The Stars This Week

Chart Time 8:30 p.m.

Sunday

The moon slides to the left of Aldebaran this evening. This bright red star marks the eye of Taurus the Bull, a wellknown member of the celestial zodiac.

Monday

The moon shines above Orion the Hunter tonight. This is the brightest constellation. There are many double stars and deep-sky objects within its borders to explore, including M-42 the Great Orion Nebula.

Tuesday

Blazing blue-white Venus continues to liven up the southwestern skies after sunset Small telescopes will reveal the growing featureless phase of the planet.

Wednesday

Tonight the moon sails to the south of Castor and Pollux. These stars represent the famous Gemini twins of ancient Greek mythology.

Thursday

Brilliant yellow Jupiter rises late in the evening in the southeast. The giant planet’s four largest moons and colorful bands can be see using small backyard telescope and even binoculars.

Weekend

The moon reaches full phase on Friday. At the same time there is a penumbral eclipse of the moon taking place. This is when the moon passes through the outer portion of the Earth’s shadow. Penumbral eclipses darken the moon only slightly compared to umbral or inner-shadow lunar eclipses. About 7:45 p.m. is the best time to look for the darkening of the moon that will occur along its northern edge. The moon sparkles below the bright blue-white star Regulus on Saturday.

Send your stargazing questions reports and experiences to Arnold Pearlstein at thestarsthisweek @gmail.com