Moon near the head of Aries the Ram
Discuss Print Me Email to FriendTonight is Monday, Jan 05 2009
As seen from North America, the waxing gibbous moon will shine right in front of the head of the constellation Aries the Ram this evening. So it’ll be easy to locate the Ram’s head, but the moonlit glare may make it difficult to see the 3 stars that depict the head: Hamal, Sheratan and Mesarthim. Mesarthim will be especially hard to see.
This evening, the Pleiades star cluster shines roughly 20 degrees to the east (or left) of the moon. (The width of your fist at an arm length from your eye spans about 10 degrees of sky.) Can you see the small dipper-shape Pleiades cluster about two fist-widths from the moon tonight? If not, try binoculars. Although the moon’s position in front of the backdrop stars changes daily, the Pleiades cluster and Aries’ starlit bust always remain the same distance apart.
In Greek mythology, the god Mercury sent the Ram to save the children of the King of Thessaly from political intrigue. Phrixis and his sister Helles held on tight to the Ram’s Golden Fleece as the magical flying Ram swept them off for the safety of Colchis, an ancient country that once bordered the Black Sea.
