Moon close to the Teapot of Sagittarius
Earlier than daybreak on February 16 and 17, 2023, you possibly can spot the skinny waning crescent moon close to the Teapot of Sagittarius the Archer. The Teapot is an asterism, or easy assortment of stars which can be straightforward to acknowledge. The middle of our Milky Way galaxy lies within the route of the Teapot.
Greater within the sky is the brilliant, reddish star Antares within the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. The moon handed Antares a number of mornings earlier. Our pure satellite travels eastward on the ecliptic, or path of the sun, moon and stars. And so, a number of mornings from now, the moon might be near the sun, reaching new moon phase on February 20.
For the reason that view of the celebrities, moon and planets varies by your place on the globe, we recommend you attempt Stellarium for a exact star chart to your location.
The Teapot is towards the Milky Way’s heart
If you’re trying towards the Teapot, you’re trying within the route of the Milky Way’s heart. Particularly, the spout factors towards the black hole on the core of our Milky Way galaxy.
On the morning of February 16 and 17 because the Teapot rises, the sky might be rising lighter, heading towards the breaking daybreak. Due to this fact, it could be exhausting to identify the faint river of the Milky Way presently of 12 months.
August is without doubt one of the finest months to view the Teapot and Sagittarius. Then, in a darkish sky, you possibly can take full benefit of utilizing the Teapot to search out the Milky Way’s heart.
Backside line: Discover the skinny crescent moon close to the Teapot of Sagittarius on the mornings of February 16 and 17, 2023.
For more great observing events in the coming weeks, visit EarthSky’s night sky guide