planetary grouping Archives

March 17, 2020 by David Dickinson

Dawn Patrol: Following this Month’s ‘March of the Planets’

Slim Moon — A slender waning crescent Moon as seen from Jimena de la Frontera, Spain. Credit: Dave Dickinson

Are you hanging out at home this week, and looking to observe some naked eye planets? As we mentioned last week, while Venus is shining bright in the dusk sky, all of the other four naked eye planets of Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury are skulking in the early dawn.

November 20, 2019November 20, 2019 by David Dickinson

Conjunction Alert: Jupiter Meets Venus at Dusk

Invasion of the naked eye planets... shining a laser at Jupiter and Venus. Credit: Dave Dickinson

Get ready: The conjunction queries are inbound. “Did you see those two bright things in the sky last night?” Says a well-meaning family member/friend/coworker/random person on Twitter who knows you’re into astronomy. “They were HUGE!”