Good evening fellow Stargazers!
This morning, your favorite blogger woke up about 45 minutes before sunrise just in time to capture this outstanding photo of the bright planet, Venus, with little Mercury barely visible below it in the east. The two inferior planets were joined in the sky dome by the bright stars Arcturus and Spica.
Although the star Spica is brightest star in the Constellation Virgo the Maiden, serves as a prime example of a 1st magnitude star, it was hard to see this star in the pre-dawn sky. I was barely able to spot it as I took the photo.
Mercury I didn't even see very well until I downloaded the photo and saw it positioned just next to the tree as a very faint spot of light.
Arcturus is an orange-colored star in the far left and the brightest star in the Constellation Bootes the Herdsman. It is the fourth-brightest star in the night sky and the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. At just under 37 light-years away, Arcturus is actually about 25 times larger than the diameter of our sun. The reddish-orange color of Arcturus signifies its temperature, which is roughly about 7,300 degrees Fahrenheit -- about several thousand degrees cooler than the surface of the sun.
Both Spica and Arcturus make up part of the three-star Spring Triangle asterism, which also includes the bright star Regulus in the Constellation Leo The Lion. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture Regulus in the shot through the tree branches, although if y'all get up early enough in the morning, spotting Regulus farther overhead between the two stars won't be hard.
Well folks, I hope y'all enjoyed my post. Have a wonderful Dixie day, and y'all be sure to keep your eyes to the night skies.
Mercury I didn't even see very well until I downloaded the photo and saw it positioned just next to the tree as a very faint spot of light.
Arcturus is an orange-colored star in the far left and the brightest star in the Constellation Bootes the Herdsman. It is the fourth-brightest star in the night sky and the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. At just under 37 light-years away, Arcturus is actually about 25 times larger than the diameter of our sun. The reddish-orange color of Arcturus signifies its temperature, which is roughly about 7,300 degrees Fahrenheit -- about several thousand degrees cooler than the surface of the sun.
Both Spica and Arcturus make up part of the three-star Spring Triangle asterism, which also includes the bright star Regulus in the Constellation Leo The Lion. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture Regulus in the shot through the tree branches, although if y'all get up early enough in the morning, spotting Regulus farther overhead between the two stars won't be hard.
Well folks, I hope y'all enjoyed my post. Have a wonderful Dixie day, and y'all be sure to keep your eyes to the night skies.
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