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Tangled Branches: Cultivated

happenings in and around my zone 6b gardens in northern Virginia and in central Virginia

Friday, December 16, 2005

Kitchen Window Astronomy

Have you seen Mercury lately? I don't believe I'd ever seen it until very recently. On a clear morning a few days ago, I happened to look out my kitchen window (which faces southeast) and noticed a very bright "star" (actually Jupiter). I knew it was a planet but didn't know which one until I looked it up. But then I noticed another bright "star", lower and to the left of Jupiter, peeking through the bare tree branches in the dawn's early light; there were no other stars visible in that part of the sky. I knew it had to be something very bright to be seen under those conditions. I noticed it again this morning. So I went to my favorite online sky atlas, and guessed it must be Mercury. A little further Internet searching, and I learned that this month is one of the very best viewing opportunities we will have for a while. So, if you have nothing better to do at 6:40 a.m., and it's a clear morning, and your kitchen window faces southeast, look for Mercury.

posted by Entangled at 6:32 PM ::: Permalink

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