Sunday 3.10.10

Sensational starlit sky tonight as I returned from work. Dog and I took a stroll up the track to take it all in away from even our minimal lighting. One very bright planet in the south east - could it be Jupiter?
"Jupiter has now risen in the east after sunset and, at magnitude -2.9, will be well seen for much of the night. By month's end it is due south and highest in the sky at about 9:30 GMT (the clocks will have gone back by then!). It well worth observing with a telescope, as Jupiter has (presumably temporarily) lost its South Equatorial Belt and at the same time, the Great Red Spot has intensified its colour so is now standing out very well! A small telescope will easily pick up Jupiters four Galilean moons as they weave their way around it."*

Oh, for a small telescope.

All we could do was stare and listen to the spheres singing.**

*www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/astronomy/nightsky
**"There is music in the spacing of the spheres." -- PYTHAGORAS (6th C. B.C.)