LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Clear skies with comfortable conditions and no moon interference are the perfect opportunity to check out the night sky.
This month is your last chance to see our closet neighbor galaxy known as the Andromeda galaxy before it sets in the western sky and does not return until later in the summer.
Did you know that every star that you see with your naked eyes is contained within our Milky Way galaxy? The Andromeda galaxy is 2.5 million light years away from Earth. One light-year is the distance that light travels in one year or 5,878,600,000,000 miles!
This deep-sky object is one of the most distant things most humans can see without binoculars or a telescope.
With the naked eyes it looks like a dot with haze. But using binoculars or even better, a telescope, reveals a little more detail.
To find the galaxy look between West and North just above the horizon after sunset. You should see a constellation that appears to look like a “w” or “m” on its side, this is Cassiopeia.
Now look left of that constellation for a star pattern that forms a “v” this is Andromeda. Use the guide above to see if you can spot the Andromeda Galaxy.
TIPS: Let your eyes adjust a few minutes to the dark. The darker the sky away from light pollution, the better experience. The opportunity to see this is only in the early evening, by 10 p.m. the constellation has set.
If you don’t have a telescope, the Central Arkansas Library System may have one available to rent.
Good luck!