Summer sign | Otago Daily Times Online News

Happy fourth quarter day! Today marks the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. In the Celtic tradition, this particular quarter-day crossed was called the Beltane. It marked the beginning of summer. We hope the race to the December solstice will reward us with clear nights. Today it is also special for Griffin whanau. It marks our daughter Merope’s birthday. Born in Northern Ireland, it was named for one of the stars of the Pleiades, which are high in the southern Irish sky at midnight. Here in New Zealand, the Pleiades are known as Matariki, which can be seen low in the northern sky at this time of year.

With nights getting shorter, astronomers in this part of the world have to wait until after 10pm for the sky to darken properly. The moon reaches its last quarter phase on Monday. It won’t rise until after 3am, which means the early part of the night is darker and is the best time for stargazing. Fortunately there is a lot to see.

When the sun sets, Jupiter and Saturn are easily seen in the western sky. Jupiter is by far the brighter of the two planets, looking like a bright yellow-white star. Both planets are in the constellation of Sagittarius. They are currently separated by less than five degrees, and are about thirty degrees above the horizon at 10pm. Despite appearing close in the sky, this is only a line of sight effect; With a distance of more than 1.5 billion kilometers from Earth, Saturn is almost twice the size of Jupiter. In the coming weeks, these gas giants will come closer and closer in the sky; a few evenings before Christmas, they will be separated by less than a tenth of a degree.

Try to locate the upside down Sagittarius teapot which is to the left of Jupiter. Further to the left, Scorpius’ sting is low to the southwest. Try to catch a glimpse of Antares before it sets just after 11pm.

– Ian Griffin