New Year's resolution

It is taking this long to work on this resolution...I will post each day something about gardening or nature or cooking.

  So New Year's resolution to post something each day.  Here we go.  On my Saturday morning radio show I share information about gardening.  In January it is hard to talk about that.  So a few times I have talked about the night sky and what we can see when we are outside.  This information has given me lots of feed back so I am going to share it with you.  From now till the Feb.20th  we will be able to see 5 planets in the early morning sky.  45 minutes before sunrise.  Here is a map of where to look and the article I read on the radio show.


Headlining the planetary performance are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter.Admission to the daily show is free, though stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere should plan to get up about 45 minutes before sunrise to catch it. City dwellers can stay in their neighborhoods to watch, as long as they point their attention to the east, according to Mr. Kendall.
 
“For Mercury you will need binoculars,” he said. “It will not jump out at you, but everybody should be able to see Venus and Jupiter.”
 
Mr. Kendall said that the hardest task for viewers is discerning the planets from stars twinkling in the sky. But he offered a simple trick: close one eye, stretch out your arm and slowly pass your thumb over a bright dot in the sky. If the dot slowly dims out when your thumb passes over it, it’s a planet. If it quickly blinks out, it’s a distant star.  ok try this close one eye, stretch out your arm and slowly pass your thumb over a bright dot in the sky.  If the dot slowly dims out when your thumb passes over it, it's a planet.  IF it quickly blinks out, it's a distant star.
 
The show was expected to run from Jan. 20 until Feb. 20, but the peak time to see all five is from the end of January until the first week of February, when Mercury is at its highest points, .
 
The sun came up around 7:15 a.m.  So one hour before that you can see this show.  OK let us make the time to have a look.  It will be in the sw to the se sky all along the skyline.  So look south and let me know if you see them or not.  I will be out there the first morning it is clear.  YES it is before the sun comes out, so you will have to get up early.  ENJOY...have a LOOK... Till next time, this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty