In July, the moment of confrontation passes far dwarf planet Pluto, Mars conjunction with the Sun will take place, and Mercury reaches evening elongation (not visible in middle and northern latitudes). Venus can be found in the morning above the eastern horizon, as well as in the afternoon in a clear cloudless sky. Jupiter shines in the evening sky in the constellation Virgo. Uranus and Neptune can be found at night in the constellations of Pisces and Aquarius.
Moon will approach the indicated planets: July 1 in the evening at lunar phase 0.54 - with Jupiter, July 7 at night near the full moon - with Saturn, July 14 in the morning with a lunar phase of 0.79 - with Neptune, July 17 in the morning with a lunar phase of 0.48 - with Uranus, July 20 in the afternoon with a lunar phase of 0, 13 - with Venus, on July 23 in the afternoon at a new moon - with Mars, on July 25 in the evening with a lunar phase of 0.05 - with Mercury, on July 28 in the evening with a lunar phase of 0.30 - with Jupiter. For observations, it is better to choose nights when the moon is near complete phases does not pass near the observed planet.
The visibility conditions are given for the middle latitudes of Russia (about 56°N). For cities north and south celestial bodies will be located at the indicated time, respectively, slightly lower or higher (by the difference in latitude) relative to their places in the sky of Bratsk. To clarify the local conditions for the visibility of planets, use planetarium programs.
MERCURY moves in the same direction as the Sun through the constellations of Gemini, Cancer and Leo. The elongation of Mercury on July 30 reaches a maximum of 27 degrees east of the Sun, but it will be possible to observe Mercury against the background of the evening dawn only from the southern latitudes of Russia during this period, it is not visible in the middle and northern latitudes. The apparent size of Mercury increases from 5 to 7 arc seconds with decreasing brightness from -1.2m to +0.4m. The phase of Mercury decreases from 0.9 to 0.45. Successful observations of Mercury during periods of visibility require binoculars, an open horizon, and a clear twilight sky.
VENUS moves in the same direction as the Sun in the constellation Taurus. The angular distance (elongation) from the Sun is reduced from 43 to 38 degrees in a month. The planet is visible at about 2 o'clock in the twilight morning at the eastern horizon. The angular dimensions of the planet's disk are reduced from 17 to 14 arcseconds. The phase of the planet increases from 0.63 to 0.74 with decreasing brightness from -4.3m to -4.1m. Such a bright brilliance and angular distance from the Sun make it possible to observe Venus during the day with the naked eye (under the condition of a transparent clear blue sky). A half-disk is visible through the telescope, gradually turning into an oval with a simultaneous decrease in the size of the planet, because. the distance between Venus and Earth is increasing.
Venus in the morning sky July 2017
MARS has a direct movement in the constellation of Gemini, is not visible the whole month, because. On July 27, there is a conjunction with the Sun. The brightness of the planet adheres to the value +1.7m, and the angular size is about 3".
For observations, a telescope with a lens diameter of 60-90 mm is required. To observe the details on the disk of Mars, the moment of opposition, which occurs once every two years, is best suited. At other periods, Mars appears in a telescope as a tiny reddish disk with no details. The next opposition of Mars will occur on July 27, 2018 (Great Opposition!).
JUPITER moves in the same direction as the Sun in the constellation Virgo. The gas giant is visible for about 2 hours at the beginning of the month, reducing visibility in the evening sky to 1 hour by the end of the period under consideration. The angular diameter of the giant planet in the sky decreases from 37 to 34 arc seconds, and the brightness from -1.9m to -1.7m.
Position of Jupiter in the evening twilight sky of July 2017
Four bright satellites of the giant are visible through binoculars - due to the rapid orbital movement, they noticeably change their position relative to each other and Jupiter during one night (the configurations of Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto can be found in astronomical calendars or in planetarium programs).
