What's in the sky tonight?
September 21, 2013
-After the last of twilight has faded away, the Northern Cross in Cygnus floats near the zenith (for skywatchers at mid-northern latitudes). Without looking: Do you know which way its long end points? If you guessed southwest, you're right.
-The September equinox occurs at 4:44 p.m. EDT (20:44 UT) on Sunday, Sept. 22nd, when the Sun crosses the equator heading south. This marks the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere. On this date, day and night are of approximately equal length.
You know the equinox is near when you find yourself nearly-blinded while driving down east-west roads. Alan Friedman demonstrates the phenomenon from his hometown in Buffalo, New York. "At the equinoxes, the sun rises due east and sets due west on my street in Buffalo," says Friedman. "One has to drive carefully!"
Astro Picture of the Day:
September 21, 2013
Source:
The sky looks dark in this scene from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Captured on Wednesday, September 18, an Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is leaving launch pad-0A with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard. Though it looks like night, the photograph was taken at 10:58am EDT, under bright, clear morning skies, with a digital camera modified to record infrared images. The Sun itself is above and left of the picture frame, creating strong glare and internal reflections in the camera lens at near-infrared wavelengths. In the false-color presentation, the vegetation and watery reflections also take on an otherworldly pallor. Reaching orbit, the Cygnus spacecraft is now on its way to a Sunday rendezvous with the International Space Station. The spacecraft will deliver about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms) of cargo to the Expedition 37 crew.