Just been out (17:00 PM on Sun 2th Dec) to spot the impending
occlusion of Saturn by Jupiter.

At about 11 o'clock from Jupiter and about "a couple of mm"
away is another, fainter, object.

Would this be Saturn?

Needed to take my chances now because overcast cloud is
forecast and, also, Jupiter will be setting shortly
in the SW sky.

On 20/12/2020 17:19, gareth evans wrote:
Just been out (17:00 PM on Sun 2th Dec) to spot the impending
occlusion of Saturn by Jupiter.

At about 11 o'clock from Jupiter and about "a couple of mm"
away is another, fainter, object.

Would this be Saturn?

Needed to take my chances now because overcast cloud is
forecast and, also, Jupiter will be setting shortly
in the SW sky.

20th Dec, the zero key is intermittent on this 6 year old laptop!

On 20/12/2020 17:19, gareth evans wrote:
Just been out (17:00 PM on Sun 2th Dec) to spot the impending
occlusion of Saturn by Jupiter.

At about 11 o'clock from Jupiter and about "a couple of mm"
away is another, fainter, object.

Would this be Saturn?

Yes it is, spot on

In message , Mark Carver
writes
On 20/12/2020 17:19, gareth evans wrote:
Just been out (17:00 PM on Sun 2th Dec) to spot the impending
occlusion of Saturn by Jupiter.

At about 11 o'clock from Jupiter and about "a couple of mm"
away is another, fainter, object.

Would this be Saturn?

Yes it is, spot on

I've been looking but the Chiltern Hills are WSW from here and there has
been a patch of cloud in the way both evenings.



--
Tim Lamb

On 20/12/2020 17:28, gareth evans wrote:
On 20/12/2020 17:19, gareth evans wrote:
Just been out (17:00 PM on Sun 2th Dec) to spot the impending
occlusion of Saturn by Jupiter.

At about 11 o'clock from Jupiter and about "a couple of mm"
away is another, fainter, object.

Would this be Saturn?


Yes! But it's a conjunction not an occlusion.


--
Change nospam to techie

On 20/12/2020 17:19, gareth evans wrote:
Just been out (17:00 PM on Sun 2th Dec) to spot the impending
occlusion of Saturn by Jupiter.

At about 11 o'clock from Jupiter and about "a couple of mm"
away is another, fainter, object.

Would this be Saturn?

Needed to take my chances now because overcast cloud is
forecast and, also, Jupiter will be setting shortly
in the SW sky.


If you have a (andriod) smart phone install the "sky map" app. Once you
calibrate the compass on the smart phone and point your phone at the sky
(screen facing you) it will show the stars you are looking at with named
planets etc. in the current positions in the sky.

https://youtu.be/p6znyx0gjb4

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...=en_GB&g l=US

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 20/12/2020 17:19, gareth evans wrote:
Just been out (17:00 PM on Sun 2th Dec) to spot the impending
occlusion of Saturn by Jupiter.

At about 11 o'clock from Jupiter and about "a couple of mm"
away is another, fainter, object.

Would this be Saturn?

Yes. It is obvious in a small scope. It was very pretty tonight with
saturns rings and the belts and Galilean satellites of Jupiter clearly
visible in anything that can deliver 20x magnification.

Both planets in the same field of view for a couple of days either side
of the closest approach so worth a look low in the SW skies just after
sunset if you have any kind of small telescope or binoculars.

Mars is the bright red thing higher in the sky.

Needed to take my chances now because overcast cloud is
forecast and, also, Jupiter will be setting shortly
in the SW sky.

They will be slightly closer together tomorrow. BTW it is strictly an
appulse when they are closest together and a conjunction when they have
the same right ascension (sort of thing Astrologers obsess about)

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 20/12/2020 19:54, Tim Lamb wrote:
In message , Mark Carver
writes
On 20/12/2020 17:19, gareth evans wrote:
Just been out (17:00 PM on Sun 2th Dec) to spot the impending
occlusion of Saturn by Jupiter.

At about 11 o'clock from Jupiter and about "a couple of mm"
away is another, fainter, object.

Would this be Saturn?

Yes it is, spot on

I've been looking but the Chiltern Hills are WSW from here and there has
been a patch of cloud in the way both evenings.




Sorry, but from the time of your posting, nearly 3 hours since my
observation at 5 PM, both will have set below the horizon.

On 20/12/2020 20:26, alan_m wrote:

If you have a (andriod) smart phone install the "sky map" app. Once you
calibrate the compass on the smart phone and point your phone at the sky
(screen facing you) it will show the stars you are looking at with named
planets etc. in the current positions in the sky.

Which is "perzackly" what I was using earlier having last month moved
into the 21st century by getting a smart phone.

On 20/12/2020 21:08, Jethro_uk wrote:
On Sun, 20 Dec 2020 20:26:37 +0000, alan_m wrote:

On 20/12/2020 17:19, gareth evans wrote:
[quoted text muted]


If you have a (andriod) smart phone install the "sky map" app. Once you
calibrate the compass on the smart phone and point your phone at the sky
(screen facing you) it will show the stars you are looking at with named
planets etc. in the current positions in the sky.

For some reason I have never been able to calibrate any compass on any
smartphone to the things satisfaction. I follow the instructions, do the
dance and it refuses to go tick.


Mine is a 1+ 7T and after a few seconds' of that dance works OK.

In article ,
gareth evans wrote:
Just been out (17:00 PM on Sun 2th Dec) to spot the impending
occlusion of Saturn by Jupiter.

At about 11 o'clock from Jupiter and about "a couple of mm"
away is another, fainter, object.

Would this be Saturn?

Needed to take my chances now because overcast cloud is
forecast and, also, Jupiter will be setting shortly
in the SW sky.

Just make sure you don't end up in Bethlehem.

--
*Who is this General Failure chap anyway - and why is he reading my HD? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 20/12/2020 20:26, alan_m wrote:

If you have a (andriod) smart phone install the "sky map" app.

It works on iPhones.

Bill

gareth evans wrote:
Sorry, but from the time of your posting, nearly 3 hours since my
observation at 5 PM, both will have set below the horizon.

The horizon being slighty more opaque than the clouds
traditional for any interesting astromonical event?

#Paul