This Week in the Mercury

SOLD OUT

Columns

SOLD OUT

PINO


Back in Black

Film

Back in Black

Here's that Men in Black Sequel You Haven't Been Asking For!



  |  

Friday, April 29, 2011

Astronomy The Planet Saturn Is a Jerk

Posted by Ned Lannamann on Fri, Apr 29, 2011 at 2:14 PM

planets.jpg

Want to see some space stuff? Look up, dummy! Right now there are six planets visible in the dawn sky, according to a report on Space.com:
If you get up any morning for the next few weeks, you’ll be treated to the sight of all the planets except Saturn arrayed along the ecliptic, the path of the sun through the sky.

For the last two months, almost all the planets have been hiding behind the sun, but this week they all emerge and are arrayed in a grand line above the rising sun. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are visible, and you can add Uranus and Neptune to your count if you have binoculars or a small telescope.

So, uh... what the fuck, Saturn? Too good to join our little sky party? (You'll also notice Pluto's not invited because—well, we all know what Pluto did. Let us never speak of it again.)

Over the next couple mornings, take a look eastward. Venus will be the brightest, Jupiter the second brightest. To help you get oriented tomorrow morning, the moon will be right above Venus, and on Sunday it will be hovering above Jupiter and Mars. In related news, the old mnemonic to help you remember the order of the planets, My Very Elegant Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas, has been permanently changed to My Very Elegant Mother Just Upchucked Noisily.

Suck it, Saturn.

 

Comments (3) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment
1
You may not realize, Ned, that Saturn had a romantic interlude with Uranus a while back, which explains why...well, it explains a lot of things.
Posted by Todd Mecklem on April 29, 2011 at 3:06 PM · Report
2
Todd -- So that explains the dark rings around Uranus.
Posted by Rosy on April 30, 2011 at 1:19 PM · Report
3
Rosy: Awwww...you noticed!
Posted by Todd Mecklem on April 30, 2011 at 1:31 PM · Report

Add a comment

Our Friends

Our Enemies

/images/adoftheweek.gif

ad of the day

The Handyman Pro - Your Honey-Do Specialist
Don’t let our name fool you. The Handyman Pro, LLC is a repair and remodel service provider with over 25-years experience. We cover all aspects of construction and repairs for residential and commercial clients.go


post an ad

All contents © Index Newspapers, LLC

115 SW Ash St. Suite 600
Portland, OR 97204

Contact Info | Privacy Policy | Production Guidelines | Terms of Use