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Heavens-Above and Sky Safari. Safari shows you where the planets are.
I like Heavens-Above. It shows the different constellations but doesn't have any names on them. But you can see what planets are overhead and it also shows every satellite that goes over your area, plus the ISS. Last summer it showed the Hubble Telescope was overhead. Of course, most of them are too small to be seen with the naked eye. But it surprised me how many satellites are flying over us each night
Something you might want to consider once you've got some of the basic night sky landmarks down is using binoculars. Several books and lots of info on the web. You can see nearly as much as with a decent consumer telescope, and they're a lot more portable and easy to use. Lie on your back in a lounge chair, with good arm support, and gaze away.
My cousin used to to that quite a bit. Said he could occasionally see Saturn's rings with his binoculars. One funny thing happened to him a few years ago. Told his girlfriend to go on to bed because he was going out to his lawn chair with his binoculars. She woke up around 3 AM and noticed he hadn't been to bed yet. She slipped outside to check on him and he was sound asleep, binoculars still in hand, laying across his mouth like he was looking through them when he fell asleep.
We live in the boonies and at night we can see a zillion stars in the sky. They look so close that you could reach out and tough them. We got a computer guided telescope and we sit on the front porch and gaze at stars and constellations. Not much to do around here once the sun goes down. Lol
Wow! I'd love to visit someplace like that just for the night sky viewing. I've never lived in a place like that so I'm sure it would be an amazing view.
As for an app, I use Sky Guide and love it. It has constellations though I use it more for viewing individual planets and stars. I find an object and look at it through my binoculars. I live in the city so there's a lot less to see than in rural areas but I still enjoy looking at the sky. It's a free app so if you don't like it you can just delete it.
Tonight....
On Monday evening, the two largest planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will appear to merge into a single source of light. It's the first visible conjunction of the giants in more than 800 years.
We won’t get to see it as it’s overcast and pouring rain, but some you folk might get to see it.
Best ways to see the conjunction
The planets will be easy to see with the unaided eye by looking towards the southwest just after sunset.
In Alabama, sunset will be at 4:39 p.m. in Huntsville, 4:43 p.m. in Birmingham and 4:55 p.m. in Mobile.
For best viewing, NASA suggests:
Finding a spot with an unobstructed view of the sky, such as a field or park. Jupiter and Saturn are bright, so they can be seen even from most cities.
An hour after sunset, look to the southwestern sky. Jupiter will look like a bright star and be easily visible. Saturn will be slightly fainter and will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter until Dec. 21, when Jupiter will overtake it and they will reverse positions in the sky.
The planets can be seen with the unaided eye, but if you have binoculars or a small telescope, you may be able to see Jupiter’s four large moons orbiting the giant planet.
^ I went outside to see it, and to the unaided eyes (middle-aged) it was as blurry, fairly bright "star". I had to go inside, but when I went back out with glasses - to see if I could separate them - clouds covered them up. I was going to try with binoculars, which do usually show the four largest moons of Jupiter.
Wow! I'd love to visit someplace like that just for the night sky viewing. I've never lived in a place like that so I'm sure it would be an amazing view.
As for an app, I use Sky Guide and love it. It has constellations though I use it more for viewing individual planets and stars. I find an object and look at it through my binoculars. I live in the city so there's a lot less to see than in rural areas but I still enjoy looking at the sky. It's a free app so if you don't like it you can just delete it.
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Christmas Star
