I live in Washington DC. I'm standing on my porch. I'm facing south. A very bright thing appears low in the horizon. I look through my telescope. There's a little shadow cutting off a sliver of it. It looks like it has some orbits. Is it Spica?
I have a planosphere and books but its not enough. Thanks
2007-06-26 09:59:23 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Hi. Try Stellarium. http://www.stellarium.org/ Great free program. (You will find that Venus is always to the East or West.)
2007-06-26 10:03:02 · answer #1 · answered by Cirric 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If your seeing a phase, it is a planet and is probably Venus. The evening sky, is one of the few times that Mercury can also be seen. It's too close to the Sun to be seen most of the time and I'm not sure that you could see its phases very well
2007-06-27 11:53:12 · answer #2 · answered by Larry M 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Venus is to our west-northwest right about now, not south.
If it shows a more-or-less half-moon to crescent phase, it's got to be Venus, and you need to recheck your compass.
Later in the night, around 11:30 PM, Jupiter is up in the south and should be a gibbous to full-moon phase. Jupiter, of course, has several moons that are visible with a descent scope.
2007-06-26 17:11:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on the day and time but another possibility is that it is the International Space Station. Does it move through the sky? The ISS is typically most visible at dusk and dawn. There is a site that will tell you where its at and when and where in the sky to look for it depending on your zip code.
www.heavens-above.com
2007-06-26 17:15:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you can see phases, it's probably Venus.
2007-06-26 17:02:50 · answer #5 · answered by JLynes 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
May be Venus.
2007-06-26 17:57:55 · answer #6 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