Moon near Saturn before dawn December 10, will pass Venus and Mercury, too

If you’re an early morning person, look east before dawn on Monday, December 10. The moon will appear next to the ringed planet Saturn, the most distant planet you can see with your eye alone. And there will be two other planets nearby. In fact, the world that might catch your eye first will be Venus, brightest of the planets. Mercury is there, too, visible very low in the sky shortly before the sun comes up. The moon will pass near Venus on December 11 and Mercury on December 12. These next few mornings will be a grand time to look at the predawn sky!

The moon and Saturn will rise into the predawn sky around 4 a.m. local time at mid-northern latitudes on Monday, December 10. At latitudes farther south, the moon and Saturn rise earlier yet. They are visible from around the world.

November 2012 guide to the five visible planets

November 2012 presents all five visible planets, although only Jupiter and Venus are clearly visible all month long. Mars appears but briefly after sunset, and the planets Mercury and Saturn before sunrise.

Only two planets are easily visible throughout November 2012: Jupiter andVenus. Jupiter is moving into prime time, rising in the east-northeast about two hours after sunset in early November and around sunset by the month’s end. Once Jupiter rises, this dazzling world will light up the sky for the rest of the night. In contrast, Venus rises in the east-southeast about three hours before sunrise in early November and about two and one-half hours before sunrise in late November. Be sure to see the conjunction of Venus and the ringed planet Saturn on the morning of November 26!

If you missed seeing the moon close toJupiter on the nights of November 1 and2, you’ll have another chance in late November. Watch the moon and Jupiter shine together all night long on November 28.

If you missed the moon and Venus in the predawn and dawn sky on November 9,10, 11 and moon below Venus and next to Saturn before sunrise Monday, 12, try again at dawn on December 10 and 11.

Easily locate stars and constellations during any day and time with EarthSky’s Planisphere.

The other three visible planets – Mercury,Mars and Saturn – never drift far from the sun’s glare this month. Mercury passes into the November morning sky just after mid-month and will put on a good morning performance (for the Northern Hemisphere) in the final week of November and the first two weeks of December. Mars remains an evening object all month long, though this faint world appears low in the southwest sky after sunset and sets around nightfall.Saturn returns to visibility in the morning sky around the time of the Leonid meteor shower. If you’re diligent, you should be able to catch all five visible planets this month.

Mars may be the hardest visible planet to catch in November. Let the waxing crescent moon guide you to Mars after sunset on November 15 and 16. Circle these dates on your calendar, so you don’t miss out!

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Photo Credit: The planet Jupiter is always bright, but in late November and December 2012 it’s at its brightest. That’s because Earth will pass between Jupiter and the sun on December 2. Jupiter is the brightest object in this wonderful photo byEarthSky Facebook friend Carlos Colon Sr. Thank you, Carlos!

NASA spacecraft sees huge burp at Saturn after large storm

Moon lines up with Mars and Saturn after sunset July 23

Look westward for the moon as soon as darkness falls, and watch for the planets Mars and Saturn to fall in line shortly thereafter. The moon helps beginning sky watchers to identify Mars and Saturn this evening.

Looking for info on meteor showers? Click here

As seen from the Northern Hemisphere, the moon is found in the west to southwest sky. As seen from the south of the equator, the moon appears more in the west to northwest. Either way, the moon more or less lines up with the planets Mars and Saturn.

At mid-northern latitudes – like in the US and Europe – the line-up of the moon and planets slants downward from left to right, with Saturn at top and the moon at bottom. But as seen from tropical latitudes, the line-up appears more vertical. At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand) the line-up descends from right to left. But no matter. Saturn resides at top and the moon at bottom.

Look first for the waxing crescent moon and then for Saturn at top and Mars in between. That other point of light off line and near Saturn is Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. If you look closely, you may see Spica sparkling in a blue-white color while Saturn glows golden and Mars betrays its ruddy complexion.

Virgo? Here’s your constellation

After the sun sets on July 23, look for the colorful menagerie – the moon, Mars, Saturn and Spica – to adorn the western evening sky.

Image Credit: The ‘horns’ of the waxing crescent moon point away from the setting sun. Image credit: OliBac

Luciano Iess: Liquid ocean on Saturn’s moon Titan

Cassini spacecraft observation of “tides” in the solid surface of Titan suggest that this large moon of the planet Saturn has an ocean below ground.

Blazing objects in Saturn’s weirdest ring

Scientists working with images from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft have discovered strange objects punching through parts of Saturn’s F ring – the planet’s outermost ring – leaving glittering trails behind them.

April 2012 guide to the five visible planets

April 2012 provides another great month for watching planets! Four of the five visible planets – Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn – come out at nightfall. Mercury rises in the east before sunrise.

April 2012 presents another great month for watching the five visible planets. In fact, four of them –Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn – will be visible at nightfall for most of the month from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The missing planet – Mercury – will be extremely difficult to view from the Northern Hemisphere, as it sits in the glare of morning twilight. But for the Southern Hemisphere, Mercury’s apparition as the morning “star” couldn’t be much better, because the solar system’s innermost planet rises in the east well before the onset of dawn in that part of the world

Image taken April 1, 2011 by EarthSky Facebook friend Lyle Evans in California. Thank you, Lyle!

itsfullofstars:

Space Boat: A Nautical Mission to an Alien Sea

In 2006, while flying by Saturn’s moon Titan, the radar on NASA’s Cassini orbiter discovered seas of liquid ethane and methane on the moon’s –300ºF surface, the only bodies of liquid we know of that exist anywhere but on Earth. Some of the oily seas appeared on Cassini’s radar to be larger than Lake Superior, but visibility was poor because Titan’s atmosphere is thick and hazy. Now NASA is considering sending a probe called the Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) to splash down on one of Titan’s seas for a closer look. The mission would be humankind’s first extraterrestrial nautical expedition.

Keep reading.

Moon passes Saturn, pairs up with Spica on August 4 →

Tonight, the moon is leaving the planet Saturn to pair up with the star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. As seen from North America this Thursday evening, the moon and Spica shine close enough together to occupy a single binocular field of view.

Moon, Saturn, Spica in west after sunset on August 2 →

Watch for the waxing crescent moon, the planet Saturn and the star Spica to pop out into the west-southwest sky as evening dusk gives way to darkness. Saturn and Spica may appear nearly equal in brightness, but you can still tell one from the other. Does one of these starlike points of light appear to flicker? Then it’s probably Spica. Also, to distinguish Saturn from Spica, note their colors. Saturn appears golden whereas Spica looks blue-white.