|
ing eye whereas Elnath marks the tip of the Bull's northern horn.
• Today's sky chart is designed for mid-northern North American latitudes. From North America, the waxing gibbous moon shines right next to the third-magnitude star Zeti Tauri. As seen from Europe and Asia, the moon at early evening appears farther west in front of Taurus, to the right of Zeti Tauri and closer to the star Aldebaran.
• The rather faint star Zeta Tauri pinpoints the tip of the Bull's southern horn, but the glary moon will make this star difficult if not impossible to see tonight. (Try binoculars, if you have them.) When the moon departs from the evening sky toward the end of the month, you should have no trouble seeing Zeta Tauri in a dark country sky and Taurus in all his starlit majesty.
• However, you won't have any problem seeing the planet Jupiter in the moonlit glare this evening. In fact, when the moon moves out the evening sky, you can use Jupiter to locate the star Aldebaran on one side of the giant planet and the Pleiades star cluster on the other.
• On a dark night, deep-sky aficionados enjoy looking at the Crab Nebula (Messier 1) through a telescope. The Crab Nebula is found between the tips of the Bull's horns, a tiny hop from the star Zeta Tauri.
• Astronomers believe the Crab Nebula is the remnant of a star that exploded as a supernova in 1054 A.D. This supernova was so bright that it was seen with the unaided eye in the daytime for 23 days and at nighttime for 653 days.
• Bottom line: Tonight - Tuesday, February 19, 2013 - the brightest "star" near the moon is really the planet Jupiter. Also, look for a fainter true star near the moon. It's Zeta Tauri, which (if you have a telescope) can lead you to the Crab Nebula on a dark, moonless night.
|
|
