Volume 15 Issue 7	July 2009

Planet Watch -- Keeping Track of the Visible Planets

Mercury might be visible but low over the eastern horizon for the first few days of the month. However it is moving toward superior conjunction on the 14th and will not be visible again until the end of the month and into August. Venus continues to dominate the pre-dawn skies toward the east. Watch it pull away, appear lower, from the much dimmer Mars. During this month Venus moves eastward and will pass to the east (left) of the Hyades, the v-shaped open star cluster marking the face of Taurus. Mars is slowly moving eastward and will pass by the stars of the Hyades and the 'eye of the bull', the reddish star Aldebaran this month. This would be an interesting opportunity to compare the color of Mars with the color of Aldebaran the red star marking the Bull's angry eye. Jupiter is at opposition on the 14th which means that it is directly opposite from the Sun with the Earth in between. At opposition, as with all outer planets from the Earth, Jupiter rises at sunset and sets at sunrise, and will be visible all night. For most of the month Jupiter moves past the outer planet Neptune, coming the closest on the 13th when the two planets are seperated by about one-half degree. Saturn will be visible but low over the western horizon this month. This may be the last time until later in september or October for viewing the planet. The rings will be edge-on two months from now so this month even though the ringed planet is visible the rings will barely be visible.

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