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September 13, 2024Radio: Today’s Episode
First Blazar
Blazing across a billion light-years
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Radio: Yesterday’s Episode
Vanishing Star
A massive star winks out of existence
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Stargazing
The Lizard
Lacerta, the lizard, is in the east-northeast at nightfall, to the upper left of the Great Square of Pegasus. It passes high overhead around midnight. Its stars are all so faint that you need fairly dark skies to see any of them.
High and Low
The curving body of Scorpius, the scorpion, and the teapot shape of Sagittarius hunker low in the south and southwest at nightfall. Cygnus, the swan, soars high overhead. And W-shaped Cassiopeia is about a third of the way up the northeastern sky.
Zodiacal Light
If you have clear, very dark skies before dawn over the next few mornings, look toward the eastern horizon for a ghostly pyramid of light, called zodiacal light. It is sunlight reflecting off of tiny grains of dust scattered throughout our solar system.
Moon Phases
At the new Moon phase, the Moon is so close to the Sun in the sky that none of the side facing Earth is illuminated (position 1 in illustration). In other words, the Moon is between Earth and Sun. At first quarter, the half-lit Moon is highest in the sky at sunset, then sets about six hours later (3). At full Moon, the Moon is behind Earth in space with respect to the Sun. As the Sun sets, the Moon rises with the side that faces Earth fully exposed to sunlight (5).
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Current Issue: september/october 2024
The Life and Death of a Stellar Corpse
by Jasmin Fox-Skelly
This issue highlights the life and death of white dwarfs. We’ll also have all the latest astronomy news, a comprehensive two-month stargazing guide for the months of September and October, detailed skycharts, and answers to your astronomy questions from our science guru Merlin.
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