Which planets are visible to the naked eye in December. What can you see in the sky in the second ten days of March?

It was discovered in ancient times, when there were no telescopes. The nature of their movements across the sky is different from movement. Based on this, people separated from millions of stars.
There are inner and outer planets. Mercury and Venus are closer to the Sun than the Earth. Their location in the celestial firmament is always close to the horizon. Accordingly, these two planets are the inner planets. Also, Mercury and Venus seem to follow the sun. Nevertheless, they are visible to the naked eye at the moments of maximum elongation, i.e. during maximum angularity from the Sun. These planets can be seen at dusk, shortly after sunset, or in the predawn hours. Venus is much larger than Mercury, much brighter, and easier to spot. When Venus appears in the sky, not a single star can compare with it in brightness. Venus shines with white light. If you look closely at it, for example, using binoculars or a telescope, you will notice that it has different phases, like the Moon. Venus can be observed in the form of a crescent, waning or increasing. In early 2011, Venus was visible for about three hours before dawn. It will be possible to observe it with the naked eye again from the end of October. It will be visible in the evening, in the southwest in the constellation Libra. Towards the end of the year its brightness and duration of visibility will increase. Mercury is mostly visible during twilight and is quite difficult to detect. For this, the ancients called him the god of twilight. In 2011 it will be visible from the end of August for about a month. The planet will first be visible in the morning hours in the constellation Cancer, and then move to the constellation Leo.

The outer planets are Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, respectively. They are best observed in moments of confrontation, i.e. when the Earth is on the same line between the planet and the Sun. They can remain in the sky all night. During the maximum brightness of Mars (-2.91m), this planet is second only to Venus (-4m) and Jupiter (−2.94m). In the evening and morning, Mars is visible as a red-orange “star”, and in the middle of the night the light changes to yellow. In 2011, Mars will appear in the sky in the summer and disappear again at the end of November. In August, the planet can be seen in the constellation Gemini, and by September it will move to the constellation Cancer. Jupiter is often visible in the sky as one of the brightest stars. Despite this, it is interesting to observe it with binoculars or a telescope. In this case, the disk surrounding the planet and the four largest satellites become visible. The planet will appear in June 2011 in the eastern sky. Jupiter will approach the Sun, gradually losing brightness. Closer to autumn, its brightness will begin to increase again. Jupiter will enter opposition at the end of October. Accordingly, the autumn months and December are the best time to observe the planet.
From mid-April to early June, Saturn is the only planet that can be observed with the naked eye. The next favorable period for observing Saturn will be November. This planet is slowly moving across the sky and will be in the constellation Virgo all year.

Helpful advice

It is better to observe the night sky outside the city limits.

Sources:

• what planets are visible today

People have been interested in celestial bodies thousands of years ago. Thanks to research, a huge amount of information has been accumulated about stars, planets, galaxies and other space objects. Of course, it is advisable to have a telescope to observe the sky. But, for example, you can distinguish a planet from a star even with the naked eye by characteristic features.

Instructions

Please note that only the planets of our solar system can be seen with the naked eye or through a telescope. Planets shine with light reflected from stars, which means they shine less brightly. And stars are self-luminous celestial bodies and are visible at great distances.

Watch the sky over several evenings and you will notice objects that change their position relative to the constellations. These are the planets. Mark your movements on a special map or draw your own in a notebook.

In December, as in November, all planets can be observed throughout the month, although the conditions for their visibility vary greatly. Jupiter and Mars are best visible in the sky in the last month of 2013. Bright Jupiter is now very close to northern point The ecliptic is in the constellation Gemini, and is therefore visible at night for 15 hours! Mars rises late at night and is visible until sunrise.

In the evenings in the south and southwest it is easy to see Venus, but only to those who live in the south of Russia. In the middle zone, Venus is visible low above the horizon, and in the north of the country (beyond the Arctic Circle) this planet does not rise at all. Mercury can be observed in the mornings in the first ten days of the month, until it disappears in the rays of the Sun.

The visibility of Saturn is gradually increasing, which by the end of December will reach 3 hours or more! The ringed planet can be found in the mornings in the constellation Libra, near Mercury at the beginning of the month. Finally, those with binoculars and telescopes can look for Uranus and Neptune, which can be found using star charts in the constellations Pisces and Aquarius, respectively.

Predawn sky in early December. Two bright stars - Regulus and Spica - and three planets - Mars, Saturn and Mercury - lined up in a chain from southwest to southeast. Drawing: Stellarium

A particularly beautiful arrangement of planets will be observed in early December (until approximately December 8). In the morning, when the sky in the south is occupied by spring constellations, four planets are visible at once. While bright Jupiter will tend to the horizon in the west, Mars, Saturn and Mercury will line up almost in one line in the south and southeast. Let's add two stars to them - Regulus and Spica - and we get a chain of 5 bright objects at once. A rarity for the dim spring sky!

But let's take a closer look at the positions of the planets in November. Let's start, as usual, with Mercury.

Mercury

In November, the planet closest to the Sun was clearly visible in the morning sky, in the second decade it glowed against the background of the dawn, surrounded by Saturn and two comets. December 2013 is far from being such a favorable month for observing Mercury. Only in the first 8-10 days can you still catch the planet in the predawn sky. Afterwards, Mercury disappears into the rays of the rising Sun - now until next year.

The planet begins the month in the constellation Libra. Moving against the background of stars in the same direction as the Sun, Mercury will move into the constellation Scorpio on December 7, and on December 10 it will cross the border of the constellation Ophiuchus. On December 22, the planet will move into the constellation Sagittarius, where on December 29 it will enter into superior conjunction with the Sun.

How to find Mercury in the sky?

If you are at the latitude of Moscow, then on December 6 the planet rises about an hour before sunrise exactly in the southeast. With a magnitude of about -0.6 m, the planet is visible for half an hour, after which it is lost against the background of dawn.

Mercury is located on a continuation of the Regulus-Mars-Spica-Saturn line, being almost half the distance from Saturn than Saturn is from Spica. At the same time, Regulus is high in the sky in the southwest, Mars is almost due south, and Spica and Saturn are in the south-southeast.

Despite the fact that the sky in large cities near the horizon is quite dusty, perhaps in the first 10-15 minutes after sunrise, the chance to see Mercury with the naked eye is greatest. Subsequently, the planet is difficult to distinguish in the brightening sky.

