All of the planets will be visible until Friday, November 13.

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All of the planets will be visible until Friday, November 13.

#1 Post by PHXPhlyer » Fri Nov 13, 2020 7:46 pm

All of the planets will be visible until Friday, November 13. (Sorry Pluto)

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/13/us/plane ... index.html

You can see every planet in our solar system this week
By Giulia Heyward and Brian Ries, CNN

Updated 12:56 PM ET, Fri November 13, 2020
All of the planets will be visible until Friday, November 13.

(CNN)It might be time to break out that telescope.

This week, there will be some not so familiar sights in the sky: all seven of the planets that make up our solar system will be visible at various points throughout the day. Edit: Plus the one you are sitting/standing on.
Venus and Mercury are bright enough to see in the mornings, while Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be easier to see at night.
Earth Sky published a guide to viewing all of these planets, along with Uranus, on its website.
Joe Guzman, an astronomer and educator at After School Matters in Chicago, has already told his students about this week's celestial phenomenon.
"Early this morning, I took the time to get a look at the crescent moon," Guzman told CNN. "And when the sun sets tonight, you'll definitely be able to see Jupiter and Saturn."
Why is this happening?
The visibility of the planets is just a cosmic coincidence.
"It's the dance of the planets around the sun," Guzman said. "It's a natural phenomenon, and it happens once in a while. it's not rare, but it is infrequent. It just kinda happens that they'll still on this side of the sun, but they'll start to separate again soon."
In the meanwhile, Guzman thinks everyone should get their hands on a telescope. Sky & Telescope reported that the sale of telescopes has already been rising since the pandemic began, with companies seeing "an increase in business from 60% to 400% over the previous year."
Guzman recommends that novice sky watchers be on the lookout for Saturn, his personal favorite.
"You can catch its rings quite easily," Guzman said. "It's definitely worth a watch."

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Re: All of the planets will be visible until Friday, November 13.

#2 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Fri Nov 13, 2020 8:18 pm

This I did not know. Many thanks for the Gen.
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

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Re: All of the planets will be visible until Friday, November 13.

#3 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sat Nov 14, 2020 2:34 am

Went out at 1920L/0220Z.
Clear but usual light pollution.
Mars and Saturn up high. Uranus near Mars unseen. Likewise Pluto (non-planet, sorry Pluto, minor planet) near Mars unseen.
Venus and Mercury below western horizon. Earth beneath my feet. Neptune and Jupiter? Don't know.
May go out early to tick off Mercury and Venus.

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Re: All of the planets will be visible until Friday, November 13.

#4 Post by llondel » Sun Dec 13, 2020 6:15 pm

Too much light pollution around here. We have an 8" reflector and it's not been out of its box for over six years.

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Re: All of the planets will be visible until Friday, November 13.

#5 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sun Dec 13, 2020 6:46 pm

‘Christmas Star’ will be visible during rare celestial event on the winter solstice

https://www.12news.com/article/tech/sci ... 07749e4b81

‘Christmas Star’ will be visible during rare celestial event on the winter solstice
The rare celestial event hasn’t happened for almost 400 years, but that time it wasn’t visible.

Author: Trisha Hendricks
Published: 2:23 PM MST December 12, 2020

ARIZONA, USA — It’s out of this world experience you won't want to miss. 2020 will end with a celestial event that hasn’t been seen since 1623. The planets of Jupiter and Saturn will appear close to each other and look like a Christmas Star.

“I think it’s going to look more like a snowman,” said University of Arizona Regents Professor of Planetary Sciences Renu Malhotra. She shared her expertise with 12 News on the upcoming Jupiter and Saturn conjunction.

“The two biggest planets in the solar system, from our point of view, are going to look like they’re really, really close,” she said.

The rare celestial event hasn’t happened for almost 400 years, but that time it wasn’t visible.

800 years ago, was the last time the conjunction appeared as close as it’s expected to appear this year.

“A tiny fraction of the size of the moon,” said Malhotra.

Conjunctions happen almost every 20 years, but most of the time, they happen during the daytime.

“So, what’s special about this one is that it’s happening in the nighttime sky that we can actually see,” she said.

Some believe from our vantage point, the planets will appear to form a Christmas Star.

“The so-called ‘Star of Bethlehem’ might have been one of these great conjunctions,” she said. “It’s a nice Christmas treat.”

The two planets will be closest on December 21st, the winter solstice.