The telescope distinguishes bands (northern and southern equatorial bands), shadows from satellites periodically pass across the planet’s disk, as well as the famous huge oval cyclone BKP (Great Red Spot), which makes a complete revolution along with the planet’s atmosphere in 9.5 hours. The current longitude of the BKP can be found at http://jupos.privat.t-online.de/rGrs.htm. The BKP appears about 2 hours before passing through the meridian and disappears after 2 hours (goes beyond the disk).
The moments of the passage of the BKP through the central meridian of Jupiter in JULY 2017 (universal time UT)
To get the time for Bratsk, you need to add 8 hours to UTC
Current longitude BKP 270°
| 1 06:58 16:54 2 02:52 12:47 22:43 |
3 08:37 18:32 4 04:30 14:26 5 00:23 10:19 20:14 6 06:08 16:04 7 02:01 11:57 21:53 8 07:46 17:42 9 03:40 13:35 23:31 |
10 09:25 19:20 11 05:18 15:14 12 01:11 11:07 21:03 13 06:56 16:52 14 02:49 12:45 22:41 15 08:35 18:30 16 04:28 14:23 |
17 00:21 10:17 20:12 18 06:06 16:02 19 01:59 11:55 21:51 20 07:44 17:40 21 03:38 13:33 23:29 22 09:23 19:18 23 05:16 15:12 |
24 01:09 11:05 21:01 31 01:58 11:54 21:49 |
SATURN moving backwards through the constellation Ophiuchus. The planet is watching everything dark time days (June 15, Saturn passed the moment of its opposition to the Sun) low above the horizon. The angular diameter of Saturn decreases from 18 to 17 seconds of arc at magnitude +0.3m. The best period in 2017 for observations of the ringed planet continues, which will last until August.
In a small telescope, the ring around the planet and the satellite Titan (+8m) are clearly distinguished. The visible dimensions of the planet's ring are about 40x18 arc seconds. At present, the rings of the planet are open at 26 ° and the north pole of the gas giant is illuminated by the Sun.
Position of Saturn in the evening sky in July 2017
URANUS moves in the same direction as the Sun in the constellation Pisces near *omicron Pisces. The duration of morning visibility by the end of the month reaches 5 hours. The brightness of the planet adheres to the value +5.7m at an angular diameter of 3".
During periods of opposition, Uranus can be observed with the naked eye in a clear transparent sky, in the absence of illumination from the Moon (near the new moon) and away from city lights. In a 150-mm telescope with a magnification of 80x and higher, you can see a greenish disk ("pea") of the planet. The satellites of Uranus have a brightness weaker than +13m.
NEPTUNE moves backward in the constellation Aquarius near *lamda (3.7m), moving towards the moment of its opposition on September 5th. The planet can be found low above the horizon, where it is visible in optical instruments around 3-6 am. The brightness of the planet is +7.8m magnitude and almost does not differ from the surrounding stars.
Binoculars or a telescope using star charts and a clear, transparent and moonless sky will help you find Neptune during periods of visibility. To view the disk of the planet, you need a 200-mm telescope with a magnification of 100 times or more (with a transparent sky). The satellites of Neptune have a brightness weaker than +13m.
The path of Neptune among the stars in 2017 (search map)© Fyodor Sharov's blog
PLUTO moves back against the background of the constellation Sagittarius and is at a distance of 32.347 AU. from the earth. On July 10, the moment of its opposition to the Sun passes. The brightness of the planet is +14.8m magnitude and does not differ from the surrounding stars.
Instruction
Five were discovered in ancient times, when there were no telescopes. The nature of their movements across the sky is different from movement. Based on this, people have separated from millions of stars.
