News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 15 of 15
Slithering through the evening skies of spring is a mythological water serpent. Hydra is the largest and longest of the 88 constellations, measuring 1,303 square degrees in area and spanning almost 105 linear degrees across the celestial sphere. Except for its head, found beneath Cancer the Crab, this beast is located entirely below the celestial equator. As evening falls during the month of April, look to the south for an irregular arrangement of six moderately bright stars... Full story
Aquila the Eagle is one of nine constellations that represent various types of birds. However, only it, Corvus the Crow, and Cygnus the Swan can be seen from Central Oregon's latitude. The remaining six lie deep in the celestial southern hemisphere, well beyond our view. Aquila is bisected by the celestial equator so that roughly half of it is in the northern hemisphere, half in the southern hemisphere. It is bordered by Sagitta to the north, Hercules, Ophiuchus, Serpens... Full story
During the summer and winter months, when the sky is clear and dark, the majestic Milky Way can be seen arching overhead in a generally north-south orientation. That band of light, composed of billions of stars, is the disk of our home galaxy. But in the spring and autumn seasons a lesser-known and dimmer astronomical sky glow can also be observed. Called the zodiacal light, this faint triangular-shaped luminosity is seen after sunset and before sunrise and is produced by... Full story
Between the constellations of Auriga, Gemini and Ursa Major lies a region of the celestial sphere that is completely devoid of bright stars. Many of the dim stars here were listed by Greek astronomer Claudius Ptolemy as lying among what he termed the "unformed" stars outside Ursa Major. Later seventeenth-century Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius laid claim to this "no-man's land" and established a new constellation he called Lynx. It was so named because its stars are so... Full story
Eridanus the River is the sixth largest constellation in the sky, but it is also obscure, being comprised of faint stars, save one. The sprawling River originates near Rigel, the bright star that marks the left foot of Orion the Hunter. From here it flows westward then turns south before meandering back toward the east. From our latitude this is about as much of the constellation that we can see. Eridanus continues its journey southward eventually terminating at the bright... Full story
December is an ideal month in which to view one of the brightest and nearest star clusters in the entire sky. The Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, is located in the constellation Taurus the Bull. To find the cluster, start at Orion, draw a line through the three stars in his belt and extend the line northward and westward until you encounter a V-shaped pattern of stars in Taurus. Beyond the V-shape, and generally up and to the right of Orion, you will see a blur of... Full story
Throughout history there have a number of great scientists who have contributed mightily to the field of astronomy. A short list of these individuals includes the likes of Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Sir Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, and Albert Einstein. But to the amateur astronomer, the work of French astronomer Charles Messier cannot be minimized. Charles Messier (pronounced "mezi-yay") was born on June 26, 1730, in France. He became interested in astronomy as a... Full story
The month of January is a prime time to view the constellation of Auriga the charioteer in the northern sky. Auriga depicts a charioteer holding the reins of the chariot in his right hand with a goat over his left shoulder. Auriga is associated with the Greek hero Erichthonius, who was raised by the goddess Athena. He invented the quadriga, a four-horse chariot, which he used in a battle that gained him the crown of Athens. Zeus was impressed with his feats and placed him in... Full story
The constellation of Capricornus the sea-goat is best seen during the early evening in September. Follow a straight line from the star Vega through Altair (two members of the Summer Triangle) and you will come to this arrowhead-shaped constellation low in the southern sky. The Greeks associated Capricornus with Pan, the god of nature. In Greek mythology, Pan was about to be attacked by the monster Typhon. To save himself from being found, he transformed himself into a goat... Full story
The month of August 2012 is highlighted by two special astronomical events. The first is the Perseid meteor shower. You can see meteors from July 23 through August 22, however the peak of the shower is August 11-13. At the peak, the shower can produce up to 60 meteors per hour, so if you spend just 10 minutes looking, you're bound to see a meteor or two. The streaks of light will appear to emanate from the northeastern sky, near the constellation of Perseus. These meteors are... Full story
Along with fireworks to celebrate the birth of our nation, the beginning of July also brings a full moon on July 3. The moon will wane into the last quarter by July 11, when only the left half of the moon's surface appears illuminated by the sun. The new moon, completely dark in the sky, will come on July 19. On July 26, just the right half of the moon will be lit up as the first quarter phase arrives. July is a great month to view the summer constellation Hercules. This patte... Full story
Draco the dragon may breathe fire early in October. Some planetary scientists think that on the evening of October 8 the earth will pass through a particularly dense portion of space debris left behind by comet Giacobini-Zinner. The result could be a grand display of meteors that might top 600 per hour. That's the good news. The bad news is two-fold: the timing of the shower's peak favors observers in Europe and the Middle East, and the light from a waxing gibbous moon will tend to wash out all but the brightest meteors.... Full story
The lunar cycle for September opens with a waxing crescent phase until the fourth of the month when, first quarter occurs. At that time observers here on Earth will see the sun light the western half of the moon. The moon will continue to wax (brighten) until September 12, when the harvest moon will illuminate the entire night sky. The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox (September 23) is called the harvest moon. This usually happens in September, but during some years i... Full story
One of the best meteor showers of the year occurs in August. It is called the Perseid meteor shower because the streaks of light seem to emanate from the constellation of Perseus. This year, the maximum number of meteors is expected to peak at about 60 per hour early in the morning on August 13. The shower is caused by the earth moving through material left behind by comet Swift-Tuttle. Although a full moon will wash out many of the meteors, some of the brighter ones can... Full story
The month starts out with a new moon on June 1. This means that we will not be able to see the moon, due to its face being dark. On June 9, the first quarter occurs, with the right half of the moon illuminated. The full moon will be on June 15, with the whole face of the moon lit up. By June 23 only the left side of the waning moon will be visible in the early morning. The summer solstice occurs on June 21. At that time the North Pole will be tilted towards the sun, allowing... Full story
