Posted on 12/28/2019 3:44:38 PM PST by Gay State Conservative
Around 5PM Eastern,not long after sunset,I went outside and saw the moon,in a "crescent" phase and as clear as can be (not a cloud in the sky), with a small very bright light a bit above it. I waited for that light to move (assuming it was a plane) but for three minutes it didn't move a bit.
Yes,I'm a city boy who never really studied science so please don't laugh...was that small bright light a planet?
The only time in my life I've ever seen anything that compelling was the night,long ago,that we spent in the Florida Keys with a crystal clear sky. I didn't know that there were that many stars in the sky.
This experience has renewed my determination to someday visit the Atacama Desert...where the sky is typically so clear and dark that EU placed a huge complex of deep space telescopes.
Venus! They will be a little closer tomorrow.
You picked a good night to go outside!
The rule for planets is that they don’t twinkle, just a solid light. You can easily see Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn (but not its rings without optics). If you know when and where to look (and if the conditions are right), you can also see Mercury and Youranus. Forget Neptune and Pluto.
I saw it too here in WV. It was pretty awesome and I wondered if it was significant of anything?
It could be a star, a planet, an airplane, a meteorite, or even a satellite. I have been fooled by all of them into thinking I had seen something unexplained. The key is to keep looking and do your research.
You can get on the ISS email list, and you’ll receive emails telling you when the space station will be flying over your area.
If it happens to do so on a clear spring or summer evening at sunset, the diminishing sunlight might hit the solar panels at just the right angle.
The effect will look like the ISS is dropping bombs from orbit.
Looks pretty cool.
Amazing! I think that this is the first time I've ever seen a planet.As I said...I very much want to visit the Atacama Desert...now more then ever.
And BTW...you leave my backside of of this! Understood? ;-)
I have apps on my phone for this.
GoSkyWatchP the app.
Looking for something? The app will point to it. Wonder what something is? Just point and see.
Good sky app.
If you don't believe me you're a denier!
HOW DARE YOU!!
ROTFL
Yea, I have better things to look at, regardless of your name.
Haven’t been to Atacama, but it’s definitely bitchin’. You won’t see the North Star or Big/Little Dipper there, but you will get a great look at Orion (assuming your timing is correct) - other cool stuff too!
I'm lucky that I live in one of those dark sky areas, east of the Sierra Nevada in California and west of Tonopah, NV. On clear nights easy to see the Milky Way
Actually something just occurred to me...unless I'm mistaken MIT (which isn't far from me) has one or more observation/research telescopes and I recall that they sometimes open them to the general public. I think I'll check that out.
One time when my DH and I were anchored off the coast of Maine there was a sight I’ll never forget and can see it as I type. We were about nine miles off the coast anchored near an island and the water was as still as I’d ever seen it. Just a sheet of glass, and it was a dark and starry night. The Stars SHONE on the water surface!!! What a sight!
I think one of the most wonderful thing I've ever seen was a night time sky when I camped out in the Utah deserts.
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