After December 6, Mercury becomes more and more difficult to “catch”. In the next three days, it is better to use binoculars or a telescope to search and observe the planet. In a small telescope during this period, you can see a tiny disk of the planet with a diameter of 5 arcseconds without any details.

Venus

Bright Venus the entire month of December is in the constellation Sagittarius, appearing in the evenings just after sunset in the south-southwest. The planet's visibility is about 2 hours during the month. Since the southernmost part of the ecliptic is located in the constellation Sagittarius, Venus does not rise high in the sky in mid-latitudes. It is difficult to observe the planet in the city - it is hidden by houses and trees - but in open areas Venus is clearly visible, looming over the horizon like a real celestial spotlight.

Throughout December, Venus is the most prominent object in the evening sky. The picture shows its position in the sky in mid-December about an hour after sunset (the latitude of Moscow and St. Petersburg). Drawing: Stellarium

In November, Venus has more than once become the cause of slight misunderstandings: due to its unusually high brightness, many people from time to time mistake the planet for a UFO (we posted eyewitness videos on our page In contact with). Due to the nature of our vision, Venus, if you look closely at it, may have thin short rays, like distant lanterns street lighting, and in open areas, especially when the planet is low above the horizon, it may seem moving object. Therefore, do not be surprised or alarmed if you suddenly see Venus outside the city.

Until December 22, Venus moves against the background of stars in the same direction as the Sun, after which it reverses its movement. The brightness of the planet in early December reaches a maximum value of -4.7 m, after which it begins to gradually decrease. The apparent size of Venus, on the contrary, increases - from 37″ to 59″.

At first glance, it may seem strange that as the planet increases in size, it becomes dimmer, but remember that Venus moves in orbit inside Earth's orbit(closer to the Sun). This means that as it approaches the Earth, when Venus catches up with our planet, it approaches the Sun in our sky, showing us mainly its side not illuminated by the star. Venus has phases, and like the Moon, as the phase decreases, its brightness also decreases. Even though the apparent diameter of the planet almost doubles during December, the phase decreases by 6 times! If at the beginning of December 0.3 of the sunlit side of the planet faces the Earth, then at the end of the month only 0.05. Under New Year the planet will be visible through a telescope as a narrow sickle directed by its horns from the Sun!

Phases of Venus. Source: en.wikipedia.org

However, people with very sharp eyesight at the end of December can try to see the crescent of Venus without the help of optics. There is a well-known legend about how the German mathematician Gauss invited his mother to look at Venus through a telescope, thinking to surprise her with the appearance of a narrow crescent. Imagine his amazement when the woman only asked why the sickle was facing reverse side(the telescope gives an inverted image). Gauss had no idea that his mother could distinguish the phases of Venus with the naked eye!

People with such acute vision are very rare, but who knows, maybe you are one of them. To try to see the phases of Venus, it is best to observe this planet just after sunset, when the contrast between the bright planet and the sky is minimal. In the last days of December, Venus is in the southwest in the evenings, at an altitude of about 6° above the horizon (at the latitude of Moscow).

By the way, December is a very favorable month for hunting Venus in the light of the sun. in the daytime sky. And in the evening these two celestial bodies will form a beautiful bright pair in the darkening sky.

Venus and the Moon on the evening of December 4, 2013 in La Gomera, Spain. © Project Nightflight

Through a telescope, you can sometimes discern interesting details on the disk of Venus. Despite the fact that Venus is shrouded in a thick layer of white clouds, some dark spots, “bays,” and light protrusions can be seen near the planet’s terminator. These details are usually very unclear and blurry. They probably represent some kind of inhomogeneity in the cloud cover. Observations through blue, yellow or orange filters help to increase their contrast on the disk of Venus.

It is no less interesting to observe the horns of the Venusian sickle. Often they are elongated or blurred; Sometimes dark notches are visible on the terminator near the horns. All these details are clearly visible in a telescope with an aperture starting from 60-70 mm (at high magnification), but often poor air transparency blurs the image. Perhaps daytime or evening observations Venus will give the best result, since at this time the planet looks less contrasting against the sky and is higher above the horizon.

Mars

The third planet in our review is Mars. The Red Planet spends December 2013 in the constellation Virgo, moving east against the background of stars. At the beginning of the month, the planet rises around 02:30 local time in the east, and is then visible for 6 hours.

In December, Mars rises late at night in the east, rising parallel to Arcturus, the brightest star in the northern hemisphere of the celestial sphere. Drawing: Stellarium

In the morning, about an hour before sunrise, Mars is high in the south; it is not difficult to find a fairly bright (magnitude about 1 m), reddish planet: it is located halfway between Regulus and Spica - the most bright stars in this part of the sky.

By the end of December, Mars moves east, approaching Spica to 8.5°. Visibility of the Red Planet increases to 7 hours! On the morning of December 26, the Moon will be near Mars in a phase slightly less than the last quarter.

In the morning, Mars is perfectly visible in the south, in the first half of December it is between Spica (alpha Virgo) and Regulus (alpha Leo). By the end of the month the planet will be significantly closer to Spica. Pay attention to Saturn, which is located on the continuation of the Regulus-Mars line. Drawing: Stellarium

Although the Earth is gradually catching up with Mars in its movement around the Sun, this planet is still far from the Earth. Its apparent diameter in December is no more than 6.5 arcseconds. To distinguish details on its surface, you will need a telescope with an aperture of 120-150 mm or higher.

Jupiter

Bright Jupiter- main planet in December 2013. This is the second year that Jupiter has dominated the winter sky; in 2013, the first month of winter is also the first of the three most favorable months for observing this planet. In early December, Jupiter rises about two hours after sunset in the northeast, and is then observed throughout the night, culminating around 2 am. In the morning the planet is visible in the west. By the end of December, the duration of visibility of Jupiter in mid-latitudes increases to 15 hours!

