Did you post it on BABB or your own web-site. Sorry to drag this up after a month.

CJSF

__________________
Two years ago moved from my town
I was looking up past the city lights
But the city lights got in my way

See the constellation ride across the sky
No cigar, no lady on his arm
Just a guy made of dots and lines

-from "See The Constellation"
by They Might Be Giants

Oh oh. I forgot to post it. I try to remember.

__________________
When I am done here I think I will go create something from metal.

Check the sky starting just after sunset the week of June 19th -- the culmination will be the evening of June 25 about half an hour after sundown. Saturn, Venus, and Mercury will be within 2 degrees of each other, about 1/4 the way on a direct line between Kappa Geminorum and M44. This oughtta be a real opportunity to take some pictures...hope it's clear that night...or at least one night that week...

__________________
"If a tree is cut down in the rainforest, and is used to make paper to print a book, and the book is really bad, and there's nobody that will read it, do you still hear a sucking sound?"
Charlie in Dayton, A.AsC.

frogesque mentioned it earlier in the thread, last page. That's going to be so good, you'll probably see it in your local paper.

They'll set before the end of astronomical twilight though. Last month, around Mar. 12, Mercury was setting even after that. The ecliptic had a higher inclination to the horizon.

That should be a very cool sight.

__________________
In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.

Seen it, bought the postcards. Ok, now I can definately say I have seen Mercury. There were doubts before but there's no debating it now. I saw Mercury, Venus and Saturn is right there too, so that makes the lower light Mercury. Complete. Too bad the kids have lost my binoculars....

I should dig out the digicam for tomorrow. I need the rain.

__________________
You're a coward and a liar and a thOOF - Bart Sibrel

Tonight's best of:

Late sunset



Mercury, (left of centre) just crept though the haze for this shot.



Venus (OK it's a white dot but it is Venus)



A somewhat squashed full moon rising over the sea mist on the Forth Estury



Edit: deleted one pic.

__________________
By asking questions we sometimes get the wrong answers, from wrong answers we learn to ask the right questions.

Bad forecast (see sig) but the haze was thin enough to penetrate with binoculars. Saturn (just over 0) two degrees to the left of Venus (neg. 4), Mercury (just under 0) a little down and to the right a degree. They'll all be a little closer tomorrow. Same time Monday night, Mercury and Venus will be less than 7 arcmin. apart.

__________________
http://cleardarksky.com/c/DrhmNCcs0.gif

My wife and I were out shopping tonight and when we came out (just before 9PM EDT) it was very prominent. I was explaining which was which to her, when someone walked by and overheard me. He started asking questions and I pointed them out to him. Someone else came be and got involved. Then a couple more. I ended up with six groups of couples and families. looking at the conjunction from a mall parking lot.
Weird. Should have had my telescope with me.

__________________
Some try to tell me, thoughts they cannot defend,... - Moody Blues.

Neptune- The original Dark Matter.

The author feels that this technique of deliberately lying will actually make it easier for you to learn the ideas. - Donald Knuth

It's getting dark now- but it's still to cloudy... maybe it will clear up who knows...

__________________
If this writing is blue you're going too fast!

I managed to see the heavenly trio last night through a convenient gap in the clouds. I didn't see them well because of the very high humidity, but I saw them.
I was surprised that Mercury appeared brighter than Saturn. I expect that's because Saturn must be about as far as it ever gets from us, right? Anyway, that was only the second time I've (knowingly) seen Mercury so it was a bit of a thrill for a novice stargazer.
I've got the telescope out on the deck tonight but the clouds are looking iffy.

Edited to add: Saw Mercury and Venus, but not Saturn. Jupiter was looking nice though.

__________________
Cum catapultae proscribeantur tum soli proscripti catapultas habeant.

I don't think Saturn gets much brighter--maybe a half magnitude is all, about as bright as Mercury is now. Mercury can get more than a full magnitude brighter than it is right now--in fact, it was, just two weeks ago.

__________________
http://cleardarksky.com/c/DrhmNCcs0.gif

The real problem with Mercury is its low elevation and proximity to the sun, not its magnitude. You need an unobstructed view of the horizon and cloud conditions to cooperate. I was clouded out last night but hopefully will get a glimpse tonight for the conjunction.

__________________
By asking questions we sometimes get the wrong answers, from wrong answers we learn to ask the right questions.

I saw 'em saturday night it was a kina L shape low on the horizen.

Mercury is quite bright but it can never be seen when it's truly dark.

__________________
If this writing is blue you're going too fast!

It's really easy to see Mercury tonight.

It's, like, less than half a degree away from Venus.

It can easily be visible after the end of astronomical twilight.

