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Night Sky for Stoners Thread

Drippy Sally

Well-known member
Let's have discussions about the night sky where you are located! What will we see if we look up where you currently are?

Disclaimer: Most posts will be pasted from somewhere else on the internet for those nit pickers that want to troll about sources.


Planetary alignments aren’t rare — but 6 visible planets are.

Tonight, you can see the Planet Parade of 2025. Here's how to watch and what you need to know:

Four bright planets will be visible with the naked eye — Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. For those with binoculars or a small telescope, Uranus and Neptune also become visible, making six planets accessible at once.

And there's more. Comet ATLAS is now visible as well. After surviving its close encounter with the Sun, the comet has a brightness of around magnitude –3, making it a standout celestial event.

Venus and Saturn appear close together in the West to Southwest during the first couple of hours after dark, while Jupiter will shine high overhead while Mars will rise in the east. A simple way to distinguish a star from a planet is that planets tend to shine steadily while stars twinkle. All these planets align along the ecliptic, an imaginary "clothesline" marking the plane of the solar system.

Mars has a slight red hue, which should help you identify it a little more easily. Jupiter appears as a cream-colored light, shining just 5° from Aldebaran in Taurus.

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Creeperpark

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
Let's have discussions about the night sky where you are located! What will we see if we look up where you currently are?


Planetary alignments aren’t rare — but 6 visible planets are.

Tonight, you can see the Planet Parade of 2025. Here's how to watch and what you need to know:

Four bright planets will be visible with the naked eye — Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. For those with binoculars or a small telescope, Uranus and Neptune also become visible, making six planets accessible at once.

And there's more. Comet ATLAS is now visible as well. After surviving its close encounter with the Sun, the comet has a brightness of around magnitude –3, making it a standout celestial event.

Venus and Saturn appear close together in the West to Southwest during the first couple of hours after dark, while Jupiter will shine high overhead while Mars will rise in the east. A simple way to distinguish a star from a planet is that planets tend to shine steadily while stars twinkle. All these planets align along the ecliptic, an imaginary "clothesline" marking the plane of the solar system.

Mars has a slight red hue, which should help you identify it a little more easily. Jupiter appears as a cream-colored light, shining just 5° from Aldebaran in Taurus.

View attachment 19136709
Very interesting thank you for the post friend.
 

Drippy Sally

Well-known member
BREAKING: Astronomers just released the most accurate view of the Milky Way ever created:

Over 11 years, the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission made three trillion observations of two billion objects, creating a precise 3D map of our galaxy.

Unlike static images, Gaia’s data reveals the Milky Way in motion, showcasing the dynamic history of its stars.
This mission builds on earlier milestones, like the 1989 Hipparcos mission, which mapped 100,000 stars, by expanding our understanding exponentially and confirming the intricate structure of the Milky Way.
Gaia has made groundbreaking discoveries, from identifying fossil spiral arms — remnants of ancient galactic interactions — to uncovering filamentary structures at the galaxy’s edges. It also revealed a wave-like distortion in the galactic disk caused by the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal galaxy.

As Gaia's mission concludes, its final data release in 2030 promises even deeper insights into the Milky Way’s history and evolution, cementing its legacy as a cornerstone of modern astronomy.

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Ringodoggie

Well-known member
Living out here in the SoCal desert, the night skies are awesome. Looking North I get some light pollution from the city but looking South is fucking incredible.

I can see 4 of the lineup super clear with the naked eye. I'll get out the telescope this week and catch the entire lineup.
 

Drippy Sally

Well-known member
On January 25, 2025, skywatchers will witness a rare planetary alignment that will captivate stargazers and astrology enthusiasts worldwide. This celestial event, where Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn align in the night sky, promises a stunning display of cosmic beauty and astronomical significance. Such alignments are infrequent, making this a once-in-a-decade opportunity to witness our solar system's natural choreography.

Experts suggest that this planetary lineup symbolizes renewal and cosmic harmony, sparking interest in astrology, science, and spirituality alike. The alignment will be visible to the naked eye, with optimal viewing conditions in areas with minimal light pollution. Photographers and enthusiasts are encouraged to use telescopes or cameras with long exposures for capturing this awe-inspiring event.
For astrology lovers, this alignment could represent a time of change and opportunities, emphasizing unity, balance, and reflection on personal goals. For astronomers, it’s a chance to educate the public about the mechanics of our solar system.

Make sure to mark your calendars and prepare for a night under the stars. Whether you're a science enthusiast, an avid stargazer, or simply curious, this rare planetary event is not to be missed.

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Drippy Sally

Well-known member
NASA's Perseverance rover recently discovered a unique rock on Mars, nicknamed Freya Castle, characterized by striking black-and-white stripes, resembling a zebra. This finding was made in the Jezero Crater, where the rover has been exploring since its landing in February 2021.

The images of Freya Castle were captured using the rover's high-mounted Mastcam-Z camera. The rover had already moved on from the area by the time the images were received on Earth.
Freya Castle's texture is unlike any previously observed on Mars, leading scientists to speculate that it may have formed through igneous or metamorphic processes, which typically involve the crystallization of magma or changes due to heat and pressure. It measures just 20 cm (8 inches) across and appears to be loose and distinct from the underlying bedrock. The rock may have rolled down from a higher area within the Jezero crater.

Freya Castle is one of several unique geological features identified by Perseverance during its mission. The rover has previously documented various unusual rocks, including light-colored boulders and leopard-spotted formations, all contributing to a growing understanding of Mars' past environments and potential habitability.

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Drippy Sally

Well-known member
Mark your calendars! Here are the details of the eclipses in 2025

1. The year begins with a Blood Moon Eclipse on March 14. A Blood Moon Eclipse is one of the most captivating celestial events. This phenomenon occurs during a total lunar eclipse, when the Earth aligns perfectly between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow over the lunar surface.

This total lunar eclipse will last 3 hours and 38 minutes, starting at 1:09 AM EDT, with the Blood Moon phase lasting for 1 hour and 5 minutes, beginning at 2:36 AM EDT. It will be visible from the Americas, Antarctica, Alaska, northeastern Russia, and parts of Africa.

2. Following the March 14 total lunar eclipse, a partial solar eclipse will occur on March 29. During this event, the Moon will cover up to 93% of the Sun at its peak. The eclipse will last nearly four hours, starting at 4:51 AM EDT, and will be visible from parts of the Americas, western Russia, Europe, and Africa.

3. The third eclipse will be once again a total lunar eclipse on September 7. Visible from Asia, Russia, parts of Africa, Oceania, and Europe, it will last for three and a half hours, beginning at 4:27 PM GMT. This eclipse happens just days after the Moon reaches perigee—its closest point to Earth—making the Moon appear slightly larger in the sky. The total phase of the eclipse will last 1 hour and 22 minutes, longer than the March Blood Moon.

4. The year concludes with a partial solar eclipse on September 21, visible from parts of Antarctica and Oceania. In the Southern Hemisphere, up to 79% of the solar disk will be covered by the Moon.

Happy eclipse watching!

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Wolverine97

Well-known member
Veteran
This past year there have been a lot of cosmic events I've been fortunate to catch. Two really excellent displays of the Northern Lights; reds, pink, green, blue, swirling, morphing and shifting hue (hey that rhymes!)... those were amazing. Saw a bright green comet while coming home from a Modest Mouse show with a head full of acid. One metor shower, and one total solar eclipse! Drove down to be in the path of totality, which was definitely worth the drive. That was maybe the most surreal natural phenomena I have ever seen. Ring of fire.
 
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