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Rather odd "star" the other morning

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  • #1

    Rather odd "star" the other morning

    Maybe some astronomers can help me with this.

    The other morning (about 6am) when I was walking the dogs I noticed an extremely bright star - it was blueish in color. It was to the southeast and if you looked at Orion's belt (the only constellation I know) and drew a line form the belt to eh ground (as if the belt was pointing) it would be close to the halfway point to the ground.

    At first I thought it was moving but it didn't seem to move. It was extremely bright - far brighter than any star in the sky (second in brightness only to the moon).

    When I was out this morning, it wasn't there.

    Anyone know what this might have been? A satellite would move across the sky, right? Planets keep similar positions each night (maybe moving, but not "there one night, gone the next", right?)
    Quote Dalesys:
    ... as in "Ifn thet dawg comes at me, Ima gonna shutz ma panz!"
    Tags: None
  • #2
    That was Venus you were looking at. :-)

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    • #3
      Yep. That's Venus.
      Ridiculous 2009 Predictions: Evil Queen will beat Martha Stewart to death with a muffin pan. All hail Evil Queen! (Some things don't need elaboration.....) -- Jester

      Ridiculous 2010 Predictions: Evil Queen, after escaping prison for last years prediction, goes out and waffle irons Rachel Ray to death. -- SG15Z

      Ridiculous 2011 Prediction: Evil Queen will beat Gordon Ramsay over the head with a cast-iron skillet. -- FireHeart

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      • #4
        Really? There and then not there the next time (at the same time, though)?

        I didn't know they moved that much.

        I also thought Venus would have had a more yellowish hue.
        Quote Dalesys:
        ... as in "Ifn thet dawg comes at me, Ima gonna shutz ma panz!"

        Comment

        • #5
          Oh wait, no, that's not Venus. That's Rigel. It's actually part of the Orion constilation and is considered to be one of the brightest stars in the sky.





          Edit: Either that or the International Space station. Supposedly you can see it and it's supposed to move at a pretty good clip.
          Last edited by Evil Queen; 09-12-2009, 01:50 AM.
          Ridiculous 2009 Predictions: Evil Queen will beat Martha Stewart to death with a muffin pan. All hail Evil Queen! (Some things don't need elaboration.....) -- Jester

          Ridiculous 2010 Predictions: Evil Queen, after escaping prison for last years prediction, goes out and waffle irons Rachel Ray to death. -- SG15Z

          Ridiculous 2011 Prediction: Evil Queen will beat Gordon Ramsay over the head with a cast-iron skillet. -- FireHeart

          Comment

          • #6
            Quoth Evil Queen View Post
            Edit: Either that or the International Space station. Supposedly you can see it and it's supposed to move at a pretty good clip.
            You can, and it does. I love trying to see it anytime it's over my house.
            "Eventually, everything that you have said becomes everything you will ever say." Eireann

            My pony dolls: http://equestriarags.tumblr.com

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            • #7
              EQ - it wouldn't be Rigel. This was in-line with the belt (almost) - that would mean it was either the top star in the bow (which I don't think it was) if the constelation was upside down.

              The ISS moves too fast to be considered stationary.
              Quote Dalesys:
              ... as in "Ifn thet dawg comes at me, Ima gonna shutz ma panz!"

              Comment

              • #8
                I always thought Orion's constellation was supposed to look like a sword.
                You really need to see a neurologist. - Wagegoth

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                • #9
                  I saw that star too, a while back. I figured it was one of those planets you don't see unless it's a certain time in the morning, or something.

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                  • #10
                    i asked my mom she said it was most likely a planet (shes a science teacher)

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      The star you saw was Sirius.



                      It is extremly bright, surprisingly so if you've never seen it before. Depending on where you are, it may not be up for long before the sun comes out.

                      If you look further to the left of Sirius, you'll see Venus, which is even brighter. Mars is just under the moon, hidden by it's glare. All this is between 5 and 7 AM.

                      If you're out at around midnight, look south, and the brightest 'star' would be Jupiter; it'll be about two fist widths up from the horizon.


                      If you want to learn more about where objects in the sky are, I'd suggest downloading Stellarium. Be sure to set your location properly, or the sky will be wrong.

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                      • #12
                        The dog star? Yes, that would be the brightest star in the sky alright.

                        I used to use a program called Starry Night. It was great but isn't supported on Linux.
                        Ridiculous 2009 Predictions: Evil Queen will beat Martha Stewart to death with a muffin pan. All hail Evil Queen! (Some things don't need elaboration.....) -- Jester

                        Ridiculous 2010 Predictions: Evil Queen, after escaping prison for last years prediction, goes out and waffle irons Rachel Ray to death. -- SG15Z

                        Ridiculous 2011 Prediction: Evil Queen will beat Gordon Ramsay over the head with a cast-iron skillet. -- FireHeart

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          That pic shows that it could have been Sirius - but I didn't see it the next day (eh, maybe a small cloud was covering it?).

                          Edit: I just walked the dogs and it was there again. I guess a smal cloud was covering it the other night.
                          Last edited by draggar; 09-14-2009, 10:30 AM.
                          Quote Dalesys:
                          ... as in "Ifn thet dawg comes at me, Ima gonna shutz ma panz!"

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Quoth Evil Queen View Post
                            The dog star? Yes, that would be the brightest star in the sky alright.

                            I used to use a program called Starry Night. It was great but isn't supported on Linux.
                            what exactly does Starry Night do?

                            And how can one track the international space station and maybe see it in the sky....
                            https://www.youtube.com/user/HedgeTV
                            Great YouTube channel check it out!

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                            • #15
                              Quoth telecom_goddess View Post
                              And how can one track the international space station and maybe see it in the sky....
                              Heavens-Above has some very accurate timings for the ISS, and other satalites. Can even set your location using a Google map applet-thing.

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