From the Southworth Planetarium
“A mischief of stars”
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
July 21, 2010
Meanwhile, in the West………..
…the stage is set for a splendid planetary gathering.
We apologize for using such an over-utilized term, but such an analogy certainly applies. The western evening sky is a stage and upon it one will find Venus, Mars and Saturn. Throughout the next few weeks, observers can see them appearing to approach each other. Presently, brilliant white Venus stands apart from golden Saturn and crimson Mars. One can easily find all three worlds this evening. Venus is the closest to the horizon, while Saturn and Mars are close together and higher in the sky. These planets resemble stars, although Venus is far brighter than any night sky object, apart from the Moon, currently in the gibbous phase.
On August 8, these three planets will be within a circle of less than five degree diameter. Such a sight is rare, and, despite the internet hysteria this event will most likely engender, shall prove quite innocuous. That they will be so aligned is merely a line of sight effect, The planets are literally millions of miles apart. On August 8, Venus will be 72 million miles from Earth. Mars will be 188 million miles distant. Saturn will be 949 million miles away. Although we perceive this planetary trio as being at arm’s length, they are separated by a great deal of space that we cannot observe, as dark vacuums are notoriously difficult to see.
So, if you’re a planet watcher who likes to keep track of wandering worlds, there is no better time to pull out the grid-work star charts than right now.
