Tonight and for the next few nights, you can participate in a survey of your night sky and increase awareness of dark skies (and the converse of light pollution). While we are sheltering at home, we have vastly reduced the amount of air pollution, but have we given thought to the loss of our dark skies while we hunker down, sheltering at home? No? Well, here’s your chance to pitch in and save our night skies!
The Case of the Hidden Lion
Can you find the constellation Leo (for Northern latitudes)? For the next week, take a few minutes out of your late evening and follow these simple instructions to locate the missing lion in your night sky.
Five Easy Star Hunting Steps
- Use the Globe at Night website to help find your constellation in the night sky.
- Use the Globe at Night website to find the latitude and longitude of the location where you are making your observation.
- Go outside more than an hour after sunset (8-10 pm local time). The Moon should not be up. Let your eyes become used to the dark for 10 minutes before your first observation.
- Match your observation to one of 7 magnitude charts and note the amount of cloud cover.
- Report the date, time, location (latitude/longitude), the chart you chose, and the amount of cloud cover at the time of observation. Make more observations from other locations, if possible. Compare your observation to thousands around the world!:
I’ll be making my observations either tomorrow or Friday evening around 10 o’clock Central time. I’m just one degree shy of forty degrees north latitude. We’re in the last quarter of the moon, with the new moon occurring on the 23rd so this is the best opportunity to find that missing lion!
Times for Sunset and Moonrise for Kansas City, KS:
| April 16, 2020 Moonrise: 3:55am Twi A: 5:05am Twi N: 5:40am Twi: 6:13am Sunrise: 6:41am Solar noon: 1:19pm Moonset: 1:59pm Sunset: 7:57pm Twi: 8:25pm Twi N: 8:58pm Twi A: 9:32pm Day len: 13h 16′ | April 17, 2020 Moonrise: 4:29am Twi A: 5:03am Twi N: 5:38am Twi: 6:11am Sunrise: 6:39am Solar noon: 1:18pm Moonset: 2:59pm Sunset: 7:58pm Twi: 8:26pm Twi N: 8:59pm Twi A: 9:34pm Day len: 13h 19′ |