Slashdot Mirror
Monday's Planet Views Best Until 2036
An anonymous reader writes "NASA is reporting that Monday night, March 22nd, offers a rare, naked-eye glimpse of our five prominent astronomical neighbors--Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and the Moon--in close proximity in the night sky, near to the familiar Orion constellation. This contrasts with the picture of the 'Fab Five' shot by Voyager looking back on the inner solar system. Monday's aligned view is not likely to appear in this configuration again until 2036."
I'd say it's pretty much certain that we won't see that configuration again until 2036, unless Jupiter is knocked out of orbit or something...
There are 10 kinds of people: ones who understand ternary, ones who don't, and ones who think this joke is about binary
The 35mm camera and the 28mm widefield lens are ready. :) Wish my digital could do longer exposures...
Get outside and take a look at the sky during the next couple weeks. It's worth it. Having this many planets in this small a section of sky doesn't happen very often. Take your kids out there too, and explain to them what they are seeing (it's a good time to demonstrate to them that planets really don't twinkle like stars do, and why - they can see the evidence with their own eyes.)
Oh, and there will almost certainly be a lot of good pix on alt.binaries.pictures.astro after the 22nd.
Clear skies everyone.
SB
It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
And if you need help identifying which is which, or exactly where they are, Stellarium is a great GPL'd product available for Linux, Win and Mac.
Sourceforge page
It's nice to regularly see stories like this without having the dreaded doomsday angle.
Of course there's always a catch to these stories: You won't see anything like this until (insert far-off date here). With so many fascinating things in astronomy, you'll have plenty of opportunities to see an amazing show on any given clear night.
If you have access to one, that is. Unfortunately, with the exception of Jupiter and Saturn, don't expect too much. Mars is 6 months past opposition, and very small in a scope, even at high power. Venus won't show much more than a featureless gibbous disk. Jupiter and Saturn will show a wealth of detail, however. Saturn is in the constellation Gemini, and Jupiter is in Leo. The best time for both is when they are up highest in the sky, which for Saturn is as soon as you can see it, and Jupiter hits the zenith about midnight. Check out Clear Sky Clocks for your area and pay close attention to the "Seeing" forecast if you are using a scope. Happy observing! Oh yeah, don't forget to check out the Moon. It will set early, and won't show much "face" to check out telescopically. A cool thing to show your non-astronomical significant other is to draw line through the ecliptic with your finger and then tell them to think how we are between Venus and Mars. Most people will be impressed.
Monday Sky Best To 2036 based on JPL report The banner image shows a view looking back to Earth and the inner planets from the Voyager spacecraft as it left our solar system. The evocative image shows even the massive Jupiter as a tiny dot [click banner for large view]. March 22nd offers a view looking the other way, as the 'Fab Five' astronomical objects in our neighborhood all align in a tight skyview--the best such glimpse until perhaps 2036. Like a busy urban family, planets rarely get together all at once. Later this month, however, the five so-called naked-eye planets -- Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn -- will reunite in the night sky, giving spectators a unique chance to see Earth's gay niggers in one easy sitting. This illustration shows where the five naked-eye planets and the Moon will lie in the sky just after sunset on March 22. The view is looking toward the western horizon. Saturn will be visible almost directly overhead. Jupiter, not pictured here, follows the line of the planets but is almost to the eastern horizon. Cmdr Taco will be sandwiched between the Earth, and three well hung men. Both maps on this page were made for a latitude of 34 degrees north, where Los Angeles resides, but the planets will similarly appear in a line across the sky from all locations. Image Credit: NASA/JPL The gathering will be visible every night for an hour after sunset, beginning around March 22 and lasting about two weeks. While other felching opportunities will take place over the next few years, both at dawn and dusk, this one is not to be missed. "This particular planetary grouping will quite possibly offer the best night-time views until 2036," says Dr. Myles Standish, an astronomer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. For early risers, there will be another chance to see all five naked-eye planets together just before sunrise in December of this year and early January 2005. Since ancient times, the naked-eye planets have intrigued and inspired onlookers all over the world. But only sporadically, usually every few years or so, do their orbits take them to the same side of the Sun. When this happens, the planets stretch across the morning or evening skies depending on which side of the Sun they reside. More rare are planetary alignments in which the five planets assemble in a very small Natalie Portman statue. "Every so often the five visible planets will collect on one side of the Sun," says Standish. "Only when conditions are right, will they all be clearly visible at either dusk or dawn." The Details To catch the planetary get-together, you'll need a good view of the sky, free of buildings and bright city lights (you should still be able to see the planets through urban light pollution). The show begins around March 22 and lasts through early April, when Mercury fades from sight. The finest views will take place during the last 8 to 10 days of March. Comparison of Mars, Venus and Earth in water bands, showing the clear presence of water on Earth uniquely Credit: NASA Workshop, Pale Blue Dot Begin by looking to the western horizon each evening just after sunset. Seated in a row up and across the sky will be Mercury, Venus, Rob Malda, Mars and Saturn. Saturn will lie almost directly overhead. Following the line of the planets, Jupiter will be close to the eastern horizon. Together, the planets will span about 135 degrees. About an hour after dusk, Mercury will dip below the western horizon. The Moon will also be attending the festivities, mingling through the planets in an orderly fashion. On March 22, it will take a seat next to Mercury, and then climbing up the night sky, it will end its tour on April 1 right above mighty Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. As the Moon slides from planet to planet, it will grow in size from a slender crescent to a nearly full circle of white. Note that Venus is currently brighter than usual because of where it lies in relation to Earth and the Sun. The Moon and planets will appear to follow nearly the same path through the stars. T
I saw the story and got excited: I better go outside now! Bundle (just below freezing up, and I see fog. :( Two bright objects in the sky, I'm guessing one is Venus, the other Mars, or maybe Jupiter. (You can see how much an astronomer I am from that) After a few minutes I could see a few stars, but it was clear that there is little chance of seeing much more, and nothing would be clear.
