Comments on: How to spot planets without a telescope? http://www.telescopebuyingguide.com/blog/how-to-spot-planets-without-a-telescope/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:59:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Tina L http://www.telescopebuyingguide.com/blog/how-to-spot-planets-without-a-telescope/comment-page-1/#comment-1878 Tina L Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:09:10 +0000 http://www.telescopebuyingguide.com/blog/how-to-spot-planets-without-a-telescope/#comment-1878 do astrologers actually care about such things? i thought they made their stuff up. you can use star charts - i like sky & telescope's online web page thingy - but there are really only two planets that you will notice at the moment, jupiter and venus. mercury is not prominent, saturn is not visible, and mars is visible, but too small to see much of anything. the local armchair astronomers will talk about planets not twinkling, but the definitive test is to observe motion relative to the background stars from night to night. do astrologers actually care about such things? i thought they made their stuff up.

you can use star charts - i like sky & telescope’s online web page thingy - but there are really only two planets that you will notice at the moment, jupiter and venus. mercury is not prominent, saturn is not visible, and mars is visible, but too small to see much of anything.

the local armchair astronomers will talk about planets not twinkling, but the definitive test is to observe motion relative to the background stars from night to night.

]]> By: Robert W http://www.telescopebuyingguide.com/blog/how-to-spot-planets-without-a-telescope/comment-page-1/#comment-1877 Robert W Sun, 30 Aug 2009 06:22:41 +0000 http://www.telescopebuyingguide.com/blog/how-to-spot-planets-without-a-telescope/#comment-1877 easy look real close if it twinkles it is a star. planets reflect the suns light and stays constant no winking!! the major ones are also brighter than the stars because they are closer. easy look real close if it twinkles it is a star. planets reflect the suns light and stays constant no winking!! the major ones are also brighter than the stars because they are closer.

]]> By: ☻ http://www.telescopebuyingguide.com/blog/how-to-spot-planets-without-a-telescope/comment-page-1/#comment-1876 ☻ Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:53:03 +0000 http://www.telescopebuyingguide.com/blog/how-to-spot-planets-without-a-telescope/#comment-1876 Jupiter and Venus are pretty easy. Right now, Jupiter is the su[per bright "star" that you can see almost all night long, in the southeast at sunset and works its way westward throughout the night. Venus is even brighter, and is a late night (early morning) riser, showing up a couple hours before the sunrise, in the east. Saturn and (I think Mercury?) are in the west right at sunset, but set really fast, you might want to wait a while to try to see those to. Mars rises around midnight. Start with Jupiter and Venus, those two will be unmistakably bright. The others, if you are not familiar with your constellations, will not be easy to identify without a star chart. (I use the one on heavens-above.com) Jupiter and Venus are pretty easy. Right now, Jupiter is the su[per bright “star” that you can see almost all night long, in the southeast at sunset and works its way westward throughout the night.

Venus is even brighter, and is a late night (early morning) riser, showing up a couple hours before the sunrise, in the east.

Saturn and (I think Mercury?) are in the west right at sunset, but set really fast, you might want to wait a while to try to see those to.

Mars rises around midnight.

Start with Jupiter and Venus, those two will be unmistakably bright. The others, if you are not familiar with your constellations, will not be easy to identify without a star chart. (I use the one on heavens-above.com)

]]> By: wallyrush http://www.telescopebuyingguide.com/blog/how-to-spot-planets-without-a-telescope/comment-page-1/#comment-1875 wallyrush Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:34:31 +0000 http://www.telescopebuyingguide.com/blog/how-to-spot-planets-without-a-telescope/#comment-1875 You can use a free download like stellarium to see what is in your night sky,you just have to download it, go into its tools and set your location. Its a wonderful program that helps me lots. You can use a free download like stellarium to see what is in your night sky,you just have to download it, go into its tools and set your location.
Its a wonderful program that helps me lots.

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