Latest news with #Earthshine
Forbes
4 days ago
- Climate
- Forbes
When And Where To See A Spectacular ‘Smiley Face' In The Sky Tonight
A delicate crescent moon will tonight shine below two bright stars to create the illusion of a 'smiley face.' Although the celestial sight will be a beautiful sight — and an easy one to find in the night sky — the observing window is short. It's an illusion created in the night sky when a crescent moon passes beneath two close stars. In this case, it's a 12%-lit waxing crescent moon — a young moon fresh from its new phase on Monday — now creeping away from the sun's glare and passing two bright stars, Castor and Pollux, in the constellation Gemini. About 45 minutes after sunset, where you are on Thursday, May 29, 2025, is when to head outside, just as a deep twilight takes hold. However, there isn't much time to waste, because, within about 90 minutes, the moon — the "mouth" of the "smiley face" — will sink below the horizon, followed soon after by the '"eyes" castor and Pollux. The action will take place in the north-western sky, as seen from North America. That's just above where the sun will have set about 45 minutes prior. The "smiley face" will sink as you observe it. Besides being the mouth of the "smiley face," a 12%-lit waxing crescent moon is a beautiful sight all on its own. Look away from its bright crescent to the darker side of the moon, and you'll see it subtly lit. That's 'Earthshine,' sunlight reflected onto the moon by Earth's ice caps, clouds and oceans. It's an ethereal sight that can be easily seen with the naked eye but is best viewed through binoculars. It's only visible when the crescent moon is particularly slender. Scientists believe that "Earthshine" is becoming dimmer due to the climate crisis. Pollux (the left-hand "eye") and Castor, the heads of the Gemini twins, are two of the brightest stars in the night sky. About 34 and 51 light-years from the Sun, Pollux is slightly brighter and more orange than Castor, which has a more yellow hue. Pollux is a giant star, while Castor is three stars orbiting each other. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Forbes
7 days ago
- General
- Forbes
These Seven Jaw-Dropping New Photos Of The Milky Way Will Inspire You
During commissioning, PUNCH's NFI instrument captured this image of the new Moon as it passed by the ... More Sun in the sky on April 27, 2025. The moon is completely invisible today — or is it? With the sun and Earth on opposite sides of the moon, our natural satellite reaches its most enigmatic phase — the new moon. From our point of view on Earth, it's entirely lost in the sun's glare, so impossible to see. However, a new NASA mission is able to detect the new moon thanks to 'Earthshine' and its unique cameras. The is 0% illuminated today, having aligned almost perfectly with the sun and Earth at 11:02 p.m. EDT on May 26 26, 2025. That was the moment of the new moon when its Earth-facing side was entirely in darkness. It's a moment that astronomers refer to as syzygy, as is the moment of the full moon for two weeks on either side when the sun and moon are on opposite sides of the Earth. This month's new moon is the third-closest new moon of the year at 223,720 miles (360,044 km) from Earth, making it a supermoon. That's a colloquial term for what astronomers call a perigee moon — a moon that is as close as possible in any given orbit. It occurs because the moon's orbit around Earth is elliptical, so it must have a farthest (apogee) and closest (perigee) point. NASA's PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission — a constellation of four satellites that launched on March 11, 2025 — took a unique image of a new moon as it passed by the sun on April 27, 2025. Only published last week, the image is the first one ever of a new moon aside from during a total solar eclipse. PUNCH is a Southwest Research Institute-led mission that will seek to image how the sun's outer corona becomes the solar wind. It comes from a Narrow Field Imager camera on one of the PUNCH satellites. It was able to grab the image during commissioning thanks to the delicate Earthshine light on the Earth-faxing side of the moon. Earthshine is sunlight reflected off Earth's ice caps, clouds, and oceans and onto the moon. The dark circle in the image is not the sun but the occulter on the camera that is designed to block the sun, allowing images to be taken of the sun's corona, its outer atmosphere, and where the solar wind comes from. During testing, PUNCH also captured 'space rainbows.' The next full moon is the full strawberry moon at 3:45 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 10 days before the solstice on Saturday, June 21, 2025. It takes its name from the ripening of summer berries in North America during June. The strawberry moon will be the sixth of 12 full moons in 2025. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Rare 'Parade of Planets' Is Happening This Week. How to See the 3-Planet Alignment
Rise and shine, there's a cosmic treat in store! As the moon wanes after its last-quarter phase, the pre-dawn hours grow darker, setting the stage for a stunning planetary alignments don't happen every day, so if you're an early riser or looking for a reason to wake up before sunrise, this week's 3-planet alignment will be worth it. After all, when was the last time you caught three bright celestial bodies in such close proximity? A mini parade of planets will align above the eastern horizon, offering stargazers their very own cosmic makes this event so special? In addition to the beauty and divine timing surrounding this rare event, it reminds us of the sacred planetary rhythms happening a pair of binoculars and set your alarm! Here's how, when and where to watch this week's 3-planet alignment. This week, a beautiful lineup of Saturn, Venus and the moon will rise before the sun, and adorn the night three planets will be visible to the naked eye: Saturn up high, the moon just below and Venus glimmering brightly near the horizon. Saturn will be the dimmest of the trio, but still visible. The best time to catch a glimpse of the planetary