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First Star


Nukora

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Last weekend I observed an incredibly bright star trailing the moon. Knowing that, at the time of night I spotted it, Venus and Mercury would be out of site and that Saturn was still in the constellation Leo (near the sun right now), I deduced it was more than likely Jupiter. Another bright orange star was spotted that night that was assumed to be Mars. With my current knowledge I'm going to guess it was Antares.

 

Upon arriving home from a camping trip I opened my simulator program to confirm that it was Jupiter - and that all the other visible plants were not far from the sun (odd). Some nights later I walked outside to stargaze to find the light pollution incredibly increased in town, despite it's small size (and the near-full moon didn't help any).

 

Two nights ago (Tuesday), I was messing around with the telescope. Immediately following dinner I observed the moon for some time, noting Aristarchus crater on the edge of the light. When it got darker the edge of the light was more defined. Eventually the sky darkened enough for Jupiter to be seen. I was also able to spot three-or-four (you couldn't really tell at first, but after staring for a while it was clear there were four - I also cheated and used the simulator to look it up) moons in a row like baby ducks following the larger ducks.

 

An awesome sight. I was going to look at other stars, but the clouds eventually claimed the constellations of Ursa Major, Cassiopeia and Ursa Minor, my only reference points in the Summer sky. It's sad not seeing Orion and Leo. So I'm learning to recognize Cygnus and Bootes. I'm supposed to be learning Andromeda, but she seems to be hiding from me. >>

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It is a great time of year to be observing the stars. I was out the other night and caught a nice view of Jupiter also. It is so huge. I often wonder how the old sailors could navigate the seas via the stars with their limited technology.

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You wouldn't happen to be using the simulator I told you about, would you? :P

 

Anyway, ah, yes, the four Galilean moons of Jupiter. They are my favorite target for viewing; visible even through binoculars. Perhaps instead of using Andromeda (which is relatively faint) to guide your summer viewing, I suggest using the Great Square of Pegasus, which is actually attached to Andromeda. Strangely enough, Jupiter is indeed the only planet currently visible with the naked eye at night. It brings me great joy to see other people enjoying the great rewards of Astronomy!

 

Argy

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