![]() Image: Artist impression of the Super-Earth Gliese 581c Early data analysis also suggested that the star was home to three more planets, possibly in the habitable zone, however these were later ruled out as spurious signals caused by stellar activity. This system is about 20 light years away and consists of a red dwarf star surrounded by at least three planets. Libra is home to the extensively studied exoplanet system Gliese 581. This interpretation as balancing scales is the one we are familiar with today. The constellation really came into its own during the times of ancient Greece and Rome, where it was interpreted as the scales of Astraea, the Goddess of justice, who was associated with nearby Virgo in the sky. Of interest this month, the Moon will be in Libra on the night of May 5-6 during which time the partial lunar eclipse occurs. This association with Scorpius is manifest in the constellation’s three brightest stars Alpha Librae, Beta Librae and Gamma Librae, respectively known in Arabic as Zubenelgenubi (the Southern Claw), Zubeneschamali (the Northern Claw) and Zubenelhakrabi (the Scorpion’s Claw). Image: Libra and Scorpius are neighbouring constellations in the sky. ![]() Libra was originally associated with Scorpius, as an extension of the stinging arachnid in the form of it’s claws. ![]() A zodiacal constellation, the orbits of the planets and the moon pass through this part of the sky, as does the apparent motion of the sun. Libra is a medium sized constellation visible during the middle parts of the year. Constellation of the month Libra the Scales Image: Jupiter and Mercury in the pre-dawn sky joined by the moon on May 18. The almost-new moon also makes a nice appearance alongside them on May 1. Jupiter is visible in the east from 5:30 am onwards and is also joined by Mercury in the latter half of the month. Be sure to give it a wave as you watch the Eta Aquarids meteor shower. Saturn is rising in the east at about 2am. Venus is moving noticeably higher as the month goes on and appears to get closer to Mars by the day. Mars and Venus are still hanging in the northwest sky during the early evenings. In case you missed it, there was a total solar eclipse in Exmouth on Apr 20. The meteors in this shower come from Halley’s comet – fragments of dust that ejected from the comet centuries ago that are now contacting our planet, creating the bright streaks of light that momentarily draw our gaze. This shower should be viewed in the hours before dawn, and in good conditions you might expect to see a meteor every couple of minutes, though this will be complicated by the full moon around this time as well. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower occurs this month, peaking in the week centred on May 5. Over the coming weeks, Earth will continue its orbit around the Sun far enough that the next new moon on May 19 will occur off the ecliptic and there will not be a solar eclipse, and the eclipse season has ended. In this case we had a total solar eclipse at new moon on Apr 20, and now a couple of weeks later the Moon has moved to the other side of the Earth and we are getting a lunar eclipse during full moon. However, at certain places along Earth’s orbit, the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic at new and full moon, and this is when eclipses occur. ![]() This is why we don’t get eclipses every month. Image: The Moon’s orbit is inclined to the ecliptic. This means that at time of new or full moon, it is usually above or below the ecliptic and doesn’t quite line up with the sun in the sky, and we don’t get an eclipse every single month. The fact that eclipses occur in groups closely spaced in time is referred to as eclipse seasons.Įclipses happen when the Earth, Moon and Sun are all lined up, but are complicated by the fact that the Moon’s orbit around Earth is tilted with respect to the ecliptic by about 5 degrees. This eclipse is the sister of the April 20 total solar eclipse in Ningaloo. There is a partial lunar eclipse which begins at 11:14 pm on Friday May 5 and runs through to 3:31 am the following morning. The hunter and the hunted forever chasing each other across the night sky. Correspondingly, Orion is setting in the west so be sure to take one last look before it goes. Scorpius is peeking up in the east after sunset and will dominate the night sky for the next six months. The flip side is this makes the clear nights all that more valuable. April brought with it some rainy and cloudy nights and we can expect more of the same. Alcoa Digital Technologies Enrichment ProgramĪs we enter the second half of Djeran it’s clear that the seasons are definitely changing. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |