Tonight – July 16, 2016 – it won’t be easy to spot the conjunction of the planets Mercury and Venus after sunset. If you want to try it, find an unobstructed western horizon in the direction of setting sun. If you’re blessed with a crystal-clear sky, you might catch these two worlds near the horizon around 30 minutes after sunset.
Shortly thereafter, both Mercury and Venus will follow the sun below the western horizon.
Bring binoculars, if you have them, to increase your chances of spotting these embracing worlds – Mercury and Venus – which reside only one-half degree part on the sky’s dome on this date. For reference, the diameter of the moon spans about one-half degree of sky.
View larger. | Tim Herring in Boise, Idaho wrote on July 13, 2016: “Mercury has been lost in the glow of sunset and the haze on the horizon. The haze makes seeing Venus impossible without binoculars. Mercury cannot be seen. I found it in the RAW file, and had to heavily post process to make it visible. I am hoping with the conjunction Saturday it will be easier to find close to Venus.” Nikon D750, 28-300mm f/3.5 @ 300mm, f/5.6, 1/800, ISO 800. Post-processing: ACR cropped, -60 exposure, +35contrast, +35 clarity, +45whites, -55highlights, -13 shadows, 70sharp.
View larger. | As seen from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere now, Venus and Mercury make a more perpendicular angle with respect to the sunset, and Venus, at least, is easier to spot. Hello C. Vital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil caught the pair on July 14. Canon PowerShot SX60 HS set at total zoom: 100x being optical (50x) + improved digital (2x).
It’ll be much easier to spot the planet Jupiter and star Regulus on these mid-July, 2016 evenings, as shown on the chart at the top of this post.
Jupiter and Regulus will still be out after Mercury and Venus have set. Regulus sinks below the horizon roughly an hour after Venus and Mercury do, and then Jupiter sets approximately one hour after Regulus.
And here’s a sure-fire planet identification for you on the night of July 16:
The moon has swept past the planets Mars and Saturn in recent days. Notice the moon on July 16.
On July 16, Mars and Saturn line up with the the waxing gibbous moon, as shown on the sky chart above.
Day by day, Mercury and Venus will climb away from the glare of sunset. Meanwhile, Jupiter and the star Regulus will be falling toward the sunset glare.
Although both Mercury and Venus are moving upward, in the direction of Regulus and Jupiter, Mercury climbs at a swifter pace than Venus. Mercury will meet up with Regulus first, on July 30, 2016. Venus will then stage its rendezvous with Regulus about a week later, on August 5, 2016.
Likewise, Mercury will pair up with Jupiter on August 20, 2016. Then, about a week later, Venus will couple up with Jupiter on August 27, 2016, to present the closest conjunction of two planets for the entire year. Mark your calendar!
By the way, the Southern Hemisphere has the big advantage over the Northern Hemisphere for watching the great race of the inferior planets – Mercury and Venus – in the July and August evening sky.
Bottom line: From around the world on the evening of July 16, 2016, we’re hoping that some of you might spot Mercury and Venus low in the western sky about 30 minutes after sunset. Good luck!
Looking for a sky almanac? EarthSky recommends…
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/29ggoZT
Tonight – July 16, 2016 – it won’t be easy to spot the conjunction of the planets Mercury and Venus after sunset. If you want to try it, find an unobstructed western horizon in the direction of setting sun. If you’re blessed with a crystal-clear sky, you might catch these two worlds near the horizon around 30 minutes after sunset.
Shortly thereafter, both Mercury and Venus will follow the sun below the western horizon.
Bring binoculars, if you have them, to increase your chances of spotting these embracing worlds – Mercury and Venus – which reside only one-half degree part on the sky’s dome on this date. For reference, the diameter of the moon spans about one-half degree of sky.
View larger. | Tim Herring in Boise, Idaho wrote on July 13, 2016: “Mercury has been lost in the glow of sunset and the haze on the horizon. The haze makes seeing Venus impossible without binoculars. Mercury cannot be seen. I found it in the RAW file, and had to heavily post process to make it visible. I am hoping with the conjunction Saturday it will be easier to find close to Venus.” Nikon D750, 28-300mm f/3.5 @ 300mm, f/5.6, 1/800, ISO 800. Post-processing: ACR cropped, -60 exposure, +35contrast, +35 clarity, +45whites, -55highlights, -13 shadows, 70sharp.
View larger. | As seen from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere now, Venus and Mercury make a more perpendicular angle with respect to the sunset, and Venus, at least, is easier to spot. Hello C. Vital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil caught the pair on July 14. Canon PowerShot SX60 HS set at total zoom: 100x being optical (50x) + improved digital (2x).
It’ll be much easier to spot the planet Jupiter and star Regulus on these mid-July, 2016 evenings, as shown on the chart at the top of this post.
Jupiter and Regulus will still be out after Mercury and Venus have set. Regulus sinks below the horizon roughly an hour after Venus and Mercury do, and then Jupiter sets approximately one hour after Regulus.
And here’s a sure-fire planet identification for you on the night of July 16:
The moon has swept past the planets Mars and Saturn in recent days. Notice the moon on July 16.
On July 16, Mars and Saturn line up with the the waxing gibbous moon, as shown on the sky chart above.
Day by day, Mercury and Venus will climb away from the glare of sunset. Meanwhile, Jupiter and the star Regulus will be falling toward the sunset glare.
Although both Mercury and Venus are moving upward, in the direction of Regulus and Jupiter, Mercury climbs at a swifter pace than Venus. Mercury will meet up with Regulus first, on July 30, 2016. Venus will then stage its rendezvous with Regulus about a week later, on August 5, 2016.
Likewise, Mercury will pair up with Jupiter on August 20, 2016. Then, about a week later, Venus will couple up with Jupiter on August 27, 2016, to present the closest conjunction of two planets for the entire year. Mark your calendar!
By the way, the Southern Hemisphere has the big advantage over the Northern Hemisphere for watching the great race of the inferior planets – Mercury and Venus – in the July and August evening sky.
Bottom line: From around the world on the evening of July 16, 2016, we’re hoping that some of you might spot Mercury and Venus low in the western sky about 30 minutes after sunset. Good luck!
Looking for a sky almanac? EarthSky recommends…
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/29ggoZT
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire