Kids looking up!
Venus, Jupiter and the Moon will converge tonight and tomorrow night (Saturday, Feb. 25 and Sunday, Feb 26) for a beautiful alignment. Look southwest, between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
Check these links to the Toronto Star, and SpaceWeather.com for more information.
Toronto Star: Venus-Jupiter-Crescent Moon align for triple threat for star gazers
On Friday, February 17, 2012 the night sky was picture perfect. No clouds, no haze and no moon.
From central Toronto, at 8:00pm – well before bedtime – the following stars, planets, constellations and star clusters were easily visible with the naked eye:
And using a pair of binoculars:
Although light pollution reduces the number of stars that can be seen from within the city, there is still a lot to see and discover in our night sky.
The Seven Sisters (Pleiades) Star Cluster looks like this through binoculars.
The winter sky contains some of the most stunning stars and constellations of the year. Here is a quick tour.
Look south/west at 8:00 pm. Orion dominates the sky. Look for three stars in a row, and you have found Orion’s Belt. Follow the line of the belt (eastward) and you will find the brightest star in our sky – Sirius.
Follow Orion’s Belt westward (to the right) and look for the Seven Sisters (Pleiades) star cluster. Through binoculars, they look like sparkling diamonds – and there are far more than seven!
This year, as a bonus, both Jupiter and Venus are visible in the evening sky. In March they will get very close to each other.
Enjoy the view!
