The bright star thats shown up.

[HillBill]

I downloaded Stellarium. I looked at the time and direction from my location. It would appear to be Venus on there. If it is then it's the brightest thing barring the sun and moon i have ever seen. The horizon as i see it will be slightly above the real horizon due to the landscape, so it could have risen in the east and moved west. According to Stellarium venus rises with the sun or there abouts and travels accross the sky with it and becomes fully visible an hour or so before sunset. This is probably it. But still i'l be keeping and eye out tonight.

 

[gunslinger]

I wasn't aware this was a conspiracy site? I came on here with the question to clarify what it was. I figured on a forum full of outdoorsmen having some knowledge i do not. I have seen it many times and i hope some on here have also, and can answer my question. But by the sounds of it, it's neither of the planets suggested by people who know more about it than i do.

Just to clarify my last post.
My statemets were general and not aimed at you personally.
Did I say this was a conspiracy site? No I didn't, however on Googling this subject,that is where most of the banter/reports seem to be.

On page 1 I found some of the aforementioned sites including one in Australia with reported sighting of exactly the same thing in 2005.
I will look further today but I for one have heard this several times in the last 10 - 15 years with almost identical descriptions.

A couple of people with considerably more knowledge of astronomy than me have put forward suggestions,which dont involve mysterious planets or TEOTWAWKI.

So I am just saying it might be a bit soon to bring on the dancing zombies.

Disclaimer: This is just my personal opinion and not aimed at any single poster.
GS

 

[Walks with dogs]

I think this may be the ISS. It should be visible about then in the south south west. If you wanted to be sure check www.heavensabove.com .

Venus is visible west south west and will be very very bright. The Sun and moon are the only things brighter in our skies. So if its far and away the brightest thing up there, chances are its Venus.

 

[Walks with dogs]

Sorry, completely forgot to add this very important bit. Venus is where the Zombies are and they are coming to get us! Apparently they are very jealous of our ventile technology as it gets so hot there.

 

[steveme]

None of the planets according to astronomy sites account for it. It doesnt "rise" or "fall", it is visible all night, and can be seen in twilight very early on. The only planet that is aroundup that time is saturn, and saturn is apparently not that bright, and even less bright right now than it normally is.

The star is massively obvious, and far brighter than any celestial object ive seen. I wish i had a telescope!

Can anyone with a clue about astronomy explain what this _extremely_ bright star is?

My cursory look at visible planets and bright stars yeilded nothing like it.



Kind of echo's my own thoughts really.

Saturn reaches opposition tomorrow (feb 24) (mag 0.4, easily visible to the naked eye)

http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/viewing.cfm


The view from Leeds at midnight:

http://www.heavens-above.com/skychart.aspx?SL=1&SN=1&lat=53.806&lng=-1.537&loc=Leeds&alt=0&tz=GMT

 

[EdS]

International Space Station is the brightest thing in the night sky at the moment.

Re: Planet X - used to be a damn fine club in Liverpool, however, I suspect that the toilets could of wiped life on Earth

 

[Armleywhite]

This is extracted from the bottom link i posted dated march 2008 near the bottom.

The title “2012” refers to the date when, according to the Maya calendar, the world as we know it would end.

The Mayans didn't say the world would end in 2012. They predicted events, relative to their existence up to 2012. They considered that others would be around to continue their work after that time. Therefore the world won't end, merely their caendar.

 

[HillBill]

The Mayans didn't say the world would end in 2012. They predicted events, relative to their existence up to 2012. They considered that others would be around to continue their work after that time. Therefore the world won't end, merely their caendar.

That was taken off another site. The mayan calender ends then because it is the end of the cycle. I don't beleive the world will end. I just believe the calender then starts over. the long count marks the passage of the stars. A 26,000 year cycle of the constellations, from galactic allignment to galactic allignment.

 

[Walks with dogs]

Can anyone clarify if the Mayans predicted the end of their own culture? If they didn't see that coming maybe we shouldn't worry unduly.

 

[steveme]

International Space Station is the brightest thing in the night sky at the moment.

for a few minutes as it races across the sky at a quarter past 4 and again at a quarter to 6 in the morning

http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSu...&lat=53.806&lng=-1.537&loc=Leeds&alt=0&tz=GMT

 

[Cobweb]

The 2012 thing is the end of the Mayan calendar. It when the arm of the galaxy passes through the midpoint axis of our galaxy, the stars should change over time.

The Mayans based their calendar on the movements of the stars, the only reason their calendar ends is because the earth has passed the midpoint of the galaxy and if they were still alive and doing their thing, the Mayans would be waiting to see how the constellations change and would make up a new calendar.

The idea that it's the end of the world is a bit silly TBH. There will be enormous change, yes, including more climate change due to the gravitational pull from the crossing. There is talk of the poles swapping so north becomes south and so forth.

Nowt much we can do in all honestly, just chill

As for the freaky star, well I haven't a clue but it's pretty cool

 

[Tengu]

The Mayans were cross eyed so I wouldnt trust their data...

 

[gunslinger]

OK looking out of my window here in sunny (well it was today) Exeter.
There is something bright up there.
So out with the compass and I reckon its 260 degrees so almost west.

Any experts on,is this Venus ??

GS

 

[Draven]

OK looking out of my window here in sunny (well it was today) Exeter.
There is something bright up there.
So out with the compass and I reckon its 250 degrees so almost west.

Any experts on,is this Venus ??

GS

Could you give a rough time mate?

 

[BigShot]

Firstly - Stellarium is a fantastic bit of software. Along with my Aldi-bought spotting scope it's making for some good fun getting started with astonomy. Love it!

Secondly - the ISS wouldn't account for what's been described - the ISS absolutely screams across the sky and is visible for minutes at a time, not hours.

On that point, is the ISS toolbag still visible? I'll have a look for it next time the station is due to cross and I have a clear sky (it's been frustratingly cloudy recently) but I've not seen it on any of the satellite times I've been looking on recently.

 

[gunslinger]

Just checked it again and it is now 275 degrees.

So it is moving. Does Venus move I imagine it does but I am no astronomer.

GS

 

[BigShot]

Gunslinger - everything natural in the sky moves, even the "exception" - the pole star - moves very slightly as it isn't directly above the rotational axis of the earth.
The only things that will stay totally still if you can see them are geostationary satellites (think along the lines of GPS satellites and Sky TV).

Planets don't move in the same way as the stars do and over time will shift in relation to the stars in the background.

I've just set my copy of Stellarium to view from Devon (Bodmin to be precise as it was in the list of pre-set locations) and it shows Venus at 275 degrees, about 15 degrees above the horizon.

 

[Draven]

Just checked it again and it is now 275 degrees.

So it is moving. Does Venus move I imagine it does but I am no astronomer.

GS

An easier to answer question would be "does venus move across the sky" though either way, the answer is yes. Absolutely everything moves in the night sky, except satellites in a geostationary orbit. The most obvious movement is due to our rotation (such as the sun rising and setting) and the less obvious movements are due to our orbit, and the objects orbit. If it's not within our solar system, then its movement is not as easy to describe, but still predictable.

I took a gander at stellarium and that is Venus, yes.

 

[Draven]

Beaten to it

 

[gunslinger]

Could you give a rough time mate?

Roughly 5,30 to 6,00

GS