Moon, Venus, Spica Triangle Conjunction This Weekend

Cosmic Triple Treat Will Shine in This Weekend's Dawn Skies

by Geoff Gaherty, Starry Night Education

Date: 07 November 2012 Time: 06:55 AM ET

inShare

The bad news is that you have to get up an hour earlier this week because daylight saving time has ended. The good news is that if you're up before the sun, you'll witness a beautiful triple conjunction of the moon, the planet Venus, and the bright star Spica. CREDIT: Starry Night Software View full size image

Most of us in North America are getting up an hour earlier this week thanks to the end of daylight saving time. If you're willing to get up a little earlier still this weekend, you will witness a celestial treat: a triple conjunction of the waning crescent moon, the brilliant planet Venus, and the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, called Spica.

Many people don't realize how fast the moon moves across the sky until it passes close by a bright landmark. In this case it will be moving past both Venus and Spica.

On Saturday morning (Nov. 10), the moon will be quite far to the right of Venus. On Sunday (Nov. 11), it will have moved much closer to Venus, forming a tight triangle with Venus and Spica. By Monday (Nov. 12), the moon will be well below and to the left of Spica —quite low in the sky and probably hard to see.

More - Link >>> http://www.space.com/18368-moon-venus-spica-night-sky-stargazing.html

Source: Space.com .

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the Author: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#GAW >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >