Venus, Mars, Mercury a tough challenge tonight
7 comments Print Me Email to FriendTonight is Thursday, Sep 11 2008
About 30 minutes after sunset, look very low in the west for Venus, Mercury and Mars. Venus and Mars are close together. Mercury is nearby. You might need binoculars to see Mars and Mercury in the sunset glare.
If there are low clouds or buildings blocking your horizon, you won’t be able to see these planets. All three planets are in the constellation Virgo, and they’re low in the west at sunset. You might confuse Spica, brightest star in Virgo, with Mercury. Look directly below Venus and Mars for Mercury.
Several planetary conjunctions highlight the evening sky around now. Venus swings a scant 0.3 degrees north of Mars and 3.6 degrees north of Mercury – all these planets fitting in a single binocular field. These numbers relate to the celestial sphere, the imaginary sphere of stars surrounding Earth, which earthly astronomers have thought to mark further in their imaginations with lines resembling earthly latitude and longitude. When you hear the word conjunction, though, you know astronomers are talking about the closeness of planets. Conjunctions aren’t uncommon but are totally cool.
Still, especially as seen from the northern hemisphere, all of these planets are low in the sky. No matter where you live, check our almanac page for a good source of sunset times. You’ll want to be standing outside as soon as possible after the sun goes down to see this planetary grouping.
Skywatchers in the southern hemisphere will have a better view. You should be able to see Mercury during what is – for you – its best evening apparition of 2008.
By the way, Venus will continue to get higher in the sky after sunset through the end of 2008. It will be farthest from the sun on January 14, 2009 when it reaches greatest eastern elongation. Mercury and Mars are now sinking into the sun’s glare and will lost behind the sun in another few weeks.
i believe that every sun in any galaxy have one planet in orbit at least (same conditions formation at all suns)
I always find it facinating to be able to see other planets on the sky even though it is said that they are very far from us.
Doesn’t ANYONE else see the HUGE star in the south sky? It’s got to be the biggest, and brightest star i’ve ever seen. I’ve been watching it seem to get bigger for the last two years, I’m about on the 38 paralell and it rises sort of in the east, and goes across the southern sky to the west. It looks too big to be a star, Planet maybe? if so,which one?
farawayray
I believe the ‘star’ you are seeing is actually Jupiter (medium-high in the southern sky).
I think Tasos is correct, along with Epicurius, that every star in existence must have a planet to form it, because of John R. Searl’s recreation of a solar system by using electro mechanical parts.
Yes, the ‘star’ in the south each evening is really the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter. Over the next couple of months, it’s going to get closer and closer to the bright ‘star’ in the west after sunset – really another planet, Venus. By late November/early December, Venus and Jupiter will be right next to each other. Very cool!
Mercury? Venus? Mars? What is the twinkling light that looks like a star? It is twinkling faster than any star I,ve ever seen and in flashing colors of white, red and green. It’s located in the west now.