Moon and Jupiter in late March before dawn
This beautiful image of Jupiter was obtained by the robot eyes of the Cassini spacecraft on December 29, 2000. This was Cassini's closest approach to Jupiter at a distance of approximately 6.2 million miles. Dr. Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team leader, said at the time that "the imaging team wanted very much to take the ultimate picture of Jupiter." Way to go, Cassini team!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
There’s a very bright planet near the waning crescent moon in the predawn sky on and around today’s date.
It’s the blazing planet Jupiter near the moon before dawn on March 29, 30 and 31. If you watch on all three mornings, you can see the moon sweep past Jupiter as the moon moves eastward from day to day on the sky’s dome. This motion of the moon is a translation of its actual eastward motion in orbit around Earth.
Before dawn now, Jupiter and the moon shine fairly low in the south as seen from mid-northern latitudes – for example, from the U.S. or Europe. If you traveled southward on Earth’s globe, this bright predawn pair would shift higher in your predawn sky. South of the equator now, the moon and Jupiter shine almost overhead at dawn.
Right now, the moon and Jupiter are shining in front of the constellation Sagittarius the Archer. Every year, the sun passes in front of Sagittarius from about December 18 to January 20. Jupiter’s location in front of Sagittarius right now simulates the sun’s position in this constellation on January 10. Unlike our ancestors, we know that the sky isn’t a dome and that space extends all around us for billions of light-years.
And we know that – like the moon’s motion on our sky – the planets’ motions stem from their actual movement in space, in this case their orbits around the sun. Likewise, the shifting panorama of the stars throughout the year stems from Earth’s own motion around the sun that binds us in orbit.
By the way, night owls can enjoy the moon and Jupiter, too, but you’ll have to stay up awfully late to see them. At mid-northern latitudes, the moon and Jupiter are now rising several hours after midnight. At mid-southern latitudes – say, Australia and south Africa – you can watch the moon and Jupiter rising around local midnight.
In early April 2008, the moon will pass out of Sagittarius and into the constellation Cancer the Crab. Jupiter, on the other hand, will remain in front of Sagittarius as seen from our earthly vantage point for the rest of 2008.
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what other years do you have for March 24,25,26,27,28,29, 30th
Hello … sorry … we only offer the current year.
Best,
Deborah
How does it seem like Jupiter is all over the place and Saturn takes forever to orbit or switch potions in constellations? Is it that Saturn goes in another rotation in our heliosphere or going in another direction? I just remember Jupiter setting in the southwest late last November and now its been rising in the east since Feburary? How does this rotation around the sun work, because some of the outer planatary orbits as Jupiter have oval like orbits instead of circular?
…Any help or reference would be great, thanks
How does it seem like Jupiter is all over the place and Saturn takes forever to orbit or switch potions in constellations? Is it that Saturn goes in another rotation in our heliosphere or going in another direction? I just remember Jupiter setting in the southwest late last November and now its been rising in the east since Feburary? How does this rotation around the sun work, because some of the outer planatary orbits as Jupiter have oval like orbits instead of circular?
…Any help or reference would be great, thanks
How does it seem like Jupiter is all over the place and Saturn takes forever to orbit or switch potions in constellations? Is it that Saturn goes in another rotation in our heliosphere or going in another direction? I just remember Jupiter setting in the southwest late last November and now its been rising in the east since Feburary? How does this rotation around the sun work, because some of the outer planatary orbits as Jupiter have oval like orbits instead of circular?
…Any help or reference would be great, thanks
Stratfort,
Good observation! Saturn is the most distant world from the sun that we can easily see with the unaided eye. Therefore, Saturn moves much more slowly in front of the stars of the Zodiac than the sun, moon or any other visible planet. Saturn takes nearly 30 years to travel full circle in front of the backdrop stars, while Jupiter takes nearly 12 years. In one year, Saturn travels about 12 degrees eastward through the Zodiac, whereas Jupiter travels about 30 degrees eastward. Saturn stays in the same zodiacal constellation for roughly 2.5 years, whereas Jupiter remains in the same constellation for about one year. Both Saturn and Jupiter revolve eastward around the sun in eccentric (slightly oblong) orbits.
Bruce
JUPITER IS THE CHRISTMAS STAR AN EVENT UCCORED LAST MAY 2007.I WITNESSED IT MYSELF RIGHT INFRONT OF MY OWN EYE.I DONT HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF ASTRONOMY AND I HAVE A VERY POOR EDUCATION LEVEL DONT KNOW MUCH ABOUT SCIENCE AND RELEGION.THROUGH THE ARTWORK MUSIC AND PHENOMENON EVENT IN MY PERSONAL LIFE LAST YEAR.THIS PLANETARY ALINGMENT UCCURED LAST MAY 2007 IT HAPPENDS EVERY FOUR HUNDRED YEARS.NO ONE CAN GUESS THE CHRISTMAS STAR CAUSE THE ONE WHO IS LOOKING FOR IT WONT LIVE OVER 400 HUNDRED YEARS.JESUS CHRIST THE MESSIAH WAS BORN IN MAY NOT DECEMBER.I’M PRETTY LUCKY SOMEONE HAD SEND ME THIS MESSAGE FROM UP ABOVE.AND MY FEELINGS AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE WHOLE WORLD AND THE UNIVERSE MY MUSIC HAD LED ME TO THIS SHINING STAR.