There are inner and outer planets. Mercury and Venus are closer to the Sun than Earth. Their location in the sky is always close to the horizon. Accordingly, these two planets are inner planets. Also, Mercury and Venus seem to follow the sun. Nevertheless, they are visible to the naked eye at the moments of maximum elongation, i.e. during the maximum angle from the Sun. These planets can be seen at dusk, shortly after sunset or in the wee hours. Venus is much larger than Mercury, much brighter and easier to spot. When Venus appears in the sky, no star can compare with it in brightness. Venus shines with white light. If you look closely at it, for example, with binoculars or a telescope, you will notice that it has different phases, like the moon. Venus can be observed in the form of a sickle, decreasing or increasing. In early 2011, Venus was visible for about three hours before dawn. It will be possible to observe it again with the naked eye from the end of October. It will be visible in the evening, in the southwest in the constellation of Libra. Toward the end of the year, its brightness and duration of the visibility period will increase. Mercury is mostly visible during twilight and is quite difficult to spot. For this, the ancients called him the god of twilight. In 2011 it can be seen from the end of August for about a month. The planet will first be visible in the morning hours in the constellation of Cancer, and then move into the constellation of Leo.
To outer planets are, respectively, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They are best observed during moments of confrontation, i.e. when the Earth is on the same straight line between the planet and the Sun. They can stay in the sky all night. During the maximum brightness of Mars (-2.91m), this planet is second only to Venus (-4m) and Jupiter (-2.94m). In the evening and in the morning, Mars is visible as a red-orange "star", and in the middle of the night it changes light to yellow. In 2011, Mars will appear in the sky in the summer and disappear again at the end of November. In August, the planet can be seen in the constellation of Gemini, and by September it will move into the constellation of Cancer. Jupiter is often seen in the sky as one of the brightest stars. Despite this, it is interesting to observe it with binoculars or a telescope. In this case, the disk surrounding the planet and the four largest satellites become visible. The planet will appear in June 2011 in the eastern part of the sky. Jupiter will get closer to the Sun, gradually losing its brightness. Closer to autumn, its brightness will begin to increase again. At the end of October, Jupiter will enter opposition. Accordingly, the autumn months and December are the most the best time for observing the planet.
From mid-April to early June, Saturn is the only planet visible to the naked eye. The next favorable period for observing Saturn will be November. This planet moves slowly across the sky and will be in the constellation Virgo all year round.
In the evening sky, of the planets visible to the naked eye, only VENUS(m= - 4.3 )* .
VENUS appears first among the stars in the sky after sunset and becomes brighter as night falls! Venus has excellent evening visibility in March. On March 25, it will be at its greatest eastern elongation - at the maximum angular distance from the Sun - 46 degrees, and the duration of its visibility at the end of the month will be 5 hours! At the beginning of the month, she comes in at half past eleven at night, at the end - around one in the morning. Moves in the constellation Aries.
At the end of the month (March 27-29), if the sky is clear, in the evening you can admire the brightest luminaries of the night sky: bright Venus and the crescent of the young Moon will be visible above the western horizon not so far from each other.
* The magnitude (m) is indicated in parentheses, characterizing the brightness: the brighter the star or planet, the smaller the magnitude.
CONSTELLATIONS IN THE EVENING SKY
In the south, not far above the horizon, the brightest star in our sky shines - Sirius(-1.4m) from the constellation Big Dog . Above it, on the right, the constellation of Orion is visible, it is outlined by bright stars: Betelgeuse * (+0.5m), Bellatrix(+1.6m), Saif(+2.1m) and Rigel(+0.2m). To the left and above Orion is the constellation Gemini, whose bright stars bear the names of two twin brothers: Castor(+1.6m) and Pollux(+1.2m).
Below Gemini is a bright star Procyon(+0.4m) from the constellation Small Dog. Procyon, Betelgeuse and Sirius form the Winter Triangle. Close to the zenith, a bright Chapel from the constellation Charioteer.
View of the starry sky over the southern horizon on March 15 at 20:30
* - Betelgeuse(+0.5m) - astronomers around the world are now closely watching this star - it was rapidly losing its brightness. It is the second brightest star in the constellation of Orion and was ranked 10th in apparent brightness among other stars, now Betelgeuse is ranked 24th. The brightness of the star began to decrease from October 2019 and at the beginning of February 2020 reached a minimum value of +1.66m (magnitudes). As observations show, last days Betelgeuse stopped fading and on February 22 its brightness increased to +1.52m (the brighter the star, the smaller its magnitude, which characterizes the brightness). Such fluctuations in the brightness of a star are most likely associated with its variability.
