Astronomy/Star or satelite

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Expert: Steven LJ Russo - 5/23/2007


Question
Hi Steven,
My father has always said that the bright light to the right hand side of the moon(from southern England) is a Satellite and not a star, our family have always agreed, but not everyone agrees.  
Heres hoping you can put us right with the right answer.
Thanks so much for your help
Tamara

Answer
Tamara:

Well, first of all, it makes no difference whether you are viewing from England, New York, or the South Pole.  The Moon moves around the Earth, so it changes its position in the sky from night to night.  So whatever it is next to the Moon, will not be next to the moon the next night.

Satellites move very quickly in the sky, so if a satellite was near the moon one night at lets say 8:00 PM, two seconds later it will NOT be near the Moon, and by 8:01 PM, the satellite would be at the opposite end of the sky.  So a satellite is not the right answer at all.

Now this past Saturday and Sunday, the bright object near the Moon was the Planet Venus.  On Tuesday night, the object near the Moon was Saturn.  On the 30th and 31st, the object near the Moon will be Jupiter.

Steve

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Steven LJ Russo

Expertise

As a space science educator in a planetarium, my work centers around teaching people about the night sky and the solar system. I have a strong background in those areas, plus the history of NASA and spaceflight, and meteorology.

Experience

Experience in the area. I have been an amateur astronomer for 47 years, and have been teachng space science in planetariums for 34 years. For 15 years I was a radio and television meteorologist, and for the past 20 years I have been a space science writer for two newspapers in New York State. I am a member of the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society and the International Planetarium Society. I have had a number of articles published in several astronomy journals, including "The Constellation" and the "Planetarian". Education/Credentials. I hold a B. S. from Wagner College and an M. S. from State University of New York at Oswego. Awards and Honors. I have been awarded the "Fellows" award from the International Planetarium Society for more than 20 years of continuous service in the planetarium field.

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