11/08/2018 – Ephemeris – More constellations of autumn: Andromeda, Triangulum and Aries

Ephemeris for Thursday, November 8th. The Sun will rise at 7:30. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 5:22. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 6:26 this evening.

High in the south at 9 p.m. can be seen the Great Square of Pegasus. From the top left star of the square diverge two curved lines of stars that is Andromeda the chained princess. Just below and left of Andromeda is a slender triangle of stars, none particularly bright. It has a name you can easily see in the stars, Triangulum, the triangle. Early Christians saw it as the Mitre of Saint Peter or the Trinity. Another small constellation seen below Triangulum is the much better known constellation Aries the ram, a small hockey stick of a constellation, not that hard to spot. It is the first constellation of the Zodiac, where the Sun is supposed to enter on the first day of spring. Due to the wobble of the Earth’s axis over the millenia, that honor is now given to Pisces.

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

Addendum

Andromeda, Pegasus, Triangulum and Aries finder animation for 8 p.m. November 8, 2018.  Created using Stellarium and GIMP.  Click on the image to enlarge.