Betelgeuse is a massive red supergiant and is a variable, pulsating star with a period of 420-430 days. In the past few years, increased interest in Betelgeuse was also caused by the fact that this star is a candidate for supernovae, i.e. should explode. It is difficult to predict when this explosion will occur.
Interestingly, Betelgeuse was the first star for which disk photographs were taken. The first photograph was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995.
This image shows the star Betelgeuse before and after its obscuration.
Observations made with the SPHERE instrument at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope
in January and December 2019, show how much the star went out and how its apparent shape changed
Above the eastern horizon, the "spring" constellations rise into the sky: Bootes with bright Arcturus, Veronica's hair, a lion with his shining star Regulus. And seen above Big Bucket constellations Big Dipper , its "handle" is lowered to the horizon.
View of the starry sky above the eastern horizon on March 15 at 20:30
Constellations lean toward the horizon in the west Pisces, Kita, Pegasus, Andromedae, Aries with bright Venus and Triangle .
View of the starry sky over the western horizon on March 15 at 20:30
In the north, low above the horizon, bright stars of the summer sky are visible: Deneb from swan and bright on the horizon Veg a from Lyra. Above is a constellation dragon(with its main star Etamine) and Cepheus. Above the north point "hangs" Polar constellation star Ursa Minor.
So, and now about the heavenly dates of Venus ...
Jupiter will enter the morning sky in the second half of December, shining low on the southeastern horizon in the constellation of Ophiuchus. On December 22, Mercury will pass very close to it (the distance from the Sun will be 20 degrees). Venus at this time will still be in the constellation of Libra.
On January 6, 2019, the morning elongation of Venus (-4.7m; El=46°57’) will occur in the constellation of Libra
The period of close visibility of Jupiter and Venus will occur in the second half of January 2019, when the distance between the luminaries will be less than 6 °, and they can be observed in the field of view ordinary binoculars! On January 22, two bright planets will converge in the sky to 2.5 degrees - Venus will shine over Jupiter over the southeastern horizon in the constellation Ophiuchus.
Such conjunctions are common, as the planets and the Moon move in celestial sphere along one "broad highway" encircling the sky, called the plane of the ecliptic.
Clear skies and successful observations of Venus in the morning!
Astronomy FAQs and Searches
The section is led by O. Malakhov
Updated
We decided to create this section on the basis of your questions that come to us on email, as well as search queries of visitors.
General questions about finding stars and constellations
Question: How to find the North Star in the starry sky?
Answer: We all know the bucket Ursa Major, which is the "calling card" of the northern starry sky, because due to its proximity to north pole peace throughout former USSR is the most memorable group of fairly bright stars visible at any dark time of the day or year. Of course, the position of the Big Dipper bucket above the horizon varies depending on the time of year and time of day. But, in any case, it is very easy to find it, except that on spring evenings it rises to the zenith and is visible overhead, which may seem to someone not a very convenient position for observations.
Considering the recognition of the Big Dipper bucket, start your acquaintance with starry sky you have to start with him. And the first step will be to find the North Star. Firstly, this has a practical meaning, because. The polar star points to the north, which will help you quickly navigate to the cardinal points. Secondly, we get directions to search for other circumpolar constellations, thereby expanding our knowledge of the starry sky. So, looking at the picture on the left, let's draw a mental line through the two extreme stars of the Ursa Major bucket, denoted by the Greek letters α and β. Like other bucket stars, they have their own names: Dubge and Merak. The first star similar in brightness to the stars of the Ursa Major bucket on your path will be the Polaris. Print (or redraw) the drawing and, depending on the position of the Ursa Major bucket in the sky, rotate it so that you know which way to draw a mental line to search for the North Star.
More detailed information on searching for constellations can be found in the section.
February 2012
Question: Two bright stars in the sky. The brightest star in the sky in February.
Panorama: Venus (center), Jupiter (to the left and above) and the constellation of Orion (on the left side of the image) on the evening of February 18, 2012.
