SATURDAY

By 8 p.m., bright Jupiter and dim blue Neptune sail into the south in Capricornus, Sea Goat. They set in the west before 6 a.m. Blue-green Uranus rises in the southeast below the Circlet in Pisces the Fish. Fomalhaut (Mouth of the Southern Fish) lies below Jupiter. Use binoculars to compare the red tones of Arcturus, Herdsman, in the west and the red heart, Antares, beating in the torso of huge Scorpius slinking along the southwestern horizon. Antares is hundreds of times larger than our sun.

The tilted Sagittarian Teapot `pours' onto the Scorpion's stinger tail. Binoculars reveal two delicate star clusters (M-7 and M-6) above the two bright stars that designate the `tail'. A myriad of nebulas and clusters shimmers in deep space near the Teapot, center of our Milky Way Galaxy. Westbound Hercules leads Vega, in Lyra the Harp, and the vast Summer Triangle overhead. Three point stars comprise the Triangle: Vega (west), Altair (south) and Deneb (north). Cygnus the Swan soars within the Triangle. Deneb is the Swan's tail-feather. Colorful double stars (Albireo) depict the Swan's eye. The Summer Milky Way (River of Stars) arches from the Teapot to the Triangle, visible from a dark rural area. Celestial summer birds migrate into the west: Cygnus the Swan and Altair in Aquila, Eagle. Pisces the Fish and Cetus the Whale swim along the eastern horizon. Aries the Ram chases Pegasus, Winged Horse, higher in the east. By 10 p.m. the Royal Family arrives in the northeast. Bright Capella rises in the northeast.

SUNDAY

By nightfall, the moon floats near Spica, in Virgo, in the southwest. At 11:04 p.m., two satellite moons of Jupiter are in eclipse -- Io partially covers Europa as Jupiter rotates; visible in telescopes.

TUESDAY

Autumnal Equinox occurs at 5:19 p.m. when the southbound sun crosses the Equator. Day and night hours are equal for about a week. The sun rises due east and sets due west.

FRIDAY

In the predawn, westbound Taurus the Bull brings two star clusters overhead: Seven Sisters (Pleiades) and ruddy Aldebaran in the V-shaped Hyades. Capella guides Auriga, Charioteer, toward the north. Mars brightens in the east, left of the Gemini Twins. The Beehive cluster shimmers below them. Orion, Hunter, strides higher in the east followed by Procyon, Little Dog and brilliant blue Sirius sparkling in Orion's Big Dog in the southeast.

Pegasus drifts westward. The Royal Family reigns in the north: Queen Cassiopeia, King Cepheus, daughter Andromeda and Perseus. Cygnus becomes the Northern Cross in the northwest. At dawn, brilliant Venus, Morning Star, escorts Leo the Lion higher in the east. The `bowl' of the Big Dipper appears in the northeast.

Compiled by Barb Yager

Southern Cross

Astronomical Society

305-661-1375 www.scas.org

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