Saturday: We are just a few days away from the earliest sunsets of the year in Ellensburg. (No, the earliest sunsets are not on the first day of winter.) So this is a good time to learn how to quantify the darkness of the sky. First find the Great Square, the main part of the constellation Pegasus. It is six fists above due south at 7:30 p.m. Find the dimmest star that you can see inside or near the square. Then compare that star to the chart at https://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/how-dark-is-your-night-sky/. The larger the magnitude number, the dimmer the star. When the sky is exceptionally dark, you can see more stars and more interesting deep-sky objects such as star clusters and nebulae.
Sunday: Tonight’s full moon is often called the Beaver Moon
because November is the month when beavers build dams and shock up on food for
the winter.
Monday: “Hey baby! What’s your sign?”
“Ophiuchus, of course”
The Sun is in the same part of the sky as the stars of
Ophiuchus from about today to December 17. This is what astrologers mean when
they say the Sun is “in” a constellation. Thus, if you were born between these
dates, you should be an Ophiuchus. The fact that the horoscopes never list
Ophiuchus is a major flaw of astrology. Astrology says that some of our
characteristics are based on the location of the Sun at our birth. How can
astrologers leave out three weeks from their system? That is like a scientist saying
she can explain the results of her experiment every month of the year except
early December. Ophiuchus was a mythical healer who was a forerunner to
Hippocrates. According to myth, he could raise people from the dead. Maybe that
is why he is ignored by astrology. Raising people from the dead is much less
impressive than giving spot-on advice such as “Today is a good day to watch
your finances.”
The bright stars of Ophiuchus rise just before the Sun.
Rasalhague (pronounced Ras’-al-hay’-gwee), the brightest star, is just above
the east-northeastern horizon at 6:30 a.m.
Tuesday: Have you been online shopping all weekend? Do you
need an evening sky break? You deserve a big reward so make it a double. A
Double Cluster, that is. The Double Cluster, also known as h and Chi Persei,
consists of two young open star clusters in the constellation Perseus. Of
course, young is a relative term as these clusters are about 13 million years
old. Each cluster is spread out over an area about the same size as the full
moon. To the naked eye, the Double Cluster shines with a steady, fuzzy glow.
Binoculars resolve dozens of individual stars in the clusters. The Double
Cluster is five and a half fists above the northeastern horizon at 6:00 p.m.,
about a fist below the sideways “W” of Cassiopeia and three fists above the
bright star Capella.
Wednesday: Venus is three fists above the southeastern
horizon at 6:30 a.m. The bright star Spica is to its lower right.
Thursday: There are three bright planets in the 5:00 p.m.
twilight sky. Mercury is just above the southwestern horizon, Saturn is three
fists above the southern horizon, and Jupiter is two fists above the eastern
horizon.
Friday: What do Justin Bieber and Betelgeuse have in common?
Both are superstars. One might shine brightly for about a few thousand more
years. The other is a giant ball of plasma. Beliebers, “If you Love Yourself”,
you and your “Boyfriend” need to learn more about Betelgeuse, the real
supergiant star that is big enough to hold about one million Suns. “What Do You
Mean” you don’t know where to look? For more information about when Betelgeuse
will die as we know it in a supernova explosion, go to https://www.space.com/is-betelgeuse-going-supernova.
You’ll find it four fists above due east at 11:00 p.m.
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