Jupiter and Venus visible in western sky

Grouper Genius

One of the perks of living in the boonies. Next few nights naked eye view of both planets bright in western sky.

on deck

Visible here in the city as well (Ft Lauderdale). Bright as hell! Excellent sight if you know what you are looking for.

Phishbohn

I've been checking it out.

Team Sabatage

So, should I look straight up?:grin

Flash

Been out there for over a week now.

rock_fish

Noticed off the beach last few nights. One Small, one large

Fish Haid

Sigh! You guys are making me home-sick! I hope I can get back there someday.

Polar

Team Sabatage wrote: »

So, should I look straight up?:grin

stop looking at uranus!

Fish Haid

Seriously though - I was pondering this great spectacle as I floated in my pool one evening recently. The moon was also in the same area at the time. The sun had just set, and for the first time in my life, I actually saw the moon as a 3-D object rather than a circle.

Then, in a moment of great clarity and understanding, I realized the arrangement of the various celestial bodies. It is interesting to consider that Venus is actually closer to the sun than earth is, while Jupiter is further away - yet they both appear distant to us, and you would never guess from looking that Venus is closer to the sun than we are. Jupiter is over 10x as far away from us as Venus is.

Jupiter is 10x the size of venus (diameter), so the area we see is about 100x as large. Yet, Venus looks bigger because it is close.

Even though Jupiter is much larger, it population is only 1/10,000 of the population of Venus (you didn't hear this from me). The inhabitants of Jupiter are much more advanced though.

Team Sabatage

Fish Haid wrote: »

Seriously though - I was pondering this great spectacle as I floated in my pool one evening recently. The moon was also in the same area at the time. The sun had just set, and for the first time in my life, I actually saw the moon as a 3-D object rather than a circle.

Then, in a moment of great clarity and understanding, I realized the arrangement of the various celestial bodies. It is interesting to consider that Venus is actually closer to the sun than earth is, while Jupiter is further away - yet they both appear distant to us, and you would never guess from looking that Venus is closer to the sun than we are. Jupiter is over 10x as far away from us as Venus is.

Jupiter is 10x the size of venus (diameter), so the area we see is about 100x as large. Yet, Venus looks bigger because it is close.

Even though Jupiter is much larger, it population is only 1/10,000 of the population of Venus (you didn't hear this from me). The inhabitants of Jupiter are much more advanced though.

Roll another one
Just like the other one...

jcanracer

Oh, so that's what I saw in the western sky last night (I was in an airplane on my way back to FL). They were so bright I thought they were other planes, but when the lights didnt blink or change position relative to each other I guessed they might be planets. Cool.

Larry Mac

Been watching them for over a month on my evening walks with Cody. Venus has been inching closer to Jupiter each day. Venus was much farther apart a month ago and has been inching up diagonally daily to its closest point with Jupiter to the naked eye's POV in 13 months-- of course they are 600 million miles apart-- about one full moon's diameter from the eye's POV .
Anyways Venus was the lowest brightest "star" in the western sky moving diagonally upward to meet Jupiter. Now if you follow that line they make farther diagonally up, you will run into Regulus, the brightest star of the constellation Leo.

rock_fish

If you have a phone other than a jitterbug, download the Google sky app. It's pretty amazing

Larry Mac

Oh yes and like the OP mentioned, there is a huge difference sky watching depending on where you look from.
From the family ranch in Hardee County, I can see 100 times better than the sky polluted by light from my home in the Orlando area.

FibberMckee

Am also in the boonies, but Jupiter & Venus are still just very bright dots, even through a halfway decent Meade reflector telescope.

Demon

If you want to see the International Space Station fly over your head, here's the link to find it in you're area:

http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/sightings/index.cfm#.VZLACPlVhBc

FibberMckee

Wish I could acquire & track the ISS with my Meade reflector. Problem is it moves fast, is only in view for about 3 minute tops & is only within a few hundred miles for seconds. This telescope should be able to resolve the Space Station's shape when it's "over your head".

By eye, or with 10X binoculars, the ISS is still just a very bright dot.

onthefifty

rock_fish wrote: »

If you have a phone other than a jitterbug, download the Google sky app. It's pretty amazing

Done. Thank you. Gonna check it out in a few. Looks quite promising.

greggl

aka - Star of Bethlehem

Mark O.

rock_fish wrote: »

download the Google sky app. It's pretty amazing

I downloaded "Sky Map. It's pretty cool and free except the moon is about an hour off, and it didn't show Jupiter or Venus...guess I need to shell out 99 cents for the good stuff...

Flash

I don't think the google sky map cost anything. Hope to see a bit tonight before the full moon, the clouds or the tree line messes it up. They had not merged from our location.

rock_fish

Mark O. wrote: »

I downloaded "Sky Map. It's pretty cool and free except the moon is about an hour off, and it didn't show Jupiter or Venus...guess I need to shell out 99 cents for the good stuff...

Make sure you have your location set right. I.Sometimes find it finicky

Mark O.

just downloaded Star Walk 2. it has a nice look and plays soothing galactic music...

Tarponator

Fish Haid wrote: »

Even though Jupiter is much larger, it population is only 1/10,000 of the population of Venus (you didn't hear this from me). The inhabitants of Jupiter are much more advanced though.

:hairraiser

S.S.Tupperware

Sky eye has been goot.