Have fun the equinox this week with the waxing crescent moon, low within the south-south-west, cruising previous the purple star Antares in Scorpius, the scorpion.
The chart reveals the view from London at 20:00BST on 21 September. The moon can be approaching its first quarter (half-moon) part with round 39% of its seen floor illuminated. When it’s this low in opposition to the horizon, its normally silvery glow will possible be reworked right into a ruddier color. It’s because the blue element of its gentle is scattered out of our direct view by the molecules within the environment. When the moon is near the horizon, we should look by way of extra of the environment than when it’s excessive, close to the zenith, and so the impact of dropping the blue gentle is extra pronounced.
Those self same layers of environment will make Antares seem to twinkle. Viewers within the southern hemisphere will see a silvery moon due to its larger altitude. These in Sydney will actually win with this conjunction, due to the time distinction. At 20:00AEST on 21 September, the moon can be very near Antares, good and excessive within the sky, and the pair will look beautiful.
