Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Where Are the Planets in the Nighttime Sky?

A few days ago, I was pointing out some planets in the night sky to some co-workers, only to later realize, to my embarrassment, that I had gotten it wrong.  I had correctly pointed out ultra-bright Venus in the low western sky, but then I got Sirius (the brightest night star), then in the southwest, mixed up with Jupiter, which was still relatively high in the sky.  Well, since then the Earth's orbital position around the Sun has changed, as well as that of Venus and Jupiter (and, of course, the rest of the planets).  Now, Venus is a little higher in the evening sky and Jupiter is lower...and the two, at least visually from Earth, are getting closer and closer to each other.  This summer will be a visual treat for sky-gazers as they get much closer.  Jupiter is in the constellation Cancer, Venus in the adjacent (to the west) constellation Gemini, and Mars can no longer be seen as the Sun's position is too close to it.  Mercury may be seen close to the horizon right after sunset.  Saturn is visible in the A.M. night sky, so if you want to see it, you'll have to wait until the constellation Scorpius rises in the southeast, where you'll find the "original" ringed planet...