« How to build cardboard furniture (2) | Main | Midival Punditz »

September 7, 2005

Stargazing

starsplanets.JPGLast night I saw a Venus, a crescent moon and Jupiter. And I wasn’t dreaming.

Akira and I happened to be in Volunteer Park at about dusk, which is when we make our way home. The idea was to just hang out and appreciate nature so we agreed not to chat, for a change. But then I found this bright, not-twinkling dot next to a perfect crescent moon.

“Is that a planet!?”

As Akira began a discourse on basic astrophysics, I discovered a fainter dot. A second planet.

Everyone should see this array, it is... cosmic :) Here’s how NASA says you can:

Sunset Planets 09.01.05 Venus, Jupiter and the Moon are gathering for a beautiful sunset sky show.

Something nice is happening in the sunset sky. Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets, are converging, and they’re going to be beautifully close together for the next two weeks.

Step outside tonight when the sun goes down and look west. If there are no trees or buildings in the way, you can’t miss Jupiter and Venus. They look like airplanes, hovering near the horizon with their lights on full blast. (Venus is the brighter of the two.) You can see them even from brightly-lit cities.

Try catching the pair just after sundown and just before the first stars appear. Venus and Jupiter pop into view while the sky is still twilight-blue. The scene has a special beauty.

When the sky darkens completely, look to the left of Jupiter for Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. Although it’s a bright star, Spica is completely outclassed by the two planets.

Venus and Jupiter are converging at the noticeable rate of 1o per day, with closest approach coming on September 1 when the two will be a little more than 1o apart. (How much is 1o? Hold your pinky finger at arm’s length. The tip is about 1o wide.)

Posted by Dipika at September 7, 2005 8:07 PM

Comments

I'm glad to see that you two are blogging. It is about frickin' time.

Posted by: salamander at September 8, 2005 8:22 PM

thanks for the comment. just, who might you be?

Posted by: akira at September 8, 2005 11:49 PM

I'll come here often to appreciate Dipika's paintings. It's just awesome!

Thanks for the otherday!

Posted by: kentableau at September 9, 2005 8:02 AM

Post a comment

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)


Remember me?