Monday, June 27, 2011

Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly

A good week to become an amateur astronomer.  About half an hour before sunrise, look for a crescent moon in the east.   Tuesday it will be between the Pleiades (a/k/a 7 sisters, kind of a fuzzy spot to most people)  and red Mars.  Wednesday, at around the same time, the moon will form a triangle w/ Mars and Aldebaran (bright star in Taurus the Bull).  Thursday, about 45 minutes after sunset, Mercury, Castor and Pollux (Castor & Pollux are bright stars in Gemini the Twins) will form a straight line just above the western horizon.  Saturday, again around 45 minutes after sunset and you'll notice that Mercury is now just above an incredibly thin wispy moon at the horizon.  This morning I put my camera and tripod in the car hoping to catch a picture before work but there were too many clouds.  Have a lot more chances this week for a picture, though.  Happy Viewing!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

On Saturday I am guessing we will not see much of the thin wispy moon or Mercury. That is due to the "awsome" fire works show that Brent is going to put on.

Flip

Anonymous said...

Can I assume you will put your pictures on your blog, so I won't have to get up before sunrise.
(Sometimes I don't get to sleep before sunrise.) I shouldn't have any trouble with the evening ones, if I knew what I was looking for.
It was about 75 degrees today and rain most of the day, desperately needed. JVM