Answer: Most likely, our readers have in mind two bright luminaries visible in the evenings in the southwestern part of the sky and similar to two bright stars. Moreover, one of them is so bright that in its brightness it exceeds by many times all the stars visible in the sky. But these are not very bright stars at all, but planets. And the brightest of them is Venus, the second planet from the Sun. solar system. In the earth's sky, it is so bright that in terms of its brightness it reliably occupies the third place after the Sun and the Moon among the brightest luminaries. It can even be found with the naked eye in the daytime sky! Remarkably, even in the sky of Mars, Venus looks brighter than neighboring Earth! The reason for such a bright shine of Venus is the high reflectivity (albedo) of the dense cloud cover of the planet. When observing Venus with a small telescope, its phases are noticeable, similar to the phases of the moon. Phases less than 30 - 40%, when the planet is visible in the telescope in the form of a sickle, are also visible in 7x binoculars. Venus will take on the appearance of a crescent from the second half of April this year, so if you have binoculars at hand, be sure to observe the planet in the second half of spring 2012. Just make sure that the binoculars are fixed in place, because hand trembling is unlikely to make it possible to clearly see the phase of Venus.
As for the second brightest "star" visible next to Venus, this is the planet Jupiter, which occupies the fourth brightest place in the earth's sky. And if in February Jupiter is visible to the left and above Venus, then on March 12-14, 2012, Venus in the celestial sphere will pass a few degrees north of Jupiter, after which they seem to “swap” in the sky. Jupiter is also interesting for observations with binoculars, since even 7x binoculars can show from one to four of the largest and brightest moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo: Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede. For successful observations, you also need to take care of the immobility of the binoculars. Then next to the bright Jupiter you will see tiny "stars" of its main satellites.
Moon, Venus and Jupiter in the starry sky February 24 - 29, 2012. View to the southwest. Early evening.
The crescent-shaped moon will pass near Venus on the evening of February 25, 2012, and on February 26-27 - near Jupiter. In March, the Moon will pass first near Jupiter on the evening of the 25th, and on the 26th - near Venus.
Question: How to find Mars in the sky? Mars in the starry sky in February 2012.
Mars in the eastern sky at 22.45 Moscow time on February 22, 2012
Answer: In February 2012, it's very simple: around 11 p.m. local time, look east. Mars is visible as the brightest star in this side of the sky. However, its color is slightly reddish. The moon on the celestial sphere will approach the planet on March 7 and will be to the right of Mars in the evening. The next time near Mars, the Moon will be on the evening of April 3rd. Note that at the beginning of March 2012, on the 4th, the opposition of Mars will occur. But in order to see at least some details of the surface of the planet, you need a small telescope. With binoculars, any details of the surface of Mars are not visible from Earth.
Search map of the spring constellations with the positions of the Moon, Mars and Saturn in March 2012
March 2012
Question: Two bright stars in the sky. The brightest star in the sky in March.
Moon, Jupiter and Venus in the evening sky March 24, 2012
In March, Venus still attracts special attention, shining in the evenings as a very bright yellow star in the western part of the sky. Jupiter, next to which she passed at the beginning of the second decade of the month, every evening is seen further and further from the bright Venus. Venus itself in the sky is gradually approaching a compact group of faint stars, forming a figure that looks like a tiny bucket. This is the Pleiades open star cluster, against which Venus will pass at the very beginning of April.
April - May 2012
Question: What is the brightest star visible in the western sky in April - May of this year?
In fact, this is not a star at all, but the neighbor of the Earth in the solar system - Venus. Due to the high reflectivity of its atmosphere, covered with dense clouds, this planet is the third brightest luminary in the earth's sky after the Sun and the Moon. Venus shone in the evenings in the western part of the sky throughout the past winter and during the first two spring months, and by the end of May this period of evening visibility of Venus will gradually end. Read about the conditions for the visibility of the planet. And on June 6, 2012, a very rare astronomical phenomenon will occur - after which it will appear already in the east at dawn, becoming the "morning star".
