Stargazing: Van Anda, BC
Current Weather
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Clear Sky ForecastUpdated: Thurs, Feb 9, 2012, 20:55 PST
Thursday Overnight
7
°C
Light rain
P.O.P.: 90%, Wind: E 15km/h
Friday Evening
6
°C
Cloudy with showers
P.O.P.: 60%, Wind: N 5km/h
Moon Phases
Feb 14
Last Quarter
Feb 21
New Moon
Feb 29
First Quarter
Mar 8
Full Moon
Click here to calculate the sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset times and the seasonal calendar.
This Week in the Sky
The Heavenly Hound
Winter skywatchers looking towards the low southern sky can always find companionship with the Great Dog constellation Canis Major and its lead star Sirius. The stars of Orion make for a great guidepost to find the Great Dog. Using Orion\'s belt of three stars, extend an imaginary line to the lower left and you will come across his canine companion heeling at his feet.
Sirius is one of our closest stellar neighbours at only 8.6 light years away, making it the not only the fifth closest star but the brightest. It is only outshined by the Sun, Moon and a couple of planets. A true powerhouse, Sirius is about twice the diameter of our Sun and pumps out about 23 times as much light.
Binocular users looking just below Sirius can catch sight of a sparkling open star cluster. This stellar family is made up of 80 orange giants that are less than 200 million years old. Visible to the naked eye from the countryside, M41 is located about 2400 light years from Earth and spans 25 light years across.
Current Earth View
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