Thursday, August 8, 2024

The Teapot Tilts West (evening)

With the crescent moon setting early on Thursday, August 8, conditions will be ideal for viewing one of the best asterisms in the sky. The stars of Sagittarius, the Archer, form an obvious Teapot shape with a flat bottom
formed by the stars Ascella on the left (east) and Kaus Australis on the right (west), a pointed spout on the right (west) marked by the star Alnasl, and a pointed lid marked by the star Kaus Borealis. The stars Nunki and Tau Sagittarii form a handle on the left-hand (eastern) side. The name Kaus used for the bent, up-down line of three stars - Borealis (north), Meridianalis (center), and Australis (south) - refer to the archer's bow. The center of our galaxy is only 6 degrees to the right of Alnasl. When the asterism reaches its maximum height above the southern horizon, around 10:30 p.m. local time tonight, it will be tilted west - the Milky Way evoking steam rising from its spout. The dwarf planet Ceres will be travelling through the teapot this summer.

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
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