Now is the perfect time to look outside in the evening and learn a phrase useful to sky watchers. The phrase is: follow the arc to Arcturus.
First locate the Big Dipper asterism in the northeastern sky. Then draw an imaginary line following the curve in the Dipper’s handle until you come to a bright orange star. This star is Arcturus in the constellation Bootes, known in skylore as the bear guard.
Drive a spike to the star Spica – and Saturn – in May
Arcturus is a much larger star than our sun. Read more about Arcturus here.
Arcturus is a giant star with an estimated distance of 37 light-years. It’s special because it’s not moving with the general stream of stars, in the flat disk of the Milky Way galaxy. Instead, Arcturus is cutting perpendicularly through the galaxy’s disk at a tremendous rate of speed … some 150 kilometers per second. Millions of years from now this star will be lost from the view of any future inhabitants of Earth, or at least those who are earthbound and looking with the eye alone.
So that’s how to “follow the arc” to the star Arcturus in the constellation Bootes. Learn how you can drive a spike to the star Spica in the constellation Virgo with the help of tomorrow’s sky chart.
Hello I saw several golden orbs in the sky over Brisbane tonight at about 7:30 at first we thought they were planes we pulled over and tried to video it but this is the strange part….the lights wouldn’t show up in the video. It was the strangest thing,
I’m just wondering is there any explanation for this and has anyone else seen this?? Thanks
Woah, that’s creepy! Maybe it was too dark for the camera to capture anything like a star in the sky because they are so small.
Im pretty sure it was aliens. ????
Rhii,
Possibly they were weather balloons? Just a guess…
Bruce
They could have possibilly been lanterns that are used in the movie tangled. You can buy these and set them off into the sky
“golden orbs” The fact that you used flash proves you are clueless! Your observations hold NO credibility. I attribute your observations as “imagination.” If you dis-agree, prove it! Post away. Post those photos! Send link.
Yeah, It was really weird I have never seen anything like it, I guess it could have been weather balloons but It didn’t really looked like that, They were moving kind of in formation…so many strange wonders.
“strange wonders” Yeah, Id say. Strange is one way of describing this post, other than meaningless or wrong website to post this stuff.
“strange wonders” Yeah, I’d say. Strange is one way of describing this post, other than meaningless or wrong website to post this stuff.
I’m about 12 degrees south of the equator (12 degrees and 16′). Do I can see the Big Dipper?
Filipe,
Yes, look for the upside-down Big Dipper rather low in your north-northeastern sky at nightfall and in your northern sky by around 9 p.m.
Hope you see it!
Bruce
And the Little Dipper?
Filipe,
If you have an unobstructed view northward and a clear sky, you might be able to see the two southernmost stars of the Little Dipper – Kochab and Pherkad – due north and barely above the horizon for a few hours, centered around midnight tonight. If that’s too late for you, remember that the stars return to the same place in the sky about two hours earlier each month.
Bruce
Thanks. (or rather, obrigado)
Yeah..i m in india and a very bright stream reddish in color can b seen..its just awesome
On the night of the supermoon, I took both video and stills. I photographed with flash a number of appraoching orbs from a still star like object just barely above the moon. I used flash, and the orbs did not show in non contrasted light.
They seemed to be transparent and others with strange rainbow colorations.
If the are simply photo artifacts, does anyone know how they come about.
I have several photos that I could post.
I have been enjoying this site for a bit now and figured its time to jump in.
Welcome, Kat!
I am in Wisconsin and there is a beautiful, bright, object to my north west, what is it does anyone know. I just went out and located the big dipper and I “think” I seen Arcturus, but thats not the super bright object right???
Hi is it possible to see the center of the milky way tonight?
I think the bright white object is the planet Venus.
Daniel,
No, you’re looking in the DIRECTION of the galactic center. It’s veiled by gas and dust!
Bruce
Rick. I wrote on the site which I have been reading for a long time now too see if there could be some kind of scientific explanation for what I saw, just so you know I don’t care what your opinion is I saw something strange so instead of jumping onto some UFO propaganda site I asked the experts. Go be a keyboard warrior somewhere else.