Ron
November 2nd 04, 10:56 PM
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/02nov_venusjupiter.htm
Spellbinding Planets
NASA Science News
November 2, 2004
In the early morning sky, Venus and Jupiter will have a spellbinding
close encounter on Nov. 4th and 5th.
November 2, 2004: Two bright planets on opposite sides of the
sky--that's nice.
Two bright planets together in the same constellation--even better.
Two bright planets less than one degree apart--that's spellbinding.
Prepare to be spellbound. On Thursday morning, November 4th, just before
sunrise, you can see the two brightest planets side by side. Near the
eastern horizon, shining brighter than the brightest stars, Venus and
Jupiter will be less than one degree apart.
Hold your pinky finger at arm's length. The fingertip is about one
degree wide. On Nov. 4th you could cover both Venus and Jupiter with the
end of your pinky. When two planets appear so close together, they grab
your brain's attention. Why? Because they tickle your fovea--a special
part of the human eye.
"Your eye is like a digital camera," explains Dr. Stuart Hiroyasu, O.D.,
of Bishop, California. "There's a lens in front to focus the light, and
a photoarray behind the lens to capture the image. The photoarray in
your eye is called the retina. It's made of rods and cones, the organic
equivalent of electronic pixels."
Near the center of the retina lies the fovea, a patch of tissue 1.5
millimeters wide where cones are extra-densely packed. "Whatever you see
with the fovea, you see in high-definition," he says. The fovea is
critical to reading, driving, watching television. The fovea has the
brain's attention!
The field of view of the fovea is only about five degrees wide. If two
objects are going to grab your attention at the same time, they need to
fit inside that narrow angle. That's precisely what will happen on
Thursday morning: Venus and Jupiter will be so close together that they
can beam into the fovea, both at once.
The best time to look is between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. local time ("local
time" is the time where you live). Step outside and face east, toward
the rising sun. You can't miss them: Venus and Jupiter are bright enough
to see even after the sky begins to turn morning blue. Venus is the
brighter of the two.
If you oversleep on Thursday, try again on Friday morning. The pair will
be drifting apart, but still close enough to mesmerize.
So early in the morning, so sleepy, so cold! Once your attention gets
fixed on Venus and Jupiter you might not notice. Your biggest problem
will be forgetting to go back inside. Eventually the sun will rise and
break the spell: time for work or school, after a better beginning than
usual.
Spellbinding Planets
NASA Science News
November 2, 2004
In the early morning sky, Venus and Jupiter will have a spellbinding
close encounter on Nov. 4th and 5th.
November 2, 2004: Two bright planets on opposite sides of the
sky--that's nice.
Two bright planets together in the same constellation--even better.
Two bright planets less than one degree apart--that's spellbinding.
Prepare to be spellbound. On Thursday morning, November 4th, just before
sunrise, you can see the two brightest planets side by side. Near the
eastern horizon, shining brighter than the brightest stars, Venus and
Jupiter will be less than one degree apart.
Hold your pinky finger at arm's length. The fingertip is about one
degree wide. On Nov. 4th you could cover both Venus and Jupiter with the
end of your pinky. When two planets appear so close together, they grab
your brain's attention. Why? Because they tickle your fovea--a special
part of the human eye.
"Your eye is like a digital camera," explains Dr. Stuart Hiroyasu, O.D.,
of Bishop, California. "There's a lens in front to focus the light, and
a photoarray behind the lens to capture the image. The photoarray in
your eye is called the retina. It's made of rods and cones, the organic
equivalent of electronic pixels."
Near the center of the retina lies the fovea, a patch of tissue 1.5
millimeters wide where cones are extra-densely packed. "Whatever you see
with the fovea, you see in high-definition," he says. The fovea is
critical to reading, driving, watching television. The fovea has the
brain's attention!
The field of view of the fovea is only about five degrees wide. If two
objects are going to grab your attention at the same time, they need to
fit inside that narrow angle. That's precisely what will happen on
Thursday morning: Venus and Jupiter will be so close together that they
can beam into the fovea, both at once.
The best time to look is between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. local time ("local
time" is the time where you live). Step outside and face east, toward
the rising sun. You can't miss them: Venus and Jupiter are bright enough
to see even after the sky begins to turn morning blue. Venus is the
brighter of the two.
If you oversleep on Thursday, try again on Friday morning. The pair will
be drifting apart, but still close enough to mesmerize.
So early in the morning, so sleepy, so cold! Once your attention gets
fixed on Venus and Jupiter you might not notice. Your biggest problem
will be forgetting to go back inside. Eventually the sun will rise and
break the spell: time for work or school, after a better beginning than
usual.