After the Sun, Moon and Venus, Jupiter is the brightest object in the sky; its even radiance cannot be confused with twinkling stars. Being in the constellation Gemini throughout the month, Jupiter complements the magnificent picture of winter constellations. The planet's angular diameter increases from 45″ to 47″ arcseconds, and its brightness increases from -2.5 m to -2.7 m. Already through binoculars, the planet will appear as a disk surrounded by a retinue of bright stars. Depending on the time of observation, the number of stars varies from one to four. These are the famous Galilean moons of Jupiter - Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

In December, Jupiter is visible throughout the dark sky of the day in the company of bright winter constellations, culminating in the south after midnight. Drawing: Stellarium

The telescope will show the oblateness of Jupiter's disk, and details in the structure of the cloud belts. The belts themselves are accessible for observation in a telescope with an aperture of 60 mm, and in telescopes with an objective lens of 100 mm and above, you can discern interesting details in them that change over time. Observations of Jupiter's cloud cover are still of scientific value, so it would be very valuable to make systematic sketches of Jupiter or photograph the planet.

It is also very interesting to observe the movement around the giant planet of its four brightest satellites - Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Satellite configurations change from day to day; In telescopes with an aperture of over 80 mm, you can follow interesting phenomena in the Jupiter system - the entry of satellites into the shadow of the planet or their passage in front of the disk of Jupiter, when tiny satellites cast a shadow on the giant planet. Configurations of Jupiter's moons for 2013 can be found in the astronomical calendar

On the night of December 18-19, the next day after the full moon, the Moon will be near Jupiter.

Saturn

During December Saturn is located in the constellation Libra, having direct movement against the background of stars. In the first half of the month, the planet appears in the sky in the morning 1.5 hours before sunrise, but the duration of the planet’s visibility increases day by day and reaches 3.5 hours by the New Year. Saturn rises in the southeast. It is easy to find by extending the line connecting the stars Regulus and Spica to the horizon. Another way to find a planet is to construct a triangle in the sky with a right angle in Spica and one of the vertices in the bright star Arcturus. Saturn will mark the third peak.

Saturn is best observed in the second half of December, when its morning visibility reaches 3 hours. The planet rises in the southeast; it is easy to find to the left of Mars and Spica, almost directly below bright Arcturus. Drawing: Stellarium

The brightness of Saturn in December is 0.7 m. In the morning pre-New Year's sky, this is the third second brightest object after Arcturus, not counting Jupiter and the stars of the winter constellations, which will tend to the horizon in the west.

Saturn's apparent diameter is about 15.5 arcseconds. With a small telescope, you can observe the significant oblateness of the planet's disk, as well as some details in its atmosphere, a remarkable ring and the satellite Titan. The apparent dimensions of Saturn's ring are 35×13 arcseconds.

On the morning of December 29, a narrow crescent of the aging Moon will appear near Saturn. Don't miss this beautiful picture!

Uranus and Neptune

The last planets in our review are distant ones Uranus And Neptune.

In December 2013, Uranus is in the constellation Pisces and Cetus, moving backward against the background of the stars until the 17th, and then changing its movement to direct. The planet is visible in the evenings and at night for 10 hours at the beginning of the month and about 8 hours at the end. The magnitude of Uranus is 5.8 m, which allows it to be seen with the naked eye provided there is a clear sky and the absence of the Moon and light pollution. With the help of simple binoculars and star maps, Uranus can be found in the sky without any problems. When searching for a planet, it makes sense to start from the star Delta Pisces (magnitude 4.5 m): the planet is located 6° southwest of this star.

In a telescope, Uranus will appear as a greenish star. The disk of Uranus has an angular size of only 3.5″; To distinguish it, you will need a magnification of at least 80x.

Neptune is located in the constellation Aquarius between the stars Sigma Aquarii with a magnitude of 4.8 m and 38 Aquarius with a magnitude of 5.4 m. The planet is visible in the evening and night sky for 6 hours after sunset at the beginning of the month and for 4 hours at the end. You can find Neptune with binoculars using star charts, but only with a large enough amateur telescope can you see the disk of this distant planet. The magnitude of Neptune is 8 m, the angular diameter is 2.3″. Maps of the paths of distant planets are available in the Astronomical Calendar for 2013 (compiled by Alexander Kozlovsky).

Let's summarize briefly.

In the last month of 2013, you can see all the planets, but December will be the best month for observing Jupiter, Mars and Venus. Venus appears in the evening sky just after sunset in the south-southwest, low on the horizon and visible for about 2 hours. Don’t be embarrassed if you suddenly see a bright spotlight star against the background of the evening dawn!

Jupiter, king of the planets, reigns in December and in the sky. Its visibility in mid-latitudes by the end of the month exceeds 15 hours! In the evenings, Jupiter is visible in the east, at night - high in the sky in the south, in the morning - in the west. Jupiter cannot be confused with a star - it is so bright. Moreover, unlike stars, it does not twinkle.

Mars rises late at night in the east and is then visible for about 6 hours. At the beginning of the month, the planet is approximately halfway between the stars Regulus and Spica, but at the end of the month it approaches Spica. Mars is easy to find in a star-poor morning sky. Its reddish, even radiance cannot be confused with anything else.

Visibility improves during December Saturn, which is visible in the mornings for 1.5-3 hours before sunrise, located east of Mars. Mercury on the contrary, every day it becomes closer to the Sun. It can be observed only in the first ten days of the month even east of Saturn, in the rays of the morning dawn.

Surely I will be right if I say that the planet Venus - the “Evening Star”, as it is sometimes called - most of you, my readers, have not seen in the evening sky for a long time. Yes, and in the morning too. This happened because the last couple of years have been unfavorable for observing Venus in the northern hemisphere. It's the same in Yuzhny! - in Australia and Argentina, Venus has been excellently visible over the past two years. But everything has its turn, and now favorable visibility conditions for Venus are returning to us - to the northern hemisphere. The first half of 2015 will be marked by a dazzlingly bright star in the evening sky and you will definitely see Venus, even if you don’t read this article or read it and immediately forget everything.

