Venus will meet Pleiades star cluster after eight years on 3 April at 11.30 pm IST

firstpost.com ^ | 04/03/2020

[Gamecock]

[trustandobey]

Sky event?

[alexander_busek]

It is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius... but that was a month ago.... We are now in Aries...

I suspect that you know, but I'll explain it for the others.

The Earth's axis is tilted (relative to the ecliptic - i.e., to the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun) 23.5°, and (currently) points towards Polaris (the North Star). But like a top, that axis precesses - completing a cycle once every 25,920. This is known as the precession of the equinoxes. As a result, the position of the Sun - at the moment of the Vernal Equinox - moves from one of the twelve zodiacal constellations to the next about every 2,150 years (25,920 divided by 12).

In the early part of the 20th century, whenever the Vernal Equinox began, the Sun was in the constellation of Pisces. At present, it has shifted to the constellation of Aquarius.

According to astrological legend, when this new age begins, people will begin to feel an uncontrollable urge to consumer fish tank cleaner.

Regards,

[alexander_busek]

That’s obviously true, I was trying to be sarcastic....but the earth’s orbit is not a perfect circle or ellipse...so when it’s closer to the sun it will be hotter here and vice versa

Actually, for people in the Northern Hemisphere, when the Earth approaches perihelion (in early January), it's usually much colder than when the Earth approaches aphelion (in July).

Regards,

[OrioleFan]

You had me going... LOL

[GingisK]

Wow! What made Venus get so far out of orbit? ;-D

[Rebelbase]

Did anyone notice Mars low on the NW horizon last night or was that a faraway airplane?

[deport]

https://www.space.com/33619-visible-planets-guide.html

But it’s the lone evening planet (Venus) that steals the show.
It passes exceedingly close to the Pleiades Star Cluster during
the opening days of April, stays above the horizon until almost
midnight, dropping down the western sky side-by-side with a lovely
crescent moon on April 26, and attaining the peak of its head turning
brilliance the very next night.

[TXnMA]

"Where’s Uranus ?"

And... fieldmarshaldj wins today's FR Astronomical Dumbassery Prize for 03 April 2020!

[Tennessee Nana]

Not at my house...I ate all my fish when I ran out of toilet paper...

[xp38]

Planetary distancing

[KarlInOhio]

IST = India Standard Time = GMT + 5:30.

But Venus doesn't move that fast so it should last for days.

[KarlInOhio]

do you suppose the climate on earth is affected by how close or how far the earth is from the sun

If you go to Antartica on the perihelion on January 4 and take a penguin egg to balance on its tip, you will get pecked at by the adult penguins because they don't like that crap at all.

Seriously, the tilt of the Earth and the difference in land percentage in the two hemispheres have a greater effect on the weather.

[Zathras]

Where its always been

[Rummyfan]

I don’t know, but it was so bright and large last night I thought it was an aircraft!

[Alas Babylon!]

Yes, but the Earth’s axis tilts. So right now, when the Earth is closest to the Sun, the Northern hemisphere is pointed away.

Imagine the global warming when it is in the opposite!

About 11,000 years (not 10)!

[SunkenCiv]

• Old gas blob from Uranus found in vintage Voyager 2 data [2020]
• Uranus is leaking gas [2020]
• Uranus Makes a Surprise Appearance [2019]
• A massive object devastated Uranus a long time ago and it never fully recovered [2018]
• Did Something Massive Smash Into Uranus? [2018]
• Uranus Smells Like Rotten Eggs [2018]
• Hubble Just Spotted Something Massive Coming Out Of Uranus [2017]
• NASA wants to probe Uranus in search of gas [2017]
• Uranus Smells Like Farts [2017]
• Giant Methane Storms On Uranus [2015]
• Scientists plan mission to probe Uranus [2011]

[MikelTackNailer]

"Pleiades? I don't know him. Is he a rapper?"

[Grey182]

Thank you for the heads up.

No pun intended. :)

[Old Yeller]

Here’s hoping it doesn’t ram into Uranus.