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Lunar 100 virtual moon atlas1/19/2024 This is how I found it at 1:30am with a tired mind and sleepy eyes. A typical wider field eyepiece in a moderate sized telescope will be able to locate both within the same field of view. Lying a little more than 1.25° to the West of Antares is Messier 4. Last year in fact Mars and Antares were less than 5° from each other in April of 2016. This is noteworthy as Antares and Mars look similar to each other in the sky as bright red objects. Ares was the Greek god of war whose Roman equivalent is Mars. Antares is the bright heart of Scorpius named after the Greek meaning 'Equal to Ares'. However, this post will focus on Messier 4, a globular cluster sitting right next to Antares. This is quite exciting as it soon heralds the appearance of the heart of the Milky Way in Sagittarius with all its beauty. The weekly posts on my blog will highlight the 0°, 90°, 180°, 270° phases.Īs it is approaching late Spring, Scorpius is starting to poke its claws above the southern horizon earlier in the evening. Keep an eye on the sky and try to figure out what phase the Moon is at. Viewing the waning phases in a dark sky is also difficult because it occurs early in the morning accessible by staying up very late or waking up very early. Also, by the time adult bedtime arrives, the Moon has set allowing an easier sleep. The terminator goes through some intriguing craters that can be easily viewed from Earth. The Moon is visible in dark skies early in the evening so it is perfect for kids to see before they go to bed. The 'First Quarter' phase is one of my favourites. It also brightens the sky with awful light pollution rendering deep-sky observing less fruitful. A 'Full Moon' produces a lot of light making it more difficult to fall asleep. I have a love/hate relationship with Moon phases. To qualify for the Explore the Universe certificate the 'Last Quarter', 'First Quarter' and 'Full Moon' must be recorded within 18 hours of the actual time the exact phase occurs. The below diagram displays the dates and times. The images above (including the Sun but excluding the Earth) were taken from the backyard. Around 29 days since it began the cycle it becomes a 'New Moon' again and restarts the process. It then continues its trek back to the beginning of the cycle going through its 'Waning Crescent' phase. When it reaches 270° it is half illuminated again and called 'Third Quarter' or 'Last Quarter'. The Moon then starts orbiting back towards the Sun to become a 'Waning Gibbous'. The Sun shines directly onto the near side of the Moon and observers on Earth see it as fully illuminated. The Moon continues to orbit and becomes a 'Waxing Gibbous' Moon, growing larger towards the next phase of a 'Full Moon'. It is referred to as a quarter because it is a quarter of the way through the lunar cycle. Some people are confused why it is called a quarter when it seems as though half the Moon is illuminated. When the Moon is at a 90° angle it becomes a 'First Quarter' Moon. Waxing is a term synonymous for 'growing'. As the Moon orbits the Earth it slowly appears as a 'Waxing Crescent'. The Sun is illuminating the far side of the Moon. When the Moon is between the Sun and Earth it will be a 'New Moon' and will not seem to appear in the sky. The Moon phases pictured below occur when they are at that angle between the Sun and Earth. The below diagram shows the Sun, Earth and the Moon. What causes the Moon to go through different phases? The Moon is a beautiful sight in the night sky, a bastion of the sky for more than 4 billion years. By the time we are thirty years old the Moon has gone through nearly 375 cycles. We have all watched the Moon as it has changed its phase.
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