what is your wish? make it tonight with the falling stars.....Meteor shower this week!
source: http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide
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- stacie69
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July 29, 2010 Delta Aquarids
The western sky after evening twilight has hosted a trio of planets for the past several weeks. But there’s room for one more! Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, has been moving away from the solar glare to accompany Venus, Mars, and Saturn. Horizon-hugging Mercury doesn’t stay visible long, however.
Brilliant Venus is the easiest to spot at daylight wanes. Look for Mercury soon after sunset as the brightest “star” between Venus and where the sun disappeared (where the sky is brightest). Observers at mid-northern latitudes shouldn’t wait too long, as the innermost planet soon nears the horizon and sets just an hour after the sun. Southern-hemisphere skywatchers can plan more leisurely. This planetary pileup appears more perpendicular to the horizon, affording more time to planet-gaze.
If Mercury has slipped too low in the sky, shift your view to the other side of Venus for the pairing of Mars and Saturn. Only 2 degrees apart, they’ll be easy to differentiate: Saturn is a bit brighter, and Mars has a ruddy hue. Although Mercury will leave the scene, watch how the remaining trio of planets shift with respect to each during evenings to come.
Written by Stuart Goldman
Also:
Planets:
The western sky after evening twilight has hosted a trio of planets for the past several weeks. But there’s room for one more! Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, has been moving away from the solar glare to accompany Venus, Mars, and Saturn. Horizon-hugging Mercury doesn’t stay visible long, however.
Brilliant Venus is the easiest to spot at daylight wanes. Look for Mercury soon after sunset as the brightest “star” between Venus and where the sun disappeared (where the sky is brightest). Observers at mid-northern latitudes shouldn’t wait too long, as the innermost planet soon nears the horizon and sets just an hour after the sun. Southern-hemisphere skywatchers can plan more leisurely. This planetary pileup appears more perpendicular to the horizon, affording more time to planet-gaze.
If Mercury has slipped too low in the sky, shift your view to the other side of Venus for the pairing of Mars and Saturn. Only 2 degrees apart, they’ll be easy to differentiate: Saturn is a bit brighter, and Mars has a ruddy hue. Although Mercury will leave the scene, watch how the remaining trio of planets shift with respect to each during evenings to come.
Written by Stuart Goldman
Jupiter
Right now Jupiter is in the eastern sky in late evening, rising around midnight. It’s rather high in your southern sky by daybreak. For the next several months Jupiter will appear to drift slowly westward among the faint stars of Pisces, the Fishes. Because of their true motions, Jupiter and the other outer planets normally drift slowly eastward against the background of the stars. However, during this time (which ends on November 19), Jupiter appears slightly farther to the west each night. You can’t tell this from night to night with just your eyes, but if you note Jupiter’s position relative to some nearby stars, you should be able to notice it over a period of a few weeks. On the up side, Jupiter is very easy to identify – just face east and look for he brightest object in the sky. On the down side, the King of the Planets is now passing through Pisces, which is one of the faintest of the major constellations. There are no bright stars near Jupiter. This makes it a little difficult to judge its motion.
On the other hand, the easily identified Square of Pegasus stays close Jupiter all year. It provides a convenient landmark (or “skymark”) against which to gauge Jupiter’s apparent motion.
If you start tonight (or sometime soon), and plot Jupiter’s apparent position every week or so through November, you should notice a distinct “retrograde loop.” The fact that it is a loop rather than a straight back and forth plot simply reflects the changing orientation of Jupiter’s slightly tilted orbit.
Written by Larry Sessions
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide
The western sky after evening twilight has hosted a trio of planets for the past several weeks. But there’s room for one more! Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, has been moving away from the solar glare to accompany Venus, Mars, and Saturn. Horizon-hugging Mercury doesn’t stay visible long, however.
Brilliant Venus is the easiest to spot at daylight wanes. Look for Mercury soon after sunset as the brightest “star” between Venus and where the sun disappeared (where the sky is brightest). Observers at mid-northern latitudes shouldn’t wait too long, as the innermost planet soon nears the horizon and sets just an hour after the sun. Southern-hemisphere skywatchers can plan more leisurely. This planetary pileup appears more perpendicular to the horizon, affording more time to planet-gaze.
If Mercury has slipped too low in the sky, shift your view to the other side of Venus for the pairing of Mars and Saturn. Only 2 degrees apart, they’ll be easy to differentiate: Saturn is a bit brighter, and Mars has a ruddy hue. Although Mercury will leave the scene, watch how the remaining trio of planets shift with respect to each during evenings to come.
Written by Stuart Goldman
Also:
Planets:
The western sky after evening twilight has hosted a trio of planets for the past several weeks. But there’s room for one more! Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, has been moving away from the solar glare to accompany Venus, Mars, and Saturn. Horizon-hugging Mercury doesn’t stay visible long, however.
Brilliant Venus is the easiest to spot at daylight wanes. Look for Mercury soon after sunset as the brightest “star” between Venus and where the sun disappeared (where the sky is brightest). Observers at mid-northern latitudes shouldn’t wait too long, as the innermost planet soon nears the horizon and sets just an hour after the sun. Southern-hemisphere skywatchers can plan more leisurely. This planetary pileup appears more perpendicular to the horizon, affording more time to planet-gaze.
If Mercury has slipped too low in the sky, shift your view to the other side of Venus for the pairing of Mars and Saturn. Only 2 degrees apart, they’ll be easy to differentiate: Saturn is a bit brighter, and Mars has a ruddy hue. Although Mercury will leave the scene, watch how the remaining trio of planets shift with respect to each during evenings to come.
Written by Stuart Goldman
Jupiter
Right now Jupiter is in the eastern sky in late evening, rising around midnight. It’s rather high in your southern sky by daybreak. For the next several months Jupiter will appear to drift slowly westward among the faint stars of Pisces, the Fishes. Because of their true motions, Jupiter and the other outer planets normally drift slowly eastward against the background of the stars. However, during this time (which ends on November 19), Jupiter appears slightly farther to the west each night. You can’t tell this from night to night with just your eyes, but if you note Jupiter’s position relative to some nearby stars, you should be able to notice it over a period of a few weeks. On the up side, Jupiter is very easy to identify – just face east and look for he brightest object in the sky. On the down side, the King of the Planets is now passing through Pisces, which is one of the faintest of the major constellations. There are no bright stars near Jupiter. This makes it a little difficult to judge its motion.
On the other hand, the easily identified Square of Pegasus stays close Jupiter all year. It provides a convenient landmark (or “skymark”) against which to gauge Jupiter’s apparent motion.
If you start tonight (or sometime soon), and plot Jupiter’s apparent position every week or so through November, you should notice a distinct “retrograde loop.” The fact that it is a loop rather than a straight back and forth plot simply reflects the changing orientation of Jupiter’s slightly tilted orbit.
Written by Larry Sessions
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide
