Stargazing: Matane, Quebec

Current Weather Updated: Monday, March 22, 2010, 5:00 EDT - Amqui

-9

°C

Feels Like: -
Wind: SE 6km/h
Sunrise: 6:31
Sunset: 18:48

Relative Humidity: 79%
Pressure: 101.87 kPa
Visibility: -
Ceiling: -

Clear Sky ForecastUpdated: Monday, March 22, 2010, 5:00 EDT

Moon Phases

Mar. 23

First Quarter

Mar. 29

Full Moon

Apr. 6

Last Quarter

Apr. 14

New Moon

Click here to calculate the sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset times and the seasonal calendar.

This Week in the Sky

Goddess in the Sky

Part of the zodiac and second largest of all constellations, Virgo (the Virgin) rises higher in the desolate eastern skies each evening. In mythology it has been called the goddess of fertility by Babylonians; to the Greeks and Roman she was the spirit of harvest and justice. For modern stargazers, Virgo remains a tricky constellation to make out in the springtime heavens, except for her brightest member -Spica.

Spica, the only bright star in the constellation is often represented as the ear of wheat the goddess is holding. A blue-white giant star, Spica is 220 light years away and shines 2000 times brighter than our Sun.

Tracking down Virgo and its brightest star Spica is made easy thanks to the celestial guidepost in the northeast, the Big Dipper. Take an arced line from the handle of the dipper down past orange Arcturus and spike straight down to Virgo\'s lead star.

- Andrew Fazekas