Download a free trial copy of
Starry Night Backyard and explore the night sky yourself.
SPACE.com offers convenient online ordering 24 hours a day, every day.
“Starry Night is an excellent
aid for exploring the heavens...a superb, well documented program that
will transform you into an expert in no time.”
--ZDNet, 5 star rating
"There are few experiences as invigorating as being out in the countryside standing under a canopy of star on a still night. Starry Night conveys that feeling better than any other desktop planetarium"
--New York Times
StarGazer
Each week most PBS stations air Star
Gazer with Jack Horkheimer, the world's first and only weekly TV series
on naked-eye astronomy. The images on this page illustrate the show for
the week of Monday,
April 24, 2000.
The Big Planetary Lineup Brou-Ha-Ha! You Won't Even Get Your Feet Wet!
On May 3 and May 4, none of the naked-eye planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter & Saturn) are visible from sunset to sunrise, something that hasn't happened in 38 years. This image shows why: all 5 planets are on the opposite side of the sun from the earth, so they will only be above the horizon during the daytime, when the sun's light renders them invisible.
On May 17, the 5 naked-eye planets are even closer together, all in a narrow 20-degree angle.
However, the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) do not line up with the other 5, as seen in this view (also on May 17).
