Share the Night Sky - Broadcast on KPOO

During the recent Bay Area Science Festival, I had the privilege of sharing the night sky with DJ Marilynn and the listeners of KPOO during a special broadcast on Thursday evening October 22nd. Our hour-long broadcast features many different topics: 

• How to find a good spot for stargazing in the city, and how to prepare for looking at the night sky. 
• How to find planets such as Jupiter, Saturn and Mars this fall and winter, along with the constellation Sagittarius. 
• How to find the Summer Triangle and connect it to the Milky Way. 
• How the view of the sky changes when viewing from different places around the world. 
• How to understand the motion of the constellations in the northern sky, featuring Cassiopeia and the North Star. 
• How to enjoy a view of Orion the Hunter later in the evening. 
• How to further your experience with the night sky. 

Click here to listen to the broadcast. 

Image courtesy of KPOO-FM.

A Fall Triangle

There are popular alignments of the stars that mark summer and winter, but not in the fall ... that is, until Thursday October 22nd when we will have a brief but impressive 'Fall Triangle' as a result of the waxing Moon passing near Jupiter and Saturn in the evening sky. To see this you will need a clear view to the south, but the three objects are easy to find and a pleasure to view all in one compact triangle. If you have binoculars the view will be even more spectacular. The day before and the day after the Moon will no longer be close enough to form the triangle. So take a minute to savor the sky on the 22nd and you won't be disappointed. 

As an added bonus, take note of the position of Jupiter and Saturn. If you pay close attention over the next two months, you will see the gap between them closing day by day. Jupiter is heading for a conjunction with Saturn that will culminate in a very close encounter in late December. Keep your eyes on the sky! 

Image courtesy Sky & Telescope.