Feel like looking up again, if skies are clear (and dark)?

Would you be able to see Jupiter in the southern hemisphere, Gail?

No, sorry. I made the terrible assumption that we all live in the mid latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Check out http://astronomy.com and http://sky&telescope.com for star maps of southern hemisphere.

Ooh, thankyou very much. I only asked because there was a very bright orange spot in the sky last night and I wasn’t sure if it’d be the same in both hemispheres. I’ll have to find out what it was and get my telescope out tonight :)

I have moved to a city since the last time we had to look to the skies. :-/

@shrub: here’s a map of southern hem. You could have been seeing Mars – check the map for your latitude or call a local observatory or ast. dept at a university.

http://www.skymaps.com/skymaps/tesms0807.pdf

back on for a sec :^)

The stars at night aren’t big or bright in cloudy ‘ol Arizona. :^(

I’ll have to console myself with Audubon’s Guide.

Thanks gail, I shall check it out

edit: http://www.skyandtelescope.com

I miss using my 10.1” Dobsonian mount reflector. I’m afraid all I can make out through all the smoke is a reddish-orange half moon. So what’s the point of hauling it out? The sky is so depressing here in NorCal.

Ah, Knotmyday is Arizona generally cloudy (as in more cloudy then other places) because there’s a song called ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’ by the Orb and at the beginning a woman is talking about ‘little fluffy clouds’ and she mentions she lives in Arizona…just an aside thing that’s interested me.

@all: several more days of this view; moon is full on July 18 – maybe there will be some clear skies before then. And then Jupiter will be around all month (I think since am doing this from memory. Monthly sky charts are wonderful when certain people get really bored and want to do something other than hang out, bar hop, watch movies or bug the collective.)

Auntie G: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids#2008

NIki: I get the astronomy news flashes but appreciate your interest…We tried last year (before you joined) to see them, but it was either cloudy or a mediocre meteor shower. (Happy to welcome you to the nephettes’ club.)