alignment is from May 20 to May 24. Read below for a detailed breakdown of the moon's stages for best viewing. Tuesday, May 20: The moon will reach its last-quarter phase, rising at about midnight and setting just after noon. Thursday, May 22: The crescent moon will appear just a few degrees from Saturn an hour or so before dawn, while Venus shines brightly lower in the sky. Friday, May 23: The moon, now at a slimmer crescent, will sit close to Venus, while Saturn remains May 24: This is your last chance to catch a glimpse of the moon before it vanishes into the sun's glare for the new moon phase. Rising on the lower eastern horizon about an hour before sunrise, it will sit beside Venus. Together with Saturn, all three planets will appear in a line from top to bottom. Between May 20 and May 24, Venus, Saturn and the moon will be visible to the naked eye when looking toward the eastern horizon. With a pair of binoculars, far away from major light pollution, conditions will be just right for viewing. You could also catch a glimpse of 'Earthshine' on May 23, which is when the glow on the dark side of the moon is caused by the sunlight's reflection from the Earth's find the best viewing time for your location, Time and Date recommends using their Night Sky Tool. Be sure to select the correct date and look in the pre-dawn hours. Moreover, for the most accurate location-specific information, refer back to online planetariums such as Stellarium. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Moon to make closest jump over Jupiter for the year in night sky
A celestial leap is set to take place over two nights as the moon and Jupiter will appear to dance near to each other in the night sky. The crescent moon will appear "wafer thin" through the night of April 29 as it draws near to the large planet and will make its closest visual approach to Jupiter for the year as it passes over the planet the night of April 30, according to Both celestial bodies will linger in the constellation Taurus Wednesday night, according to Astronomy Magazine. Both outlets suggest that the moon may be illuminated by Earthshine, where the sunlight reflected off of the Earth reaches the moon. The celestial interlude was preceded last week by a more whimsical astral phenomenon as the moon, Venus and Saturn put a smile on the night sky. For between 30 to 40 minutes before sunrise on Friday, April 25, the slender waning crescent moon appeared to left of a bright planet Venus and a much fainter Saturn to create a happy face, according to astronomy news outlet EarthSky. Earthlings were unable to see the other major planetary phenomenon of the previous week as the closest new supermoon of the year occurred on Sunday, April 27. The moon was nearly 17,000 miles closer to Earth than average − according to EarthSky − but it was not visible on Earth. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jupiter and moon to make closest pass of year in night sky
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
See a wafer-thin crescent moon leapfrog Jupiter this week
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The delicate form of the crescent moon is set to draw close to the planet Jupiter in the post-sunset sky on April 29, before later making its closest approach to the gas giant from the perspective of Earth on April 30. Earth's moon is currently emerging from its April 27 new moon phase, during which it passed between the sun and Earth, causing its shadow-drenched disk to be temporarily lost from sight in the sun's glare. In the coming days the moon will form a waxing crescent, which will grow steadily larger in the run-up to its first quarter phase, which will happen on Sunday, May 4. On the night of April 29, Earth's celestial companion will appear as a slender crescent in the western sky after sunset, with only its most extreme lower right edge directly illuminated by our star's light from the perspective of viewers in the Northern Hemisphere. At this time, Jupiter can be seen as a bright magnitude -1.83 point of light shining in the constellation Taurus to the upper left of the crescent moon, while Mars will be visible higher in the south western sky. It may be possible at this time to see the shadowed regions of the lunar surface softly lit by sunlight bouncing off Earth's surface onto the (relatively) nearby moon. This phenomenon, known as Earthshine, is capable of revealing the presence of dark features on the lunar surface known as mare, which formed billions of years ago when oceans of lava flows on the still cooling moon solidified to form vast basins of basaltic rock. The crescent moon is sure to make for a lovely, if fleeting, sight on the night of April 29, when it will be visible for just a few hours in the post sunset sky before slipping below the horizon at around 10:30 pm EDT for skywatchers in New York. The pair will be easier to spot on April 30, when the moon jumps to the upper right of Jupiter in the western sky. The moon is set to make its closest approach to Jupiter at 12:54 EDT (1654 GMT), at which point there will be just a little over 5 degrees separating the two bodies in the sky, according to the stargazing site TOP TELESCOPE PICK: Want to see the moon or Jupiter up close? The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. For a more in-depth look at our Celestron NexStar 4SE review. While this will occur while the sun is still very much in the sky for viewers in America, the duo will still make for a magnificent view in the post sunset sky. The bright magnitude 1.61 star Elnath - which forms one of the two horns in the constellation Taurus - will serve as a perfect bonus viewing target for the night of April 30, when it will be separated by less than a degree from the moon's shadowed surface. The moon will set progressively later in the runup to its first quarter phase, while Jupiter will set around three minutes earlier each night throughout May. Interested in exploring the solar system for yourself? Our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Our guides on the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture the next skywatching sight.