Perhaps precisely because of banal human forgetfulness - especially forgetfulness of what was once taught at school - during periods of especially favorable visibility of Venus (and this is precisely the period awaiting us), reports of UFOs and aliens from outer space become tens and even hundreds of times more frequent , enemy reconnaissance drones and the descent of the “Holy Fire” onto the sinful Earth... And it’s all to blame for the dazzling Venus in the evening skies. The most striking example of the “Venus illusions” is two dozen American fighters, which in the 60s went in pursuit of an unidentified object (in the upper layers of the atmosphere, Venus is easily visible even during the day and looks very similar to an enemy aircraft sparkling in the rays of the Sun) and completely exhausted fuel fell and died (of course, you can’t fly to Venus by plane!). Having studied all the circumstances of unforeseen and tangible losses, the command of the US Air Force at that time insisted on mandatory and in-depth study of astronomy in US secondary schools. Unfortunately, the leadership of our country several years ago did the exact opposite - astronomy is no longer studied at all in Russian schools.

But let’s leave politics, let’s return to the “Evening Star” - to the planet Venus.

To begin with, I will talk about Venus as a planet - what do we know about it?

Venus is the closest planet to us. During periods of convergence (inferior conjunctions), we are separated by only about 40 million kilometers. In size, Venus is closest to Earth among the planets of the Solar System - the diameter of Venus is only 10 percent less than that of Earth. The mass of Venus is 82% of the mass of the Earth. And if, by the will of a fantastic miracle, we found ourselves on its surface, we would not feel a change in gravity - the gravity on Venus is almost the same as on Earth. Before the flight spacecraft To this planet, it was seriously believed that Venus was suitable for life and with a high degree of probability habitable.

Spacecraft flights have completely destroyed such assumptions. The conditions on Venus turned out to be incompatible with life - with the life that is familiar to us, and we do not yet know anything about other life for which Venusian conditions are suitable. So what is going on there on the surface?

Hell begins already in the clouds, which hide the surface from the earthly observer - they consist of a concentrated mixture of sulfuric and hydrochloric acid. From these Venusian clouds, during the long Venusian day and long Venusian night, acid rain pours, drops of which fall onto the hot surface - the temperature of the rocky Venusian soil is +470°C (~740°K) - lead on the surface of Venus could flow in deep rivers erupting from the vent volcanoes (the last phrase is my exclusive fantasy - neither lead in such quantities nor corresponding volcanoes have been discovered on Venus yet, but who knows, there will be more?!). And to this we must add a pressure of 100 earth atmospheres - on Earth the same pressure is present in the ocean - at a depth of 1 km. Well, a solar day on Venus lasts 117 Earth days.

Everything on Venus is against us. This world is clearly not for people. Even in spacesuits, earthlings cannot be under the clouds of the Venusian skies. But space robots have successfully explored this planet and will study it a lot more in the future.

In the first days of 2015, Venus is visible for a short time after sunset - literally a few minutes against the still very light background of the evening dawn low above the horizon. Not a single star will have time to light up in the sky before Venus sets beyond the horizon, but Venus is visible due to its high brightness - Venus is the brightest light in the sky, excluding only the Sun and the Moon.

On these same days - on the border of the constellations Sagittarius and Capricorn - Mercury is visible next to Venus - it is also bright (comparable in brightness to the brightest stars in the sky), but the evening dawn may be brighter than it and Mercury will most likely only be found through binoculars - you will find Venus with your eye, point your binoculars at it and Mercury will appear in the same field of view as it. This is quite a rare event and a must see.

The approach of Venus to Mercury will last until mid-January 2015.

After January 16, 2015, Venus and Mercury will diverge in the sky. Mercury will begin to return to the Sun, describing a loop along celestial sphere, and Venus will continue to move away from the daylight and the duration of its visibility will increase every day.

On January 21 and 22, 2015, the Moon will be located not far from Venus, Mercury (and Mars) - in a very, very thin crescent phase. Only the most experienced observers will be able to see it, because the thin crescent moon literally merges with the glow of the evening dawn - it is a more difficult object to independently detect in the sky than bright Venus.

On January 25, 2015, Venus will leave the constellation Capricorn and move into the constellation Aquarius. The duration of its visibility at the latitude of Moscow will be about 2 hours - now it can be observed in a fairly dark sky, although still low above the horizon.

On February 1, 2015, Venus will approach the planet Neptune. This is a purely symbolic phenomenon, because in fact, Venus and Neptune are separated by a couple of billion kilometers, no matter how close they come together - their approach in the sky is only an illusion. But Venus will again help us find what we would not have found in the sky without her. The angular distance between Venus and Neptune will be about 1 degree and Neptune will be north of Venus.

On February 10, 2015, Venus will pass within a few minutes of arc from the star φ Aquarii and will continue its rapid flight catching up with the slow and reddish Mars, which in the winter of 2014-2015 is also visible in the evening.

The rapprochement of Venus and Mars will become obvious from mid-February, when both planets will be in the constellation Pisces. Watching them from evening to evening with the naked eye, you will clearly see how rapidly the distance between them is shrinking.

On February 20 and 21, 2015, a young Moon will be located near both planets, already somewhat “stronger” and clearly visible in the twilight. Unfortunately, the maximum approach of the Moon to Venus and Mars will occur in the morning, when all three of these celestial bodies will be located below the horizon for us. And during visibility hours, the Moon will be quite far from the planets.

But this remark concerns Russia. For example, on the North American continent, the convergence of Venus, Mars and the Moon will occur at the right time. There, astronomy lovers will be able to admire the rare and beautiful astronomical phenomenon of the “simultaneous conjunction of two planets and the Moon.”

This is what the phenomenon will look like in Mexico:

But let's return to Russia.

By the beginning of March, Venus will significantly overtake Mars and move away from it, and we are unlikely to see the red planet in the evening twilight - the duration of visibility of Mars is steadily decreasing and it is moving closer to the Sun. In addition, its shine decreases.

The visibility of Venus, on the contrary, only improves day by day and in early March is more than 3 hours. The planet lights up high in the evening skies and attracts considerable attention from everyone who has to raise their eyes to the sky - this is where all these excited calls to radio, television, newspapers and magazines begin - together with the traditionally good March weather, such events are very likely. But this is just the planet Venus - the closest planet to us and, alas, completely uninhabited.

On March 22, 2015, the Moon will again be close to Venus, and this time the approach will not be close again. Although it is always very cool to observe the radiance of two bright and beautiful heavenly bodies in the twilight sky.

On April 7, 2015, Venus will move from the constellation Aries to the constellation Taurus and begin to approach the open star cluster Pleiades - the brightest open cluster in the Earth's sky.

