![]() And while flat Earthers will argue you to death about the sphericity of our planet or lack thereof, at least we can all agree this month that the solar system is as flat as a thin crust pizza.See also: Climate of Mars and Timekeeping on Mars When pointed out, even a neophyte will quickly grasp the "shape" of our neighborhood and Earth's place within it. Looking up, you can practically see the ecliptic etched into the sky. How beautifully these five tiny lights demonstrate the essential flatness of the solar system. Maps below provide the positions of these three additional objects. And while we're at it let's include 4 Vesta, a representative from the main asteroid belt. Both are visible in either binoculars or a small telescope. They're up there, too, even if they screw up the order. If you're a completist, you'll want to also search for Uranus and Neptune. Or just look around and admire the landscape. Stellarium with additions by Bob King See every planetĭon't forget to include Earth in the lineup! You can do this by using the waning Moon as a proxy. This map-diagram shows all the planets (except the Moon) according to relative size and their appearance in a small telescope on June 24, 2022. Your creative hand will also be needed during post-processing because of the wide difference in lighting between the darker southern sky, where Mars, Jupiter and Saturn reside, and the bright belly of the eastern horizon, where the inner planets hide. Check YouTube for videos showing how it's done. Since these lenses don't come cheap, a better alternative would be to take several photos of the scene with a standard lens and combine them into a single image using an imaging program like Paint (packaged with Windows 10/11), Mac OS Photos, or Photoshop. Cropped sensor cameras require even shorter focal lengths. For a full-frame DSLR camera, you'll need at least a 12- to 14-mm lens - with horizontal fields of view of 104° to 112°, respectively - to squeeze them all in. On June 20th, the pack extends across about 102° of sky, increasing to 116° by month's end. Since many of us will want to photograph the span, you may want to do advance reconnaissance to include suitable foreground scenery. JPL HORIZONS with additions by Bob King Photo tips In this godlike view looking down from above Earth's North Pole, you can see how the planets fan out across of the solar system on June 24. Call me impatient, but I'm not making any assumptions about the future. While it's not a once-in-a-lifetime event, the next opportunity won't be till March 2041. There will be multiple opportunities for viewing, but the two choicest opportunities occur on June 24 (described above) and June 26, when Venus and the filament-thin Moon meet in conjunction. I encourage you to get up early at least one morning for a look. Yikes, I was barely four years old! Best dates skywatchers the last similar grand spread took place in July 1957. Turning to the evening sky, we saw similar planet lines in October 1997 and September 1995, but Mercury's elongation at those times was no more than 10°, restricting the view to sharp-eyed observers in tropical latitudes. This rare event last occurred in the morning sky in December 2004. During the present day lineup the planets were closest at 91° on June 3rd, but Mercury wasn't visible visually at that time because it was too faint (magnitude 2.3). The most compact line of planets in order of distance in more than a century occurred in November 1921 when they spanned an arc just 44° long. Standing under the spread will feel like looking out the window of spaceship Earth at our place in the cosmic order. Even more amazing, they'll be in correct order outward from the Sun starting with Mercury at the eastern horizon followed by Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and ending at Saturn. Like a peacock spreading its feathers, the solar system's five brightest planets will fan out in a beautiful display at dawn through early July. The Moon appears near Jupiter on June 21st Mars on June 22nd, Venus on June 26th, and Mercury on June 27th. As the Moon passes through, we'll see successive conjunctions or appulses. Use this sunrise calculator to plan your outing. To add Venus and Mercury, which nestle low in the solar glow, you'll need to observe closer to sunrise. You can start earlier - 60 to 90 minutes before sunrise - to spot Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. One of the prettiest mornings to view them will be June 24th, when a striking crescent Moon joins the crew. All five bright planets fan out in order of their distance from the Sun across the dawn sky now through early July.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |