The Sky This Week, 2011 November 29 – December 6 — Naval Oceanography Portal

Even though the winter solstice is still several weeks away, I have always associated the beginning of winter with December 1st, which is when meteorologists shift over to their winter climate models. Early December is when the year’s earliest sunsets occur here in the Northern Hemisphere, and for the next month we’ll seem to experience the full darkness of long winter nights. …

Pay particular attention to the so-called "terminator", the line dividing the sunlit lunar hemisphere from the dark. It is here that the low angle of sunlight exaggerates the shadows of lunar mountains and craters and gives some impression of what a rugged, inhospitable environment the Moon is. Next week marks the 39th anniversary of the flight of Apollo 17, our last human visit to our only natural satellite.

The Sky This Week, 2011 November 29 – December 6 — Naval Oceanography Portal

The Sky This Week, 2011 October 25 – November 1 — Naval Oceanography Portal

The highlight of the week occurs on October 31st. There’s nothing really special going on in the sky that night, but it is my favorite “cross-quarter” day celebration of the year. Halloween is probably the most widely observed of these mid-season markers here in the U.S., but most of the kids (and adults) who dress up and roam the neighborhoods in search of treats probably have little or no clue to the date’s astronomical origins. To the ancient Celts this was a time celebrated as Samhain, the feast of the departing Sun and the traditional beginning of winter in northern climes. Of all the seasonal markers this was the darkest, and it became associated with the spirits of the dead in many cultures. All Saints Day (November 1st), All Souls Day (November 2nd), and Dia de los Muertos (widely celebrated in Mexico and other Latin-American traditions on the 1st and/or the 2nd) all fall at this time of year.

The Sky This Week, 2011 October 25 – November 1 — Naval Oceanography Portal

Quarter days – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In British and Irish tradition, the quarter days were the four dates in each year on which servants were hired, and rents were due. They fell on four religious festivals roughly three months apart and close to the two solstices and two equinoxes.

Quarter days – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Weekend Meteor Shower – NASA Science

Earth is about to pass through a stream of debris from Halley’s comet, source of the annual Orionid meteor shower. Forecasters expect more than 15 meteors per hour to fly across the sky on Saturday morning, Oct. 22nd, when the shower peaks [a few hours before dawn].

Weekend Meteor Shower – NASA Science

The Sky This Week, 2011 October 18 – 25 – Naval Oceanography Portal

The absence of the Moon and the possibility of crisp, clear fall evenings means that it’s time once again for the autumn edition of the Great World Wide Star Count [between October 14th and 28th]. This annual exercise in “citizen science” is intended to not only introduce people to the joys of learning to find their way around the sky, but to also sensitize us to the encroachment of artificial night lighting and its impacts on our environment. The premise is very simple; go outside on the next clear night, identify the constellation Cygnus (for Northern Hemisphere observers) and count the number of stars you see within the constellation’s boundaries. If you live in an urban site try doing the count from your back yard, then try it again from out in the country.

How to find Cygnus…

The Sky This Week, 2011 October 18 – 25 – Naval Oceanography Portal

Cygnus

Cygnus, the Swan, is also known as the Northern Cross because of its shape. The tail of the swan is marked by the bright star Deneb, Arabic for "tail". Three fainter stars cross the line between Deneb and the head of the swan, Albireo. Cygnus flies southward along the summer Milky Way, and into the Summer Triangle.

Cygnus

Cygnus Constellation on Top Astronomer

The Chinese identify the constellation with Que Qiao, the "magpie bridge" that connects the lovers Niu Lang ("the cowherd") and Zhi Nu ("the weaver girl") once a year. It is said that the Goddess of Heaven found out that the two were married and separated them because Zhi Nu, a fairy, could not be with a mortal. Her husband then took their two children and went up to Heaven to be with his wife, but the Goddess would not allow this. She created a wide river in the sky with her hairpin to keep them separated. The river is the Milky Way between Altair and Vega. The story says that once a year, all the magpies in the world form a bridge so that the two can be together, and the constellation represents the celestial bridge.

Cygnus Constellation on Top Astronomer

The Sky This Week, 2011 October 11 – 18 — Naval Oceanography Portal

If you look to the west shortly after sunset you may notice a persistent bright point of light in the twilight glow. Resembling the landing light of a distant airplane, this is really the glimmer of the planet Venus, which is slowly emerging into the evening sky. I had my first glimpse of the returning planet this past weekend looking over the Rappahannock River from Virginia’s Northern Neck. Venus will linger over the twilight horizon until late November, then she will climb rapidly to grace the evening sky by the end of the year. Where Venus requires a bit of work to find, Jupiter is easy to spot once he rises. The giant planet now crests the horizon before 7:30 pm, and by 9:00 pm he’s easily seen in the east.

The Sky This Week, 2011 October 11 – 18 — Naval Oceanography Portal

The Sky This Week, 2011 October 4 – 11 — Naval Oceanography Portal

The Moon brightens the evening sky this week, waxing from First Quarter to Full Moon on the 11th at 10:06 pm Eastern Daylight Time. October’s Full Moon is most popularly known as the Hunter’s Moon because of its similar geometry to last month’s Harvest Moon. In northern latitudes Luna seems to rise at nearly the same time each night for evenings surrounding the Full phase, shedding a little extra bit of light during twilight activities. In September this helps farmers bringing in their crops; in October it helps hunters as they pursue game across the stubble of the harvested fields.

The Sky This Week, 2011 October 4 – 11 — Naval Oceanography Portal

The Sky This Week, 2011 October 4 – 11 — Naval Oceanography Portal

October 8th is the second annual International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN); visit their website for a variety of activities and suggestions of things to look for on the only other world ever visited by humans.

The Sky This Week, 2011 October 4 – 11 — Naval Oceanography Portal