For skywatchers at equatorial or southern hemisphere latitudes, and in particular at African ... [+] longitudes, Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon will make the most spectacular alignment, with a thin crescent Moon passing between the Solar System's two brightest planets in the post-sunset sky.
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An accurate model of how the planets orbit the Sun, which then moves through the galaxy in a ... [+] different direction-of-motion. Note that the planets are all in the same plane, and are not dragging behind the Sun or forming a wake of any type. The planets change position relative to one another, making them change their apparent positions and brightnesses in the sky as seen from Earth.
Quite a lot has been going on:
Goss: All bright planets star in year–end displays | Virginia | roanoke.com
Occasionally, a span of time arrives for favorable viewing of all the bright planets. The next five weeks, beginning tonight, is just such a time. While the temperatures may be cool, or even downright cold, the early sunsets and late sunrises give plenty of good opportunities to see what's happening on both edges of night.
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Venus has been slowly rising higher in the evening twilight since it emerged from the bright solar glare after passing behind the sun on Aug. 14. Because its orbital speed is faster than Earth's, and because it is still curving away from the sun, it continues to climb higher each evening. As a result, Venus can be found brilliantly shining about 5:45 p.m. low in the southwest.
2 of the brightest planets to appear side-by-side in the night sky | 11alive.com
On Sunday evening, the two brightest planets in the night sky will appear very close to each other in a nearly annual astronomical event known as a conjunction.
People that step outside after sunset on Sunday and look to the Southwest will see Venus and Jupiter right next to each other. This event is easy to spot, making it a great one for younger stargazers to view -- and this year's conjunction will be a treat since it falls early enough on a school night.
The status of Pluto as a planet in the Milky Way – The Times-Delphic
There are three qualifying factors an astronomical object must have before it is considered a planet. According to the International Astronomical Union, the three different aspects defining a "planet" are: a planet must be an object in orbit around the Sun with a diameter greater than 2000km, a planet must have a stable shape due to its own gravity and lastly, a planet must be dominant in its immediate neighborhood due to its own gravity.
Most of us remember in elementary school learning the phrase – "My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas" –where Pluto equaled Pizza; partly fulfilling the first qualification of a planet by orbiting the Sun. Pluto orbiting the Sun with a diameter greater than 2000km settles the first requirement. We intuitively know Pluto also has a stable shape due to its own gravity. The problem with Pluto being a planet is derived with the third requirement; dominance.
Other things to check out:
NASA Podcast Unveils Details Of Mission That Explored 'Planet Asteroids'
NASA recently unveiled the details of a space probe mission that explored large asteroids that are regarded as dwarf planets. The agency discussed the expedition during the latest episode of its "On a Mission" podcast.
For the mission, Dawn orbited Vesta and Ceres to take detailed images of the dwarf planets. Through these photos, NASA was able to identify interesting features related to the formation and evolution of the protoplanets.
In the latest episode of NASA's " On a Mission " podcast, Marc Rayman, the project manager for the Dawn expedition discussed a couple of details regarding the project. According to Rayman, NASA encountered a few challenges during the mission.
Dennis Mammana: Step Out to See Venus and Jupiter's Planetary Dance at Dusk | Outdoors -
You may have noticed two bright “stars” shining in the southwestern sky at dusk and appearing much closer to one another from night to night.
Well, these aren’t “stars” at all; they’re planets — the two brightest in all the heavens — and they are gearing up to put on quite a show for stargazers as November comes to a close.
The brighter of the two is Venus , a world the same size as our own Earth — about 8,200 miles across — and shrouded by highly reflective clouds. The fainter of the two — but still quite bright — is the gas giant planet Jupiter , about 11 times the diameter of the Earth.
Observing Exoplanets: What Can We Really See?
Exoplanets are far away, and they are often obscured by the bright light of the stars they orbit. So, taking pictures of them the same way you'd take pictures of, say, Jupiter or Venus, isn't easy.
The major problem astronomers face in trying to directly image exoplanets is that the stars they orbit are millions of times brighter than their planets. Any light reflected off of the planet or heat radiation from the planet itself is drowned out by the massive amounts of radiation coming from its host star. It's like trying to see a firefly flitting around a spotlight.
Planet Windsor, like Westminster, has a real problem with women | Catherine Mayer | Opinion | The
P rince Andrew once told me that he wished he could be a plumber and fix things. At the time, I felt sorry for him. Since his departure from the navy, he had performed a nebulous role as a "full-time working royal", a bit of ribbon cutting here, a spot of patronising there and a position created to give him the appearance of utility, as Britain's special representative for trade and investment. In 2004, I travelled with him to China as he gladhanded and guffawed his way across the country.
Happening on Twitter
Pakistan and Turkey, made a spectacular military exercises in the Mediterranean. https://t.co/nkx8x9lFrh alikeskin_tr (from Türkiye) Sun Nov 24 11:30:41 +0000 2019
"Tombstone Territorial Park is one of the most spectacular and remote parks in Canada," writes Your Shot photograph… https://t.co/kTctPgvFIi NatGeo (from Global) Sun Nov 24 19:10:05 +0000 2019
It was great hanging out at the Chicago Sports Spectacular with the highest scorer in NBA history Kareem Abdul-Jabb… https://t.co/Px5fFP11ah MagicJohnson (from Los Angeles) Sat Nov 23 22:18:11 +0000 2019
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