Check out the western sky

[Fred Weiss]

Not sure where you can see it from but here in Florida there's a great view of Jupiter and Venus sitting side by side in the western sky. They're not usually so close nor on the same baseline ... it has something to do with the approaching vernal equinox.

 

[James Burke]

Been watching them for the last week or so....cool!



JB

 

[Speedsterbeast]

Yep, same up here in Northern Ontario. If you look about 180 degrees from Venus and Jupiter, you can also see Mars right now too.

 

[bob]

Yep, same up here in Northern Ontario. If you look about 180 degrees from Venus and Jupiter, you can also see Mars right now too.

More like 90 degrees. Or less. Of it were 180 degrees Mars would be well below the eastern horizon.

Apropos of nothing, a trivia question: If you were standing in the middle of a flat plane, no mountains or hills on the horizon, how many rising moons [or suns, they are exactly he same size on the horizon] halfway risen would it take to go completely around that horizon?

Once you figure out the answer to that then you should be able to figure out how long it takes the sun to set when the bottom of its disc just touches the horizon. You should be able to do this in your head once you have the information from the first answer.

 

[Tigertron]

I believe that would be 24 suns and 1 hour.

 

[Jillbeans]

Dammit I was long in bed when this was posted.
But there's a vivid half-moon in the southern sky this morning.
(I thought it was a neighbor's floodlight)
Love....Jill

 

[Locals Find!]

Thanks Fred. Me and the GF were out walking the dogs and noticed them. We knew it had to be something special but, couldn't tell what. Now I know.

I will share this with the kiddos tonight.

 

[bob]

I believe that would be 24 suns and 1 hour.

Not even close...

 

[ucmj22]

Not even close...

Purely on a guess.. I would figure that roughly 360 should do it, and if the sun/moon moves 15 degrees per hour (360º/24hours=15) then it would move 1 degree every 4 minutes... but that doesnt seem right.... considering at least in my head it takes longer than 4 minutes to go from bottom tip to set....

 

[bob]

Purely on a guess.. I would figure that roughly 360 should do it, and if the sun/moon moves 15 degrees per hour (360º/24hours=15) then it would move 1 degree every 4 minutes... but that doesnt seem right.... considering at least in my head it takes longer than 4 minutes to go from bottom tip to set....

Excellent reasoning but your basic assumption, your guess, is wrong. Had it been correct, everything else would have been correct that followed via your calculations.