Answers to Astronomy Questions

Question:

What is the very bright star we see in the southern sky each evening? We live in Cherry Valley and I love to look at the sky about every evening and try to imagine what is out there. However I am a novice and am happy to run on to your web site. (from Glen Van Fossen)

Answer:

The bright object you see in the evening, when you are facing South, is probably Jupiter. It is the brightest object in the night sky (next to the moon) right now. If you have a pair of binoculars, try looking at it. If they are at least 7 X 50, you should see the four Galilean moons. You will need to hold the binocs steady, though. Some have a threaded hole on the bottom and you can connect them to a tripod. If not, just hold them against something like a pole or the corner of a building. The important number on the binocs is the second number. This is the diameter of the front lenses in millimeters. The ones mention above have a 50mm objective. The first number is the magnification. The smaller the magnification, the more sky you see, but of course, the smaller the objects look. If you have too much magnification for the objective, the objects appear very dark and hard to see.

Return to Beginner's homepage