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Fall Sky Tour 2003: The West
By Pedro Braganca
Special to SPACE.com
posted: 07:00 am ET
05 December 2003
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Intro[Also: North, South, East] This is the last of four articles this week, each examining a different compass direction in the night sky. Our tour guide is Starry Night Pro 4.5, the newest version of the leading astronomy software for night sky enthusiasts. After dominating the sky for many months, the Summer Triangle now makes only a limited appearance. But you can still spot it if you go out early enough. The triangle is made up of Vega in the constellation Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus and Altair in Aquila. These three stars are the brightest of their respective constellations. Western Sky Explanation below
The map shows the sky from mid-northern latitudes at 9 p.m. local time this week. The zenith is the point directly overhead. These stars are all a bit higher earlier in the evening, and the lower ones sink into the horizon shortly after 9 p.m. Vega and Altair set in the West in late evening. Deneb stays up until past midnight. If you go out after sunset, the stars that appear low on the horizon in the above map will be higher and easier to spot. Vega is the fifth brightest star in the sky. Compare it to Mars, which is still just a bit brighter. The red planet, though far dimmer than it was in August, continues to dominate the southwestern evening sky. Mars' orange tint makes it easy to identify. From cities and suburbs, where light pollution drowns out faint stars, Mars sits practically alone, since there are no bright stars nearby. The Northern Cross, with Vega at the top, is now almost upright, but it disappears quickly after darkness falls. [Previous Tours: North, South, East] | The Perfect Gift | | 
| Astronomy for the
Entire Family! Starry Night software brings the universe to your desktop. Map the sky from your location, or just sit back and let the cosmos come to you. LEARN MORE! | |
Pedro Brananca is an astronomy support associate at Starry Night.
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