![]() ![]() What does the “Astronomical Beginning of Spring” mean? This is the key factor that provides for due east-west rising and setting of the sun and equal hours of daylight and darkness. This imaginary line has a Declination (celestial latitude) of 0, just like the actual equator on the earth. The 2022 Vernal Equinox sky as it would appear without the atmosphere, revealing 5 major planets to the west of the sun, all of which rise now in the pre-dawn hours.Īnother aspect of the Celestial Coordinate system that plays a key role is the “ Celestial Equator”, the projection of the Earth’s Equator onto the sky. The imaginary line traced out by the sun is known simply as the “ Ecliptic”. As inhabitants of the surface, this translates into an apparent motion of the sun across the sky. This apparent motion of the sun is caused by the Earth’s west to east (counterclockwise) rotation. The Earth orbits the sun in a specific equatorial plane known as the “ Plane of the Ecliptic” and the sun traces an imaginary line on the sky as it appears to move from east to west. For example, if your latitude is +40 (40 degrees north latitude), the elevation of the sun would be 50 degrees above the southern horizon. The sun’s elevation above the nearest horizon (southern horizon for Northern Hemisphere observers and northern horizon for Southern Hemisphere observers) is exactly equal to the compliment of their latitude. The sun rises due east and sets due west at any point on the planet The beginning of Astronomical Autumn for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere What’s so special about this event?ġ2 equal hours of daylight and darkness everywhere on the planet. While Venus opens a gap to Jupiter, it closes a wide separation to Mars, nearly 53° to its upper left.The Vernal Equinox, the Astronomical beginning of spring, occurs this year on Sunday, 20 March, 2022 (today) at 15:33 UTC (11:33 AM EDT). The planet continues its descent into bright evening twilight to reappear in the morning sky during May after its solar conjunction. ![]() The Jovian Giant is bright, but unless there is a clear view of the western horizon, the planet is likely blocked by obstacles in the neighborhood. Jupiter is over 5° above the horizon and 18.5° to the lower right of Venus. Venus steps eastward about 1° each evening, passing Hamal, the brightest star in Aries, in a wide conjunction in a few evenings. Setting nearly three hours after the sun, Venus is nearly 25° above the horizon at this hour. Venus continues to widen a gap to Jupiter in the western sky at 45 minutes after sundown. Mercury is bright, but not high enough, yet, to see. The time interval increases five to six minutes each evening. Mercury is rapidly climbing into the evening sky, setting 15 minutes after the sun this evening. They revolve around a common center of mass in over 100 years.Ĭhart Caption – 2023, March 20: Venus and Jupiter are in the western sky after sundown. The star is about halfway from Vega to Altair, to the inside of the triangle.Īlbireo is a magnificent sight through a telescope where it separates into two stars, one golden and the other sapphire. It flies southward along the plane of the Milky Way toward the southern constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius. It is over 1,400 light years away and shines with an intensity of 48,000 suns, making it the 14 th brightest star for our northern hemisphere sky watchers.ĭeneb is the tail of Cygnus the Swan. ![]() In comparison, Deneb is one of the brightest stars in our region of the Milky Way. Altair, part of Aquila the Eagle, is nearly 17 light years away and is over 10 times brighter than the sun. Shining from a distance of about 25 lights, this blue-white star is nearly 50 times brighter than the sun. Vega is the third brightest star visible from mid-northern latitudes. The season name for the large triangle is because the shape makes its first appearance in the eastern evening sky at about the summer solstice. ![]() Each star belongs to its own constellation. Meanwhile, thirty minutes earlier, the Summer Triangle – Vega, Altair, and Deneb – is in the eastern sky. When the planet is higher in the sky and in a darker sky, it is easier to see. At 30 minutes before sunrise, it is nearly 5° above the horizon. Saturn is nearly ready to appear in the east-southeast before sunrise. Chart Caption – 2023, March 20: The Summer Triangle – Vega, Altair, and Deneb – is high in the eastern sky before sunrise. ![]()
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