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September 9, 2024Radio: Today’s Episode
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Moon and Antares
Pondering the fate of a star
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Radio: Yesterday’s Episode
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Beta Pegasi
A red jewel atop a stellar diamond
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Stargazing
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Moon and Antares
Antares, the brightest star of the scorpion, stands near the Moon the next couple of evenings. Tonight, it is close to the upper left of the Moon at nightfall. It will be about the same distance to the right of the Moon tomorrow night.
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Great Square
With summer almost ready to give way to fall, one of the signature star patterns of the new season is climbing higher into the evening sky. The Great Square of Pegasus is in the east at nightfall. It’s tilted as it rises, so it looks more like a diamond than a square.
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Messier 52
The M52 star cluster, which was discovered 250 years ago today, is well up in the northeast at nightfall. It’s above the sideways letter W formed by some of the brighter stars of Cassiopeia. The cluster is an easy target for binoculars.
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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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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