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Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-6-1004466453 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed If you missed the view of Venus and Saturn that I reported last evening, you have a second chance to see it tonight. It will be almost as good. Venus is easy to find, the very brilliant "evening star" in the westward, a bit north from west by 9:30 p.m., about 20 degrees above the horizon. Saturn is a dimmer point of light slightly above and west of Venus (about 3/4 degree separates them). By 10 p.m. the sky is darker and the contrast is better . The conjunction is quite striking when viewed in the cobalt-blue of the darkening sky with the pair framed on the sides by the silhouette of tops; that lighting is probably best between 9:45 and 10:15 p.m. I took photos last evening but it was 10:30 p.m. before I got set up. I certainly caught the pair but the sky was too dim to get the silhouette of trees against the twilight sky. The binocular view is also worth the effort. Venus is about 0.5 of a solar distance from us (0.5 AU); Saturn is about 10 solar distances from us (10 AU). It takes light about 8 minutes to travel 1 AU ( distance from Sun to Earth) which is about 150 million km. By the way cell phone signals travel about just as quickly. I like thinking about such distances in terms of how long it would take a cell phone call to cross the same distance. So a phone call would reach Venus in about 4 minutes, i.e it would have to travel about 75 million km. to reach a friend on Venus tonight. Turning to the southeast you will see Jupiter shining brightly, just about the same angle(about 20 degrees) above the SE horizon. The nearly Full Moon just begins to emerge above the horizon around 10:30 p.m. It is one of the most southerly full moons that you can see. So there are 4 planets easy to see tonight plus one moon, and if you steady the binoculars in good focus you might see 4 more moons (Jupiter's). Jupiter's light is coming to us from about 4 AU tonight. Hoping the sky will co-operate. Enjoy the evening, Sherman Sherman Williams shermw@xcountry.tv --Apple-Mail-6-1004466453 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 <HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; = -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">If you missed the view of Venus = and Saturn that I reported last evening, you have a second chance to see = it tonight.=A0 =A0It will be almost as good.=A0 Venus is easy to find, = the very brilliant "evening star" in the westward, a bit north from west = by 9:30 p.m., about 20 degrees above the horizon.=A0 Saturn is a dimmer = point of light slightly above and west of Venus (about 3/4 degree = separates them).=A0 =A0By 10 p.m. the sky is darker and the contrast is = better . The conjunction is quite striking when viewed in the = cobalt-blue of the darkening sky with the pair framed on the sides by = the silhouette of tops; that lighting is probably best between 9:45 and = 10:15 p.m.=A0 I took photos last evening but it was 10:30 p.m. before I = got set up. I certainly caught the pair but the sky was too dim to get = the silhouette of trees against the twilight sky.=A0 =A0The binocular = view is also worth the effort.<DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Venus is about 0.5 of a = solar distance from us (0.5 AU); Saturn is about 10 solar distances from = us (10 AU).=A0 It takes light about 8 minutes to travel 1 AU ( distance = from Sun to Earth) which is about 150 million km.=A0 By the way cell = phone signals travel about just as quickly.=A0 I like thinking about = such distances in terms of how long it would take a cell phone call to = cross the same distance.=A0 So a phone call would reach Venus in about 4 = minutes, i.e it would have to travel about 75 million km. to reach a = friend on Venus tonight.<DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Turning to the southeast = you will see Jupiter shining brightly, just about the same angle(about = 20 degrees)=A0 above the SE horizon.=A0 =A0The nearly Full Moon just = begins to emerge above the horizon around 10:30 p.m.=A0 It is one of the = most southerly full moons that you can see.=A0 So there are 4 planets = easy to see tonight plus one moon, =A0 =A0and if you steady the = binoculars in good focus you might see 4 more moons (Jupiter's).=A0 = =A0Jupiter's light is coming to us from about 4 AU = tonight.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Hoping= the sky will co-operate.</DIV><DIV>Enjoy the evening,</DIV><DIV>=A0 = Sherman</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span" = style=3D"border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: = rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: = normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: = normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; = -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; = -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; = white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Sherman = Williams</DIV><DIV><A = href=3D"mailto:shermw@xcountry.tv">shermw@xcountry.tv</A></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN> </DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>= --Apple-Mail-6-1004466453--
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