There's a very bright object low in the western sky. I presume it's the planet Venus on the same side of the sun as we are. Sure is bright. I'd enjoy hearing from some astronomers who know more about it than I do.

I used to spend a lot of time watching the night sky. We would make an off season trips to Edisto Island, you have the beach to yourself and I'd walk 3 times a night the motion. I spent so much time either actually looking or studying with books and computer software, not only did I know what was going to be where when.... how can I explain this? The universe is like a topsy turvy carnival ride that is moving in all angles to everything else.

Comets, nebulas, planets, binary stars, moons of Jupiter, our moon, the sun, rings of Saturn..just no end. Seeing a whole other galaxy like Andromeda is awesome and it's not even that far away compared to a lot of other objects.

If you are a real beginner, with decent eyes you can start with naked eye, 'star hopping'. This is easy and enjoyable where you find things by following prominent stars to locate objects. I'd also recommend the 'Golden Book' of Astronomy. I gets you started on things like sidereal time and some other vitals.

Start with planets, they are easy and predictable even though they move into relation to us.

Another easy way to approach it is to get a pair of good 10x50 or bigger binoculars. It's amazing what you can see with just that.

Wanna see something awesome. Look at the middle star in Orion's sword (that's an easy one to find). You can clearly see the 'Great Nebula'. Another good object for binoculars is the Andromeda Galaxy. It's easy to find using Cassiopeia. It won't look like those awesome time lapse photograph, but just to see a galaxy that is close to ours.

If at some point you want to get a telescope, have at it. However, learn about the different types and mounts.

Have fun!

BTW Venus can get incredibly bright depending on its position. The star Syrius looks to me like somebody arc welding.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I got a picture of the object!

(Just kidding it's Venus. Cyrano, this is a great site--

January guide to the bright planets | Astronomy Essentials | EarthSky

Attached Images

IMG_3041.jpg (44.7 KB, 59 views)

__________________
Possum—The other white meat!

See if your newsstand, etc. carries, Astronomy and, Sky & Telescope. They have monthly sky guides, or did when I read them a lot maybe ten years ago. I was out a lot at night then, in a place where I had relatively little light pollution.


Even an ordinary binocular of 7X35 or 8X30 size will show you a lot, and a larger 7X50 will show more, as it gathers more light. I've used larger for a more narrow, but larger, view. (15X60B/GA Docter, 10X56B/GA Zeiss, etc.


Binocular quality matters. A 7X35 B&L showed better views than did a 7X50 Steiner. I hope Steiner quality has improved. I haven't used one of that brand in about 20 years.


The Swift Custom Audubon 8.5X44 roof prism glass is an excellent value if you can't afford Zeiss, Leica, or Swarovski.


With a good binocular, even within a large city, I've seen the Orion Nebula, Coma Berenices, M-31 (Andromeda Galaxy), etc. You get out on the desert near El Paso, and should have some nice views.

If you have a smart phone you can get a free app called Skymap, and there are probably others.
It's great, just point your phone at whatever it is you see and want to identify and a sky map on your phone will show and name it.
It even has meteor showers when they occur plus all the constellations, etc.

Yes, it is Venus.

__________________
Release the Kraken

Magnification is very unimportant compared to large objective (big front lens, I have some 60mms) and clarity.

The large objective collects the dim light and concentrates it onto your eye.

Cheap telescopes advertise MAGNIFICATION 400 TIMES. They will magnify that much, but the image goes to pieces. Often looking at an object with a lower magnification is more satisfying.
The equations of the physics of lenses explain why this is so. Just don't be bowled over by HIGH MAGNIFICATION.

Well, now that I've contributed something:

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Hey now!

I think I like the original better but anyway...

Check out Mars, the reddish orange spot above Venus.
One of the great sights in the night sky is Jupiter viewed through practically any binocular set. Up to four of it's moons are visible. Currently rising in the AM.

I saw it -
I thought it was a UFO looking for Roswell.

__________________
NRA LIFE MEMBER

skymap is the way to go

__________________
Mike
S&WCA #3065

Does it mean I'm old if I think the singer in the original is way prettier than the other three in the cover version?

I'm just sayin.

__________________
Isaiah 41:10

me too. I thought I was watching Laura Inghram for a sec

__________________
Mike
S&WCA #3065

Mars and Venus, Nibiru hasn't come fully into view yet.

Neptune is just below Venus, too. Mars, Venus & Neptune all near horizon 7:40 p.m. today

__________________
Bob

Count on altering your sleep patterns. Objects rise and set all night long as the earth rotates. If you target something, you can wait until another day or season of the year when it's in the sky at a reasonable time.

Getting a clear sky can be frustrating. One time I had a good night and the object I was looking for was at a good viewing angle. I was outside with me and my scope wrapped in a blanket with the just top of the scope sticking out the top like a smokestack.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Wow, that's a good night. If you not concentrating on one area of the sky, you can start in the west and get objects at a good angle before they get too low or set. Work your way eastward and object that hadn't risen yet are now up. The more the merrier.

Skywatching is like shooting. Get a few people together and have gangs of fun.

I used an equatorial mount with slow motion controls which I think was more 'serious' gear. Nowadays, they have scopes that find what you are looking for by computer. I don't think that is as fun or educational as finding it yourself.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Nobody mentioned that you can see the phases of Venus through a telescope. It's unique because the other planets are outside Earth's orbit and Mercury is so close to the sun it's very difficult to observe safely.

Again, be careful. Looking at the sun through an unshielded optic (welding filter 12 to 14) will instantly BLIND you, permanently.

Well... I'm kinda old but I agree...

I guess I'm old, too. Unsubtle, brassy with no grace.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Either Niburu will happen or if not, slow death in a dying system.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Naaa, I think you've got some grace.

__________________
Isaiah 41:10

They say we will see a second sun as nibiru gets closer. Some countries are seeing it already.

That's actually pretty scary!


But see what Wikipedia says about the matter. Very reassuring!


Nibiru cataclysm - Wikipedia

I've seen the phases of Venus but catching Mercury with a good horizon far enough away from the sun is the devil. Not to mention that it is setting FAST. Anyway, I've observed it by sight but didn't think it was worth chasing with the scope. What are you going to see? A bigger dot?

While we are on the subject, I believe that I have an idea what Percival Lowell saw when he described a network of canals on Mars. People were skeptical and he said one night he was looking when all of a sudden they just popped out, canals all over the place.

I had a strange experience and I wonder if anybody else has seen this? When you've adjusted your night vision for hours and your pupils are big as pennies and you look at Mars, it can be bright. One night suddenly I saw what looked like a network clearly on the surface. It took me a minute to figure out what it was, but I believe that I was seeing a reflection of my own retina, with the network of blood vessels. Does anybody else think that could be the 'canals' that he saw? I didn't see it all the time, but I think conditions have to be right for the focus of your eye, the lens you are using and maybe some other stuff, besides being in a deeply relaxed state for proper technique of looking through the lens without squinting. I'm surprised that no one else ever mentioned it. It may also be that at the time I was extremely near sighted. Weird.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Back in 2012 I was messing around with my camera one night and got this pic of Venus.







I like looking at Jupiter and Saturn through my spotting scope. The optics are just good enough to see some of the banding on Jupiter along with good looks at the 4 main moons. Saturn's rings, depending on where it is around the sun at the time can be quite striking to minimally visible. My spotting scope got a lot of use when we used to go out to a ranch outside of Brenham, TX most weekends. All the local kids that would show up at our camps would vie for usage time.