Monday, August 12, 2019

Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter at Night Sky

Stepping out at this Friday night, I happened to see a few bright astronomical bodies in the night sky.  A striking view was that Saturn, Moon, and Jupiter were lined up in an almost straight line. Can you spot the two planets and the Moon in this low-quality cellphone photo?


It also happened that above my head were two bright stars, Altair and Vega that were supposedly separated by the Milky Way -- I say "supposedly" because the Milky Way wasn't visible at all in this light-polluted city park. In both western and eastern folklore and cultures, these two have had interesting histories and stories that often inspire romances. In Chinese folklore, Altair and Vega are a couple whose love are banished. Against all odds, Altair and two nearby but much darker stars β-Aquilae and γ-Aquilae at one side of the river, i.e., the Milky way are meeting his wife and the children's mother, the Weaving girl, Vega at the other side of the river. I wish I had had taken a photo of these beloved stars.

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