Helping your kid spot Mars this month

[Guest guest]

Hi

 

As u r aware, Mars is this month, the brightest object in the sky, as

it is the nearest to the earth in 60,000 yrs. Some hints to spot it, as

I just calculated (all this is for Bombay). Note that this mail is for

novices, not maestro astroes as most of this List is comprised of :

 

Note all sky-objects move approx at the rate of 30 deg every 2 hrs,

from the eastern to the western horizon (ie 180 deg), to complete 360

deg in 24 hrs. All planets follow approx the same trajectory in the sky

as the Sun does, within a 30 deg band, each way.

 

Also note at Sunset, the nearest bldg from your roof/ window, around

which the Sun is setting, to spot the approx West (& so, opp= the east)

of the sky of your location.

 

Today: Aug 21:

 

At 8 pm: Moon would be exactly rising in the Eastern horizon; Mars

would be exactly overhead.

At 10 pm: Moon would be 30 deg up, Mars would be 120 deg, ie 30 deg

West of overhead.

 

Tomorrow: Aug 22:

 

At 8 pm: Moon would not have risen in the sky (still 30 deg below the

Eastern horizon, as it moves 30 deg in around 2.25 days, as it moves

the entie 360 deg in 27 days); Mars would be exactly overhead.

At 10 pm: Moon would be exactly rising in teh eastern horizon, Mars

would be 120 deg, ie 30 deg West of overhead.

 

With this info, u can extrapolate for other times (2hrs= 30 deg) & even

for other dates in the rest of the month, ie Ma will always be exactly

overhead at 8 pm & Moon would progressively rise later every day by

around 2 hrs. All this, very approx, for this limited period of this

month.

 

For non-Bombay locations, in India, the rising times of the Moon & the

overhead times of Mars may be slightly different, but the relative

location of Moon wrt Mars will be the same, so u can easily visually

adjust & calculate for this.

 

Cheers

 

Nandan

 

______________________

India Promos: Win TVs, Bikes, DVD players & more!

Go to http://in.promos.