# What star is this, in the east? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703 "2007-10-23T15:06:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/21 "2007-10-23T22:22:39Z")
Anytime somebody asks, “Hey, I saw this really bright something in the sky the other day,” the answer is just about always “It was Venus.” ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/22 "2007-10-23T22:30:07Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Can you see it better if you are not looking directly at it? [/QUOTE] Not in my experience. I’ve found it during the day by staring intently at various small sections of the sky, until I happen to choose that bit which contains Venus. The peripheral vision trick seems to be useless when gazing at a bright sky; which makes sense because it’s based on the [increased light sensitivity of rods over cones.](http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/vision/rodcone.html) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/23 "2007-10-24T00:12:51Z")
There are two bright objects to the right of Venus (but they sure don’t seem bright when they’re compared to Venus!). The first is the planet Saturn, the second is Regulus (Alpha Leonis), the brightest star in the constellation Leo. If you have a good telescope, or even good binoculars the planets are quite a sight: Venus looks like a crescent moon, and you should be able to see the rings of Saturn (although the angle of tilt is less than optimal right now). ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/24 "2007-10-24T01:15:15Z")
Where is Venus in its orbit relative to the Earth right now? ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/25 "2007-10-24T01:23:49Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] Does anyone get the idea that “Venus” is going to be the next “‘Rio’ by Duran Duran” meme for this board? [/QUOTE] If somebody thought of it, and someone repeated it, look what it’s done so far! ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/26 "2007-10-24T02:40:07Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] Where is Venus in its orbit relative to the Earth right now? [/QUOTE] If Venus is in the morning, then by definition it must be to the morning-side of the Sun, which means it is further along in its orbit relative to us than we are. It’s pretty high, now, so I’m guessing it is swung out about as far as it gets, and will start appearing to move towards the sun as it gets further ahead of us and heads for a rendevous with the back side of the Sun from us. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/27 "2007-10-24T06:06:54Z")
> [@](#): > > If somebody thought of it, and someone repeated it, look what it’s done so far! Yeah, what’s so amazing that keeps us stargazing, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/28 "2007-10-24T06:45:21Z")
[QUOTE=Lemur866] Anytime somebody asks, “Hey, I saw this really bright something in the sky the other day,” the answer is just about always “It was Venus.” [/QUOTE] Sometimes it gets refracted through swamp gas, which confuses the issue 😉 Now, look at the red light… Flash Umm… ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/29 "2007-10-24T06:54:14Z")
And in the name of teaching the OP how to fish, your most convenient guide to what the hell is that bright thing in the sky is [Sky and Telescope Magazine’s weekly Sky at a glance page](http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance) Scroll to the bottom for where the planets are. > [@](#): > > … > Venus (magnitude –4.6, in Leo) blazes high in the east before and during dawn. Above it are much fainter Saturn and Regulus, as shown at the top of this page. A telescope shows that Venus is at its not-quite-half-lit phase. > … If you have a decent telescope or a really good pair of binoculars laying around, seeing the phases of Venus is really cool. ---
**Author:** ![cantara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6f9a4e/32.png) [@cantara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cantara)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/30 "2007-10-24T14:41:22Z")
Obiligatory link to [Heavens Above](http://www.heavens-above.com/skychart.asp?Y=2007&M=10&D=23&H=7&N=0&Lat=37&Lng=-122&Loc=Santa+Cruz&TZ=PST&SL=on&SN=on&BW=0&SZ=500). This is already set up for Oct 23 7AM at Santa Cruz. Go to the Home page to find out what other objects can be seen, and when (like the [Space Station](http://www.heavens-above.com/PassDetails.asp?SatID=25544&lat=37&lng=-122&alt=0&loc=Santa+Cruz&TZ=PST&Date=39381.0689693847)). Immensely helpful is the ability to go back/forward in time to see the location of various objects, including satellites. I’ve been looking at it to figure out what we’ll be able to see on our vacation to [Tanzania](http://www.heavens-above.com/skychart.asp?Y=2008&M=4&D=2&H=20&N=0&Lat=-3.367&Lng=36.683&Loc=Arusha&TZ=UCTm3&SL=on&SN=on&BW=0&SZ=500) in April next year. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/31 "2007-10-24T15:07:43Z")
[QUOTE=cantara] Obiligatory link to [Heavens Above](http://www.heavens-above.com/skychart.asp?Y=2007&M=10&D=23&H=7&N=0&Lat=37&Lng=-122&Loc=Santa+Cruz&TZ=PST&SL=on&SN=on&BW=0&SZ=500). This is already set up for Oct 23 7AM at Santa Cruz. [/QUOTE] Nice. How do you map that 2-D image onto the 3-D sky? Is it like you’re looking at the inside of a half-sphere whose circumference is the earth’s surface projected onto a circle? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/32 "2007-10-24T15:25:07Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] Does anyone get the idea that “Venus” is going to be the next “‘Rio’ by Duran Duran” meme for this board? [/QUOTE] I’m your fire, at your desire. ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/33 "2007-10-24T16:55:10Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Nice. How do you map that 2-D image onto the 3-D sky? Is it like you’re looking at the inside of a half-sphere whose circumference is the earth’s surface projected onto a circle? [/QUOTE] I use [Stellarium](http://www.stellarium.org/). You can get a great layout of the night sky and even set your laptop screen to red so it won’t hurt your night vision as much. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/34 "2007-10-24T23:48:07Z")
[QUOTE=Lemur866] Anytime somebody asks, “Hey, I saw this really bright something in the sky the other day,” the answer is just about always “It was Venus.” [/QUOTE] Huh, my first guess is usually “The Sun”! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cantara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6f9a4e/32.png) [@cantara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cantara)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/35 "2007-10-25T14:55:03Z")
**John** , yes it is a 2D representation of a 3D dome. You’ll notice that the East and West compass points are backwards on the paper. If you print out the map and then hold it up to the sky so you are looking at the circle from underneath, the compass points should line up. The edge of the circle is the horizon surrounding you. **eerie774** , that looks like a nice program. I’ll take a closer look at it. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/36 "2007-10-25T15:32:03Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] Yeah, what’s so amazing that keeps us stargazing, anyway? [/QUOTE] And what do we think we might see? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/37 "2007-10-25T15:39:08Z")
Rather than start a new thread… Any suggestions from amateur astronomers out there wrt purchasing a nice little telescope? Can I get a good one for a few hundred bucks, and what should I look for? **erie774** : Thanks for the link. I downloaded the program and it looks very cool. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/38 "2007-10-25T21:18:06Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Rather than start a new thread… Any suggestions from amateur astronomers out there wrt purchasing a nice little telescope? Can I get a good one for a few hundred bucks, and what should I look for? **erie774** : Thanks for the link. I downloaded the program and it looks very cool. [/QUOTE] I’d start with a nice pair of binoculars first. With as big objective lenses (the ones at the end) as you can afford. There’s nothing like binocular vision for looking at the solar system, and binoculars are far more portable and easier to wield. Of course, get a nice tripod (or at lease a mono-pod for 'em). ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/39 "2007-10-25T21:49:56Z")
[Holmes?](http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_holmes.html?PHPSESSID=2j5q86i3d476e5do9u2l1mmf15), c/o **Angua** ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/40 "2007-10-25T22:27:29Z")
[QUOTE=Myglaren] [Holmes?](http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_holmes.html?PHPSESSID=2j5q86i3d476e5do9u2l1mmf15), c/o **Angua** [/QUOTE] Well, isn’t _that_ just the neatest thing since sliced bread! The skies are clear here tonight too! Here’s Sky and Telescope on the object: [Sudden Naked-Eye Comet Shocks the Astronomy World](http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/10775326.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703.md?page=3)