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The night sky overflows with planets
This is the perfect time to go hunting on the planet. If you have piercing eyes, you will be able to spot five in the same night.
The fun begins just after sunset.
Mercury
Mercury can be a difficult target. Because it is so close to the sun, it is often lost in its brilliance. Also, because the tiny planet is only visible near the sun, it can only be seen after sunset or before sunrise. It can easily get lost in the dark that often occurs along the horizon.
On July 15, Mercury goes to bed just over an hour after the sun, so you have time to find it. Here is the best part: you will have a crescent moon to use as a guide.
First, try to get somewhere high. If you are in a city, you will not be very lucky to find it. Try to go to a park with a hill and a breathtaking view of the western horizon.
The moon will only be illuminated by about 10%, forming a magnificent crescent in the west next to Venus.
From here, Mercury is about 15 degrees lower and to the right. You can use your fingers to measure the distance.
You can continue to see Mercury for the next week, but as it gets closer to the sun, it will be much harder to see.
(You can find the rise and set hours for the planets in your city using the site timeanddate.com.)
If you use binoculars, do not forget to never have them point directly to the sun.
Venus [19659005] You can not miss Venus. You have probably already noticed the planet in the west sky just after sunset.
Venus is so bright, often she is mistaken for a plane or even a UFO. When it is visible, the planet is the brightest object of the night sky.
Like Mercury, its orbit is closer to the sun than the Earth (we speak of "lower" planets), so that Venus is visible before and after sunrise, depending on where it is located in its orbit. That's why you may have heard about the planet as being an "evening star" or a "morning star".
On July 15, the crescent moon and Venus form a magnificent pair in the western sky. With the moon lit only 10%, it's easy to spot the "evening star" at two degrees to his left. In fact, if you want to challenge yourself on this day, try to find Venus before sunset, using the moon as a guide. You can always try to use binoculars, but half the fun is to find it at the naked eye.
For the next few months, you can find Venus in the sky after sunset, but it will be lower on the horizon. the days pass. By October, it will disappear for a few months. He will appear again as a "morning star" in the new year.
Jupiter
The king of our solar system has dominated the sky since April.
Now you can find Jupiter, which is usually the brightest second in Venus, high in the southwest after sunset.
On the night of the 15th, if you have a chance, look at Jupiter with a pair of binoculars; 7x50s would be better, but you can try with everything you have.
Do not expect to see the details, but you can see four of the largest moons on the planet: Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Europa.
Moving inland, Callisto will be furthest away from the four Galilean moons, to the west or to the left of the planet, followed by Ganymede. Then Io and Europa follow, much closer to Jupiter (you may not be able to spot Europe because it will be close enough to Jupiter)
Go outside the next day and look again. You will see the moons have moved the position. 16, Callisto and Io are on the left of the planet, with Ganymede and Europa on the right.
Saturn
Saturn, the ringed beauty, also joins Jupiter in the southern sky. After sunset, look to the south and you will notice a star that is a little darker than Jupiter. It is Saturn
The planet is positioned to the south just above the "teapot" of the Sagittarius constellation.
If you look at it through binoculars, it will not be the planet that will amaze you, but the multitude of stars. It's because Saturn is in one of the richest parts of our night sky – the thickest part of the Milky Way.
March
Well, Mars is the big star this month (so to speak) and will continue to be there until August. It's the closest and the brightest since August 2003. Earlier this month, it even overshadowed Jupiter (but not much).
This image illustrates the planetary dust storm that enveloped Mars on June 17. Mars appears darker than normal in the night sky (Proposed by Damian Peach)
But there is a global dust storm on Mars, and it is unclear how to affect its brightness.
You can find the flaming red planet a brilliant red in the southeast sky. He will get up just after 22h. AND to the east. He will continue to climb into the sky because he gets up earlier. Go take a look at it: it's about five times clearer than normal.
If you look at the sky asking what you see, there are great apps for Androids and iPhones to help, including Sky Safari, Sky View, Star Walk and Stellarium (for a fee). They allow you to point your phone at the sky and identify the objects. Touch and you can learn more about the object.
And here's an added bonus for your vision of the planet: The annual Perseid meteor shower is expected to culminate on August 13, with only one percent of the moon illuminated. With the planets, it should be a show. Mark your calendars!
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