Comet 46P Wirtanen best view 12/16, 9-10 PM.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/b...ear-earth-next-week/

Rusty, glad to see you posting.

On March 6th, 2019 at 6:04 PM--

https://bgr.com/2019/03/06/kep...-confirmation-1658b/

One of the earliest exoplanet discoveries was just confirmed!!

Quote:

When it comes to searching for objects outside of our own solar system, sometimes things aren’t always as they first appear. NASA’s Kepler space telescope spent its almost-decade in space searching for distant worlds never before seen by mankind. It found plenty, but some discoveries were easier to verify than others, and the very first exoplanet ever detected by Kepler has only just been confirmed.

When scientists first notice evidence of an exoplanet in data from Kepler or any other telescope,
that data has to be studied closely to see if it is indeed what it appears to be....

If Rusty were here
........ this:
Astronomers use the word conjunction to describe meetings of planets and other objects on our sky’s dome. They use the term great conjunction to describe meetings of the two biggest worlds in our solar system, mighty Jupiter and the glorious ringed planet Saturn. The next great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be on the day of the solstice: December 21, 2020. Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions happen every 20 years; the last one was in the year 2000. But these conjunctions aren’t all created equal. The 2020 great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be the closest since 1623 and the closest observable since 1226! On December 21, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will be only 0.1 degree apart. Some say the pair will look like an “elongated star” on that date. Will they? We’ll have to look and see! They’ll surely be an appealing and mind-expanding sight.

2002’s extra-close Jupiter-Saturn conjunction won’t be matched again until the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of March 15, 2080.

At the 2000 great conjunction, 20 years ago, Jupiter and Saturn were near the sun in our sky and difficult to observe. We’re due for a more observable great conjunction. Jupiter and Saturn are up every evening now – not far from the sunset glare – easily visible and exceedingly noticeable as two bright objects near each other.