06/08/2015 – Ephemeris – Libra in the balance

Ephemeris for Monday, June 8th.  Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 9:26.   The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 1:46 tomorrow morning and tomorrow the Sun will rise at 5:57.

One of the constellations of the Zodiac or circle of animals isn’t either animal or human.  It is Libra the Scales or balance.  It lies low in the southeastern sky at 11 p.m., just to the right of the rising Saturn and Scorpius the scorpion.  Libra, it seems, is an afterthought, a simple diamond shape of four stars.  Its two brightest stars Zubeneschamali and Zubenelgenubi translate to the north and south claw respectively, of Scorpius to the left of it.  The Arabs, at least, seemed to view this as part of Scorpius.  The balance was perhaps to signify the equality of day and night, at the time the sun was in this part of the sky at the start of autumn, over 2000 years ago.  Now its in Virgo.

Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Libra with Saturn and Scorpius rising behind in the southeast at 10:30 p.m. on June 8, 2015. Created using Stellarium.