This is stupid but one of those things that you say, "oh I'll find out, I'll ask," but never do, or maybe I did and forgot. Anyway, can you help me put a name to a name to a pretty thing: What is that big planet that's visible here in the dark mornings, towards the South (from here in Canada) around 6 or 7am. And is it looking bigger than normal? It has a star to the right of it (and down a bit), pretty close by, that twinkles in a red sort of way (what's that too, and why does it twinkle red? Or is that just me?). Thank you for putting me out of my misery.
Here’s a piece of my shoddy astronomy. If you saw it recently, as in last night, or this morning, you might have been viewing Saturn. Was it near the moon? My other guess is Venus. It's twinkling because of the disturbances in earth's atmosphere. I'll shut up now and let you wait for an expert to show upPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Could be Saturn. The reason it's looking larger must be because it's closer than usual. In fact, as close as it can be. Adam posted about this a few days ago, reminding us that Saturn hasn't been this near us in the last 30 years. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Read more about it here - http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/13dec_saturn.htm?list760961
Nop, it is not saturn. It is venus.... that's the brightest "star" up in the sky....and from your location visible near the south. (at 6 am) The nice thing is that the other star you saw isn't a star either; That is Mars. And that also answers the question of why it appears red. It is the red planet. To see saturn look to the east in the evening, about 10 pm, the brightest star you'll see will be saturn. About an hour later Jupiter will be visible too, even brighter than saturn, but just a bit lower, and more to the north. Enjoy.
Yep, Venus and Mars are about only about 3 degrees apart (six Full moon diameters) in the southeastern sky, in the constellation Libra. - Warren
