What planet is this? Venus??

[jory29]

My DD and I were just watching the DL fireworks on the Hojo webcam, and wondered... what planet do you think this is? Venus? Thanks, if you can shed some light on this for us.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[skiingfast]

Probably another UFO, could be a plane. Thought that is in the right area and time to be Venus.

 

[jory29]

Probably another UFO, could be a plane. Thought that is in the right area and time to be Venus.

I thought so too, (Venus) but know nothing about things like this...
maybe we'll get more info. on this.

Here is another picture, after the fireworks...
Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Edited to add: Weird... it's lower now than it was before...

 

[mkunichi]

Using the Planetarium app, http://neave.com/planetarium/app/, I believe it's Venus.

Note that Venus and Jupiter have been in conjunction all through March, so a little earlier in the evening and you should be able to see both. At the first timecode Jupiter should be right below the horizon.

 

[mkunichi]

Edited to add: Weird... it's lower now than it was before...

Not weird. Planets (and stars) move through the sky like the sun.

Well, as we all know now, it's really the Earth rotating rather than all those planets and stars moving around the Earth.

 

[Dolby1000]

At sunset, in the west are Jupiter, very close to the horizon now and will be gone in a week or so, and very bright high in the western sky is Venus, it will be at it's brightest in about 10 days. So, although I cannot tell which direction you are facing, based on the brightness of the star, you are likely seeing Venus.

Being somewhat of a stargazer, Jupiter and Venus were very, very close in the sky about 6 weeks ago, been having fun tracking them.

Shortly after sunset, coming out of the southeast is Mars, you can tell by it's red tint.

Also, if you have a smart phone (I have an iPhone), download the Night Sky app, you can just point the phone at the sky and it will label all the stars and planets, even those under the horizon line. Even when it is cloudy. Great app!

I think it was free, no more than $.99 as that is about as much as I pay for an app.

Dolby1000

 

[jory29]

Thanks, everyone, for your very helpful and informative replies!! I will be going to the webcam tonight, earlier, to see if we can also see Jupiter, too. Thanks, I might download that app.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

At sunset, in the west are Jupiter, very close to the horizon now and will be gone in a week or so, and very bright high in the western sky is Venus, it will be at it's brightest in about 10 days. So, although I cannot tell which direction you are facing, based on the brightness of the star, you are likely seeing Venus.

Being somewhat of a stargazer, Jupiter and Venus were very, very close in the sky about 6 weeks ago, been having fun tracking them.

Shortly after sunset, coming out of the southeast is Mars, you can tell by it's red tint.

Also, if you have a smart phone (I have an iPhone), download the Night Sky app, you can just point the phone at the sky and it will label all the stars and planets, even those under the horizon line. Even when it is cloudy. Great app!

I think it was free, no more than $.99 as that is about as much as I pay for an app.

Dolby1000

I've been enjoying tracking Jupiter and Venus over the past few weeks, also, and I have that app on my phone. It's fun to verify the stars and constellations with it.

 

[Disney Dreams]

When I read the first post I was going to reply with something similar to what Dolby1000 wrote. Nice synopsis of the recent sky activity, Dolby1000.

A few weeks ago Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon were doing a dance of sorts in the sky, changing positions slightly each night. It's been amazing to watch -- and yes, Venus' amazingly bright light is just incredible. Mars is fun to see in the wee hours when my pup needs to go out. I see it slowly working its way across the sky between pup's various "outings."

I LOVE being at Disneyland amongst the twinkle lights and seeing various planets.

Night Sky is a good app. Another that I would highly recommend if you are into skygazing is Star Walk. It is normally around $5 (and worth EVERY penny), but is on sale right now for $2. It's an incredible app -- and even better on the ipad.

And how about that incredible full moon the last few nights? Mother Nature can be so beautiful!

- Dreams

P.S. Fun fact: I know skiingfast was joking about it being a UFO, but a few weeks ago, Jupiter and Venus were the closest to each other that they ever will get. NASA sent out notification to various law agencies about the astronomical occurrence as the closeness of the planets during two nights that specific week caused Venus to appear 4x brighter than usual. Historically, when this has happened, agencies get an exceedingly high volume of calls reporting a UFO in the sky. NASA was proactive this time around so those getting the calls would be informed.

 

[jory29]

Thanks, for the recent replies! I am definitely going to keep looking for both planets tonight, at an earlier time, on the Hojo's webcam.

 

[Dolby1000]

When I read the first post I was going to reply with something similar to what Dolby1000 wrote. Nice synopsis of the recent sky activity, Dolby1000.

A few weeks ago Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon were doing a dance of sorts in the sky, changing positions slightly each night. It's been amazing to watch -- and yes, Venus' amazingly bright light is just incredible. Mars is fun to see in the wee hours when my pup needs to go out. I see it slowly working its way across the sky between pup's various "outings."

I LOVE being at Disneyland amongst the twinkle lights and seeing various planets.

Night Sky is a good app. Another that I would highly recommend if you are into skygazing is Star Walk. It is normally around $5 (and worth EVERY penny), but is on sale right now for $2. It's an incredible app -- and even better on the ipad.

And how about that incredible full moon the last few nights? Mother Nature can be so beautiful!

- Dreams

P.S. Fun fact: I know skiingfast was joking about it being a UFO, but a few weeks ago, Jupiter and Venus were the closest to each other that they ever will get. NASA sent out notification to various law agencies about the astronomical occurrence as the closeness of the planets during two nights that specific week caused Venus to appear 4x brighter than usual. Historically, when this has happened, agencies get an exceedingly high volume of calls reporting a UFO in the sky. NASA was proactive this time around so those getting the calls would be informed.

Thanks for the info about Star Walk, I knew there was another app out there, I just couldn't remember it.

Here in the Midwest late winter and early spring is rather cloudy, but not so much this year. I was very grateful for those clear evenings when Jupiter and Venus were right next door to each other, something quite rare in the fascinating night sky. (I know, Geek alert! )

Dolby1000

 

[S. S. Columbia]

[size=+2]Saturn, moon and star offer triple night sky treat Thursday (May 3)
[/size]
Look toward the southeast on Thursday night (May 3) about an hour after sunset, and you will behold a rare and beautiful sight, a triple conjunction of the moon, the planet Saturn, and the bright star Spica.

From: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012...ght-sky-treat-thursday/?cmpid=cmty_twitter_fn

P.S. A triple conjuction is not to be confused with the Triple Lindy.