Light in the sky...

Rick Foster wrote:

We have "noticed" it, between these times, and I didn't mean to indicate that it is
stationary in the sky. I have never seen it rise, but I am sure it must. At 3AM it
is fairly high in the sky, but I have never stayed up later to see it set. We
watched last night, as the Earth rotated, and this golden "star" moved along the top
of the apt. building we live in.

As usual Min's advice is misleading, to say the least. You're almost
certainly seeing the planet Mars, which is approaching opposition
(which it will reach near the end of August) and so rises around
sunset. Try looking ESE near the horizon just a little earlier in the
evening and you should see it shining steadily while the stars around
it are 'twinkling' -- this effect is characteristic of planets.

--Odysseus

You are most certainly seeing the planet Mars, which is VERY bright at this
time and will get brighter until its closest approach in August. Here is a
photograph taken at my observatory last week showing its unique reddish/gold
color and white polar ice cap.

www.machunter.org/genes_work/gene_mars.html

Hap Griffin
www.machunter.org


"Odysseus" wrote in message
...
Rick Foster wrote:

We have "noticed" it, between these times, and I didn't mean to indicate
that it is
stationary in the sky. I have never seen it rise, but I am sure it
must. At 3AM it
is fairly high in the sky, but I have never stayed up later to see it
set. We
watched last night, as the Earth rotated, and this golden "star" moved
along the top
of the apt. building we live in.

As usual Min's advice is misleading, to say the least. You're almost
certainly seeing the planet Mars, which is approaching opposition
(which it will reach near the end of August) and so rises around
sunset. Try looking ESE near the horizon just a little earlier in the
evening and you should see it shining steadily while the stars around
it are 'twinkling' -- this effect is characteristic of planets.

--Odysseus

(formerly)" dlzc1.cox@net wrote in message
news:_91Oa.119957$hd6.119117@fed1read05...
Dear Hap Griffin:

"Hap Griffin" wrote in message
. com...
You are most certainly seeing the planet Mars, which is VERY bright at
this
time and will get brighter until its closest approach in August. Here
is
a
photograph taken at my observatory last week showing its unique
reddish/gold
color and white polar ice cap.

www.machunter.org/genes_work/gene_mars.html

Broken link. Spelling error?

Sorry. We have a screwy server directory nomenclature. Go to www.machunter
and then click on Astrophoto Gallery. Then go to Gene's Astrophotos and
check out the Mars shot.

Hap

"Hap Griffin" wrote in message
. com...

(formerly)" dlzc1.cox@net wrote in message
news:_91Oa.119957$hd6.119117@fed1read05...
Dear Hap Griffin:

"Hap Griffin" wrote in message
. com...
You are most certainly seeing the planet Mars, which is VERY bright at
this
time and will get brighter until its closest approach in August. Here
is
a
photograph taken at my observatory last week showing its unique
reddish/gold
color and white polar ice cap.

www.machunter.org/genes_work/gene_mars.html

Broken link. Spelling error?

Sorry. We have a screwy server directory nomenclature. Go to
www.machunter
and then click on Astrophoto Gallery. Then go to Gene's Astrophotos and
check out the Mars shot.

That's www.machunter.org.

Hap

Hap Griffin wrote:

(formerly)" dlzc1.cox@net wrote in message
news:_91Oa.119957$hd6.119117@fed1read05...

"Hap Griffin" wrote in message
. com...

www.machunter.org/genes_work/gene_mars.html

Broken link. Spelling error?

Sorry. We have a screwy server directory nomenclature. Go to www.machunter
and then click on Astrophoto Gallery. Then go to Gene's Astrophotos and
check out the Mars shot.

I tried that earlier; let's see if anything's changed ... nope.
Clicking on "Mars Images" on the page titled "Gene's CDD Astrophotos"
(should that be "CCD"?) shows a page-connot-be-found screen.

--Odysseus

www.machunter.org/ then clicking on "Astrophotography Gallery",
then "Gene Hunter's Photos", and finally "Mars Images" got me to
the page with the single Mars image in IE 5.5, but gets an error
message on the final step in Navigator 4.05.

Any idea why the iconic Mars image looks better than the object
of our quest? It seems more fully-illuminated. Is it actually
the same image?

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

..