Nan at Night by Nancy Hoyt
-Thursday the 28th: As twilight fades, look to the right of the moon by about the width of three fingers held at arm’s length for the Beehive star cluster, which is in the constellation Cancer the crab. It looks like a hazy patch of light. Binoculars reveal many individual stars.
-Friday the 29th: Regulus, the brightest star of Leo the lion, stands a little to the upper left of the Moon as night falls this evening. It shines white with perhaps the slightest hint of blue. Look for the “mane” of the lion rising above it in the shape of a backwards question mark.
-Saturday the 30th: The planet Saturn, the “Lord of the Rings,” trails the moon across the sky this evening. Saturn looks like a bright golden star a little to the upper left of the moon as darkness falls. The true star, Regulus, is to the right of the moon. The moon is half-lit in its first quarter stage this evening.
-Sunday the 31st: Saturn continues to follow the moon across the sky tonight but this time it shines to the upper right of the moon.
-Monday the 1st: Rasalhague, the alpha star of Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer, arcs high across the south tonight. The star is entering the final stages of life. Like the Sun, it will end its life as a hot, dense cinder called a white dwarf. Another of Ophiuchus’ stars, RS Ophiuchi, consists of two old stars. One of the stars occasionally erupts, making the system shine much brighter than normal.
-Tuesday the 2nd: Barnard’s Star, the second-closest star system to Earth, is in the constellation Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer, which crosses the southern sky tonight. Although it is only six light-years away, it is so feeble that you need a telescope to see it.
-Wednesday the 3rd: The brilliant planet Jupiter is in the south at first light. The planet Neptune is to the upper left of Jupiter by less than the width of a pencil held at arm’s length. Unfortunately, it is so faint you will need a telescope to see it.
“As the moon circles against the background of stars this month, it passes several bright, colorful giants and supergiants. These classifications refer to more than just a star’s size: They reveal its stage in life and its fate. Giants are stars that once were similar to the Sun, but have now reached the ends of their lives. (Don’t worry; the Sun is a strong healthy star at its peak in mid-life.) They have puffed up to many times their original size (most would just about fill Mercury’s orbit around the Sun) and are preparing to shed their outer layers. Giant stars glow dull yellow, orange, or red, because their surfaces are fairly cool. Two examples are Pollux, which is one of the “twin” stars of Gemini and Arcturus, one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Supergiants are several times as massive as the Sun and much larger – some would fill the orbit of Jupiter, which is almost one billion miles in diameter. These stars “burn” the nuclear fuel in their cores at a furious rate, so they shine thousands of times brighter than the Sun. But a supergiant star will live only a few million years, ending its life with a titanic explosion called a supernova. Two prime examples are orange Antares, the “heart” of Scorpius the Scorpion, and blue-white Spica, in Virgo the Maiden.” These engaging stars are easily visible each night this month if you wish to contemplate their ultimate demise.