At the same time, Venus is still far from Earth. We are separated by a distance of more than 170 million kilometers, the planet's brightness has a magnitude of -3.5m, and in a telescope, even with high magnification, Venus looks like a shining pea, only slightly damaged on one side.

The closest approach of Venus and the Pleiades will occur on April 11, 2015 (~2.5° - Venus will pass further south), after which Venus will begin to move away from this cluster, but the next one awaits it.

A rapprochement with the Hyades open star cluster (also in the constellation Taurus) will occur for Venus on April 18 - the planet will be 5° north of the cluster.

In April, the duration of visibility of Venus will reach its maximum - almost 5 hours of evening glow in the skies. The magnitude increases to -4m, but through a telescope on the planet, no details and clearly expressed phasing are still visible - the planet is slightly different from its round appearance.

On April 21, 2015, the Moon will pass 7° south of Venus and directly across the Hyades star cluster, simultaneously covering Aldebaran - the brightest star constellation Taurus - this extremely interesting phenomenon will be very successfully observed from the territory of the European part of Russia in the evening, shortly after sunset and twilight.

In the first days of May, Mercury will again appear in the evening skies, but it will be far from Venus - during this period of evening visibility of Mercury, these two planets will not meet in the sky - that is, they will not be very close. But it will be possible and very desirable to observe them at the same time.

Already in the second ten days of May, Mecurius will begin to disappear from the evening skies - the period of visibility of the most elusive of planets is short. And Venus on the evening of May 9 will be in the constellation Gemini near the open cluster M35 - it is not visible to the eye, but is perfectly visible through binoculars or a small telescope.

On the evening of May 16, 2015, Venus in the constellation Gemini will approach the star Mebsut - the epsilon of this constellation, and on the evening of May 21, a young Moon will pass south of Venus, but again quite far away.

On June 3, 2015, Venus will move into the constellation Cancer and will be in the same constellation with the planet Jupiter. In another three days - June 6, 2015 - the greatest eastern elongation will occur - the maximum distance of Venus from the Sun (45°). The view of Venus through a telescope will resemble the Moon in its first quarter phase - half facing west. At the same time, due to the rise of the Sun along the ecliptic to the point of the summer solstice, the duration of Venus is reduced and in the first half of June is about 3 hours and the planet is always visible against the backdrop of a very light sky - in central Russia a period of white nights and the radiance of noctilucent clouds begins.

On the evening of June 11, 2015, Venus will enter diffuse star cluster The "nursery" is in the constellation Cancer, but apparently this passage will be in a very bright sky - within the boundaries of our Motherland.

But outside - somewhere in the Mediterranean, on the northern coast of Africa, or even better - in the equatorial zone - the visibility of the phenomenon may be completely different.

On June 19 and 20, 2015, the Moon will again be close to Venus and Jupiter. In conditions of light summer twilight and the southern immersion of the Moon under the ecliptic, observing this conjunction of the planets and the Moon will not be very easy. However, if during the period of evening visibility of Venus in 2015 you gain observational experience, you will be able to easily observe it and enjoy it.

A very close approach of Venus and Jupiter will happen on July 1, 2015, but for three whole days from June 30 to July 2, 2015, when observing these two planets with the eye, it may seem that they have merged into one very bright celestial object. When observed through a telescope with sufficient magnification, in one field of view one will be able to see striped Jupiter surrounded by a family of satellites and crescent-shaped Venus, similar to a small Moon.

By the beginning of July 2015, the duration of visibility of Venus will be reduced to one and a half hours, and it will take place in an exceptionally bright sky - it will be difficult to observe any stars near Venus and Jupiter due to the height of the white nights. But the brightness of Venus will noticeably increase and reach its maximum: -4.5m; the diameter will increase to 40 arcseconds and Venus will appear larger than Jupiter (although in reality Jupiter is more than 10 times larger in diameter than Venus); and in appearance Venus will appear before the observer in the form of a thin sickle.

On July 18 and 19, 2015, the Moon will be near Venus and Jupiter for the last time during the evening visibility period. The maximum approach of the Moon to Venus will again occur for us below the horizon and will not be a special spectacle for residents of the eastern hemisphere (Europe, Russia, Asia).

But - in the West - somewhere, for example in Mexico, the conjunction of the Moon, Venus and Jupiter will be a very beautiful sight. In addition, the conjunction of the Moon with the Planets will coincide with the conjunction of the Moon and Venus with the star Regulus - the brightest in the constellation Leo.

At the end of July, the evening visibility of Venus will cease, and two weeks later, on August 15, the so-called inferior conjunction of Venus with the Sun will occur. This means that Venus will pass between the Earth and the Sun, will hide in its rays for some time and will therefore be invisible. But in 10 days, at the end of August, the period of morning visibility of this planet will begin. During the time of invisibility, Venus will return in a retrograde motion to the Constellation Cancer, in which reddish Mars will also be located, and for some time these two planets will again be visible together, only in the morning skies. And we will talk about this in the next article, which will be devoted to the period of morning visibility of Venus in 2015 - 2016 - also very favorable.

Your Andrey Klimkovsky, composer, astronomy enthusiast
for site www.klimkovsky.ru
January 12, 2015

Five bright planets– Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are known from ancient times and clearly visible naked eye. The conditions for their visibility are determined by their location relative to the Sun.

Five bright planets - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn - have been known since

ancient times and are clearly visible to the naked eye. Their conditions

visibility is determined by location in relation to the Sun.

MERCURY

In 2013, the planet will appear in 3 periods of evening and 4 periods of morning visibility.The first period of morning visibility (the first days of January 2013) passes from the past, 2012of the year. At the very beginning of the year, the planet is visible (in the south of the country) in the constellation Sagittarius at dawntime near the southeastern point of the horizon.

To the right you can see Venus, even further to the right -Antares, and in the constellation Libra is Saturn. In a telescope, Mercury is visible as a smallan orange pea washed away by atmospheric currents. Over the next daysMercury slightly increases its brightness, but as it approaches the central luminary it becomesWe see everyone worse, until, finally, it disappears in the rays of the rising Sun.

