Re: Terence, google, Minsk


"Gerry Ford" <invalid@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1202497491_10237@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Less than two hands away on the ecliptic to the east is Saturn in Leo.
Mars is not two hands but sixty degrees from saturn. Mars, for being "on
the ecliptic" is now very high relative to saturn, the sun and the solar
system.

Saturn is harder to find, but this sky is perfect for the would-be saturn
watcher, in particular in the northern hemisphere. The Big Dipper serves
triple duty here. The problem with finding Saturn right now is that it's
not near anything particularly bright. This turns out to be an advantage in
finding a planet that is brighter than all stars save a couple dozen.

The pointer stars of the Big Dipper, part of the big bear, point to Polaris.
Northerners then know which direction is north. Consequently, you point
them the other way, they point south, every day of the week. They wouldn't,
however, work well as "pointer stars" in the the other direction. Better
you "figure" what is south of them--I simply face south-- as opposed to
cutting an arc in the sky where small errors become large.

Saturn is between bright objects seen at midnight. He is between the dog
star and arcturus. Both stars would be visible to Sydneyites, but the means
to find them differ north to south. In the north, you "arc to arcturus,"
which you do off of the other end of the big dipper. Start at the north
star, go through the pointer stars (backwards), then through the handle to
find the red giant arcturus, which might be the most northern lustrous
object Terence has in his sky. Saturn is almost equidistant between the
first- and third-brightest stars.

Saturn is in Leo, right where his heart would be. Leo is faint and blue
relative to this local bigshot, without a red giant that would be the only
way to explain away the farthest visible planet. You check to see that
you're right by going north and hitting the outer lip of the Big Dipper.

--
Gerry Ford

"The apple was really a peach."
-- Allison Dunn on the garden of eden


.

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