Three Planets and the Moon at Dawn

[orion25]

Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and the Moon have made some interesting apparitions over the past few mornings. Fortunately, I got a clear spell and was able to get some nice shots of the celestial lineup:

 

Clear skies!

Reggie  

Edited April 16, 2020 by orion25

[Guest]

Can any planetary observing be done in the early morning sky, or is it best to wait till the planets are high in the night sky?

[Peter Drew]

Planets are best observed when high in the sky, be it morning or night.  Early morning seeing is often very good compared to evening.  Planets above 30 degrees elevation start to show at their best.    😀

[orion25]

I agree with Peter; they are best observed when high above the horizon whether morning or night to minimize the effect of atmospheric turbulence.

Regards,

Reggie  

Edited April 16, 2020 by orion25

[CraigT82]

14 hours ago, merlin100 said:

Can any planetary observing be done in the early morning sky, or is it best to wait till the planets are high in the night sky?

It's best to observe planets as often as possible! You never know when you'll catch good seeing and can get surprisingly nice views even when they're low down sometimes 

Edited April 17, 2020 by CraigT82

[Guest]

Unfortunately, I live in a town and am surrounded by houses.  So I'll need to wait till they are a bit higher in the sky.

[Stu]

28 minutes ago, merlin100 said:

Unfortunately, I live in a town and am surrounded by houses.  So I'll need to wait till they are a bit higher in the sky.

It is a bit of a challenge, even at Opposition they don’t get any higher than about 16 or 17 degrees. Mars is better at 44 degrees this year in October.

[orion25]

12 hours ago, CraigT82 said:

It's best to observe planets as often as possible! You never know when you'll catch good seeing and can get surprisingly nice views even when they're low down sometimes 

Good point, Craig  

[Pete Presland]

Nice collection there Reggie, they certainly do look quite a sight in the morning at the moment

[orion25]

4 hours ago, Pete Presland said:

Nice collection there Reggie, they certainly do look quite a sight in the morning at the moment

Thanks, Pete. They are nice to wake up to, lol