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May 26: Enter Endymion
Ready for a ruby-red target? Let’s visit the star Y Canum Venaticorum, also famously known as La Superba, “the superb one.”
As soon as it’s dark, look for the constellation Canes Venatici high overhead. Don’t know where it is? It’s quite easy to locate: You’ll find its two bright stars nestled just beneath the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle. The star we’re after, La Superba, is located some 10.6° south-southwest of 2nd-magnitude Alioth (Epsilon [ε] Ursa Majoris), the third star from the end of the Big Dipper’s handle. Alternatively, you can find La Superba just over 7° north-northwest of Cor Caroli, Canes Venatici’s 3rd-magnitude alpha star.
La Superba is a variable star, meaning it glows anywhere from magnitude 4.8 to 6.3. Currently it is near that minimum, with recent reports from the American Association of Variable Star Observers placing the star around 6th magnitude. Binoculars or a small telescope should show it easily, and you’ll know it by its deep red color. La Superba shines with this hue because it is a carbon star, whose atmosphere (which is abundant in carbon) absorbs blue wavelengths while letting the red shine through, so the latter is what reaches our eyes.
Sunrise: 5:36 A.M.
Sunset: 8:19 P.M.
Moonrise: 5:10 P.M.
Moonset: 3:13 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous (91%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 10 P.M. local time from the same location.
