|
 |
 advertisement
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Spot Planets Amid Leonid Meteor Shower
By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer
posted: 04:33 pm ET
14 November 2003
|
For later today Skywatchers willing to suffer the frigid temperatures and the expected sporadic performance of this year's Leonid meteor shower can pick from several other interesting cosmic objects to observe. The Leonids are expected to peak between midnight and dawn Wednesday, Nov. 19. Viewers with dark skies could see a meteor every couple of minutes. City and urban dwellers will see fewer. The display will not be as grand as in recent years, but avid meteor watchers will still want to catch the show, in part with an expectation the annual event will deliver a few of its customary bright fireballs. Meanwhile, Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon will beckon attention between shooting stars. In fact two planets are fine skywatching targets tonight through the end of the year. Find Jupiter Jupiter is the king of the predawn sky now. It rises in the East around 1 a.m. local time and is well up in the east-southeast just before daybreak. [ Map]The gas giant planet shines more brightly than any star or other planet. Because the Leonids emanate from a point in the sky not far from Jupiter, meteor watchers will be looking this direction anyway. Jupiter becomes very interesting in a telescope of about 3-inches or larger, which can reveal its broad and colorful cloud bands. Even binoculars or a smaller telescope will show that the planet is not just a point of light, but a disk in the sky. Look also for up to four points of light near Jupiter; these are the Galilean moons.Jupiter will hover very near a thin crescent Moon on Wednesday morning. Here's how close they are: The average fist on an outstretched arm, covering about 10 degrees of sky, will nearly block out both at once. Explore Saturn Higher in the sky is Saturn, a compelling sight in almost any telescope. It is due south in the predawn hours and almost directly overhead. Even a rudimentary optical aid will reveal Saturn as an object seeming to have ears. These are the rings. When Galileo Galilei turned one of the first telescopes on Saturn in the early 1600s, he had no idea what he was looking at. And he had no word for them, so amid his writing he drew a picture instead of writing a noun. It showed a large circle with two connecting lobes, something like this: oOo. Moderate-sized backyard telescopes clearly show the rings as distinct entities, and the sight will fascinate any child or adult who has never seen them. Stars and more Saturn is surrounded by some of the brightest stars in the sky, so finding it is a bit more challenging. [ Map]Once you locate Saturn, though, it can serve as a guidepost to identify several obvious stars. Lower and toward the South is Sirius, the brightest star in the sky and, right now, brighter than Saturn. Other stars among the top 10 brightest and near Saturn include Capella, Rigel, Procyon and Betelgeuse.Two other planets are visible only in the evening right now. Though not near as bright as it was in August, Mars hangs in there as a modest beacon of the southern sky from sunset through late evening. Mars is noticeable for its color, usually yellow or orangish. It sets in the West after midnight. Sharp-eyed skywatchers can spot Venus just after the Sun goes down. Our sister planet hovers near the horizon, above the glow of sunset, and it follows the Sun down about an hour later.Leonids Viewer's Guide Submit Your Leonids Photos http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/space_mailbag-1.htmlVenus Viewer's Guide
|
|
|
|
|
