Venus Brightness, Lunar Eclipse on Solstice

Early Saturday morning at about 6:00am December 18, 2010, happened to be out and see Venus very bright and high in the eastern sky. Had never seen Venus so unusually bright, especially here in Boston with all the light pollution.

Many things seemed to be "just so" for this.

• It was a cloud free and cold morning.
• Winter seeing tends to be better than summer - espcially near the ocean or other large bodies of water which generate humidity.

Venus is near greatest brilliancy the first week of December 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspects_of_Venus

Saturday morning probably had a greater number of city lights out around Boston.

Venus is very far above the eastern horizon (Its height in sky and phase are closely related.) in darker regions of the sky. And this is enhanced due to the earth's axis being maximally tilted due to closeness to winter solstice (first day of winter, longest day of year).

Maybe more significant, early morning December 21, 2010 was a total lunar eclipse on the winter solstice, which only happens every 372 years, and thus last happened in 1638... Galileo's time.

Saturn, Mars and Venus are in Conjunction July 2010

It is July 2010 and a great time to see Saturn, Mars and Venus. They are in the constellation Gemini near Pollux and Castor, and Regulus in Leo - if that means much to you.

Just after sunset (the sun sets in the West by the way) look directly West and there should be bright stars that are "not quite right". Mars and Venus are both reddish and disks (not a point source of light like a star) and will not really twinkle (at least will twinkle less than a star). Saturn is a little harder to find, but with binoculars it should look like an enlongated disk. As the evening progresses these will all set following the sun.

It is difficult to find the moons of Saturn, but one can look for maps and try to find them
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/3308506.html
Saturn's moons are not as easy to find as Jupiter's moons which are on a line with Jupiter.

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/planet-triple-play-venus-mars-saturn-100602.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0602/Rare-sky-show-Saturn-Mars-and-Venus-appear-together-this-week

http://www.jackstargazer.com/
(look for July 2010 episodes)
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance
(look for July 2010 editions)