please tell me what this is

**diavalo13666** · 15-07-10, 08:01 PM

ok some one please tell me what this is, every night i go sit outside for a coffee
and i look up and see this real bright spot and then within a few hours its gone and its bugging me now so i would like to know.

Now is it a star or the space station or ET having a joyride, i took this pic tonight and when i first went out it was level with the moon and 2 hrs later is in the position it is in the pic.

**osci** · 15-07-10, 08:26 PM

diavallo, which area are you located, which direction are you viewing, what time of night ect...

**beer4life** · 15-07-10, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by diavalo13666

ok some one please tell me what this is, every night i go sit outside for a coffee
and i look up and see this real bright spot and then within a few hours its gone and its bugging me now so i would like to know.

Now is it a star or the space station or ET having a joyride, i took this pic tonight and when i first went out it was level with the moon and 2 hrs later is in the position it is in the pic.

G'Day Cobber,
I'm certainly no astronomer, but my opinion is that it is over exposed and that you cannot ascertain any relative position in our sky, especially as you do not give the observation position or time. GMT.
Let's just say that it is an apparition.
Kindest Regards, " The Druid ".

**diavalo13666** · 15-07-10, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by osci

diavallo, which area are you located, which direction are you viewing, what time of night ect...

im in tweed

28 12'49"S - 153 32'33"E

when i am looking at the moon and this thing i am looking north west the compass says around the 300 NW

picture was taken about 6.45pm and is visible as soon as it gets dark

**Fernbay** · 15-07-10, 09:16 PM

From the Tweed, for 8:15PM on 15 July 2010.....

Saturn
Rises at 10:20AM and sets at 10:13PM
Az 304.2 from North, Altitude 43.1 deg above horizon

Mars - Rises 9:50AM and sets at 9:37PM
Az 298.0 from North, Altitude 35.7 Deg above Horizon

Venus
Rises at 9.06 AM. Sets at 8:25 PM
Az 294.9 from North, Altitude is 20.3 Deg above Horizon

**Drift** · 15-07-10, 09:19 PM

I'm thinking it'll be Venus. It may be Jupiter though given the proximity of the other object to the right which is possibly a moon. I don't recall having seen a moon whilst observing Venus but I must admit it's been a while.

**diavalo13666** · 15-07-10, 09:32 PM

Thanks guys that helps , it is so bright and yes drift the object to the left in the picture is the moon

**mtv** · 15-07-10, 09:47 PM

Given the brightness, I'd say Venus.

**trash** · 15-07-10, 11:12 PM

I was just up at tweed tonight. It's Venus.
Nothing spooky. Just get your binoculars out and have a good look at it.
Not that it's exclusive to that area

**Learjet** · 15-07-10, 11:19 PM

Yep, it's Venus.

It's been there every night for months now. Maximum elongation from the Sun (how high it gets) is near the end of August, after which it loses elevation and will sink into the western horizon sometime in October. It will reappear as a morning object in November.

The whole process is then repeated.

**trash** · 15-07-10, 11:59 PM

Mercury is also out there. Follows a similar pattern, just doesn't rise so high and isn't so bright. I noticed it as the morning star a couple of weeks ago.

**gordon_s1942** · 16-07-10, 08:23 PM

I saw a very bright 'star' around 3am in the Eastern sky this morning and by Fernbays times it cant have been Venus.
I am just NW of Sydney here in the Mountains and to me the direction was just a few degrees north of East and it was at about 10 o'clock high in a very dark sky as the waxing Moon had long since set at that hour.
It was too bleedin' freezin to hang about taking angles and all that but it was certainly large and bright.

**Fernbay** · 16-07-10, 08:34 PM

I used the Ipad for the info, with the free app 'planets'. It can use your current location, or you can plug in long/lat

**diavalo13666** · 16-07-10, 08:42 PM

might suss out that app thanks

**trash** · 17-07-10, 01:27 AM

That'll be Mercury. It's about 20 degrees away from the sun (higher) than the rising sun.

It is currently the morning star while venus is the evening star.

**osci** · 17-07-10, 12:55 PM

and later in the evening, Jupiter is in the eastern sky, just as bright as venus in the western sky

btw...thats a great bit of astro phototography diavallo!! I tried to do some a few years, didn't have the best of equipment.

**osci** · 17-07-10, 10:45 PM

diavallo,

You also check out Skynotes from he melbourne planetarium, really good source for finding out whats in the sky at night.

**Skepticist** · 19-07-10, 02:28 AM

It's almost certainly Venus

It causes a stir every couple of years as it reaches peak brightness and the brightest it'll get will be around December 3rd this year rising about 0230 on that day hence it will be the morning star by then.

Current magnitude is -4.12 and Dec 3 magnitude will be -4.66 compared to Saturn 1.1, Jupiter -2.66, Mars 1.43 and Mercury -0.33. Canopus (-0.62) and Sirius (-1.44) would be the brightest actual stars in our sky (excluding the sun of course).

**diavalo13666** · 19-07-10, 06:33 AM

Thanks guys i have been watching it all week now and i must admit has stirred my interest in astronomy

**Learjet** · 19-07-10, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by diavalo13666

Thanks guys i have been watching it all week now and i must admit has stirred my interest in astronomy

Stir it a bit more and point a telescope at it. Venus goes through phases like the moon, from a tiny full disc to a large crescent. You can't see any surface features due to it being covered by cloud, but the phases are interesting just the same.

Venus is so bright you can also see it in broad daylight. You just need to know where to look.