Planetarium

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

What’s Where Tonight April 29, 2009

Planets:

9:00 PM …    The Moon will be in the West between Betelgeuse (in Orion) and the Castor & Pollux Genini twins. The Moon will set at about midnight.

9:00 PM ….  Saturn will be in the South. It will be at about 55°

above the horizon. Saturn will set in the West at around 4:00 AM.

5:00 AM …    Jupiter will rise from the Southeast just  about 20° above the horizon before it is washed out by the sunrise.

5:00 AM …    Venus will peak out over the horizon in the East and may be visable in the increasing light of the sunrise.   

Stars and Constellations:

9:00 PM …    Orion will be in the West Southwest at around 10° – 20°.

9:00 PM …    Sirius will be about 15° above the horizon. It will be to the left of Orion (follow a line from the three stars that form the “Belt of Orion”).

9:00 PM …    The Pleiades (7 sisters) star cluster will be visible in the West at about 15° above the horizon. It will be to the right of Orion; follow the belt of Orion until you see a small star cluster.

9:00 PM …    Cassiopeia will be in the North Northwest. Polaris is the bright star to the upper right of Cassiopeia.

9:00 PM …..  Capella, a very bright star, will be high overhead at about 40° to the West Northwest. It will be above and to the right of the Pleiades.

9:00 PM …    The two brightest stars of the Gemini Constellation, Castor & Pollux, will be West at about 70° above the horizon. Draw a line from Rigel & Betelgeuse (in Orion) and extend it upward and there will be the two bright stars of Gemini.

9:00 PM …    Procyon is a bright star in the South Southwest at about 50°. Procyon, Serius & Betelgeuse form the Winter Triangle.

10:00 PM …  If you follow the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle, almost directly overhead, and you will come to a bright star; its Arcturus in the East Southeast. If you continue the arc, you will come to Spica at about 20° aboue the horizon in the Southeast.