Twilight sky show today

Twilight Sky Show On Sunday
On Sunday evening, April 26, the crescent Moon, Mercury and the Pleiades star cluster will gather for a three-way conjunction in the western sky. It's a must-see event.

The show begins before the sky fades to black. The Moon pops out of the twilight first, an exquisitely slender 5% crescent surrounded by cobalt blue. The horns of the crescent cradle a softly-glowing image of the full Moon. That is Earthshine—dark lunar terrain illuminated by sunlight reflected from Earth. If the show ended then and there, you'd be satisfied.

But there's more.

Shortly after the Moon appears, Mercury materializes just below it. The innermost planet has emerged from the glare of the sun for its best apparition of the year in late April—perfect timing for a sunset encounter with the Moon. To the naked eye, Mercury looks like a pink 1st-magnitude star. The planet itself is not pink; it only looks that way because it has to shine through dusty lower layers of Earth’s atmosphere. A backyard telescope pointed at Mercury reveals a tiny fat crescent. The innermost planet has phases like the Moon!

Next, do nothing. Spend some quiet moments absorbing the view. As the twilight deepens, your eyes will dark-adapt and—voilà! There are the Pleiades.

Also known as the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades are a cluster of young stars about a hundred light years from Earth. They form a miniature Little Dipper located, on this particular evening, halfway between Mercury and the Moon. The brightest stars of the cluster are only 2nd magnitude, not terrifically bright. Nevertheless, the Pleiades are compelling in disproportion to their luminosity. Every ancient culture--Greek, Maya, Aztec, Aborigine, Māori and others—put the cluster in its myths and legends. On April 26th you may discover why, even if you cannot articulate your findings.

The Pleiades, Moon and Mercury are all visible to the naked eye even from light-polluted cities. Nevertheless, if you have binoculars, use them. A quick scan of the threesome reveals a rugged moonscape in startling detail, the rich pink hue of Mercury, and many more than seven sisters (there are hundreds of stars in the cluster).

Still reading? Stop! Twilight awaits.

Dr. Tony Phillips, Science @ NASA

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Image 1: A crescent Moon with Earthshine over Manassas, Virginia, on Dec. 30, 2008. Photo credit: Karen Schmeets.

Image 2: Skymap

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On the Net:

See Planet #1 At Its Very Best For The Entire Year! -- (Jack Stargazer)
The Da Vinci Glow
The Pleiades -- from SEDS
The Pleiades -- from Wikipedia
Story from REDORBIT NEWS:
http://www.redorbit.com/news/display/?id=1676897

Published: 2009/04/24 14:40:00 CDT

© RedOrbit 2005

[Tippyclubb]

We will be watching--will you have your telescope?

[eureka254]

Thanks for posting!  The skies promise to be clear tonight, so I'll be looking!

[charm27]

Love this kind of event! Im ready!
Thanks for posting!

regards------

[jdwithhcv]

That was gorgeous!  

jd

[Tippyclubb]

Missed it, as there was not a star in the sky--just heavy clouds.

[portann]

Missed it, too. Heavy clouds and rain.

[FlGuy]

I'm usually aware of things like this , but I missed this one.

I have one question.  Where's Uranus?

[portann]

Same place it's always been. :)

[GreatBird]

I saw that beautiful crescent moon, but couldn't see Mercury or the Pleiades--although there were moments of glittering under the moon. Wasn't sure if I was "seeing things" or seeing *things.*

[Teufelhunden]

Sat outside on the river bank, big cup of coffee, binoculars, beautiful starry night, not a cloud in the night sky.  Must have waited 2 hours after dark. Kept wondering when the moon was going to come up.  Finally gave up. Walked back to the house and saw the moon. It snuck up behind me.  Must have gotten disoriented walking down to the river.  Bummer.  

[IAmTheWalrus]

I didn't see this post soon enough, but I did notice the beautifully colored crescent moon in the western sky but didn't examine it closely or realize what it was. How cool!

Brent