• Mark Alan Lovewell

Planets

Two planets are visible in the early morning well before sunrise and impressive shining amid the light of dawn. The bright planets Jupiter and Venus are in the southeastern sky before sunrise. Venus is the brighter of the two. They are in the Scorpius, one of the southern most zodiacal constellations.

As remarkably close as these two planets appear, their distance from us is staggering. Venus is close, a mere 63 million miles away, closer than the sun at 93 million miles. Jupiter is 539 million miles away.

Venus is speeding away from us while Jupiter is getting closer.

Saturn and Mercury are so close to the sun right now it hard to pinpoint them against the brighting dawn.

In early evening Mars, a fainter red planet, shines alone in the southwestern sky for a short time before setting in the west. Mars is in the zodiacal constellation Pisces. It is the only distinctly red celestial object in that part of the sky.
 

Sunrise and Sunset
Day Sunrise Sunset
Fri., Jan. 18 7:05 4:39
Sat., Jan. 19 7:04 4:40
Sun., Jan. 20 7:03 4:41
Mon., Jan. 21 7:03 4:43
Tues., Jan. 22 7:02 4:44
Wed., Jan. 23 7:01 4:45
Thurs., Jan. 24 7:01 4:46
Fri., Jan. 25 7:00 4:48
Temperatures and Precipitations
Day Max (Fº) Min (Fº) Inches
Jan. 11 36 25 0.00
Jan. 12 31 16 0.00
Jan. 13 29 20 0.00
Jan. 14 33 21 0.00
Jan. 15 35 20 0.00
Jan. 16 35 18 0.00
Jan. 17 42 24 0.00

 

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 35º F

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