Cool planet alignment at sunset

[tcbro]

Hi, I just wanted to alert you guys to a cool planet alignment in the western sky at sunset. Immediately after sunset there are 4 visible planets that will line up starting just above and to the south of the sunset. They will be in a rising line to the south. In order they will be Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Mars. Hold your fist out at arms length and all 4 planets should only be slightly wider than your fist. Actually, I don't want to mislead you, these 4 planets will be grouped together around sunset for several weeks but the alignment will change as time passes. First Saturn will pass Venus then it will pass Mercury on it way to passing the Sun. Venus passes Mercury sometime after Saturn does with Mars catching up sometime next month. Actually, all 5 visible planets will be visible at sunset. The 4 I just mentioned and Jupiter will be just above the Southeastern horizon at sunset. Jupiter is very bright and crosses the southern sky as the night progresses.

The chart shown is from my PA location (40.032*N 75.828*W) but should be accurate from anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. Large lattitude differences would alter the relationship to the sun but the timing relative to sunset and the planet's alignment relative to each other should be the same. If you are wondering why the starchart appears to be backwards with east on the left and west on the right, it is designed to be held above your head to match your sky view. When held above your head with north pointed north the east and west horizons are oriented properly.

Get out and check out the sky, it's pretty cool,

 

[Mike B]

Thanks!

Tom, thanks for the heads up on the planets, definately inetresting stuff. It looks like we'll have a good weekend on the Northern Bay to view it all. Forecast is for sunny skies, clear cool nights. We'll be out on the hook somewhere that's for sure.
Mike

 

[tcbro]

Mike....

We were thinking about dropping our hook in Worton this weekend. We generally stay just outside of Red 2. It give a great view of the sunset.

 

[Mike B]

Worton or Still Pond

Tom, it'll either be Worton or Still Pond. I was leaning towards Still Pond since there was slight chance of storms but the forecast has changed so Worton may be it. I'll let the Admiral decide.
Mike

 

[tcbro]

I removed Still Pond....

...from my charts after a severe grounding in the entrance. We stay just outside in Churn Creek but I think the sunset will be blocked by trees there.

If you make it to Worton, stop by and say hi.

 

[Mike B]

I stay outside too

Tom, I stay outside Still Pond by Churn Creek as well(which is actually Still Pond). I wouldn't even think of entering Still Pond Creek with a 5' draft. Even if we did get in there there the water gets very thin in most places. That entrance isn't very forgiving which is yet another good reason to avoid it. You're right about the lack of a sunset at SP which may make Worton our choice. If we do we'll look for you.
Mike

 

[Deadhead]

Moonset over Still Pond

A waxing gibbous moon looked pretty cool setting on Monday night.

 

[Mike B]

Very nice!

Nice pic. Did you make the run down from Riverside for vacation?

 

[Deadhead]

Yes - Vacation

Mike:

We are really enjoying our first cruise in the Chesapeake. Still pond was so relaxing we spent 2 nights there. Caught a couple of 12" perch as a bonus.

Yesterday was a great close/beam reach to Rock Hall. Osprey Point Yacht Club today - air conditioned showers, pool, did I mention the A/C showers?

Back northward tomorrow early AM. Is Friday night in Still Pond typically as empty as earlier in the week? Or is could you another anchorage between there & the Elk River?

 

[Mike B]

Go for Still Pond

Yes Still Pond should be open for you Fri nite. I'd expect some company but there's always room in there anyway. Tuck back in as far as you can to avoid the wakes from the tug traffic on the bay. As for other anchorages, the only place would be Veezy Cove on the Bohemia. I'd go for Still Pond as the Bohemia is shallow and open to wakes from bay traffic. The run from Still Pond to Riverside is managable, especially if you catch the tide running north on the Delaware River. You should have great weather for the rest of your trip, enjoy it.
Mike

 

[Jim Seamans]

Another Cool site

I use this one all the time to watch for the International space station (ISS) to go over. Going over DC area around 2047 to 2053 hrs, NW to SE very bright and almost directly overhead.

Great site for satellites and Iridium Flares.

Jim

 

[Mike B]

Saw it last year

Thanks for the site on the space station, we saw it pass over last year. One of our slip neighbors is an aero engineer and he had the info on it. Pretty bright and fast!
Mike

 

[tcbro]

Jim...

...heavens-above is where I got the star chart in my original post. I'm there a lot as I like to watch the skies. I'm usually out watching the ISS or the STS passing overhead 2 or 3 times a month. We've seen the STS in an identical orbit to the ISS just a few seconds back as it closes in to dock.

I also love the Iridium Flares. You can really dazzle someone with a bright one....watch right there....30 seconds....15 seconds....NOW! The -8 magnitude ones can be pretty impressive.

 

[Jim Seamans]

Great site

Have traded email with Chris on some site details over the years. He does some great work to keeping that site going.

Thought that sky looked familiar!!

Jim

 

[Manny]

Cloudy last night in HdG

Missed it last night at the boat, hopefully tonight I can check it out.

Here's a shot of the moonrise over Perryville a couple of weeks ago.

Manny

 

[tcbro]

Update

Well, I got to meet and chat with Mike from Papillon this weekend. We were anchored next to each other just outside of Worton Creek with a great view of the sunset. Unfortunately, that was about all we could see. There were some clouds and haze on the western horizon that pretty much obscured the planets. As it turns out, with the sun just below the horizon the western sky was still too bright to see most of the planets. We could see Venus through the haze because it was so bright but by the time the sky darkened Mercury, Venus and probably Saturn were below the horizon. If Saturn was above the horizon at dark the clouds and haze obscured it. On a clear night Venus and Mars should be visible and possibly Saturn but they are moving closer to the sun every night so that won't last long.

At least I got to make a new friend so it was worth it.

Mike, did you get home safely, before the storm? It was forming over our marina as we sailed home. We kept to the 3-4 knot pace and let the storm drift away in your direction so it was gone by the time we pulled into our slip. It appeared to be building into a nasty one and headed in your direction.