Sirius We are reaching the end of our countdown of the brightest stars visible from Chicago. SIRIUS is the brightest star in all the night sky (and the brightest star in the constellation of Canis Major, the greater dog). It dominates the winter sky, and its proximity to five other stars on this countdown—Procyon, Betelgeuse, Rigel,… Read More Brightest Stars Visible From Chicago: #2
Rigel We return to the famous constellation Orion for star #6 on our countdown, RIGEL, the brightest star in that constellation. Orion is truly a brilliant sight in the winter sky. It is the only constellation with two stars in this countdown, the other was Betelgeuse. And the three stars of its belt do not… Read More Brightest Stars Visible From Chicago: #6
Betelgeuse For number 9 on our countdown, we visit the famous constellation Orion and find the red supergiant BETELGEUSE at its upper left corner. Betelgeuse, like many other stars, has a name derived from Arabic. Betelgeuse and the constellation Orion are among the easiest things to find in the night sky. Unfortunately, they are not… Read More Brightest Stars Visible From Chicago: #9
Southern Lights It is finally March. Chicago is slowly thawing out from a bitterly cold winter, and it is a good time to take a look again at the spectacular bright stars that are typically associated with the winter sky. An hour after sunset (around 8:00 pm Central Daylight Time), look to the south. As… Read More Skywatching: March 13-23
Winter Is Coming It may feel like winter here in Chicago, but the calendar says it is still late autumn. Nonetheless, this is the perfect week to get a preview of the brilliant stars (and one giant planet) in the winter sky. As evening progresses, more and more of these bright objects rise above the… Read More Skywatching: November 27-30
Sun and Moon This week, the SUN sets between 7:24 pm and 7:31 pm Central Daylight Time. It rises between 6:21 am and 6:12 am Central Daylight Time. The MOON is new on April 10. This means you can see the waning crescent just before sunrise at the beginning of the week, and you can… Read More Skywatching This Week: April 8-14
