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Question about Mars or...?
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Question about Mars or...? |
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Kaoru
since 2003-06-07
Posts 3892where the wild flowers grow 
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Okay, so, on the night of September 24th my friend and I made a run to Taco Bell. On our way back, we noticed a bright star (or something) in the sky. It was very low, and appeared to be very large, as if it were merely a street light or a plane. As we continued down the street, we noticed that it couldn't have been either. It did not move, there was no pole in which to hold it up.. It was not a plane or a street light. We couldn't see it passed the trees when we arrived back at her house..and we questioned everyone on what they thought it was..No one had any idea. Was it Mars? An eerily bright and low star? Does anyone have any clue? Like I say, it happened on the 24th of September, and I'm not sure but Mars is closest to Earth during the fall, isn't it? |
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| © Copyright 2005 Meghan Armitage - All Rights Reserved | |||
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vlraynes Member Rara Avis
since 2000-07-25
Posts 8229Somewhere... out there... |
Yep... assuming it was in the right place for Mars, and wasn't TOO big, it may very well have been Mars, since the red planet is getting closer to earth as we speak... "Earth and Mars will have a breathtaking close encounter in October 2005" http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/27may_approachingmars.htm I've been watching it, off and on, for the past month or so... It's pretty cool to see it shining so brightly... I can't wait to see what it looks like at the peak encounter...  |
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PazSqual Member
since 2003-11-17
Posts 71 |
Hi, it depends on the time of night it was when you went to Taco Bell, if it was in evening,, it might be Venus, if it was pre-dawn, like a very late night snack,, it would have been Mars, here is a link where you may find some intresting info. Paz. http://www.space.com/spacewatch/sky_calendar.html |
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Kaoru
since 2003-06-07
Posts 3892where the wild flowers grow |
Edit: It was not yet midnight, and we were driving north. Thanks for the links! |
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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US |
I'm guessing it wasn't even very close to midnight yet? Venus is often called the evening star, as it is brighter than any other object in our sky save the sun and moon. However, its elongation (the angle between sun, Earth, and Venus) is only 47 degrees, so it can never be seen much later than three hours after sunset or three hours before sunrise. This time of year, in our hemisphere, Venus has usually set a good hour before midnight. Someone recently told me you could tell a planet from a star because only the stars twinkled. They believed the twinkle was from the fiery surface of the star, which would obviously be absent on a planet. In truth, the twinkle is from the light passing through our very dust-littered atmosphere, and is only less evident with a planet because of the magnitude of the light. A brighter light shines through the dust more clearly than a dimmer light. |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
...is that why blondes have such sparkling personalities?  |
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Enchantress Member Empyrean
since 2001-08-14
Posts 35113Canada eh. |
Christopher!!!  |
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