The Jupiter, Saturn and Mars line draws crowds to Whanganui's Ward Observatory

A beautiful night and a large procession of planets brought about 50 people to the Whanganui Ward Observatory on July 13th.

They could see Jupiter with his moons, Saturn with rings and moons, and Mars, which looks like He was a happy time, said the secretary of the observatory, Mark Lee, with the annual procession of planets making visible the five usually visible stars of the Earth the same night.

"At 6,45 Venus would be the brightest planet in the west, then Mercury, Jupiter would be above and Saturn, with Mars to the east."

The observatory is open on Friday evening and usually inhabited by the president of the Astronomical Society Lee and Wanganui Ross Skilton

In the days leading up to July 13, they were expecting a good viewing and posted on their Facebook page that the observatory would be open

Lee spent the evening inside, watching Saturn. through the Cooke t the elephant. It is considered the largest unmodified refractor used in New Zealand and is particularly good for watching the planets.

"It has a very long focal length, so you get any color is visible or beige – not quite white."

People could see his rings, the intervals between the rings, and two of his moons. Jupiter is huge and has four moons that change position night after night. All were visible that night, through a small telescope installed outside the observatory.

The International Space Station has also been visible at times in recent weeks. It is inhabited by six people and Lee connects to the free site Heavens-Above to know when it will be visible.

"He rotates the Earth at 17,500 km / h and travels in 93 to 94 minutes and can only be seen when the sun is on because it is not lit." he said.

Viewing could be even better next Friday, if the sky is clear. The St Hill St Observatory opens at 7:30 pm and stays open as long as people are interested.

Jupiter should be visible near a quarter moon, and the lighting should make visible the crevices and features of the moon.