Pictured: Venus in the evening sky on April 30, 2012.
July - August 2012
Question: Two bright stars at sunrise in July? What are the two bright stars in the morning over Moscow?
In July - August, the period of morning visibility of two bright planets - Jupiter and Venus, continues, which attract with their bright shine the attention of observers. And this is not surprising, because Venus occupies the third place in brightness in the earth's sky after the Sun and the Moon! And Jupiter is the fourth brightest, only occasionally giving way to Mars in brilliance for a short time when it is in Great Opposition.
So, in the morning sky of July and August 2012, we observe Jupiter (the bright planet above) and Venus (the one below and brighter). It is worth noting that before that, in the spring of 2012, these planets could be observed in the evening sky after sunset. They were also close to each other. It just so happened that after disappearing into the rays of the evening dawn, both planets appeared not far from each other in the morning sky at the very end of June. However, in August and the following months angular distance between Jupiter and Venus will grow rapidly. Venus will remain a morning star, while in autumn Jupiter will begin to rise in the evenings in the eastern part of the sky. You can find out more about the conditions for the visibility of both planets in August 2012.
In the photo: Venus and Jupiter in the predawn sky on July 25, 2012.
Question: How to find the constellation Perseus in the sky?
Answer: A search map, as well as a description of the objects of the starry sky visible in the constellation Perseus, can be found
Question: When will there be two moons in the sky in August?
Answer: In fact, no two moons in the sky, fortunately, are not expected. All this is a kind of Internet canard, originating from a journalistic mistake made back in 2003. In August 2003, or to be more precise - on August 28, the Great (or rather, the greatest) opposition of Mars took place. Enthusiastic journalists were so carried away in their reports by describing the spectacularity of this phenomenon that they announced that Mars would approach the Earth so close that in the sky it would seem like a small (second) Moon, and on its surface it would be possible to distinguish some details, as well as on face of our natural satellite! Journalists forgot to say one thing: Mars will look like a "small moon" only through telescopes, and the observer's eye must be sufficiently trained to see details on the planet's disk even during the Great Opposition.
But time erases the details, and Internet users are still trying to find out about the two moons in August. We hope that after reading this comment, our readers will stop waiting in heaven for something that is not destined to happen.
But the next Great Opposition of Mars is “destined” to occur on July 27, 2018.
February 2015
Question: What kind of bright yellow star shines in the evening in the eastern part of the sky, and in the early morning - low in the west?
June - July 2015
Question: What are the two very bright yellow stars visible in the evenings in the western sky in June and early July 2015?
September - November 2015
Question: What is the bright star seen in the east in the morning?
This is Venus - the brightest planet in the solar system in the earth's sky, the third brightest luminary after the Sun and the Moon. In the autumn of 2015, the period of its morning visibility fell, so the planet is clearly visible in the morning in the eastern part of the sky. But the main planetary events will come in October, when four bright planets approach in the morning sky: Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter. We will talk about this in our October review.
Question: What is the constellation of 6 stars seen in the late evening in the east?
If we mean a compact group consisting of 6 stars (see photo), then this is not a constellation, but a part of the constellation Taurus.
Questioner: What is a very bright star that shines in the evenings in the southwest?
This is the planet Venus. You can read more about the conditions of its visibility in 2017
Question: What is a very bright star that shines in the morning in the northeast - east?
Venus at dawn (at 3 am) August 6, 2017
This is the planet Venus again. But the evening period of its visibility was replaced by the morning. You can read more about the conditions of its visibility in 2017
Question: What is a very bright star that shines in the evenings in the western part of the sky?
Question: What kind of tiny dipper is visible next to the bright Venus in the evenings in the western part of the sky?
Venus and Pleiades 04/02/2004. In 2020, the pattern will repeat itself day in and day out.
This is the Pleiades open star cluster (or M45 according to Messier's catalog), visible to the naked eye! It is part of the constellation Taurus and is not an independent constellation. More about the Pleiades. Venus in the evening spring sky passes near the Pleiades every 8 years. Beautiful, isn't it?
