Thursday, June 23, 2005

Planetary excitement

Yesterday [6/22] as I was heading home a little after sunset, walking westward, -- as I came to West End Ave and 91st Street, the very place where I enjoyed a perfect view of comet Hale-Bopp quite a few years ago, I saw Venus in the south west, shining very VERY brightly. With my 8 X 42 binoculars I could see another planet, much fainter, almost at the western horizon. Must have been Saturn. I believe I caught the tail end of the conjunction! That's why I've emphasized the last sentence of Kentaurian's report below. You don't have to be in a special place to see this event. You can be just about anywhere.
[Marie]


Kentaurian writes at about 2:30 today [Thursday]:


A small group of people have already been gathering in Central Park at Turtle Pond and the walkway around the Great Lawn trying to see the three planets Saturn, Venus and Mercury just before, during and after sunset; also to watch the Moon Rise.

Just look for a group of people with binoculars or telescope -or- you can also do it yourself from anywhere you happen to be.