Backyard Astronomer - Delta College Public Radio

Under a clear sky with no moon or light pollution, you should see it as a faint band of light that stretches overhead from roughly north to south. This band represents the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, a huge spiral of some 200 billion stars.

As the moon advances past full and moves further into the eastern sky, we’ll have a chance to see it greet the planet Mars on the morning of August 19.

Since one side of the moon always faces the earth, it's often assumed that means the moon doesn't rotate. But that's not really the case.

As the phase of the moon grows steadily from crescent to first quarter to full, it’s a good opportunity to explore the contrasts of light and dark on its surface.

After dusk, look about a third of the way up the eastern sky for a moderately bright star. It’s flanked by two fainter stars above and below it. This is Altair, the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila the Eagle.

Hercules, the strong man of ancient mythology, rides high overhead in early summer. While its stars are not particularly bright, its most distinctive shape are the four stars in its center known as the Keystone.

Cygnus the Swan is now visible in the northeast after twilight. Its brightest star Deneb marks the tail of Cygnus, and turns out to be one of the most luminous stars in the galaxy.

Each night, the moon appears to slip a little further back or eastward among the stars, reaching Full on July 13th. The July Full Moon is known as the Buck Moon but will also be a "Super Moon".

As evening twilight fades into night, look for three bright stars high in the east that form a giant triangle in the sky. Each belongs to its own constellation, but the triangle is a great way to “star hop” to areas of interest.

As twilight ends around 10:30pm, look low in the southeast for a bright reddish star – this is Antares, the heart of Scorpius the Scorpion.

From now through the rest of June, you’ll have a unique opportunity to see a lineup of all five naked eye planets during morning twilight.

This week, the phase of the moon grows, reaching First Quarter on June 7. An ordinary pair of binoculars is all you’ll need to see some of the moon's larger craters.

At the end of evening twilight, look about halfway up the northeast sky for a bright bluish star. This is Vega, the second brightest star in the summer sky.

Set your clocks for the late evening and early morning of May 30 and 31 because we might just get a rare meteor display!

Now that we’re past Full Moon, the early evening sky remains dark for longer periods as the moon rises later each night. This reveals a really nice target for binoculars called the Coma star cluster.

This year, the Full Flower Moon takes place late on May 15, and coincides with a Total Lunar Eclipse, also called a Blood Moon.

Spring is when the Big Dipper climbs high into the north, making it an excellent guidepost in the sky. Look for the three stars in the handle of the Big Dipper and you’ll notice they form a curve or arc in the sky, the "Arc to Arcturus."

Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, is notoriously difficult to see. We only have a chance to see it three or four times a year and one of those opportunities is right now.

This year, International Dark Sky Week begins on Earth Day, April 22, and runs through April 30. It’s a chance to celebrate, learn, and experience the beauty of dark skies and the need to preserve it.

Mid-April to mid-May is a good time to see a collection of bright stars in the west called “The Arch of Spring.” Even though they’ve been around all winter, we notice these stars more when they get lower in the sky because they’re closer to the horizon.

The week of April 4 offers a perfect opportunity to follow the waxing crescent moon. In this case, “waxing” refers to the crescent shape growing larger each night.

All this week, the early evening sky is clear of moonlight, which allows us time to explore some of the fainter deep sky objects with binoculars and telescopes. One of the best is the Beehive Star Cluster in Cancer the Crab.

All this week, a trio of planets group closer together in the morning sky before dawn.

This year, the March equinox arrives on the 20th which marks the first day of spring for the northern hemisphere. What does that mean in astronomical terms?

With binoculars, look for the large, almost perfectly round maria a little to the upper right of the center of the moon. This is the Sea of Serenity, measuring in at over 400 miles across.