The Lyrids is an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at its peak.
Advertisements
Category Archives: Astronomy News
The Sky Tonight Update: Full Moon and Blue 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.
It’s the First Day of Spring
The March equinox occurs at 16:15 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Sky Tonight Update: Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation
The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 18.4 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.
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.
The First Confirmed Extragalactic Planets
On January 9 1992, two planets orbiting the pulsar PSR 1257+12 had been confirmed. This is generally considered to be the first definitive detection of planets beyond our own solar system. And now, as of February 1 2018, planets beyond our own galaxy have been confirmed.
The Sky Tonight Update: Total Lunar Eclipse
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth’s dark shadow, or umbra.
The Sky Tonight Update: Full Moon, Super Moon, Blue Moon
This January 31st, the Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. Since this is the second full moon in the same month, it is sometimes referred to as a blue moon. This is also the last of two supermoons for 2018. The Moon will be at its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.
The Sky Tonight Update: Quadrantids Meteor Shower peaks Jan. 3 and 4
The Quadrantids is an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak. It is thought to be produced by dust grains left behind by an extinct comet known as 2003 EH1, which was discovered in 2003.
Sky Tonight Update: Full Moon, Super 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.
