Star?

[kathyk86]

For a while there has bee something in the sky that's really bright and twinkling but I can't figure out what star it is or if it's a star at all...someone I know said they thought they heard something about some space station or something and that maybe that was what I saw??? I went outside with a constellation map and found that it's in the general area of Auriga. A couple of evenings ago I was outside and all I could see in the sky were Mars and that other thing...So can anyone tell me what it is cuz it's been bugging me for a while.
Thanks

[Planetwatcher]

Possibley Betleguise (pronounced bettle juice) if it's low in the south and possibley near Orion.

[kathyk86]

I think it's more in the north.

[DippyHippy]

For us to nail this, we'd really need to know your location and the time you're seeing the star... then one of us can have a look on some planetarium software

[kathyk86]

Sorry about that...I'm in New Hampshire.

[DippyHippy]

What time at night do you see it?

[kathyk86]

Oooh, um, about 8 or 9ish? I don't know.

[DippyHippy]

Wellllllllllllll... if it's not moving, then it's not the space station...

Are you sure it's not Saturn? That's in Gemini... it appears as a yellowy "star" below Auriga at about the time you say...

[Menikmati]

Saturn is out and twinkles too, could be that. Kathyk86 if you don't mind me asking were in new hampshire do you live? I live in new hampshire as well...I live in newmarket.

[kathyk86]

I'm in Concord, but why would Saturn twinkle? I thought planets didn't twinkle? It looks like it's above Auriga and it's twinkling w/a whole bunch of colors...not just yellow (unless I'm just seeing things).

[kathyk86]

Anybody got anymore suggestions to what it could be? Maybe it's just Capella and I'm just making a mountain out of a mole hill about it!! I dunno...I haven't gotten around to going out and taking another look with my map yet...I'll try to remember to check it out tonight when I bring out the garbage!

[Fraser]

Go to Skymaps.com, and grab this month's sky chart. That should help you figure out exactly what you're looking at.

[Planetwatcher]

Last night I was watching Jack Horkimer's Stargazer.
He mentioned Venus as being extreamly bright. It appears high in the southwest about fifteen minutes after sunset, and I suppose it would set between 8 and 9 PM in the evening.
Could that be your star?

[DippyHippy]

Planetwatcher, Venus would be in the west whereas Auriga would be in the east... plus I'm afraid Venus is nowhere near Auriga at the moment anyway...

It's not Saturn either if it's *above* Auriga.

[kathyk86]

I'm starting to think that this is all a false alarm and that maybe it isn't above Auriga but in it...I'm starting to think that it's just Capella that I'm seeing. I was going to check it out tonight but I can't cuz it's overcast (stupid New England weather).

[Prime]

Perhaps an Atlas would help;
http://anzwers.org/free/universe/
Prime

[FVAS]

Capella is the star you are talking about, especially if as you say it is flashing all kinds of colors, and is located within the constellation Auriga. In Gemini you'll find the planet Saturn. And to the west in the early evening very bright and low on the Horizon just after sunset you'll see Venus.

Capella has fooled many a person, so much so that some have even thought it to be a UFO. And even found those assumptions to land squarely in newspapers.

Hope this helps?

Paul Greenhalgh
Fraser Valley Astronomers Society
British Columbia Canada
www.fvas.net

[Cheri13]

[COLOR=green]I'm in California, so I'm not sure how helpful I can be, but it sounds like Calpella to me. Venus is in a different part of the sky and Saturn, I think, would be just to the south.

[kathyk86]

Okay, so maybe this was all a false alarm...I just don't remember Capella flashing all those funny colors other times that I've seen it. Plus there was that one night when there wasn't a visable thing in the sky except Mars and that multi-colored twinkling thing. Thanks for the help.
-Kathyk86

[Dave Mitsky]

Look up prismatic dispersion, scintillation, and "seeing".

Dave Mitsky

[aknelks]

I'm glad I found this forum. I was looking at the same thing tonight and couldn't figure out what the heck it was! It is twinkling like crazy and flashing different colors. I'm in Las Vegas, it's 9 pm, and its in the south/southeast.....Is this Capella?

[Dave Mitsky]

Originally posted by kathyk86@Nov 29 2003, 04:13 PM
I'm in Concord, but why would Saturn twinkle? I thought planets didn't twinkle? It looks like it's above Auriga and it's twinkling w/a whole bunch of colors...not just yellow (unless I'm just seeing things).

Planets do indeed twinkle when they are close to the horizon and the seeing (atmospheric steadiness) is very bad.

Dave Mitsky

[Dave Mitsky]

Originally posted by aknelks@Dec 4 2003, 06:06 AM
I'm glad I found this forum. I was looking at the same thing tonight and couldn't figure out what the heck it was! It is twinkling like crazy and flashing different colors. I'm in Las Vegas, it's 9 pm, and its in the south/southeast.....Is this Capella?

Capella will be in the east. Perhaps it is Aldebaran (which should look orange or orange-red) or Fomalhaut.

Dave Mitsky

[kathyk86]

About the planets twinkling thing...I was walking home from a club meeting at school this evening and I think I did see Venus...and it was twinkling.

[jimmy]

I asked the twinkling question a while back, see page 3 of the questions and answers section. Venus, do planets twinkle.

[zephyr46]

I saw it, It was driving me nuts, because as you who saw it will have noticed, It twinkles, but, I am in Canberra, what saw was following the sun, but visable long after it had set, and was brighter than Sirus, for the amaturs out there, the brightest star. Orion is rising in the east (over mount Ainslie, where I live).

Mars is visable, but the light polution makes any other stars in the west imposable to see with out a telescope.

To let myself sleep, I settled for Saturn, though it wasn't that bright the last time I look at it, and Juipiter was within five degrees or so of it.

Venus, though as been obvious, if it is venus, It's very bright.

As far as twinkiling goes, I can only guess it's atmospheric

Capella will be in the east. Perhaps it is Aldebaran (which should look orange or orange-red) or Fomalhaut.

could be, but again, it's brighter Than Sirius

Concams

Not very clear, or in colour, but helpful.

My money is on
Venus

Because it is smack bang in the middle of scorpio and sagitarius ( My favourites )

*sigh* too bad it's not a supernova.

[jimmy]

If it's brighter than Sirius, and in the western sky at about sunset, it has to be Venus. At least here in the southern U.S. it is.