dipper@utastro.UUCP (09/02/84)
There's a cluster of objects near tonight's moon that you might want to try to see. We'll talk about what's near the moon -- right after this. September 1 Objects Near the Moon A tight group of three objects lie near the moon Saturday night -- two are planets and one is a star. Only two of these objects are bright enough to see -- and they both happen to be red in color -- the red star Antares and the red planet Mars. The third object near the moon in Saturday's sky probably isn't visible to the naked eye, although in theory it should be. It's the planet Uranus. Antares is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Its red color caused the early stargazers to give it a name "Ant-ares" or "rival of Mars." You can see why this name is appropriate if you look in the vicinity of the moon Saturday night. The red planet Mars and the red star Antares are close together near the moon -- and they really do look very much alike. The unseen object near Saturday's moon is the planet Uranus -- now barely visible to the naked eye under ideal observing conditions. The glare of the moon would drown Uranus out in tonight's sky. But you might be able to glimpse the planet with binoculars. Simply point your binoculars in the moon's vicinity -- looking somewhat above the two red objects, Antares and Mars -- and scan around for the tiny greenish disk of Uranus. This remote planet is difficult to see -- but about to become famous as the next planet due to be encountered by the remarkable Voyager spacecraft. That'll be in January, 1986. Script by Deborah Byrd. (c) Copyright 1983, 1984 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin