[NatureNS] Venus - Space Station - etc - Canada Day Night Sky

Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:24:25 -0300
From: Pat <patdix@ns.sympatico.ca>
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Thank you, Mr. Williams.

Patricia Dix
Greenwich NS

Sherman Williams wrote:
>
> Looks like a nice clear sky tonight -for some of us at least.
>
> Some items to look for in the Canada Day night sky:
> With late sunset (9:07p.m. in Avonport) It is after 10 p.m. before the 
> sky is dark enough to show anything   ....except for VENUS !
> Venus is a BRILLIANT jewel above the western horizon just now. 
> Certainly by 9:45 it can be seen well up in west; by 10:15 -10:30 it 
> is dazzling in the darkening twilight.  Around that time, one should 
> begin to see Regulus (the main star of LEO), Mars, and Saturn, (in 
> that order) forming a straight LINE diagonally up to the left from 
> Venus, all about evenly spaced.
>
> Over July Venus and Mars  converge on Saturn.  First week in August 
> these 3 planets form a binocular-field-huddle above the LOW western 
> horizon.  On clear summer evenings It will be neat to watch this 
> huddle of planetary arrangement take place.  The one challenge is the 
> lingering twilight; that part of the sky gradually gets flooded with 
> the advance of the Sun as it moves  into that part of the sky (mid 
> August Sun is located near Regulus, just left to where Venus is tonight).
>
> Venus is about 8 light-minutes (l-min) distant, Mars is about 14 
> l-min, and Saturn is about 79 l-min, Regulus is 77 light years (l-y) 
> distant.  (If you could travel at the speed of a cell phone call, 
> which travels at light speed, the light year or the light minute is 
> how long it would take to reach the object referred to)
>
> The Space Station makes some late evening (night) passes that are 
> visible. One at 10:40 p.m 25 deg to the north and one at 12:16 a.m. 35 
> deg to the NNE.
> (The space Station at its 370km altitude is much less than one second 
> away using the speed of light)
>
> Arcturus (36 light years away) is the bright star up toward overhead 
> in the southward. You'll notice that the Big Dipper has at a lofty 
> perch as well.
>
> Hope you all enjoyed your Canada Day !
>
>   Sherman
>

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