“They’ll reach this very small distance between them, and then they’ll move a part again,” she said.

Malhotra recommends looking toward the southwest about an hour after sunset on December 21st and you should be able to see the planets with the naked eye.

“If you want to see the moons and Saturn’s rings, binoculars would be good or a small telescope,” she added.

The rare experience will give you a better understanding of what happens to the orbits and a sense of just how dynamic the solar system is.

“It’s a very elegant phenomenon,” she said.

If you want to watch the conjunction online, there are plenty of planetariums that have apps you can download to watch it on your phone.

I have been able to watch them with my naked eye in spite of the usual light pollution. Saturn is quite a bit dimmer.
Also, a meteor shower for tonight. :-bd

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Re: All of the planets will be visible until Friday, November 13.

#6 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Dec 13, 2020 6:52 pm

Again brightest quiz contestants - brightest star - both opted for North Star or Pole Star.

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Re: All of the planets will be visible until Friday, November 13.

#7 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sun Dec 13, 2020 7:03 pm

The best meteor shower of 2020 will feature multi-colored shooting stars on Sunday night

https://www.12news.com/article/weather/ ... 7188a58387

The best meteor shower of 2020 will feature multi-colored shooting stars on Sunday night
A dazzling display is about to unfold in the night sky.

Author: Brian Lada, AccuWeather
Published: 11:49 AM MST December 7, 2020

A dazzling display is about to unfold in the night sky as one of the most reliable meteor showers of the entire year approaches its peak.

Every year, skywatchers around the globe circle Dec. 13 on their calendars, the night that the Geminid meteor shower reaches its climax, although the celestial light show is best seen from a spot north of the equator.

This is the perfect event for younger stargazers with an earlier bedtime as the Geminids are one of the only major meteor showers that are active during the evening. Shooting stars will start to streak across the night sky by around 9 p.m., local time, and will continue to increase in frequency through 2 a.m., local time.

For the Geminids, it is not the time of night that the shower peaks that draws curious eyes to the night sky, but the number of meteors that spark after dark.

More than 100 meteors per hour can be counted in a typical year's shower, but 2020's showing could boast as many as 150 meteors per hour in very dark areas, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS). This averages out to about two or three meteors per minute.

"The Geminids produce a good number of meteors most years, but they're made even better this year as the shower's peak coincides with a nearly new moon, thus making for darker skies, with no moonlight to interfere with the fainter meteors," NASA explained.

Light pollution from nearby cities, towns and highways can reduce the number of meteors visible to the unaided eye, so those looking to get the most out of the best meteor shower of 2020 should travel to a dark area, such as a nearby park, that has an open view of the sky.

"For the best viewing, find a safe location away from bright city lights, lie flat on the ground with your feet pointing south and look up," NASA advises. "Meteors can appear in any part of the sky, though they'll appear to radiate from near the constellation Gemini."


In addition to the high frequency of meteors, the Geminids are known for featuring shooting stars that are bright and intensely colored, the AMS said.

These colors are caused by the elements that make up the meteors. As they burn up in the atmosphere, the elements glow in vibrant colors with each color relating to a specific element.


This year's rendition of the Geminids will be best viewed from the southern half of the United States where largely cloud-free conditions are in the offing. Residents across the Plains and into the eastern Canadian Prairies may also have some glimpses of the event with partly cloudy conditions in the forecast.

Clouds will be a concern for stargazers across eastern Canada, parts of the Northeast and Ohio Valley, but areas along the I-95 corridor could end up with favorable weather on Sunday night, although light pollution is still a concern.

The stormy pattern that is setting up across the Pacific Northwest is projected to last through the weekend, spreading disruptive clouds over the region and over the northern Rockies and into Alberta and Saskatchewan.


If cloudy conditions are in the forecast for Sunday evening, folks should plan to spend some time under the stars earlier in the weekend as the Geminids will be active every night leading up to its peak.

However, hourly rates may not be quite as high on Friday night and Saturday night when compared to the peak on Sunday night.

After the Geminids have passed, skywatchers will only have two more opportunities to watch a meteor shower before there is a long spell where no major meteor showers occur.

First up is the Ursids on Dec. 21 into Dec. 22, followed by the Quadrantids on Jan. 2 into Jan. 3. After the Quadrantids fade away, the next major meteor shower will not unfold until the Lyrids in late April.

PP

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