I was wondering if you can see Gliese 581 with the naked eye? I recently noticed a new bright "star" (well to me its new) in the sky. I have used my telescope to see this star but it gets so close I cant see the whole thing. It is usually diagonally down from the square part of the big dipper (i believe) thanks for any help!
2007-04-28 08:50:58 · 8 answers · asked by Heaven 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
No you need a telescope but assuming you can get access to one, it should be easy to find as it is in Libra and only a small angular distance from Beta Librae, the brightest star in the constellation which is a B8 star so it will be blue
β Librae: RA: 15h 17m 00.47s Dec: −09° 22′ 58.3″
Gliese 581: RA: 15h 19m 26.82s Dec: −07° 43′ 20.2″
Three possible explanations for your new find:
(a) it is a planet, probably Venus; If it is brighter than Sirius (magnitude -1.46) then it will almost certainly be Venus as its magnitude is never less than -3.8 and can be as bright as -4,6)
(b) it is not circumpolar at your latitude ie you don't always see it
(c) it is a supernova
(but we would have read about it if it were)
Stuff about Gliese 581 below
2007-04-28 09:22:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The star you are asking about is located in the constellation of Libra (the scales) in the southern sky. Is is also called HO Librae. If you visit:
http://www.solstation.com/stars/gl581.htm
you will find more information on this planetary system. There are at least 3 planets orbiting Gliese 581. Once is a Neptune sized planet.
I don't believe that you will be able to see the star with your unaided eye as its discovery was made by calculating radial velocity and was discovered April 2007.
2007-04-28 19:00:41 · answer #2 · answered by Anthony W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gliese 581 is an 11th magnitude star (10.6 to be precise), so requires at least a small telescope to be visible. I'm not sure what star you're describing, but there currently are no novae bright enough to be visible with the naked eye.
2007-04-28 10:55:54 · answer #3 · answered by GeoffG 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The area is really a long way away from earth. Even if we use the fastest man made object, Voyager 1, it will take thousands of years to reach there. However, we still have a billion years before Earth is no longer habitable, so we still have plenty of time to develop the technology. Before we evacuate to the Gliese system, we would probably colonize and terraform Mars first.
2016-05-21 00:33:29 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the star is quite dim, the bright star you mention seeing is likely the planet venus, does it set shortly after the sun does?
also the brightest stars are not a magnitude of 1. the scale goes into the negatives for the brightest stars like sirius.
many people are seeing venus and thinking its something new, but actually it has been up there for the past few months and will continue to be for a while longer until it gets too close to the sun.
2007-04-28 09:41:22 · answer #5 · answered by Tim C 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I skimmed over the article about the life-potential planet. I don't think it is visible without telescopic aid. As for "stars", try to get a more precise location (is it in the vicinity of Polaris) or its position in the sky at a certain time, such as 45 degrees above the NE horizon. Then refer it to a local college with an astronomy program.
2007-04-28 08:58:03 · answer #6 · answered by cattbarf 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, you cannot. It is a red dwarf, with an apparent magnitude of 10.56. The limit of the naked eye is around 6 (the brightest starts are 1). Too dim and too far for its absolute brightness to be visible without a telescope.
2007-04-28 09:00:14 · answer #7 · answered by Vincent G 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, you can't. If it was so easy to see, it would have been discovered long ago.
The bright star in the west at sunset now is Venus.
2007-04-28 11:39:24 · answer #8 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