I have to admit, realizing it is somehow late August was a bit startling. I’m not entirely sure where my summer went, but I am grateful that my garden is finally producing veg, and the temps are starting to slowly trend downward.
The Dog Days of summer are named for the appearance of the Dog Star Sirius rising with the Sun. Running from July 3 to August 11, these are typically the hottest days of the year and once upon a time, in the Roman Empire, that heat was blamed on Sirius’ – the brightest star in the sky’s – being in close proximity to the Sun. Today we know this isn’t so, but it makes for a good story.
With the dog days behind us, Orion is creeping its way higher and higher into the morning sky as it works its way over towards an evening appearance.
Along with Orion, we also have the planet Mars making a pre-dawn appearance beside Jupiter above Orion’s head in the constellation Taurus. It too will be rising earlier and earlier as our planet races closer in our orbits. We’ll finally pass Mars in January, and in the coming months we’ll be able to watch as it appears brighter and earlier in the sky night after night. The sky is returning to my favorite state, and I am here for it.
In the past, research related to Mars was restricted to Mars close approaches. Today, with rovers and orbiting space craft a plenty, every day can be Mars research day… Well, everyday except the dozen or so when Mars is directly behind the Sun. Today in our closer look we examine new results about mars water, mars sample return, and our dreams for fossil hunting on the red planet. We also look at the origins of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, the environments of fast radio bursts, and a black hole chowing down on a star.