When the Curves Line Up

September 25, 2021:  The bright morning moon approaches the Pleiades star cluster and Aldebaran.  In the evening sky, brilliant Evening Star Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn are easy to spot.

This episode …

September 24, 2021:  The Summer Triangle – Vega, Altair, and Deneb – is high in the south during the early evening hours.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.co…

September 23, 2021:  Three bright planets shine in the sky during the early evening.  Brilliant Venus is in the southwestern sky after sunset.  This evening it passes Zubenelgenubi – “the southern cl…

September 22, 2021:  The sun’s light is most direct at the equator at 2:21 p.m. CDT, signaling the beginning of the autumn season in the northern hemisphere.

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September 20, 2021:  The Harvest Moon occurs at 6:55 p.m. CDT, the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox.  In addition to the full moon, three bright planets are in the evening sky – …

September 19, 2021:  Three bright planets – Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn – are easily visible after sunset, along with the nearly-full moon.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whent…

September 18, 2021:  Venus moves into the boundaries of the classic Scorpion.  Today the pattern is divided into Libra and Scorpius.  Each evening watch the position of Venus change compared to the s…

Venus moves through the classic Scorpion (Libra, Scorpius, and Ophiuchus) during the next 46 days.  The planet is south of the ecliptic, appearing in regions of the constellations that we might not e…

September 16, 2021:  The famous Double Cluster is high in the northwest before the beginning of morning twilight.  The cluster pair is easily observed without a binocular’s optical assist in dark loc…

September 15-22, 2021:  The moon passes evening planets Saturn and Jupiter as a lead in to the Harvest Moon and the geometrical effects of the sky, known as the Harvest Moon Effect.

This episode is a…

September 13, 2021:  Mercury reaches greatest elongation tonight.  It is a challenge to see in the bright twilight.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021…

September 14, 2021: This evening the bright gibbous moon is in a section of the constellation Sagittarius that is frequently known as the Teapot.  Additionally, Evening Star Venus, bright Jupiter, an…

September 10-13, 2021:  The waxing moon passes the classic Scorpion in the evening sky.  Look for them in the south-southwest during the early evening hours.

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September 9, 2021:  After this evening’s grouping, Evening Star Venus, the crescent moon, and Spica do not appear this close together until 2026.  This is one of four groupings that fit into the same…

September 7 & 8, 2021:  The crescent moon, emerging from bright sunlight after its New moon phase, appears near Mercury on these evenings.  On September 8, use a binocular to find the crescent 5.0° t…

September 6, 2021:  Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn shine in the evening sky.  The moon is at its New moon phase at 7:52 p.m. CDT.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecu…

September 5, 2021:  Venus passes Spica this evening in a widely-spaced conjunction.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/08/28/2021-september-5-venus-sp…

September 4, 2021:   The moon’s star cluster tour continues this morning with the Beehive star cluster.  In the evening sky, just one day before its conjunction with Spica, find the brilliant planet …

September 3, 2021:  Before sunrise, the crescent moon is in the eastern sky near the Gemini Twins.  Three bright planets shine during evening hours.

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September 2, 2021: Three bright planets are easily observed in the evening sky.  In the western sky, Venus is approaching Spica for a wide conjunction in three evenings.  Before sunrise, the crescent…