Moon near Jupiter before dawn March 30
1 comment Print Me Email to FriendTonight's Sky for Saturday, Mar 29 2008
Even if you’re not up till late dawn, you’ll probably still see the large waning crescent moon and the planet Jupiter adorning the morning twilight. After the sun, the moon and Jupiter rate as the 2nd and 4th brightest celestial objects, respectively.
The moon and Jupiter shine in front of the constellation Sagittarius the Archer. But you won’t see the stars of this constellation unless you’re up before dawn.
The ancient Greeks saw Sagittarius as Chiron, the centaur: a creature with the head and arms of a human, but the body and legs of a horse. Supposedly, Chiron is aiming his bow and arrow at the heart of the Scorpion. Modern eyes, however, have an easier time spotting the “Teapot,” a group of stars in the western half of Sagittarius.
Nunki may well be the oldest of star names, being of Sumerian and Babylonian origin. However, the name Nunki was borrowed and given to this star in Sagittarius in recent times. It’s thought that the term Nunki originally applied to a star, or a group of stars in the constellation Carina. The Babylonians regarded Nunki as the celestial counterpart of Eridu, their sacred city on the Euphrates River.
I recall back several years, probably in the late 80s, being out looking for Haley’s comet about 4 or 5 am. The locator was given as the “teapot”. That was the first time I ever heard that name. It took me almost an hour to locate the teapot and then I did see the comet, very dimly. It was quite a thrill to find it because in the city the light pollution was so bad. Still is. Where I live now the sky is a bit darker and observing is somewhat easier.