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From: dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd)
Newsgroups: net.astro
Subject: StarDate: September 12 Regulus, Mars and the Moon
Message-ID: <698@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 12-Sep-85 02:00:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.698
Posted: Thu Sep 12 02:00:25 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Sep-85 09:36:31 EDT
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 35

Mars appears between a star and the moon tomorrow morning.  More -- in
a minute.

September 12   Regulus, Mars and the Moon

If you're up before dawn tomorrow morning, look for a star, a planet
and the moon near each other in the east -- the crescent moon, the
planet Mars, and the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo.

When you look in the east before dawn, you'll probably notice another
planet before the three objects we just mentioned.  Venus is a very
bright point of light high in the eastern predawn sky.  The old
crescent moon will be closer to the eastern horizon than Venus.  Its
sunlit side will look like a silver bowl.  The planet Mars and the star
Regulus will be very near the moon on Friday -- just above and to the
right of it as you face east.  Mars will be reddish in color -- and
closer to the moon than Regulus.

As you look at these three objects -- the moon, Mars, and Regulus --
remember that in reality they are very far apart.  Sunlight reflected
from moon takes about a second to travel to Earth.  Mars -- now far
across the solar system from Earth -- is about twenty light-minutes
away.  But starlight from Regulus has been coming our way for
eighty-five years.

So these objects are really very far apart -- but they appear close
together on the dome of our sky Friday morning.  You'll need a clear
eastern horizon before dawn to see them.  Look for reddish Mars in
between the thin crescent moon and the bright point of light that is
Regulus.


Script by Diana Hadley.

(c) Copyright 1984, 1985 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin


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