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Saturday 12 September 2020

Venus, the Moon and the Great Hunter

Just before dawn - around 3.15 - the sky was beautifully clear: Venus was just above the horizon, while to the west the Moon was embedded in Gemini. Just to the south the finest of all the star patterns, Orion, was a harbinger of the coming Autumn. The third photo is over-exposed to show the colours of the stars, particular the Red Giant Betelgeux (Orion's shoulder!)

It's interesting - to Astronomers, at least - that the 'Heavenly Twins' Castor and Pollux (Gemini) are no longer equally bright: the assumption is that Pollux is a long-term variable that has faded since ancient people gave them their name.




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