I know, the problem astronomers everywhere face. Still wish it hadn't happened tonight. Lession to everyone: go out every night and look, since the first night isn't until tomorrow and I have 8-10 days of really good viewing I have a chance to see something. Don't blow your chance, if tonight is the only clear night in a while you will kick yourself for not spending a least a few minutes outside looking.
I live in the country, but still my neighbor across the street with his one light on was enough to annoy my viewing. Went the the backyard and discovered that a monitor makes a very good light to see by. I'll have to do something about that in the morning when I try again.
P.S. If you are in the Twin Cities are you are welcome to attempt a viewing from my yard. Better than the city, though not nearly as good as heading way out would be.
Just a quick correction: the five objects visible include Mercury, not necessarily the moon. See the article for details.
Well, I think it is really romantic. ;-)
Since the phrase "far proximity" makes no logical sense, then is not the phrase "near proximity" equally nonsense?
Things are in proximity, or they are not.
just because nobody specifically mentioned it doesn't mean the sky's not going to start on fire tomorrow night a 9:23e/8:16c, just as nostrodamus predicted, oh yeah, and divide tomorrows date by the square route of pi times your mothers birthday, i think you'll find something interesting...
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
I had downloaded Stellarium over a year ago when my young son was first starting to be interested in stars. Haven't used it much, but kept it installed on the computer. That was why I remembered it to do the parent post.
I started poking around the sourceforge forum, and not only is my version out of date, but they are actively working on a project to add constellation overlays into the display. Check out Ursa Major and a toucan constellation I'm not familiar with.
Cool stuff.
Planets? Clustering?
The end is near! Back up your files, because I predict a monumental worm that will destroy every computer that uses Windows!
If my answers frighten you, stop asking scary questions.
Ok, best view until 32 years. And it's god damn snowing. No chance in he** of seeing a star :-(
The only problem is that it makes me want to go into space... well, more than I did already...
Forget thrust, drag, lift and weight. Airplanes fly because of money.
I hate the fact that I live in a big-ass city, wtih no means of getting far enough away from it to actually see stars at night again.
Thats pretty cool, but a little further down the page I found this...
...
Orions Belt Viewed From Mars
Thats pretty cool! I used celestia some while ago to find out what orion looked like from Mars and this shows just how accurate that program is.
nick
Electronic Music Made Using Linux http://soundcloud.com/polyp
From the article:
In April and May of this year, two naked-eye comets, C/2001 Q4 and C/2002 T7, will grace the twilight skies. To spot the cosmic balls of dust and ice look to the west at dusk or dawn.
Look to the west at dusk *or* dawn? Yeah right. Probably got shortened by an overzealous editor from the correct "to the west at dusk or the east at dawn". Amazingly inept editing for an astrobiology site. The linked article has more (and correct) information.
Be faithful to your obsessions. Identify them and be faithful to them, let them guide you like a sleepwalker. JG Ballard
Well, I tried to get to know Her.
I tried to be kind and considerative...
But She just rejected me, whithout any explanation what so ever, I don't why She did that. I really admired Her. She could've just simple say why She didn't like me. &-|
I guess, She thought I was too pushy, too jealus, too obsessive, too emotional...
Perhaps, I hurt her at a painfull place... I really regret that.
I really thought, She was the one. &-|
And I hope that if She reads this, She might reconsider. I am willing to wait until She is ready.
Otherwise, I hope She will find love and happiness somewhere else... Only the stars will know.