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Bright Planets, Crescent Moo
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Bright Planets, Crescent Moon |
| Explanation |
Early risers are currently enjoying the sight [ http://stardate.org/nightsky/planets/ ] of dazzling Venus [ http://www.nineplanets.org/venus.html ], near the eastern horizon as the morning star [ http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/venus/ morning_star.html&edu=high ]. Recorded on October 7, this predawn skyview [ http://www.usno.navy.mil/pao/sky/sky_week.shtml ] does feature Venus at the upper right. It also includes a crescent Moon and Saturn (lower left). In fact, holding your fist at arms length would have easily covered [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/scale.html ] both planets and the Moon in this 5 degree wide field. Earthshine [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020419.html ], sunlight reflected from planet Earth's dayside, illuminates features on the lunar nightside. A close inspection of Saturn itself reveals a nearby pinpoint of light corresponding to Saturn's [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/science/moons/index.cfm ] large moon Titan. Though the Moon has moved on, the tight triangle [ http://www.spaceweather.com/images2007/12oct07/ skymap_north.gif ] formed by Venus, Saturn, and Regulus (top), alpha star in the constellation Leo, will continue to look impressive in early morning skies over the next few days. Early bird astrophotographer Jay Ouellet also described Mars as [ http://www.spaceweather.com/images2007/11oct07/ skymap_north_mars.gif ] a "brilliant red diode" in his dark country sky east of Quebec City, Canada. Count the Stars: The Great World Wide Star Count [ http://www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/starcount/ ] |
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Three Planets from Mt. Hamil
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| Title |
Three Planets from Mt. Hamilton |
| Explanation |
Venus, Mercury, and Saturn wandered close [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050624.html ] together in western evening skies last week. On Saturn [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/ fun-facts-saturn.cfm ]day, June 25, astronomer R. Jay GaBany recorded this snapshot of their eye-catching planetary conjunction, from historic Lick Observatory [ http://www.ucolick.org/ ] on Mt. Hamilton [ http://mthamilton.ucolick.org/hamcam/ ], California, USA. The view looks toward the Pacific shortly after sunset with the lights of San Jose and the southern San Francisco Bay area in the foreground. Of course, Venus is [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050107.html ] the brightest of the trio. Mercury [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/solar_system/planets/ planets_index.html ] is nearby on the right and Saturn is below and left, closest to the horizon. Farther to the right of the planetary triangle are Pollux and Castor, twin stars [ http://stardate.org/nightsky/constellations/gemini.html ] of Gemini, with Regulus [ http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/regulus.html ], bright star of the constellation Leo, at the very upper left corner of the picture. In the coming days [ http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance/ article_110_1.asp ], Venus and Mercury remain close, while Saturn continues to drop below them, toward the horizon. |
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