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What planet?

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  • 13-02-2017 8:53pm
    #1
    Villan11
    Registered Users Posts: 248 ✭✭


    Looking for a little help identifying the planet currently visible at due west. Venus, Mars and Uranus all in relatively close alignment and my daughter is dying to know.

    Thanks in advance.


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    #2
    slade_x
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 1,425 Mod ✭✭✭✭slade_x


    Villan11 wrote: »
    Looking for a little help identifying the planet currently visible at due west. Venus, Mars and Uranus all in relatively close alignment and my daughter is dying to know.

    Thanks in advance.

    The closest to the horizon in the order they set, first would be venus which is the brightest, then above that will be mars and further up will be Uranus which will set last

    Stellarium is still available for free:

    http://www.stellarium.org/
    Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
    It is being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your coordinates and go
    Its also available on android mobile:

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noctuasoftware.stellarium&hl=en


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    #3
    Zubeneschamali
    Registered Users Posts: 16,686 ✭✭✭✭Zubeneschamali


    Villan11 wrote: »
    Looking for a little help identifying the planet currently visible at due west. Venus, Mars and Uranus all in relatively close alignment and my daughter is dying to know.

    Thanks in advance.

    Venus is the bright one.

    Mars is nearby, and a bit red looking.

    You won't see Uranus without binoculars (careful now!).


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    #4
    Villan11
    Registered Users Posts: 248 ✭✭Villan11


    Fsntastic. Thanks for that!!
    Zubeneschamali wrote: »
    Venus is the bright one.

    Mars is nearby, and a bit red looking.

    You won't see Uranus without binoculars (careful now!).


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    #5
    irishgeo
    Registered Users Posts: 9,508 ✭✭✭irishgeo


    sky map is a great app for android phones. Open it and point it at the sky and it will identify everything.


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    #6
    Jan_de_Bakker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭Jan_de_Bakker


    Is Uranus difficult to spot with binocs ?

    I always assumed you would need a scope for Uranus .. surely for Neptune you would ?


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    #7
    Zubeneschamali
    Registered Users Posts: 16,686 ✭✭✭✭Zubeneschamali


    Jan_de_Bakker wrote: »
    Is Uranus difficult to spot with binocs ?

    I always assumed you would need a scope for Uranus .. surely for Neptune you would ?

    No, I have seen both with 10x50s, but it is tricky. You can't tell they are planets on any one night, you won't see a disc with binocs.

    What you need to do is use some computer tool (I like Your Sky : https://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/) study where Uranus/Neptune is and the pattern of stars (down to say 8th/9th magnitude). Then look with your binoculars. Then look again a week later - the stars will be unchanged, but the planet will have moved.

    You can use the same method for asteroids - I have seen Vesta and Ceres this way.


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    #8
    Jan_de_Bakker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭Jan_de_Bakker


    Zubeneschamali wrote: »
    No, I have seen both with 10x50s, but it is tricky. You can't tell they are planets on any one night, you won't see a disc with binocs.

    What you need to do is use some computer tool (I like Your Sky : https://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/) study where Uranus/Neptune is and the pattern of stars (down to say 8th/9th magnitude). Then look with your binoculars. Then look again a week later - the stars will be unchanged, but the planet will have moved.

    You can use the same method for asteroids - I have seen Vesta and Ceres this way.

    Wow impressive!


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