Articles by J. Alex Knoll

Illuminating the Long Night

Jupiter and Venus bookend the edges of darkness

Darkness comes early, as we settle into Standard Time, with the sun setting around 4:55 at week’s end. We passed the mid-point of autumn early this month, and now we shed daylight fast in the march toward winter solstice. Every day until then, we shed almost a minute of sunlight each afternoon, and in the morning, when the sun rises around 6:45 at week’s end, we lose more than a minute each day. But there are plenty of lights to dispel this gloom. Jupiter, king of the planets, leads...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 11/11/10

A Thin Sliver of Light

The crescent moon peeks from behind the waning sun’s glare

The waning crescent moon makes a brief appearance low in the southeast early Friday morning in the half-hour leading to sunrise, at 7:37. A few degrees higher shines the unmistakable light of Venus, just returned to view after slipping from evening to pre-dawn skies. Ten degrees higher still shines the blue-white star Spica, and above that is Saturn, as bright as any star. Saturday the new moon slips between earth and sun, disappearing from view amid the full glare of the sun. Sunday, as the...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 11/4/10

By the Light of the Moon

Autumn’s full moons help dispel the impending darkness

Sunset Friday the 22nd, at 6:17, reveals the full Hunter’s Moon rising in the east. Like all full moons, this one rises with sunset and sets with sunrise, around 7:25 this week. The full moon is always juxtaposed to the sun with earth right in the middle. As sunlight washes over the other side of the world, it spills around the planet, striking the face of the moon head-on. Think of yourself in a movie theater, with the projector beaming behind you. That light doesn’t brighten...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 10/21/10

The Wonderful Bear

From Zeus’ paramour to Arthur’s kingdom

The waxing moon reaches first-quarter on the 14th, appearing due south as the sun sets, well before 6:30 this week, and setting around midnight. Each night the moon appears 15 degrees farther east at sunset, and each evening it sets almost an hour later. The night of the 19th, the gibbous moon passes six degrees north of brilliant Jupiter. Jupiter, brighter than any star, beckons low in the east-southeast as darkness settles. Look for him high in the south around midnight and edging...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 10/14/10

A Degree of Magnitude

In the case of brightness, less is more

The sun winks from view at 8:05 Friday, setting almost a minute later each following night. As the sun sets, the first light you’re likely to see emerging from the darkness is the evening star Venus high in the west. Blazing near magnitude –4, there’s no mistaking Venus for either first-magnitude Aldebaran, the red eye of Taurus the bull below and to the right of the planet, or golden Capella of Auriga the charioteer, shining at zero magnitude above and to the left of...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 5/6/10

Early Treat or Fizzling Trick?

The always puzzling Draconids

Thursday’s new moon provides an unobscured backdrop for this year’s Draconid meteor shower, which peaks at week’s end. Not some early Halloween reference to Dracula, this annual meteor shower is named for the constellation Draco the dragon, from which the meteors seem to emanate. It’s tricky to predict the rate of the Draconids each year, but there is always the potential for some awesome stellar treats. Like most meteor showers, the Draconids occur as earth...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 10/7/10

Our Celestial Buzz-Bomb

Circling earth at more than 17,000 miles an hour, the International Space Station is a fleeting target

Sharp eyes and a clear view of the west horizon will reveal an ever-so-thin crescent moon emerging from the sun’s glare Friday just after sunset at 8:11. But you’ll also need good timing, as this nascent moon, just a day from new, dips beneath the horizon within 30 minutes of the sun. Sunset the next night is a minute later, and it reveals the moon 15 degrees higher. Above and to the left shines dazzling Venus. Sunday, the moon and Venus are still only six degrees apart...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 5/13/10

Identifying the Unidentified

Look low in the west after sunset for your own UFO

The great astronomer-novelist Arthur C. Clark once said, “If you’ve never seen a UFO, you’re not very observant. And if you’ve seen as many as I have, you won’t believe in them.” A few hours after sunset, you may very well spot your own unidentified flying object hovering above the horizon or perhaps zipping through a stand of trees. While it may be breathtaking, fans of the X Files and Area 51 conspiracy theorists will likely be disappointed....

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 5/20/10

Just the Same Old Moon

All those phases are just figments of our own perception

May’s full moon rises at 8:22 Thursday in the southeast just as the sun sets in the northwest. It travels a low, shallow arc through southern skies, finally setting in the southwest just as the sun crests the northeast horizon at 5:44. With spring fully abloom, this is known as the Flower Moon, the Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon. Over the ages we have given the moon its many folksy names to describe the seasons here on Earth. Of course, it’s always the same old moon....

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 5/27/10

Elusive Summer Lights

While binoculars help reveal distant stars and planets, our own galaxy is disappearing before our very eyes

As the sun sets around 8:30 this week, Venus appears in the west, the brightest object visible. Note the difference between Venus and the two first-magnitude stars Castor and Pollux a few degrees above and to the left. Venus sets in the northwest around 11pm, and pretty much sticks to this schedule throughout summer. Sunset also reveals our other neighbor, Mars, high in the southwest. Mars has been inching to the east, toward the blue star Regulus of Leo the lion. The evening of Sunday...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll; 6/3/10