Celestial show set for New Years Eve

Dantheman62 · 12-31-2008, 06:48 PM

A delightful display of planets and the moon will occur on New Year's Eve for anyone wishing to step outside and look up just after sunset.

Venus, brighter than all other planets and stars, will dangle just below the thin crescent moon in the southwestern sky. It'll be visible -- impossible to miss, in fact -- just as the sun goes down, assuming skies are cloud-free.

Soon thereafter, Mercury and Jupiter will show up hugging the south-southwestern horizon (just above where the sun went down) and extremely close to each other. Jupiter is very bright and easy to spot; Mercury is faint and harder to see, but it'll be apparent by its location just to the left of Jupiter.

Jupiter and Mercury will set less than an hour after the sun, so timing your viewing just after sunset is crucial. You'll also need a location with a clear view of the western horizon, unobstructed by buildings, trees or mountains.

All the planets, along with the moon and sun, traverse an arc across our sky called the ecliptic, which corresponds to the plane in space that they all roughly share. For this reason, you could draw an imaginary line from the general location of Venus and the moon, down through the other two planets, and the line would point to where the sun went down. This line could also initially help you find Jupiter and Mercury.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/200812...fornewyearseve

Avid · 12-31-2008, 06:53 PM

Thanks for that - but we have icy fog - so any observations will be gratefully received!

Dantheman62 · 12-31-2008, 07:04 PM

This is what it is supposed to look like,

henners · 12-31-2008, 10:48 PM

Something like this......

Humble Janitor · 01-01-2009, 03:14 AM

I think I saw Venus in the sky yesterday. Was very bright and just near the moon.

12-31-2008, 06:48 PM	#1
Dantheman62 Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: So. Cal. U.S. Posts: 4,205	Celestial show set for New Years Eve A delightful display of planets and the moon will occur on New Year's Eve for anyone wishing to step outside and look up just after sunset. Venus, brighter than all other planets and stars, will dangle just below the thin crescent moon in the southwestern sky. It'll be visible -- impossible to miss, in fact -- just as the sun goes down, assuming skies are cloud-free. Soon thereafter, Mercury and Jupiter will show up hugging the south-southwestern horizon (just above where the sun went down) and extremely close to each other. Jupiter is very bright and easy to spot; Mercury is faint and harder to see, but it'll be apparent by its location just to the left of Jupiter. Jupiter and Mercury will set less than an hour after the sun, so timing your viewing just after sunset is crucial. You'll also need a location with a clear view of the western horizon, unobstructed by buildings, trees or mountains. All the planets, along with the moon and sun, traverse an arc across our sky called the ecliptic, which corresponds to the plane in space that they all roughly share. For this reason, you could draw an imaginary line from the general location of Venus and the moon, down through the other two planets, and the line would point to where the sun went down. This line could also initially help you find Jupiter and Mercury. http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/200812...fornewyearseve

12-31-2008, 06:53 PM	#2
Avid Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 660	Re: Celestial show set for New Years Eve Thanks for that - but we have icy fog - so any observations will be gratefully received!

12-31-2008, 07:04 PM	#3
Dantheman62 Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: So. Cal. U.S. Posts: 4,205	Re: Celestial show set for New Years Eve This is what it is supposed to look like,

12-31-2008, 10:48 PM	#4
henners Project Avalon Researcher Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 432	Re: Celestial show set for New Years Eve Something like this...... __________________ Henners Thoughts are boomerangs, returning with precision to their source. Choose wisely which ones you throw.

01-01-2009, 03:14 AM	#5
Humble Janitor Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,201	Re: Celestial show set for New Years Eve I think I saw Venus in the sky yesterday. Was very bright and just near the moon.