Author Topic: How to find any planets (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) in a sky? Tonight. (Read 58995 times)

RRR · **on:** 08/12/2006 12:41:04

Answer, please, the 5 questions.
How to find any planets (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) in a sky?
How to find any planets (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) in a sky tonight?
What are co-ordinates of current location of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in a sky tonight?

Is it possible to observe any comets in a sky without a telescope?
Is it possible to observe any Jupier's satellits and Saturn's rings with a tiny telescope?

syhprum · **Reply #1 on:** 08/12/2006 14:36:27

You can occasionally see major comets they are usually announced well in advance in the press but you need a really dark sky to see them at their best.
It is easy to see the major of satellites of Jupiter with a small telescope (people with very keen eyesight have reported seeing them with the naked eye),The rings of saturn can be vaguely seen but don't expect too much.
Here is good if somewhat complex location URL.

http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/uncgi/Yoursky

Soul Surfer · **Reply #2 on:** 08/12/2006 17:23:08

It is currently an extremely poor period for seeing naked eye planets about the only one easily visible is Saturn which is rising just north of east at about 10pm in the UK (should be a similar local time in Russia) and is in leo near to regulus. All the other planets are too close to the sun for easy observation.

You should just about be able to see the rings in a smallish telesope with a magnification of around 40 they are starting to close up now and so look a bit thinner

There are a couple of comets around at the moment but both of them are pretty faint (around 10th magnitude) and would need an expert with a a reasonably sized 6 - 12 inch telescope to find them.

ukmicky · **Reply #3 on:** 09/12/2006 03:04:29

Download a free program called stellarium, set it for your timezone and your location and it giveS you a real time map of the sky for where you live .Dont forget to play with its settings in order to get the best results

http://www.stellarium.org

RRR · **Reply #4 on:** 09/12/2006 11:42:20

Dear Soul Surfer, uk micky and syhprum! Thank you for a help.
Yesterday in our city (St-Petersbourg City, Russia) there was not a rain and last night we have a cloudless sky to observe stars...
Last night my girlfriend did want to find a Mars in a sky but I do not find the Mars yesterday....Is it possible tonight to observe the Mars with St- Petersbourg's latitude(60 N) ?

I want to ask some questions about stars.. Answer, please.
I did read a list with a description of some thousands stars:
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/publications/AstroAlmanac/bstar97.html

Some parameters of the star list it is difficult to understand.
Explain, please, what is what.
For examlple, a description is :
10 beta Lyr 7106 18 49 59.3 +33 21 35 fcvd6 3.45 -0.56 0.00 B7 Vpe (shell)
21 alpha And 15 0 08 15.5 +29 04 36 fvd6 2.06 -0.46 -0.11 B9p Hg Mn
68 omicron Cet 681 2 19 13.1 - 2 59 20 vd 2-10 +1.09 +1.42 M5.5-9e III + pec
chi Eri 566 1 55 51.7 -51 37 17 fvd7 3.70 +0.46 +0.85 G8 III-IV CN-0.5 HÂ 0.5
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Questions:
1) Decode , please, what are what in the records: "B7Vpe (shell)", "B9p Hg Mn", "M5.5-9e III + pec"
"G8 III-IV CN-0.5 HÂ 0.5"?
2) What is a difference between stars of spectral types "O" and "B"?
3) Why beta Lyra is a "shell"?
4) Why into alpha Andromeda there are a mercury and a manganese? How to explain it?
5) A very strange pecular stars... Why omicron Cet and eta Car are pecular stars?

ukmicky · **Reply #5 on:** 09/12/2006 16:04:53

Run the program i told you to download and fast forward the time it will show you what you want to know

It is very user friendly program and could be understood by a ten year old.

JUST MAKE SURE YOU ENABLE WHAT YOU NEED IN THE SETTINGS

syhprum · **Reply #6 on:** 09/12/2006 22:25:01

Stellarium is great fun, I love the way it goes diving underground to find planets, Neutrino sources no doubt!

Soul Surfer · **Reply #7 on:** 09/12/2006 23:56:08

Mars is almost impossible to observe at the moment. You will have to wait until September or October next year (2007) to see mars easily in the evening and it will be quite spectacular in the winter next year although it should be reasonably visible but quite faint early in the morning next spring.

The star parameters that you give are very detailed and terse information understandable by experts. It would take many pages to explain this information to a beginner and I would reccommend you to study a beginners guide to astronomy in your own language. I cannot suggest one to you because I am not familiar with what books are likely to be available in russia at the moment but your local library or book shop should be able to help you

harryneild · **Reply #8 on:** 10/12/2006 00:48:47

Hey guys,

i'm thinking of starting astronomy also, and with christmas just around the corner, it would be a good opportunity to get myself a half-decent telescope.
There is one thing though. If i got a telescope, it would be great to see all the stars and planets, etc, but after a month of so, wouldn't it all be the same? What is it that keeps you avid astronomers interested in such a stationary, non-changing place?

Also, if i got one of those fancy Goto telescopes, does it take all the fun and acheivement away from finding a planet etc? I mean pressing a button isn't really skillful or something to be proud of...

Thankyou

Harry :)

RRR · **Reply #9 on:** 10/12/2006 15:44:31

UK Micky and Syhprum.
I 'll use the programs and links you did write.. Thank you for a help.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harry
A sky 's image it depend on a latitude, and it depend on a time..But in latitudes of Russia (and in England's latitudes ) it is impossible to observe a lot of bright constellations of the Southern hemisphere like Centaurus, Crux , Carina etc...
I think , the best place to observe stars it is an equator... Last month I had a possibility to observe tropical sky when I had a rest in Caribbean Sea in a yacht with my girlfriend ... The tropical sky of Cuba it has another view than a sky in Russia.. Tropical night of the Caribbean Sea it is very beautiful... There are a lot of stars...But some polar constellations of Russia's sky I did not find in the Caribbean Sea's tropical sky ...
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A quote: "The star parameters that you give are very detailed and terse information understandable by experts. "
The most part of the parameters I know how to decode.
For example, .the description ("21 alpha And 15 0 08 15.5 +29 04 36 fvd6 2.06 -0.46 -0.11 B9p Hg Mn") it is :
alpha Andromedae, with co-ordinates in a sky (0 08 15,5 and + 29 04 36),.with a brightness 2.06, variable star, double star, hot blue star of spectral type B9p Hg Mn. "Hg" is a mercury and "Mn" is a manganese..
But some parameters it is unknown for me.. And I did ask to help to explain it.
For example, what is the sign "9p" of the spectral type B9pHg Mn?
Why the star alpha Anromedae has a manganese and a mercury? How to explain it?
It is possible you do not know it but I hope someone can explain it.
Answer, please, if you know answers for the questions...

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Author Topic: How to find any planets (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) in a sky? Tonight. (Read 58995 times)