The best evening visibility of 2013 will last from late January toearly March with maximum easterly elongation of 18 degrees on February 16 and visibilitymore than an hour. The planet is moving through the constellation Capricorn near Mars at this time, February 3passing into the constellation Aquarius, and is visible quite high above the western horizon immediately fromat dusk, in the form of a star with a magnitude of -1m. Through the telescope for the entire period of visibilityone can observe an oval, turning first into a half-disk and then into a decreasing phase sickle.

On February 8, Mercury will group with Mars and Neptune in a sector of several degrees, andOn February 11 and 12, the waxing crescent Moon will be near Mercury and Mars, soThe evening sky these days is quite beautiful. After maximum elongation, a fast planetloses its shine and moves closer to the Sun, as a result of which its visibility deteriorates and it disappearsin the rays of the setting Sun, entering into inferior conjunction with the central luminary on March 4.Morning visibility in April will go unnoticed by residents of the middle and northernlatitude Mercury will reach a western elongation of 27.8 degrees on March 31 and will only be visible atsouthern regions of the country.

During regular evening visibility in June, Mercury is visible near the horizon atnorthwest after sunset. This visibility is not as favorable as in February, buthowever, the planet will be visible for up to 50 minutes at mid-latitudes in a bright evening sky. INin the last days of May Mercury will be as close as possible to Venus and Jupiter near the starbeta Taurus (1.6m), and on June 10 and 11, a thin lunar will be located south of Mercury and Venussickle. During this period of visibility, the planet will pass through the constellations Taurus (until June 3) and Gemini.

Through a telescope you can observe an oval increasing in size with a decreasing phase,turning into a half-disc and then into a sickle. The gloss decreases from -1.5 to +1m. June 12 Mercurywill reach the eastern elongation point of 24.3 degrees, but its visibility will be in the middle, and even more so innorthern latitudes will be unfavorable.

Very favorable morning visibility will begin in the last ten days of July andwill last until mid-August. On July 30, Mercury will reach western elongation point 19degrees and will be visible against the background of the morning dawn a little less than an hour above the northeasthorizon. Through a telescope you can observe a sickle decreasing in size with increasingphase, turning into a half-disk and then into an oval. Gloss increases from +1.5 to -1.5m. In a dayelongation to the right of Mercury will be Mars and Jupiter, and on August 4 and 5 - the crescent Moon. BehindDuring this period of visibility, the planet will pass through the constellations Gemini (until August 7) ​​and Cancer.

Evening visibility in October will go unnoticed by residents of the middle and northernlatitude Mercury will reach an eastern elongation of 25.3 degrees on October 9 and will only be visible atsouthern regions of the country.

The last visibility of Mercury in 2013 will be in the morning (from early November tothe first ten days of December) and very favorable for all latitudes of the country. The planet is visible over the southeastern horizon for about an hour near the maximum elongation of 20 degrees, which the planetwill reach November 18. During this period of visibility, the planet will pass through the constellations Virgo (up to 18November), Libra (until December 7) and Scorpio. On November 26, Mercury will be at its closest approach toSaturn, and comet Encke will be located to the south of them. A sickle is visible through a telescopeincreasing phase, turning into a half-disk, and then into an oval. Gloss increases from +2.5 up to -0.7m.

VENUS

The visibility of Venus is not as favorable as in 2012. Relatively favorablethe visibility period will begin only at
second half of the year. At the beginning of the year, Venus is visible byin the mornings about half an hour above the southeastern horizon, but by mid-January it disappears intorays of the rising sun. During this period, it, having a magnitude of -3.7m and a visible diameter of about 11arc seconds, moves through the constellation Ophiuchus, moving into the constellation Sagittarius on January 6.

The evening visibility period begins in May, but the duration of visibilitythe planet grows very slowly, reaching an hour only in the month of October (for mid-latitudes).

The period of maximum brightness of Venus occurs at the end of November - beginning of December. In ittime, the brightness of the planet reaches -4.7m with an angular size of about 40 arcseconds, and itseasy to find in the daytime sky with the naked eye. During the evening visibility period Venuswill pass through the constellations Taurus (until June 3), Gemini (until June 26), Cancer (until July 12), Leo (until

August 11), Virgo (until September 18), Libra (until October 7), Scorpio (until October 21), Ophiuchus(until November 2) and Sagittarius. In early December, the visibility of the Evening Star reaches two hours andit shines in the twilight sky like a bright starry diamond. Apparent diameter by the end of the yearreaches almost 1 arc minute and eagle-eyed people can try to distinguish the crescent of Venuswith the naked eye.

JUPITER

At the beginning of the year, Jupiter is visible most of the night, moving backward until January 30th.The planet passed opposition on December 3, 2012, so the month of January 2013 ismost favorable for visual and photographic observations of the planet. At that timeJupiter is located in the constellation Taurus between the Hyades and Pleiades, and is observedto the naked eye as a bright yellow star. In March, the planet's visibility becomesevening, and by the end of May the gas giant disappears in the rays of the setting Sun. Jupiter is movingalong the constellation Taurus until June 27, and then enters into the domain of the constellation Gemini and remainsin it until the end of the year, located near Castor and Pollux (the main stars of this constellation). INat the beginning of the year, Vesta will be near the giant, and approaches with bright planetswill begin in May. May 27 largest planet solar system will enter intoconjunction with Mercury, which will pass 2.3 degrees north, and on May 28 - in conjunction with

Venus, which will be 1 degree to the north.

July 22, degrees north of JupiterMars will pass, and on July 23 Mercury will approach Jupiter to 8.3 degrees. Morning visibilityJupiter will begin from mid-July. At this time, the gas giant can be observed in the raysthe rising Sun low above the northeastern horizon. Visibility of Jupiter quickly in summergrows and by the beginning of autumn reaches five hours. The remaining time until the end of the year is the best periodfor observations of the planet in 2013. On January 5, 2014, Jupiter will reach opposition andThe duration of its visibility at the end of 2013 will be 15 hours in mid-latitudes!! INtelescope on the disk of Jupiter visible dark stripes along the equator and 4 main satellites.

