Neptune – Page 2 – A Darker View

Mars and Neptune

Tonight and tomorrow night Mars and Neptune will be under a degree apart. But, as the pair is quite low in the sky, this may not be observable. The planets will be 40′ apart tonight, a little closer tomorrow at only 27′ separation. The pair will be 14° above the horizon at sunset. Mars, shining a 1.2 magnitude should be relatively easy to spot. The 8th magnitude Neptune may be too dim to see, even with a telescope, against the bright glow of sunset.

On the evening of February 5th, Mercury will join in to create a trio, just 2° below Mars with Neptune between the two.

Neptune at Opposition

Neptune will pass through opposition at 00:54HST today. Observers will know that opposition places a planet nicely for convenient observation, rising at sunset, transiting near midnight, and setting at dawn.

Neptune Appears in the Dawn

This week will find Neptune emerging from the Sun’s glare to reappear in the dawn. The planet will arrive at opposition on August 24th.

Neptune at Superior Conjunction

Today will see Neptune pass through superior conjunction with the Sun at 09:53HST. The planet will reappear in the dawn during the first weeks of March.

Neptune Slides Into the Sunset

The first week of February will see Neptune slide into the sunset. The planet will pass through superior conjunction on February 19th to re-appear in the dawn during first weeks of March.

Venus and Neptune

Venus will pass about one degree from Neptune on January 12th. The two will be quite close for several days, under 3°, from the 10th to the 15th, with close approach on the 12th. As the two are located high in the evening sky they are well placed for observation. This is an opportunity to find the distant ice giant with no difficulty at all. A telescope is required to see Neptune, at about 8th magnitude Neptune is about 60,000x dimmer than Venus shining at -4 magnitude. Check a chart for proper identification, there are several moderately bright stars in the region to confuse with the dim planet. On the 12th, a 6.9 mag star will directly between the two. The odd green-blue color of Neptune should help distinguish the planet.

Neptune and Triton

Mike Brown did more than give a lecture while in Hawai’i. He just finished a four day observing run using Keck 2 with AO and OSIRIS, as well as gathering data with NIRSPEC. The target? Among other things Mike and his team observed Neptune and the large moon Triton. Triton is thought to be a captured KBO (Kuiper Belt Object). These objects, including well known Pluto, and lesser known, but just as large objects like Eris, Haumea, Makemake and Quaoar, are Mike’s area of expertise.

It is always nice to see a system I help maintain operating well and producing images like this…

Triton and Neptune — A Keck AO / OSIRIS photo of Neptune and the large moon Triton, credit Mike Brown/CalTech