APOD and General Astronomy Discussion Forum
https://asterisk.apod.com/
Really nice, but... hey, Fred, I thought folks like you were upside down?Fred the Cat wrote: ↑Thu Aug 30, 2018 2:48 pm IMG_3798.JPG
Beautiful sunrise this morning
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But as the Earth rotates in our solar system
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Gravity makes it hard to sense its perspective like this
Lovely picture. Lovely composition, lovely colors.Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Mon Sep 24, 2018 1:16 am Rising moon and mountain bluebird, set in the Belt of Venus. Moon one day post equinox, one day pre full.
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They are one of our primary harbingers of spring, showing up in mid-February, the males intensely sky blue. Now, they are close to leaving for the winter, and the males have faded considerably, and are only a little more colorful than the females.
How strange. This page says nothing about a conjunction of any kind on October 7 or 8. As for Mars, it is in Capricorn, and there are no bright stars or (at present) any other planets in Capricorn.BDanielMayfield wrote: ↑Mon Oct 08, 2018 5:27 am Mars (I think) in a remarkable close conjunction with a bright star? When I saw it tonight I did a double-take because Mars and the other object were so close. I hope someone can take and post a photo of it.
Bruce
It was strange. Tonight the seeing is excellent, better than last night, and there was Mars, looking as bright as last night but completely normal. Last night I remember even rubbing my eyes a little because I couldn't hardly believe what I was seeing. Then I went inside to get a pair of binoculars, went back out and there were apparently two objects, both orange white and of about equal brightness, aligned vertically. I thought, wow, Mars must be right on top of Antares, but no, Antares isn't in this part of the sky, is it? I came inside, quickly fired off last night's post and then did my own search of S&T's and Astronomy's websites to see if there was anything special happening with Mars. Nada.Ann wrote: ↑Mon Oct 08, 2018 7:51 amHow strange. This page says nothing about a conjunction of any kind on October 7 or 8. As for Mars, it is in Capricorn, and there are no bright stars or (at present) any other planets in Capricorn.BDanielMayfield wrote: ↑Mon Oct 08, 2018 5:27 am Mars (I think) in a remarkable close conjunction with a bright star? When I saw it tonight I did a double-take because Mars and the other object were so close. I hope someone can take and post a photo of it.
Bruce
I wonder what you saw.
Ann
No, it didn't, really.BDanielMayfield wrote: ↑Tue Oct 09, 2018 5:11 amIt was strange. Tonight the seeing is excellent, better than last night, and there was Mars, looking as bright as last night but completely normal. Last night I remember even rubbing my eyes a little because I couldn't hardly believe what I was seeing. Then I went inside to get a pair of binoculars, went back out and there were apparently two objects, both orange white and of about equal brightness, aligned vertically. I thought, wow, Mars must be right on top of Antares, but no, Antares isn't in this part of the sky, is it? I came inside, quickly fired off last night's post and then did my own search of S&T's and Astronomy's websites to see if there was anything special happening with Mars. Nada.Ann wrote: ↑Mon Oct 08, 2018 7:51 amHow strange. This page says nothing about a conjunction of any kind on October 7 or 8. As for Mars, it is in Capricorn, and there are no bright stars or (at present) any other planets in Capricorn.BDanielMayfield wrote: ↑Mon Oct 08, 2018 5:27 am Mars (I think) in a remarkable close conjunction with a bright star? When I saw it tonight I did a double-take because Mars and the other object were so close. I hope someone can take and post a photo of it.
Bruce
I wonder what you saw.
Ann
I can only conclude that I was seeing a doubled image of Mars, but why? I wasn't drunk (had had only one beer hours earlier), and nothing else appeared doubled. The doubling effect was confirmed through binoculars, and there was no stellar twinkling apparent on either object. It must have been some kind of a mirage effect, but Mars was about 35 degrees above my horizon, which was concealed behind trees along our neighbors fenceline.
Is seeing a reflected image of a planet that high above the horizon possible? I wouldn't have thought so before last night, but it apparently happened.
Bruce
I turned 60 this summer and I wear eyeglasses for nearsightedness. This is something to watch and talk to an optometrist about at my next eye exam. I suffer from astigmatism and often see stars as two points until I refocus. Optics have really helped humans on the world; looking outward and inward.BDanielMayfield wrote: ↑Mon Oct 15, 2018 4:16 amNo, it didn't, really.BDanielMayfield wrote: ↑Tue Oct 09, 2018 5:11 amIt was strange. Tonight the seeing is excellent, better than last night, and there was Mars, looking as bright as last night but completely normal. Last night I remember even rubbing my eyes a little because I couldn't hardly believe what I was seeing. Then I went inside to get a pair of binoculars, went back out and there were apparently two objects, both orange white and of about equal brightness, aligned vertically. I thought, wow, Mars must be right on top of Antares, but no, Antares isn't in this part of the sky, is it? I came inside, quickly fired off last night's post and then did my own search of S&T's and Astronomy's websites to see if there was anything special happening with Mars. Nada.
