See the moon shine alongside purple supergiant star Antares after sundown tonight
Heads up, stargazers! The waxing gibbous moon will shine near the purple star Antares after sundown on Sunday (Aug. 3).
Look 20 levels above the southern horizon to search out the 69%-lit moon glowing among the many stars of the constellation Scorpiuswith Antares showing as a shiny, reddish level of sunshine roughly 1 diploma to the higher left of the lunar disk. Keep in mind: The tip of your finger held at arm’s size accounts for roughly 1 diploma of the night time sky.
Because the night time wears on, Antares will seem to skirt across the moon’s northern rim. It is going to lastly set to the best of Earth’s satellite tv for pc because it slips beneath the southwestern horizon within the early hours of Aug. 4.
The moon will cross straight in entrance of, or occult, Antares from the angle of a number of locations within the Southern Hemisphere — together with Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and Antarctica — after 8:08 p.m. ET on Aug. 3 (0008 GMT Aug. 4).
Antares is a purple supergiant star 700 occasions the size of the sun. The star, which orbits inside the Milky Way some 600 light-years from Earthhas lengthy since used up its hydrogen gas and has transitioned to fusing heavier parts in a bid to stave off its gravitational collapse. As soon as these reserves are depleted, the star will finish its life in a dramatic supernova explosion that will likely be simply seen from Earth, according to EarthSky.org.
Stargazers who’re fascinated with exploring the lunar seas and craters of the moon ought to try our roundups of the top telescopes and binoculars available in 2025. Photographers who wish to seize the majesty of Earth’s pure satellite tv for pc must also learn our ultimate guide to imaging the moon using a DSLR cameratogether with our picks for the best lenses and cameras for astrophotography.
Editor’s notice: In case you take an image of Antares with the moon and wish to share it with Area.com’s readers, please ship your picture, alongside along with your feedback, identify and placement, to spacephotos@area.com.
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