Rise and Shine

21Aug06

Aug. 22nd Morning Quartet

Looking east-northeast roughly 30 minutes before sunrise tomorrow, August 22nd. The green line in the image represents the ecliptic.

While the IAU continues to mull over what exactly it means to be a planet and whether or not Pluto will make the cut, Tuesday morning’s sky will serve up a lovely arrangement of celestial bodies whose status isn’t in question.

If your local conditions cooperate for the event, you’ll be able to witness Venus, Saturn, and Mercury appearing together before sunrise, separated by just over 7°. The waning crescent Moon will join the party, making for a delightful early morning quartet. Venus will be the easiest of the three planets to spot, rising well ahead of its counterparts and shining away at -3.9 magnitude, followed by Mercury at -1.3, and distant Saturn at 0.4.

Set your alarm, throw on some coffee, and enjoy the view.

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Filed under: Astronomy, Observing   |  

One Response to “Rise and Shine”  

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  1. 1 sunil deshpande on Aug 22nd, 2006 said:

    Have a []: cup of coffee, its a very nice image, and beautiful allocation in the skies with superstars in a pinky surrounding.

    @:)

    sunil

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