Of course, it never gets very high in the sky

__________________
http://cleardarksky.com/c/DrhmNCcs0.gif

Well I got one son and the wife out to look. The wife didn't care much (as usual) and it's hard to read my 15yr old but at least they can both know they have seen Mercury. Unfortunately the little one was MIA so I still have to get him out there.

Unfortunately, both the boys were out there last time when I confused a far off street light for Mercury and only figured after I noticed that it didn't move. ops: ops:

__________________
You're a coward and a liar and a thOOF - Bart Sibrel

Saturday night I was at a restaurant patio with some friends and one of the ladies at my table suddenly pointed to Venus and wondered why that star was so bright. I told her that was Venus, mentioned the conjunction, pointed out Mercury and Saturn, and she was amazed. No one else at the table realized that Venus could get so bright.

TriangleMan, educating the public one table at a time.

__________________
Now while I might be amused by Cthulhians, I don't necessarily distrust them to carry out the functions of government. -- JayUtah

What's it like being a skeptic in the Middle East? Check out my blog.

Isn't it funny how people get interested when they see you doing something like that in a common place? We were at the top of a parking garage, and the security guard of the building was all curious, and looked through the binoculars, and helped set up the tripod, etc. He had never looked at Venus knowing it was Venus, or Mizar and Alcor, etc. This happens in my apartment complex, too; people want to know what you're up to (I started this odd trend in a cotton field, too, once).

Doesn't it make you feel good to know you interested someone, and told them something they didn't know? Plenty of surveys have found that much of the public is science-"illiterate," and in your small part you have helped that, or anyone that exposes something new to someone. I like it when people don't flaunt their knowledge, but rather share it, though it's not always easy to tell the difference (coming from a pedantic word person, I know, but I don't really mean to be that way).

I just know that the security guard has now seen something he's never seen before, as well. Cheers to you and Triangle Man!

__________________
Sunset

Die Sonne scheidet hinter dem Gebirge. In alle Täler steigt der Abend nieder
mit seinen Schatten, die voll Kühlung sind.

Well, that was a nice evening of planetgazing... not only did I get my first look at Mercury and Venus through a telescope, but I also happened to be out at exactly the right time to see what later turned out to be the International Space Station. ^_^ (unfortunately when I saw the ISS I didn't have my binoculars or telescope out... I'd just gone out to see if I'd have a good view of the planets!)

__________________
"Science without faith is lame, faith without science is blind." -- Albert Einstein

And cheers to you for sharing also.

__________________
Some try to tell me, thoughts they cannot defend,... - Moody Blues.

Neptune- The original Dark Matter.

The author feels that this technique of deliberately lying will actually make it easier for you to learn the ideas. - Donald Knuth

I tried to see the conjunction Saturday night around 9 pm. At the time it was only dark enough to see Venus. By the time it was dark enough to see the others, clouds had rolled in so that I couldn't see Venus or anything else near the western horizon.

__________________
Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.

I haven't been through all my pics from tonight but so far no sign of Saturn. Despite poor seeing though I did manage Venus and Mercury so 2 out of three ain't bad

__________________
By asking questions we sometimes get the wrong answers, from wrong answers we learn to ask the right questions.

Cool! check my sig--those shots may be the best I can do tonight. I'm guessing Saturn was probably hidden in that line of clouds in the top photo.

__________________
http://cleardarksky.com/c/DrhmNCcs0.gif

Hey, Frogesque, that's pretty darn good, and I'm envious.

__________________
Sunset

Die Sonne scheidet hinter dem Gebirge. In alle Täler steigt der Abend nieder
mit seinen Schatten, die voll Kühlung sind.

Man, what a sight tonight!

The thunderstorms had cleared off to the east, leaving a cloudless sky. There were Venus and Mercury, a close pair in the binoculars, with Saturn considerably farther away than last night. Beautiful conjunction!

__________________
A person's name, or a mark representing it, as signed personally or by deputy, as in subscribing a letter or other document.

CLOUDS!

This is not fair- this should not happan in winter

Looks like I'm going to miss the comet shatering ka-boom too..

__________________
If this writing is blue you're going too fast!

Bagged it!

Incredibly, this triple conjunction is not even mentioned in the 2005 Yearbook of Astronomy! In the monthly notes for June, the following inexplicable lapse occurs:

__________________
- Learn a lot teaching others.

It's in Astronomy 2005- a practical guide to the night sky*


*it's for australia

__________________
If this writing is blue you're going too fast!

I don't quite understand. Surely that's Saturn there below Venus-Mercury (which are so close they appear in the photo as a single object)? From the configuaration it looks as though that photo was taken on the 25th?

__________________
- Learn a lot teaching others.