MARS

2013 is an unfavorable year for observing the planet, and the best visibility conditionsMars will occur at the very end of the year, when its angular diameter exceeds 7 seconds of arc.Evening visibility at the beginning of the year will be about an hour, and the planet will be visible over the southweston the western horizon in the form of a star with a magnitude of +1.2m. An orange disk withangular diameter of about 4 seconds of arc, which implies observation of only the largestdetails on the surface of the planet. At the beginning of March, Mars will disappear in the rays of the evening dawn and againwill become visible only in early July. Unfortunately, it won't be interesting until Decemberfor telescopic observations. An orange color will be visible to the naked eye.an asterisk with a brilliance that increases over six months from +1.6 to +1.1m. Your yearly journeythe planet will begin in the constellation Capricorn, reaching the border with the constellation Aquarius on January 29, 4March moving into the constellation Pisces, April 18 (in conjunction with the Sun) - into the constellation Aries, 22May - to the constellation Taurus, July 14 - to the constellation Gemini, August 24 - to the constellation Cancer, 25September - into the constellation Leo, November 25 - into the constellation Virgo, ending its journey across the sky 2013years near the star Porrima (Gamma Virgo).

URANUS

This year Uranus will make its way through the constellation Pisces, entering the constellation Cetus in the period from 3 toMarch 29 and from December 10 to 21. The evening visibility period will last until mid-March, andthen Uranus will disappear in the rays of the evening dawn. In the morning sky the planet will be visible frommid-May. On July 17, the planet will change its direct motion to a retrograde one. Summer visibility periodcharacterized by a gradual increase in the duration of visibility of the planet. If by the endJune in mid-latitudes (mainly due to bright nights) Uranus will only be visible on 2hours, then by the end of July this value will increase to 5 hours. Points of its opposition Uranuswill reach October 3. The distance from Earth on this day will be 19 AU, apparent diameterwill reach a value of 3.7 arcseconds, and the brightness will increase to +5.8m. Although the increase iscompared to other periods of visibility is quite insignificant (a couple of tenths of angularseconds and magnitude). September, October and November are the most productive times forobservations of the seventh planet of the solar system, because. duration of its visibility

maximum and reaches more than 11.5 hours in middle latitudes. At this time (in the absenceillumination of the Moon and other light sources) Uranus can be seen with the naked eye. ForTo do this, use the star map below and before observing, adapt your eyes to weaklight sources. In a telescope, the planet rotating on its side appears greenish

a pea. But to see it, you need a magnification of 80x or higher. Satellites of the planetamateur telescopes are not visible.

SATURN

Saturn will spend the first half of the year in the constellation Libra near the star of the alpha constellation. 14May the ringed planet will move into the constellation Virgo and begin to approach the star kappathis constellation, which will reach its closest approach on July 8, having passed the standing point andchanging the movement from backward to forward. The planet will be best visible in the first halfyear, and the most favorable visibility conditions will be near the opposition, which Saturnwill reach April 28. At this time, the brightness of the planet reaches almost zero magnitude at visiblediameter is about 20 arc seconds, and the duration of visibility is about eighthours in mid-latitudes. In a telescope, a ring with a fairly large angle is clearly visibleopening, as well as noticeable stripes and details on the surface and in the ring itself. Especially

The Cassini fissure is clearly visible, and the Encke fission is visible in medium-power telescopes. From satellitesThe best view is Titan, which is easily visible even with binoculars. To observe otherssatellites will need a telescope with a lens diameter of at least 60 mm. In summer, Saturn is visible byin the evenings in the western part of the sky, and in early October it disappears in the rays of the setting Sun.Morning visibility of the planet will begin in mid-November, when Saturn appears in the southeastern horizon in the rays of the rising Sun. Duration of visibility of the planetincreases rapidly, and by the end of the year reaches three and a half hours.

NEPTUNE

An interesting fact is that since its discovery on September 23, 1846, Neptune has madeonly one revolution around the Sun. Neptune can only be found through binoculars or a telescope, soas its brilliance is about 8m. Best time for observations on the territory of our country -from August to November. All year round Neptune is in the constellation Aquarius northeast of the stariota of this constellation. At the beginning of the year, the planet is visible in the evenings for about four hours, disappearing intoin the rays of the setting sun in early February. Having passed the conjunction with the Sun on February 21, the mosta distant planet of the solar system will appear in the morning sky in early April. in springNeptune will be visible at mid-latitudes from a few minutes in April to an hour and a half inend of May. The summer visibility period is characterized by a gradual increase in durationvisibility of the planet. If in June in mid-latitudes Neptune can be observed only 2 - 3 timeshours, then by the end of August this value will increase to 8.5 hours! This is natural, because, firstly,the planet will enter into opposition with the Sun on August 27, secondly, it will increasethe duration of the night itself. Therefore, even after opposition, Neptune's visibility will bewill continue to grow for some time. In order to find Neptune in the starry sky, it is necessary toat least binoculars, and with a telescope with a magnification of more than 100x you can see the diskNeptune, which has a bluish tint. The planet's brightness (about +8.0m) and its angular diameter(about 2.3”) remain virtually unchanged throughout the year. Amateur satellites of the planettelescopes are not visible.

In December, five planets will line up in the evening sky - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Uranus and Neptune, forming a kind of parade of planets above the southern horizon! Only now only two planets will be visible to the naked eye - these are Venus and Mars, the rest are lost against the background of the bright dawn. Mercury available for observation in the middle of the month against the backdrop of the evening dawn near the horizon. Venus sparkles as a bright Evening Star near the southwestern horizon in the evenings in the constellation Capricorn. Mars observed in the evening sky low above the southwestern horizon in the constellation Aquarius. Jupiter visible above the southeastern horizon during the second half of the night in the constellation Virgo. Saturn becomes observable at the end of the month in the morning sky. Uranus And Neptune visible in the evening and at night in the constellations Pisces and Aquarius. Uranus moves to direct motion in the sky, ending the best period in 2016 for observing the “overturned planet.”

Moon will approach the indicated planets: December 1 with a lunar phase of 0.03 - with Mercury, December 3 with a lunar phase of 0.13 - Venus, December 5 with a lunar phase of 0.3 - with Mars, December 7 with a lunar phase of 0.50 - with Neptune, December 10 at a lunar phase of 0.82 - with Uranus, December 23 at a lunar phase of 0.33 - with Jupiter, December 28 at a lunar phase of 0.01 - with Saturn, December 29 at a new moon - with Mercury. For observations, it is better to choose nights when the Moon does not pass near the observed planet near its full phases.

