Tonight – January 18, 2017 – if you’re a night owl, you can catch the moon, Jupiter and Spica late on this night. Otherwise, you might be better off viewing them before sunrise on January 19, as shown on our chart below. Depending on where you live worldwide, the glorious threesome – the moon, Jupiter and Spica – won’t climb up over the eastern horizon until very late this evening or after midnight. Click here for data on when the moon, the planet Jupiter and the star Spica rise in your sky tonight.
The featured chart above shows them as they appear after midnight at mid-northern North American latitudes. But no matter where you live around the world, look first for the moon. The dazzling “star” nearby the moon is actually the king planet Jupiter, and the star in Jupiter’s vicinity is Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.
Here’s the predawn view:
The moon is swinging past the planet Jupiter and the star Spica in the predawn sky now. The green line depicts the ecliptic.
Dennis Chabot of POSNE Night Sky caught this shot of Jupiter and 3 of its large moons on January 13, 2017. He wrote: “Jupiter and its mini solar system …”
In fact, three bright planets beautify the predawn sky: Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury.
You can use the moon and Jupiter as your guide to Saturn and Mercury in the coming days. All of these objects like along the ecliptic, or path of the sun, moon and planets. So – as shown on the chart below – a line from the moon and Jupiter, through Saturn, points to Mercury.
In the predawn sky on January 19, use the moon to locate Jupiter. An line from Jupiter through Saturn will help you find Mercury near the horizon. Be sure to look only shortly before sunrise if you want to find Mercury. It’s up for only a short time before the sun, as twilight begins to wash the sky.
But there’s a lot more in store. All five bright planets – the five planets visible to the unaided eye from Earth – grace these January 2017 nights. The other two are Venus and Mars. They shine in the west from nightfall until mid-evening.
Venus and Mars are shown on the chart below. You’ll find them in the west, as soon as the sky darkens after sunset. Venus is extremely bright, and Mars much fainter.
Don’t forget to view the planets Venus and Mars in the western evening sky as soon as darkness falls.
Bottom line: The moon is sweeping past Jupiter now, but – if you know where to look – you can find all 5 bright planets on these January 2017 nights. Charts and info here.
Click here for recommended almanacs; they can help you find out rising times of planets.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2iWhGia
Tonight – January 18, 2017 – if you’re a night owl, you can catch the moon, Jupiter and Spica late on this night. Otherwise, you might be better off viewing them before sunrise on January 19, as shown on our chart below. Depending on where you live worldwide, the glorious threesome – the moon, Jupiter and Spica – won’t climb up over the eastern horizon until very late this evening or after midnight. Click here for data on when the moon, the planet Jupiter and the star Spica rise in your sky tonight.
The featured chart above shows them as they appear after midnight at mid-northern North American latitudes. But no matter where you live around the world, look first for the moon. The dazzling “star” nearby the moon is actually the king planet Jupiter, and the star in Jupiter’s vicinity is Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.
Here’s the predawn view:
The moon is swinging past the planet Jupiter and the star Spica in the predawn sky now. The green line depicts the ecliptic.
Dennis Chabot of POSNE Night Sky caught this shot of Jupiter and 3 of its large moons on January 13, 2017. He wrote: “Jupiter and its mini solar system …”
In fact, three bright planets beautify the predawn sky: Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury.
You can use the moon and Jupiter as your guide to Saturn and Mercury in the coming days. All of these objects like along the ecliptic, or path of the sun, moon and planets. So – as shown on the chart below – a line from the moon and Jupiter, through Saturn, points to Mercury.
In the predawn sky on January 19, use the moon to locate Jupiter. An line from Jupiter through Saturn will help you find Mercury near the horizon. Be sure to look only shortly before sunrise if you want to find Mercury. It’s up for only a short time before the sun, as twilight begins to wash the sky.
But there’s a lot more in store. All five bright planets – the five planets visible to the unaided eye from Earth – grace these January 2017 nights. The other two are Venus and Mars. They shine in the west from nightfall until mid-evening.
Venus and Mars are shown on the chart below. You’ll find them in the west, as soon as the sky darkens after sunset. Venus is extremely bright, and Mars much fainter.
Don’t forget to view the planets Venus and Mars in the western evening sky as soon as darkness falls.
Bottom line: The moon is sweeping past Jupiter now, but – if you know where to look – you can find all 5 bright planets on these January 2017 nights. Charts and info here.
Click here for recommended almanacs; they can help you find out rising times of planets.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2iWhGia
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire