rsf%diablo@sri-unix.UUCP (02/15/84)
From: Ross Finlayson <rsf@diablo> Early this morning (3am PST), after returning from a late night hack attack, I noticed two very bright stars/planets in the south-eastern sky. They seemed to have the same (apparent) brightness. The objects were very close together (slightly less than the width of my index finger at arms length); it was this fact, along with their similar brightness, that made them so noticeable. I couldn't find them on a star chart, so I presume that at least one of them is a planet. Could someone identify these? They're almost impossible to miss. Ross. ps. They weren't moving, so they can't have been planes, satellites or UFOs!
Craig.Everhart%CMU-CS-A@sri-unix.UUCP (02/16/84)
The Old Farmer's Almanac (1984 edition) lists a conjunction of Mars and Saturn for 15 Feb, when Mars was less than 1 degree south of Saturn. They both were reflecting similar brightnesses. Since they both rise around midnight now, it's reasonable that you saw them in the southeast sky at 3 am. Craig Everhart
lwall@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Larry Wall) (02/18/84)
Indeed, Mars and Saturn are both rising at about midnight, and in fact
had a conjunction on Valentine's Day (the significance of which eludes me).
The redder of the two would be Mars.
Further discussion should probably move to net.astro.
Larry Wall
{allegra,burdvax,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,sdcsvax}!sdcrdcf!lwallhartwig@ihuxs.UUCP (Max Hartwig) (02/21/84)
They are probably Mars and Saturn. Mars is the one closer to the horizon. Almost all of the planets are visible in the SE-sky before sunrise.
rjnoe@ihlts.UUCP (Roger Noe @ N41:48.5, W88:07.2) (02/21/84)
>> They are probably Mars and Saturn. Mars is the one closer to the >> horizon. Almost all of the planets are visible in the SE-sky before >> sunrise. Of course the poster meant all the planets visible to the naked eye are in the same general region of the sky at this moment. Mars and Saturn passed within 48 minutes (0.8 degree) of arc about a week ago. Look for a yellowish Jupiter a bit to the East of Mars and Saturn (and a bit lower in the sky), and a bright Venus to the East of Jupiter (that's left for most of you). Venus rises ABOUT 0500 local time, and is visible on a clear morning until 0630 or even 0700. Also in this region are several planets not visible to the naked eye, including Pluto and Uranus (or is it Neptune-- or both?). But I know Mercury isn't in this general area. Perhaps someone with the numbers will post them. If you know where Libra is, you're looking at Mars and Saturn. Roger Noe ihnp4!ihlts!rjnoe