Visibility conditions are given for the middle latitudes of Russia (about 56° N). For cities to the north and south, the celestial bodies will be located at the indicated time, respectively, slightly lower or higher (by the difference in latitude) relative to their places in the Bratsk sky. To clarify the local visibility conditions of planets, use planetarium programs.

MERCURY moves in the same direction with the Sun along the constellation Sagittarius, changing its movement to a retrograde position on December 19. The planet is visible at dawn in the middle of the month for up to half an hour; on December 11, Mercury reaches a maximum eastern elongation of 21 degrees, after which it moves back towards the Sun, reaching inferior conjunction with it on December 29. The apparent diameter of Mercury increases from 5 to 9 arcseconds as the magnitude decreases from -0.7m to +4.2m. The phase of Mercury changes from 0.83 to 0.01 per month. For successful observations During periods of visibility of Mercury, you need binoculars, an open horizon and a clear twilight sky.

Parade of planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Uranus, Neptune) in the evening sky in mid-December 2016

VENUS moves in the same direction as the Sun through the constellations Sagittarius and Aquarius. The planet is visible in the evening dawn low near the southwestern horizon, gradually increasing its angular distance from the Sun from 43 to 46 degrees. The duration of visibility of Venus against the background of the twilight sky reaches 3.5 hours by the end of the month. The angular dimensions of the planet's disk increase from 16 to 21 arcseconds. The planet's phase decreases from 0.69 to 0.57 with increasing brightness from -4.2m to -4.5m. Such brightness and angular distance from the Sun make it possible to observe Venus during the day with the naked eye (provided there is a transparent, clear blue sky).

The position of Venus and Mars in the evening sky in early December 2016

MARS moves in the same direction as the Sun through the constellations Capricorn and Aquarius. It can be observed in the evenings for 4 hours, low above the southwestern horizon. The planet's brightness decreases over the course of a month from +0.7m to +0.9m, and its angular diameter decreases from 6" to 5". For observations, a telescope with a lens diameter of 60-90 mm is required. The best time to observe details on the disk of Mars is the moment of opposition, which occurs every two years. At other times, Mars appears through a telescope as a tiny reddish disk with no details. The closest opposition of Mars will occur on July 27, 2018 (Great Opposition!).

By the end of December, Mars will make a close approach to Neptune, reaching an angular separation of 0.02 degrees in the sky on January 1, 2017.

The position of Venus and Mars in the evening sky at the end of December 2016

JUPITER moves in the same direction as the Sun in the constellation Virgo. The gas giant rises above the southeastern horizon at night and increases visibility from 4 to 6 hours by the end of the month. The angular diameter of the giant planet in the sky increases from 32 to 35 arcseconds, and its brightness from -1.6m to -1.8m.

Position of Jupiter in the morning sky December 2016

Through binoculars, four bright satellites of the giant are visible - due to the rapid orbital motion, they noticeably change their position relative to each other and Jupiter during one night (the configurations of Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto can be found in astronomical calendars or in planetarium programs).

The telescope distinguishes bands (northern and southern equatorial bands), shadows from satellites periodically pass across the disk of the planet, as well as the famous huge oval cyclone GRS (Great Red Spot), which makes full turn along with the planet's atmosphere in 9.5 hours. The current longitude of the BKP can be found on the website http://jupos.privat.t-online.de/rGrs.htm. The BCP appears approximately 2 hours before passing through the meridian and disappears 2 hours later (goes beyond the disk).

Moments of the passage of the BKP through the central meridian of Jupiter in December 2016. (universal time UT)
To get the time for Bratsk, you need to add 8 hours to universal time

Current longitude of BKP 255°

1 02:34 12:29 22:25 2 08:18 18:14 3 04:12 14:07 4 00:05 10:01 19:56

5 05:50 15:45 6 01:43 11:39 21:34 7 07:28 17:23 8 03:21 13:17 23:12 9 09:06 19:01 10 04:59 14:55 11 00:52 10:48 20:43

12 06:37 16:33 13 02:30 12:26 22:21 14 08:15 18:11 15 04:08 14:04 23:59 16 00:01 09:57 19:52 17 05:46 15:42 18 01:39 11:35 21:30

19 07:24 17:20 20 03:17 13:13 23:08 21 09:02 18:57 22 04:55 14:51 23 00:48 10:44 20:39 24 06:33 16:28 25 02:26 12:22 22:17

26 08:11 18:06 27 04:04 13:59 23:55 28 09:49 19:44 29 05:42 15:37 30 01:35 11:30 21:26 31 07:19 17:15

SATURN moves in the same direction as the Sun through the constellation Ophiuchus. For most of December, the planet is not visible, because... is near conjunction with the Sun, which will take place on December 10th. The movements of Saturn against the background of stars from December 2 to 18 can be observed in the field of view of the SOHO coronagraph (Saturn is a dim object in the images, moving from left to right above the Sun). Saturn can be observed in the last days of December in the morning near the southeastern horizon for almost an hour (shortly before sunrise). The angular diameter of Saturn is 15 arcseconds at a magnitude of +0.6m.

In a small telescope, the ring around the planet and the satellite Titan (+8m) are clearly visible. The apparent dimensions of the planet's ring are about 40x16 arcseconds. Currently, the planet's rings are open at 27° and illuminated by the Sun North Pole gas giant.

Saturn's position in the morning sky at the end of December 2016

URANUS moves backwards through the constellation Pisces, reaching the standing point on December 29 and changing its movement to direct. The planet can be observed from late evening to midnight during moonless periods (i.e. at the beginning and end of the month). The planet's brightness is +5.4m with an angular diameter of 3".

During periods of opposition, Uranus can be observed with the naked eye in a clear, transparent sky, in the absence of illumination from the Moon (near the new moon) and away from city lights. In a 150-mm telescope with a magnification of 80x and higher, you can see the greenish disk (“pea”) of the planet. The satellites of Uranus have a brightness less than +13m.

NEPTUNE moves in the same direction as the Sun along the constellation Aquarius near the star Lambda (3.7m). The planet is visible in the evening sky, the duration of visibility decreases from 7 to 5 hours. The planet's magnitude is +7.9m with an angular diameter of about 2". By the end of December, Mars will be in close proximity to Neptune, reaching an angular distance of 0.02 degrees in the sky on January 1, 2017.