Posted on 06/07/2015 2:49:48 AM PDT by djf
OK. Tonight I go on my porch and gaze at the night sky.
I have to move around a bit because there are trees everywhere.
But I see a BRIGHT object - almost directly west of me, and it's getting ready to set. It's right on the ecliptic.
The only two objects that ever get that bright are Jupiter and Venus, but it wasn't Jupiter, and at 11:30 at night, it sure ain't Venus!
Any ideas? Seriously. This has been buggin the crap out of me!
Where on the planet are you? That might help.
It appears Jupiter and Venus can be ruled out.
I suppose it would!
I’m near Seattle, just a bit south. So we are fairly north, that’s why I was thinking Venus - but damn, never saw Venus at 11:30 at night, no matter what time or day of year it was!
Besides Venus is supposed to be a morning star now...
I could dig out my Flammarions, but don’t think it will tell me anything!
Actually, it COULD be Jupiter. Jupiter sets a little after midnight, depending on where you are on Earth, and with atmospheric lensing (I think that’s the term), it could look bigger and brighter than normal.
You should install Google Sky Map on your phone. That would tell you.
Plus I looked at it with my 8X50 binoculars which, for Venus, show a disk. But all I made out was a point of light.
Weird. Whatever it was.
Maybe it’s Niarubu or whatever they call it!
If you plug in your coordinates, the time, and move the FOV to point west, you'll see that both of them were in the sky just above the horizon.
Well there were two planets in the vicinity. The second planet IMHO was Jupiter. I’ve seen Jupiter at opposition and it’s pretty impressive.
But this one was much brighter than that.
So who knows? If anyone has a clue, please let me know!
in boston venus sets around 11 pm tonight and Jupiter around midnight
Adjusting the star map to Seattle at 33:30 PM Pacific, I show both Venus and Jupiter about to set in the west.
Presently, Jupiter would be the brighter of the two! And sort of yellowy...
Make that 33:30 PM...
:p
Dangit, 11:30!!!
Venus.
From Boston’s western suburbs Venus set at:
06 Jun 2015 23:33 EDT
Venus at greatest elongation east for the year at
Sat, 06 Jun 2015 at 19:48 EDT
https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20150606_12_100
Wow.
It was Venus. Being in Seattle, a bit north of Boston, I guess..
Just like I said before I never saw Venus at that time of night!
Oh, and BTW, Thanks!
Thanks to all who suggested it!
Its a Deathstar since Star Wars is opening in December.
ANOTHER Star Wars?
I gave up on it with the lizard that lisps.
I knew there was another Jurassic Park though.
And actually, I’ve been wondering, when exactly do we catch up with Star Trek and Blade Runner and all that stuff? Seems like we are way, way behind!
Don’t miss this on June 30:
https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20150701_16_100
Also, a couple of great sites:
Rise/Set/Transit Times for Major Solar System Bodies and Bright Stars
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/mrst.php
JPL solar system dynamics page (takes a while to get used to):
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi#top
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