dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (09/08/85)
A star called Regulus is now in the east before dawn -- near the planet Mars. More -- after this. September 8 Mars and Regulus Two planets appeared very near each other last week in the east before dawn. Now Mercury is heading back down into the glare of the sun -- while Mars climbs up and out of it. From a perspective far above the solar system, you'd see that Mercury is now fleeing to the far side of the sun from Earth. That's why it's sinking in our predawn sky -- rushing into the sun's glare as seen from our vantagepoint. Meanwhile Earth is now coming up behind the planet Mars in orbit. And though the red planet is still far ahead of us, we're now seeing it climb higher in our eastern predawn sky each day. Now a bright star is becoming visible low in the east before dawn. It's Regulus, the heart of the lion in the constellation Leo. If you go outside before dawn on Monday, and look toward an unobstructed eastern horizon, you'll see Regulus very near the planet Mars. The pair will be separated by slightly more than the diameter of the full moon. The star Regulus always appears in the east before dawn at this time of year. Stars appear regularly -- unlike planets, which wander irregularly through our skies as they and we move around the sun. The star Regulus appears faithfully in the east before dawn every September, because, as we have moved around the sun, our dawn sky has slowly shifted toward the location of Regulus in the galaxy. As the days and months pass -- and Earth continues its journey around the sun -- we'll see Regulus climb higher in our sky. Script by Deborah Byrd. (c) Copyright 1984, 1985 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin