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May 19, 2024Radio: Today’s Episode
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Moon and Spica
Seeing double — with some help
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Radio: Yesterday’s Episode
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Mizar and Alcor
Tying together two star systems
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Stargazing
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Moon and Spica
Spica, the brightest star of Virgo, stands close to the lower left of the Moon at nightfall. The Moon slides toward it during the night, so they are especially close as they set, in the wee hours of the morning.
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Mizar and Alcor
A horse and rider gallop across the north and northwest on May evenings. They are in the handle of the Big Dipper, which is high in the sky at nightfall. They’re the stars Mizar and Alcor. Mizar is the brighter of the two, with fainter Alcor just a whisker away.
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Disappearing Dog
As the last blush of evening twilight fades away, look almost due west for Procyon, the little dog star. It’s not all that high in the sky, but if you have a clear horizon, it will stand out.
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 Return of IGRINS
by Emily Howard
This issue highlights the return of an instrument that studies the infrared universe, and after a decade, it’s about to come home to the McDonald Observatory in Texas. We’ll also have all the latest astronomy news, a comprehensive two-month stargazing guide for the months of May and June, detailed skycharts, and answers to your astronomy questions from our science guru Merlin.
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