APOD: Highlights of the North Spring Sky (2019 Mar 13)

Comments and questions about the APOD on the main view screen.
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APOD: Highlights of the North Spring Sky (2019 Mar 13)

Post by APOD Robot » Wed Mar 13, 2019 4:13 am

Image Highlights of the North Spring Sky

Explanation: What can you see in the night sky this season? The featured graphic gives a few highlights for Earth's northern hemisphere. Viewed as a clock face centered at the bottom, early (northern) spring sky events fan out toward the left, while late spring events are projected toward the right. Objects relatively close to Earth are illustrated, in general, as nearer to the cartoon figure with the telescope at the bottom center -- although almost everything pictured can be seen without a telescope. As happens during any season, constellations appear the same year to year, and, as usual, the Lyrids meteor shower will peak in mid-April. Also as usual, the International Space Station (ISS) can be seen, at times, as a bright spot drifting across the sky after sunset. After the Vernal Equinox next week, the length of daytime will be greater than the length of nighttime in Earth's northern hemisphere, an inequality that will escalate as the spring season develops. Also as spring ages, Jupiter becomes visible increasingly earlier in the night. As spring draws to a close, the month of May will feature two full moons, the second of which is called a Blue Moon.

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Re: APOD: Highlights of the North Spring Sky (2019 Mar 13)

Post by Boomer12k » Wed Mar 13, 2019 7:51 am

Always a nice little chart...

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Re: APOD: Highlights of the North Spring Sky (2019 Mar 13)

Post by Buzzer2 » Wed Mar 13, 2019 9:12 am

The Full moon on 18th May cannot be the second in the month, there are 29 days between full moons! It is a Blue Moon because it is the third of four in the season (an older definition of Blue Moon).

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Re: APOD: Highlights of the North Spring Sky (2019 Mar 13)

Post by orin stepanek » Wed Mar 13, 2019 12:25 pm

Nice chart for the stargazer! :D
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Re: APOD: Highlights of the North Spring Sky (2019 Mar 13)

Post by orin stepanek » Wed Mar 13, 2019 12:26 pm

Nice chart for the stargazer! :D Hey; why can't you delete apost when it copies twice?
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Re: APOD: Highlights of the North Spring Sky (2019 Mar 13)

Post by Fred the Cat » Wed Mar 13, 2019 1:19 pm

The Golden Handle would be a Jewel to see in a well-done submission. :thumb_up:
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Re: APOD: Highlights of the North Spring Sky (2019 Mar 13)

Post by Chris Peterson » Wed Mar 13, 2019 2:41 pm

Buzzer2 wrote: Wed Mar 13, 2019 9:12 am The Full moon on 18th May cannot be the second in the month, there are 29 days between full moons! It is a Blue Moon because it is the third of four in the season (an older definition of Blue Moon).
From the explanatory notes for the image:

A “Blue Moon” has become defined as the point when we have a full Moon twice in one month. However, the older definition of “Blue Moon” refers to the third full Moon out of four in one season and is called a Seasonal Blue Moon. Occurring about every 2.5 years, the name has nothing to do with the color of the Moon, which is the same for every full Moon.
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izizil

Re: APOD: Highlights of the North Spring Sky (2019 Mar 13)

Post by izizil » Wed Mar 13, 2019 2:44 pm

Buzzer2 wrote: Wed Mar 13, 2019 9:12 am The Full moon on 18th May cannot be the second in the month, there are 29 days between full moons! It is a Blue Moon because it is the third of four in the season (an older definition of Blue Moon).
I was wondering how a Blue Moon could be in the middle of a month. Thank you for your clarification. Where can someone find this second definition of a Blue Moon?

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Re: APOD: Highlights of the North Spring Sky (2019 Mar 13)

Post by MarkBour » Wed Mar 13, 2019 4:41 pm

I think astronomers should just stop using the term "blue moon". All they ever end up doing is explaining and explaining, after they bring it up. Kind of a sign that the term is not a good one.

In the chart I see that Mercury will be at greatest western elongation on April 11. So, that makes it favorable to be seen just before dawn, right?
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Re: APOD: Highlights of the North Spring Sky (2019 Mar 13)

Post by RJN » Wed Mar 13, 2019 8:07 pm

Buzzer2 wrote: Wed Mar 13, 2019 9:12 am The Full moon on 18th May cannot be the second in the month, there are 29 days between full moons! It is a Blue Moon because it is the third of four in the season (an older definition of Blue Moon).
Thanks! I just fixed the text on the main NASA APOD. - RJN