2 Bright things in the sky. Which 1 is Venus? And what's the other object?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around identifying two bright celestial objects visible in the sky, with a focus on determining which one is Venus and speculating on the identity of the other object. The context includes observational astronomy and the visibility of planets at different times of the night.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes seeing a bright object in the west from 6:00 P.M. to 10:30 P.M. and believes it to be Venus, while another bright object appears in the east from 3:30 A.M. to sunrise.
  • Some participants suggest that the eastern object is likely Mars, as Venus is not visible at night in the northern hemisphere currently.
  • Another participant provides rise and set times for various planets, indicating that the evening object is likely Jupiter and the morning object is Venus.
  • One participant asserts that Venus is the brightest celestial object after the Sun and Moon, followed by Jupiter, Sirius, and Mars, noting the visibility of Venus at its closest approach to Earth.
  • Several participants recommend software tools like Skyglobe and Stellarium for observing celestial objects and their positions.
  • There are discussions about the performance of Stellarium on different operating systems, with mixed experiences reported by users.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the evening object is likely Jupiter and the morning object is Venus, but there is some uncertainty regarding the identification of the eastern object as Mars. The discussion includes multiple viewpoints and experiences regarding software for sky observation.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations regarding the specific visibility conditions based on geographic location and time of year, as well as the varying experiences with software compatibility on different operating systems.

Who May Find This Useful

Astronomy enthusiasts, amateur astronomers, and individuals interested in celestial observations may find this discussion useful.

johnnya
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Hi,

I was just wondering if some astronomers here could help me indentify 2 bright things in the sky. I'm not an astronomer, but I'm quite interested in the subject.

One of these things can be seen at about 6.00 P.M. to about 10.30 P.M. where I'm from (Southern Europe). It shows up in the west. I was always taught that the brightest star in the sky is not a star, it's venus, so I always thought that this thing was venus.

But recently I started seeing another object which is even brighter than the first thing (which I thought to be venus). This thing is very bright, and it can be seen at about 3.30 A.M. to 6.00 A.M.. It shows up in the east, and then it stops showing when the sun rises.

My questions are...

Which one is venus, and what do you think the other thing is? Is it mars?

Thanks in advance! :)
 
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In the east at the start of the night at the moment it's probably Mars - venus isn't up at night in the northern hemishere right now

check out http://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/
 
NobodySpecial said:
In the east at the start of the night at the moment it's probably Mars - venus isn't up at night in the northern hemishere right now

check out http://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/

At the start of the night the object that I see shows up in the west, it's the other object (the brighter one) that's to be seen at the east (in the early morning).
 
I have the following rise and set times for some of the planets:

Mercury rises 3:59 am, sets 5:54 pm

Venus rises 2:21 am, sets 3:46 pm

Mars rises 5:50 am, sets 8:03 pm

Jupiter rises 11:19 am, sets 11:39 pm

Saturn rises 12:33 am, sets 1:02 pm

These are for Dec 31st and for West Australia, but the times should be similar elsewhere.

It looks like your evening object is Jupiter and the morning one is Venus.

There is a very nice (and now free) program called Skyglobe. If you can get a copy of this, it is handy for this.
 
From the times, I'd guess that the first object you mention is Jupiter and the second brighter object is Venus.
 
Venus is the brightest celestial object in the Sky (not including the Sun and the Moon!), followed by Jupiter, Sirius (the Dog Star), and Mars (although Mars occasionally outshines Sirius when Mars makes its closest approach to Earth). Venus is real cool :cool:to look at when it is at its closest approach to earth...big and bright.:bugeye:
 
Janus is correct: Jupiter in the evening, Venus in the morning.
 
Thanks for the help guys :)
 
There are free sw in internet for viewing the skies.. from everywhere.. at anytime..
 
  • #10
If you have good binoculars or a small telescope, Uranus is very close to Jupiter right now. If you have never seen Uranus, this is a good opportunity.
 
  • #11
phepsy1234 said:
There are free sw in internet for viewing the skies.. from everywhere.. at anytime..

What is SW ?
 
  • #12
Software.

Programs that work out where the stars and planets are.
 
  • #13
and where can I get that free software please ?
 
  • #14
Jadaav said:
and where can I get that free software please ?

I like Stellarium.
http://www.stellarium.org/"
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #15
DaleSwanson said:
I like Stellarium.
http://www.stellarium.org/"

Thank, sounds cool:)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #16
DaleSwanson said:
I like Stellarium.
http://www.stellarium.org/"

I tried Stellarium with Windows XP and I got a very spectacular crash. Is anyone using it with XP and getting it to work OK?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #17
I just loaded it into XP with no problems. Seems to run fine.
 
  • #18
Thanks for that.

I tried it on a different computer and it works well. Nice program.
 
  • #19
vk6kro said:
I tried Stellarium with Windows XP and I got a very spectacular crash. Is anyone using it with XP and getting it to work OK?

I'm running on Windows 7 32 bit now haven't installed Stellarium yet, but will tell you if I get a crash.
 

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