Last night (or this morning) at 4am, I saw a star in the sky that was a little too bright. I live in Toronto (so you know with all the city lights, it was uber-bright), and I was facing east. Was that a planet I saw?
2007-08-17 11:37:47 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
At 4 am, Mars was in the east at magnitude +0.4, which is pretty bright. No other planets in that vicinity.
2007-08-17 11:52:18 · answer #1 · answered by anobium625 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
At 4 a.m. in Toronto, it could have been one of a number of objects. Orion would have just been clearing the horizon due east, with its two first magnitude stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel, framing the three Belt stars. Aldebaran, Mars, and the Pleiades would be directly above Orion, and Capella, brighter than all of these, would have been off to the left, more northeast than east. Sirius and Venus would have still been well below the horizon. This is based on a sky view I set up in Starry Night software.
2007-08-17 19:13:54 · answer #2 · answered by GeoffG 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only planet visible at that hour would be Mars. While bright, Mars is not exceptionally so just now, looking like a twin to the star Aldebaran. Sirius is brighter than either, and rises around that time, so you may have seen Sirius. You can get a star map for your location at skyandtelescope.com and try to figure out what you saw.
2007-08-17 19:03:28 · answer #3 · answered by injanier 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Of course planets glow. Anyway, you probably saw Mars.
Mars
The red planet rises in the east just before midnight in mid-month. This means that it is high in the south-east sky by the time dawn arrives.
Apparently now is a really good time to see it!
2007-08-17 18:53:58 · answer #4 · answered by Jon G 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's Mars. Venus is right with the sun, so it's not a morning star right now. At that time, Sirius, Betelgeuse and Rigel may have also just risen, but from Canada they'd be further to the South.
2007-08-17 20:07:22 · answer #5 · answered by Choose a bloody best answer. It's not hard. 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The main observable difference between stars and planets is that stars twinkle while planets appear constant. Anyone know why?
2007-08-17 19:18:11 · answer #6 · answered by Raichu 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, it was Venus and it will be getting brighter and higher in the next few months.
2007-08-17 19:33:00 · answer #7 · answered by Renaissance Man 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably Venus the "morning star"
2007-08-17 18:52:46 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
i think you had a booger on your telescope man
2007-08-17 19:46:02 · answer #9 · answered by mercedesofladies36 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
probably sirius
2007-08-17 18:46:23 · answer #10 · answered by ftm821 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