~ Moon, Venus & Mercury ~

[boxcar]

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From my front yard last evening...


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http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/ddublu/MoonMercuryVenusApril-15-2010.jpg


Venus in upper left, Mercury is below crescent Moon

Captured with my 8 year old Sony Cyber-shot 2.1 Mp

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[Snuffy]

Amazing you could see them with all that extra light pollution.

:icon_lol:

Thanks for sharing!

[boxcar]

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Clearer skies than most of the lower 48's here in the Nebraska panhandle. Even walking at night it is common to be able to see the Milky Way... from inside my village's limits. Many city dwellers jaws drop when I take them out in the country to truly see the sky at night for the first time. We love our star parties out here.
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http://www.nebraskastarparty.org/siteinfo.html

Y'awl welcome to come on out in August. :) Meet some really fine folks too.
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[Lionheart]

Great photo BoxCar. I noticed that bright planet yesterday in our evening sky down here in the land of dust and cactii. One bright planet. I dont think I have ever seen Mercury though....


Bill

[lifejogger]

Nice pictures, except for the moon, without your comments I would have never known that I was also seeing Mercury and Venus. When I lived in Houston you had to go way outside the metropolitan area to see the stars, since I being transferred to the Texas Panhandle I have no problems seeing the stars.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

[Cazzie]

Good shot boxcar, that's the highest western elongation for Mercury this year, very hard to capture, never can in complete darkness. Took the boys to the top of the hill so we could see Mercury. Odd that only 5% of the world's people have ever seen that little banana-crescent planet. Venus, one can't miss that, it's slower rising to its highest western elongation for the year. Saturn has just reached opposition, been viewing that a bit in the scope, Mars also as it dwindles in size. Jupiter is rising in the very very early dawn, but one needs a good eastern horizon to see it.

Caz

[Chacha]

Great capture, boxcar.

I miss looking at the stars and be able to name them..

Thanks for sharing! :jump:

[Panther_99FS]

:jump::jump::jump:

[Bjoern]

Cool!

So the bright blob is venus? Good to know, been wordering what I'm looking at during the night. :d

[limjack]

Did Orbix do the streetlights, they look like the ones in pnw.....Very nice shot of the planets.

Jim

[Lionheart]

Did Orbix do the streetlights, they look like the ones in pnw.....Very nice shot of the planets.

Jim

lolol...


For those that dont know, when Jupiter is around, with binoculars, even in alot of cities, you can see 1 to 3 of its larger moons. People with really good eyes can see them when they are outside the planets edge. Very small dots.

I wonder if you can see the moons of Mars with Binoculars?

[boxcar]

I wonder if you can see the moons of Mars with Binoculars?


Nope... too teeny, both. Phobos and Deimos have less than 14 & 8 mile
diameters respectively. Both are thought to be captured asteroids.

Thanks for the fine comments, peeps! :) Would get a nicer camera
if the Sony would ever break or otherwise wear out. Tough lil' units.

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[jmig]

Shoot, Caz & Boxcar, they are easy to see. Just go on Google Earth. ;)

I remember looking at the stars with my dad at night. Back then you could see them. :( I am going to be in Liberal, KS next week. If the dust doesn't obscure the sky, I might go look at them.

[Cazzie]

Shoot, Caz & Boxcar, they are easy to see. Just go on Google Earth. ;)

I remember looking at the stars with my dad at night. Back then you could see them. :( I am going to be in Liberal, KS next week. If the dust doesn't obscure the sky, I might go look at them.

Next week is too late for Mercury. Venus will be bright enough to see from the brightest city.

You can see up to four of Jupiter's Galilean moons Bill, and up to five of Saturn's moons with a good telescope. The neatest sight of Jupiter's two inner moons is seeing the shadows of Io and Europa when they transit the planet. Jupiter is an amazing planet to observe as it rotates every 9-hrs and 56-min. Thus, on a long Winter's night when Jupiter is at opposition, one can see a full rotation of the orb.

Caz

[boxcar]

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Once I saw Uranus without aide of binoculars, it was that close (I know, I know... left myself wide open with that one) but it's true. In opposition it can reach magnitude 5.8, even 5.6 sometimes & the average human eyes have the ability to see as low as magnitude 6.5 when fully dark-adapted. It will be in opposition again on the first day of Fall, September 21, between Pisces & Aquarius.
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[Cazzie]

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Once I saw Uranus without aide of binoculars, it was that close (I know, I know... left myself wide open with that one) but it's true. In opposition it can reach magnitude 5.8, even 5.6 sometimes & the average human eyes have the ability to see as low as magnitude 6.5 when fully dark-adapted. It will be in opposition again on the first day of Fall, September 21, between Pisces & Aquarius.
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Although Uranus can be seen with binoculars, I doubt seriously you could ID it against the stars. It is a daunting target for an 8-in telescope, but is easily seen as an orb and is a unique color, unlike that of the surrounding stars.

Caz

[boxcar]

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The only way I did it was to have the path & star maps handy to insure what
was being observed over the course of a few star party nights years ago.
At the time I was one of the few who could make out 8 stars in the Pleiades.
Not any more, struggling to see 7. My vision has slipped over the years from
20/13 both (1983) to 20/16 left & 20/18 right. Truthfully. Documented.
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[Cloud9Gal]

I love it when you guys share cool pictures like these!

Thank you boxcar and Caz! http://freesmileyface.net/smiley/Happy/happy-049.gif (http://freesmileyface.net/Free-Happy-Smileys.html)

[Wiens]

Shoot, Caz & Boxcar, they are easy to see. Just go on Google Earth. ;)

I remember looking at the stars with my dad at night. Back then you could see them. :( I am going to be in Liberal, KS next week. If the dust doesn't obscure the sky, I might go look at them.

Jmig, it won't be the dust obscuring the sky, but the feedlot smell will get you!!

How long will you be in Liberal? If you have time drive up to Hutchinson and check out the Cosmosphere and Underground Salt Museum. Gene Cernan was just in Hutch yesterday to commerate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 13, which is on display at the Cosmophere.

Kevin