Because they orbit the sun more closely than Earth, Mercury and Venus are called "inferior" planets. With Mercury and Venus, however, there is never such ambiguity, since they are never very far from the sun in the sky. But the distinction between these terms is not very precise, for yet, by the same reasoning, it is still considered strictly a "morning star."Ĭertainly, the "morning star" branding would make more sense if Jupiter were rising closer to, or even after midnight and crosses the southern meridian by sunrise. The fact that Jupiter is already above the horizon during normal evening hours seemingly should qualify it for "evening star" status. The giant planet is thus ideally situated for observations of its changing cloud bands and four big Galilean moons for much of the night. "Ah!" you might say, "Jupiter certainly makes for a fine evening star." As the night wears on, Jupiter attains its highest point in the southern sky after midnight, and it will still be visible, sinking in the western sky at dawn. Within an hour or so, it has climbed well up into the eastern sky. Sometimes, for instance, we might see a bright planet like Jupiter shining brilliantly just above the eastern horizon in the evening. It is quite understandable to see why the definitions of "morning star" and "evening star" can be confusing. The Moon and Venus shine in the skies of Cerro Paranal, home of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |