Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Mars is looking big

I went for a walk after dark tonight and noticed a bright orange spot in the sky.  I assumed it was Mars due to the color, but I was struck by how large it looked.  It's usually smaller, but at the moment, it looks at least as big as Jupiter.  I'm guessing Earth and Mars are currently on the same side of the sun.

Then again, it could be artificially large due to alien activity.  Hmm...  :o

Only a few astronomical objects were visible.  Summer nights around here are usually very humid, and that limits visibility.  Lots of racket, too, from insects and bullfrogs.  Didn't hear any nightjars, though, which is a shame, because I enjoy hearing the Chuck-Will's-Widow.

For those of you who like sky-watching, or think you might like it, I recommend the Stellarium program.  It's free, and it's awesome.  Tells you what you're looking at in real time.

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