The Sky Tonight Update: Full Moon

The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 21:06 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Hunters Moon because at this time of year the leaves are falling and the game is fat and ready to hunt.

This moon has also been known as the Travel Moon and the Blood Moon. This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.

 

The Sky Tonight Update: September Equinox

The September equinox occurs at 13:31 UTC (7:30am Central time). The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world.

Lore of the Constellations: Scorpius the Scorpion

So far we’ve explored a nice array of constellations that can be found in your Summer night sky.   In the last video, we took a look at Sagittarius and how the centaur was set to aid Orion in case he was attacked by Scorpius the Scorpion.  After all, the arrow in Sagittarius is aimed right at the star Antares, also known as “the heart of the scorpion.”  So, that’s what we’re going to look at today, Scorpius the Scorpion.

The Sky Tonight Update: Neptune at Opposition

The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long within the constellation of Aquarius.  It will be visible for much of the night, reaching its highest point in the sky around midnight.

Lore of the Constellations: Sagittarius the Archer

Welcome back to yet another edition of the Lore of the Constellations.  We are in the season of Summer and so far we have covered three constellations:  Aquila the Eagle, Lyra the Harp, and Cygnus the Swan.  Three constellations part of something called the Summer Triangle.  Now, if you’ve been following these videos you’re aware of how Aquila the Eagle was the pet of Zeus and each day was set up Prometheus to torment him for stealing fire.  Well, today we’re going to go over Sagittarius and how this constellation is connected in the ancient Greek myth with Aquila.

The Sky Tonight Update: Full Moon

The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 05:23 UTC.

This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Corn Moon because the corn is harvested around this time of year.