Clueless Astronomy Novice Needs Help.

[Asylum]

[delurk mode]
I was just reading the bulletin boards a few minutes ago when I got the urge to step outside and poison my lungs. I happened to look up at the moon and noticed a star underneath and slightly to the right of it and I got curious a little curious.

I'm pretty much a novice in terms of astronomy. So my question is what star is it? I'm not sure if it matters but I'm in MD. I'm guessing it's a planet because I could see it while standing in the brightly lit courtyard of my campus library. Any help would be appreciated.

And while I'm at it, is there a website I go to help me more easily identify stars in the sky?

Love the new board BA.
[/delurk mode]

[The Bad Astronomer]

I think what you are seeing is Jupiter. It loks pretty much the same from anywhere on the planet, so being in Maryland doesn't matter (except that it's too hazy there most of the time).

Try http://www.heavens-above.com. Put in your latitude and longitude and you can use it to see what planets are up, and what satellites are visible too.

[Wally]

On 2001-11-05 22:33, The Bad Astronomer wrote:
I think what you are seeing is Jupiter. It loks pretty much the same from anywhere on the planet, so being in Maryland doesn't matter (except that it's too hazy there most of the time).

Try http://www.heavens-above.com. Put in your latitude and longitude and you can use it to see what planets are up, and what satellites are visible too.

Are you sure it was Jupiter Phil? Thought I read in the Nov. issue of Astronomy that the moon was to have a close pass with Saturn right around this part of the month. . . Been awhile since I read that issue though, so I could be wrong.

[Mr. Wree]

It was Jupiter and it occured in Gemini.

[Kaptain K]

It was Jupiter (I saw it at 12:50AM CST). The Saturn encounter was two days earlier.