Space

Prime Time For Star Gazers Tonight

Crescent moon and conjunction ahead

By Gabriel Gache, Science News Editor

8th of April 2008, 08:20 GMT

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Unless you haven't noticed yet, the Moon is in a waxing crescent phase since Sunday. On the night of 6 April, the Moon revealed itself in the sky as a 2 percent crescent into the western regions

above the horizon. Last night the Moon appeared in a 6 percent crescent phase while rising into a slightly higher position on the night sky. However, tonight the spectacle of light is guaranteed by the Moon's 12 percent crescent and by its motion into a conjunction with the Pleiades constellation.

The Pleiades constellation, mostly known as the Seven Sisters, is a cluster of young stars located about 400 light years away from Earth. Out of the large number of stars located in the Pleiades, only seven stand out on our night sky, due to the bright blue-white light they emit. Most of the time they are easily visible with the naked eye, but light pollution may occasionally disable this possibility in urban areas. The Seven Sisters form a little dipper shape on the sky, with an apparent width close to that of the Moon.

Tonight, the Moon will move into the Pleiades constellation. With a simple set of binoculars and on the background of a dark sky, you may be able to see several dozens of stars in the Pleiades, including the seven brightest, of which some will be sparkling behind the lunar limb. However, don't let that distract you totally from the Moon. The crescent will also provide a unique view of the Moon's landscape, as it is partially illuminated by the light reflected from the Earth's surface.

The best time to look would be just after sunset, towards the western direction of the horizon. The combination between the crescent Moon, Earthshine and the Pleiades star cluster will not disappoint you!

TAGS:

crescent moon | Pleiades | star cluster | Earthlight

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