Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Moon and Mars

As the near full moon rises in the east at sunset on January 19, it is positioned just to the north of Mars. Even though Mars is the 3rd brightest object in the sky at that time, it is difficult to see next to the brilliant moon. Even so, give it a try. When you view these two celestial objects, you are looking at the surfaces of two worlds, one our satellite and the other a very different planet than ours. And keep in mind that Mars is 270 times farther than our familiar moon!

What about the 2nd brightest object? That's Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. It can be found above the southeastern horizon at about 8 pm.

Such is our view from Earth...

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