This week there is lots showing so DVR your TV shows. Starting soon as tonight/Monday just 30 minutes after the sunsets look very low in the skyfor the crescent moon slightly to the left of Venus. Above Venus you will find Mercury forming a celestial triangle.
On Tuesday, a rare meteor shower may produce activity for those of us in North America around 4:38am. (So be sure and set your alarms?!) Check the Southern sky as rates of meteors or shooting stars could go as high as 60 an hour! (name:gamma delphinids)
Wednesday gives us Mercury at its greatest distance from the Sun. Look high in the northwest sky and if you still can’t find it use Venus as your guide. Venus will be about 5 degrees below it. And while you can see all this will the naked eye, if you look through your telescope you will see Mercury and its disk which will be slightly illuminated to look similar to a mini-crescent moon.
On Thursday in the high southwest sky the crescent moon appears just below the constellation of Leo...Leo has many bright stars, such as Regulus (α Leonis), the lion's heart; Denebola (β Leonis); and γ1 Leonis (Algieba). Many fainter stars have been named as well, such as δ Leo (Zosma), θ Leo (Chort), κ Leo (Al Minliar al Asad ), λ Leo (Alterf), and ο Leo (Subra). Regulus, η Leonis, and γ Leonis, together with the fainter stars ζ Leo (Adhafera), μ Leo (Ras Elased Borealis), and ε Leo (Ras Elased Australis), make up the asterism known as the Sickle. These stars represent the head and the mane of the lion. The star Wolf 359, a near star to Earth (7.7 light-years), is in Leo. Gliese 436, a faint star in Leo about 33 light years away from the Sun. The carbon star CW Leo (IRC +10216) is the brightest star in the night sky at the infrared N-band (10 μm wavelength).
Take Friday night off and go to dinner but return Saturday to see Mars meet Aldebaran. One of the harder planets to track down, look at dawn in the lower eastern sky near the red eye of Taurus (Aldebran). If you don’t make it out right after dawn, the planet two-some will appear higher in the sky and their brighter appearance should make them easier to locate.
So have an amazing week and look up to the sky each night! I know I always do. It puts a little perspective on other more worldly things!
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