I can only conclude that I was seeing a doubled image of Mars, but why? I wasn't drunk (had had only one beer hours earlier), and nothing else appeared doubled. The doubling effect was confirmed through binoculars, and there was no stellar twinkling apparent on either object. It must have been some kind of a mirage effect, but Mars was about 35 degrees above my horizon, which was concealed behind trees along our neighbors fenceline.
Is seeing a reflected image of a planet that high above the horizon possible? I wouldn't have thought so before last night, but it apparently happened.
Bruce
Tonight I saw a similar looking doubled Mars, but then I squinted my eyes and the doubling effect went away. I looked for other bright points of light and there it was, a double image of distant man made lights and just barely of the brighter stars. I could make this effect go away by squinting.
Clearly, this is something happening with my vision.
Bruce
Did you use a telescope? Venus is currently setting before the Sun, and I wouldn't think it is possible to see Mercury right now, given how low it is at sunset.CURRAHEE CHRIS wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:04 pm Well, for once luck was on my side here in Central Pa. I was able to catch all five planets last night- Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn in the sky altogether. It was really a beautiful night for viewing. I am hoping these clear skies stay with us over the weekend.
Hello- yes, I did use a telescope but was also able to see them with the naked eye I believe? According to my program I am using (Stardome from Astronomy.com) it appears as if everything was in alignment to see all five planets during an approximate 60 minute window before Venus and the sunset. Please correct me if I am wrong as I want to make sure I am doing this correctly.Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:15 pmDid you use a telescope? Venus is currently setting before the Sun, and I wouldn't think it is possible to see Mercury right now, given how low it is at sunset.CURRAHEE CHRIS wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:04 pm Well, for once luck was on my side here in Central Pa. I was able to catch all five planets last night- Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn in the sky altogether. It was really a beautiful night for viewing. I am hoping these clear skies stay with us over the weekend.
They were all in the sky before sunset. But I don't think you could see Mercury before sunset even with a telescope. Mars (in its current position), Jupiter, and Saturn are all pretty easy daytime telescopic targets, but none of them seem bright enough right now to see with the eye while the Sun is above the horizon. The only planets I've seen in the daytime sky without aid are Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus. The latter is pretty easy; the former two require that they're near their peak brightness, and are hard to locate without binoculars or close proximity to the Moon, and are easy to lose once you get your eyes on them.CURRAHEE CHRIS wrote: ↑Wed Oct 24, 2018 1:35 pmHello- yes, I did use a telescope but was also able to see them with the naked eye I believe? According to my program I am using (Stardome from Astronomy.com) it appears as if everything was in alignment to see all five planets during an approximate 60 minute window before Venus and the sunset. Please correct me if I am wrong as I want to make sure I am doing this correctly.Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:15 pmDid you use a telescope? Venus is currently setting before the Sun, and I wouldn't think it is possible to see Mercury right now, given how low it is at sunset.CURRAHEE CHRIS wrote: ↑Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:04 pm Well, for once luck was on my side here in Central Pa. I was able to catch all five planets last night- Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn in the sky altogether. It was really a beautiful night for viewing. I am hoping these clear skies stay with us over the weekend.
Best regards
Chris
What did you see? This is a fine place to post your question.AKonaRose wrote: ↑Sun Nov 18, 2018 4:31 pm Where do I post a question about something different I saw about 1-1/2 hours ago in the night sky? Location: West side Big Island Hawai'i, facing west/southwest. This event occurred just above (about 1:00) of either Rigel or Canis Minor (I do not have a good star chart at the moment). I think it was Rigil. Please help. Oh- it's hard to get an answer from Keck or NASA so I searched for a sky forum. Thank you in advance.
Could a meteor heading straight at an observer produce such a sighting?AKonaRose wrote: ↑Tue Nov 20, 2018 12:34 am There was a large flash of light, about 1:00 of what was likely Rigel. I was looking at the star. The light emanated from the exact center, spread into a circle of about 3 mm, and quickly turned back to blackness again. Was anything, any remnant of light expected in that vicinity at that time? Very perplexing.
Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Tue Dec 11, 2018 4:34 am
46P
It's getting easy to see. Once I pick it out in binoculars I can see it with direct vision now. These are two crops from the same image, just 15 seconds with my Canon 7D, ISO 3200, 14mm f/2.8 lens. The wide field includes Orion to the Pleiades, with the comet over towards the right side, close to the Pleiades than Orion. It's a lot easier to pick out in the narrower field. When it gets a little closer to the Pleiades I'll shoot a guided shot through the telescope, which should get a lot deeper.
https://astrobob.areavoices.com/2018/12/10/swing-by-juno-on-your-way-to-comet-wirtanen/ wrote:
Swing By Juno On Your Way To Comet Wirtanen
Good here, too. My camera caught 231 meteors on the evening of the 13/14.
