Re: Hailstones

I only saw one planet in the eastern sky - I assume it was Venus which
is always easy to see at dawn and dusk low to the horizon and that
Mars was the one I didn't see as it's not as bright and might have
been lost in the bluing-up sky. I think I guessed that one right. The
other really bright object was near the moon, just where the plot
showed Jupiter which I thought was Mars.

Johnny-not-astronomy-wise

Ah right, I fired up my astronomy program (Skyglobe) and I see what's
happening. You only just missed seeing Mars as it was near the horizon
when you looked.

If you were to look out at 5am each morning for the next four weeks,
you'd see Venus rise a little higher each day, with Mars in hot
pursuit. By mid June, Mars will catch Venus. For three days, Venus
will appear to turn and move directly at Mars, and thereafter descend
back towards the horizon, while Mars continues to rise higher each
day. Venus will be visible until september.
You can watch Jupiter track across the sky until september, and Mars
until february.

[Planet-watching is easier, the nearer the Equator you are, as at
northern latitudes, the Sun rises at a shallower angle.]

There's a good chance I'll get a look each morning as I'm on my bike
(literally) any time from 4 until 5:30 AM. Until I leave for the UK that
is.

Johnny-early-riser
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: FTL and references to works
    ... the surface horizon of Earth. ... However fast you travel the ... Intrinsically speaking and relatively speaking. ... what is the difference between Mars intrinsically speaking and Mars ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: XT6 First Light and First Thoughts (Long)
    ... > At least with Mars, ... The South Polar Cap is very small and difficult to ... Avoid objects that are close to the horizon. ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Mars is up
    ... I had a look at Mars this morning at about 4:00 AM. ... Although at only about 30 degrees above the horizon and under bright moon and hazy skies, the planet was obviously in the gibbous phase. ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: Hailstones
    ... I only saw one planet in the eastern sky - I assume it was Venus which is ... thought was Mars. ... You only just missed seeing Mars as it was near the horizon ...
    (uk.local.cumbria)
  • Re: Horizons
    ... is possible over the horizon, so this would mean a hop of some sort, via ... I don't know if Mars has reflective ionised layers, ... The radius of the planet plus your ... Pythagorean theorem to find the distance to the horizon. ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)