due south at 9:30 p.m. Crater is just to the right of Corvus.
Monday: Did you know you can see Venus while the Sun is up?
It is bright enough. The trick, of course, is knowing where to look. Venus is a
little less than a fist to the upper left of the moon from 5:00 p.m. onward.
First use binoculars to see Venus. To do this, orient your binoculars so the
moon is in the lower right portion of your field of view. Venus will be in the
upper left. Now slowly lower your binoculars, keeping your gaze in the
direction of Venus. Note where it is compared to the moon. Look away and then
look back towards the moon and Venus to try to find it again. If you are having
trouble in the daylight, wait until nighttime. They are about two and a half
fists above the western horizon at 9:30 p.m.
The moon will be about midway between Venus and Mars
tomorrow night at this time.
Tuesday: Are you up at 2:17 a.m., looking due north and
thinking you see a UFO coming to take you away? That's no UFO. It's the bright
star Capella, a circumpolar star that never goes below the horizon as viewed
from Ellensburg.
Wednesday: Mars is less than a half a fist to the lower
right of the moon at 9:30 p.m. The open star cluster called the Beehive Cluster
is less than a half a fist to the lower left of the moon. Mars, the moon, and
the Beehive Cluster make a small triangle in the sky.
Thursday: Are you thirsty when you get up in the morning? I
know you are not waiting for Corvus. That’s okay because the Big Dipper is
positioned to hold water in the morning sky. Look three fists above the
northwest horizon at 4:30 a.m. You’ll see three stars that make a bent handle
and four stars that make a cup.
Friday: The bright star Regulus, in Leo the Lion, is less
than a half a fist below the moon. They are in the southwestern sky at 9:30
p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and
planets is typically accurate for the entire week. For up to date information
about the night sky, go to https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/planner.cfm.
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