Coming up: Jupiter, Lunar Eclipse, and 50th anniversary of Apollo on the moon

Lots of astronomy in the coming days!

Jupiter is still the brightest "star" in the night sky. If you look to the southeast as soon as it gets dark, it is hard to miss. If you do need some help, the waxing gibbous Moon will be just above Jupiter on Saturday night to help guide you.

As an added bonus, try to find "The Lord of the Rings" planet, namely Saturn. It is not quite as bright as Jupiter, but brighter than any other star nearby. By about 11:00 pm it is about a hand span to the left of Jupiter when they are both in the south.

For a little help, Note that the Moon will help again as it makes it way around the sky. On Monday the 15th the Moon will be to the right  of Saturn, while on Tuesday it will to just to the left.

The moon will be full  on Tuesday night, but with a special surprise as it will slip into the earth's shadow and be partially eclipsed.

Lunar eclipse Tuesday night

Partial phase begins: 11:00 pm 

Max partial eclipse:   12:30 am

Eclipse end:               2:00 am

Tuesday is also the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch that culminated in Neil Armstrong's taking a small step on the Moon on July 20, 1969. There are lots of articles and documentaries running now about the historic moon landing. 

-AstroTom

http://astrowife.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AstroTom/
 Stay up to date with the Sun, planets and stars.
 Subscribe to AstroTom with an email to:
     AstroTom-subscribe@yahoogroups.com