Any amateur (or professional for that matter) astronomers here?

[bunker]

There's a really bright star out tonight and I'm curious as to what it is. I'm thinking a planet, but have no idea how to find out.

Info:
I'm in mid-Michigan
The star is just a hair north of due west about 45 degrees up.

The last time (about 3 months ago) there was a star this bright it was noted in the local paper the next day that it was Venus. This time it's in the same general direction but quite a bit further north.

Any ideas on what it is or how I can figure it out ?

 

[2Xtreme21]

That's the sun silly.

Edit: I'm actually looking. It's most likely Venus.

 

[2Xtreme21]

If it's basically due west at 45 degrees the only thing star-wise in that region for right now is the constellation Gemini. It would have to be a planet then, and if it's as bright as you say it is, it has to be Venus. I will try to find a star chart with planets.

 

[bunker]

Thanks for looking. From all the searches I've done it's looking like it is Venus.

 

[Eeezee]

I recommend downloading Starry Night, I believe there is a free version available that will let you do what you need to do. I have the professional version, so I'm not sure what features may be stripped out of it, but I can do the following.

A) Position your view from your backyard (general city should be fine)
B) Look up at the same angle as you would be looking up
C) Click on whatever stars are in the area, including particularly bright stars to see what may be out there

Check it out. Sounds like you're looking at a planet if it's particularly bright.

 

[zylander]

^agreed. Stellarium is another good program like that, that is also free. Fun programs to play around with, check them out.

 

[WHAMPOM]

Still Venus(just North of due West now). Couple months back had a good look at Mercury just below it.

 

[silverpig]

I'd just use stellarium...

I can probably do it for you. Gimme a few.

 

[silverpig]

Okay. It's definitely not Venus. I didn't think it could be because I'm pretty sure Venus can't be 45 degrees away from the sun.

I set my location in Stellarium to Jackson, MI. Venus is a little nort of west, but it's below the horizon so you wouldn't be able to see it.

Saturn is high in the sky a few degrees south of west. The object you are looking at is probably the star Pollux.

 

[silverpig]

There you go

 

[Agentbolt]

Yup, that's it. I noticed Capella is on there too. It's too bad to think in 350 that Capella isn't going to be there anymore.

(major geek points to anyone getting the reference)

 

[Descartes]

It's almost certainly Venus. It was visible this evening. You can usually tell because Venus has phases, and right now it's somewhere ~0.75. You can also tell because planets don't scintillate, and Venus is so incredibly bright that it's very difficult to mistake it for anything else, including Sirius, Procyon, etc.

I use a handful of different star charts, but you can use this one for free.

 

[destrekor]

Venus is supposed to be the brightest star in the sky, no?
this was according to my Astronomy professor. mind you, taking Astron 161, an intro course.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: silverpig
Okay. It's definitely not Venus. I didn't think it could be because I'm pretty sure Venus can't be 45 degrees away from the sun.

I set my location in Stellarium to Jackson, MI. Venus is a little nort of west, but it's below the horizon so you wouldn't be able to see it.

Saturn is high in the sky a few degrees south of west. The object you are looking at is probably the star Pollux.

Not quite sure what you mean by Venus being 45 degrees away from the sun, but Venus is typically something like -4 magnitude. Pollux is a 1st magnitude star, and given the presence of other 1st magnitude stars it wouldn't exactly stand out. Venus at a -4 magnitude looks like a spotlight in a sea of pen lights.

 

[bunker]

Originally posted by: Descartes
It's almost certainly Venus. It was visible this evening. You can usually tell because Venus has phases, and right now it's somewhere ~0.75. You can also tell because planets don't scintillate, and Venus is so incredibly bright that it's very difficult to mistake it for anything else, including Sirius, Procyon, etc.

I use a handful of different star charts, but you can use this one for free.

Great link, thanks! Definitely Venus

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: silverpig
Okay. It's definitely not Venus. I didn't think it could be because I'm pretty sure Venus can't be 45 degrees away from the sun.

I set my location in Stellarium to Jackson, MI. Venus is a little nort of west, but it's below the horizon so you wouldn't be able to see it.

Saturn is high in the sky a few degrees south of west. The object you are looking at is probably the star Pollux.

Not quite sure what you mean by Venus being 45 degrees away from the sun, but Venus is typically something like -4 magnitude. Pollux is a 1st magnitude star, and given the presence of other 1st magnitude stars it wouldn't exactly stand out. Venus at a -4 magnitude looks like a spotlight in a sea of pen lights.

Venus is closer to the sun than we are. Therefore, if the sun was due west on the horizon, and you face west, you are facing directly into the center of the solar system. Venus cannot possibly be due east on the horizon because that would mean it would have to be farther out from the sun than we are.

As it turns out from some quick googling, the maximum elongation for Venus is about 46 degrees. That is, if you look directly at the sun, then Venus must be somewhere within a circle 46 degrees apart from the sun. As it was past sundown at the OP's location, and he said that the object was about 45 degrees above the horizon, then it almost certainly wasn't Venus. I guess it still could have been because the sun sets in the west, so if he looked just after sundown, and venus happened to be at its maximum elongation right now, the angles could work out. However, it turns out they don't and Venus was below the horizon and not visible at that time to him.

 

[Agentbolt]

Venus is supposed to be the brightest star in the sky, no?

Venus is not a star. It's a planet. It's the third brightest object in the sky, after the Sun and the moon.

Perhaps I'm misreading that link. I thought it was Pollux as well, but you're right, it's kinda tough to confuse Pollux with Venus at a -4. I guess I need to brush up on my astronomy, I'm more of a cosmology guy

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: bunker

Originally posted by: Descartes
It's almost certainly Venus. It was visible this evening. You can usually tell because Venus has phases, and right now it's somewhere ~0.75. You can also tell because planets don't scintillate, and Venus is so incredibly bright that it's very difficult to mistake it for anything else, including Sirius, Procyon, etc.

I use a handful of different star charts, but you can use this one for free.

Great link, thanks! Definitely Venus

Did you see the image I posted?

 

[WildHorse]

reflect that

long long ago, some of the atoms in your body

were inside some star(s)

and probably will be again some far far future day

 

[bunker]

Originally posted by: silverpig

Originally posted by: bunker

Originally posted by: Descartes
It's almost certainly Venus. It was visible this evening. You can usually tell because Venus has phases, and right now it's somewhere ~0.75. You can also tell because planets don't scintillate, and Venus is so incredibly bright that it's very difficult to mistake it for anything else, including Sirius, Procyon, etc.

I use a handful of different star charts, but you can use this one for free.

Great link, thanks! Definitely Venus

Did you see the image I posted?

Yes I did, but this pic, using the link from Descartes, shows Venus exactly where I saw it. I set the location, date and time to exactly where I was when I saw it.

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/bunker/stars.JPG