Mars

[Sue]

I realise it's not now at its closest, but I still want to see it.

Can anybody suggest a good viewing spot and time, assuming there's a clear sky?

I can't see it from either the front or back of my house.

Somewhere that's not scary for me to go by myself at night, ie on a street not the top of One Tree Hill :)

[DuncanW]

There's an excellent App called SkyView. It overlays a map of the night sky over the view from your camera. So if you align your camera over a heavenly object such as the moon, a planet or a star, the overlay will tell you what you are looking at.

I think that Mars rises in the south east and sets in the south west, so a south facing vantage point should provide a view; eg East Dulwich Road facing back across Peckham Rye. It appears around sunset, looks pretty much like a star but should not twinkle in the same way.

Of course London has quite strong light pollution making it harder to see anything. Also, tonight is forecast to be cloudy...

[Sue]

Thanks DuncanW, I have SkyMap on my phone.

However I have recently discovered that my current mobile doesn't have a compass (magnetometer?) so I'm not sure whether SkyView will work.

In fact, I've just looked it up and got a message "Your device isn't compatible with this version".

GRRRRR. Thanks anyway.

I'll try your suggestion re East Dulwich Road. On a clear night.

It was really clear on Sunday night, I was amazed. I couldn't remember seeing so many stars/planets from London since I was a kid.

Still couldn't see Mars though, from where I was looking :(

[rendelharris]

You're an habitue of the Ivy house, aren't you Sue? That's oriented due north-south so if you went up on their roof terrace and looked away from the road you'd likely get a good view - at the moment Mars comes over the horizon just before nine and is highest (and due south) just after midnight.

[Sue]

rendelharris Wrote:

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> You're an habitue of the Ivy house, aren't you

> Sue? That's oriented due north-south so if you

> went up on their roof terrace and looked away from

> the road you'd likely get a good view - at the

> moment Mars comes over the horizon just before

> nine and is highest (and due south) just after

> midnight.

Hey, thanks! That's really helpful!

I didn't know they had a roof terrace though? Is that part of the accommodation above the pub? I'd have to persuade somebody to let me go up there, I don't think it's open to the public!

[rendelharris]

Sue Wrote:

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> I didn't know they had a roof terrace though? Is

> that part of the accommodation above the pub? I'd

> have to persuade somebody to let me go up there, I

> don't think it's open to the public!

Ah maybe, I've just seen it from the street but never asked if I could go up! But for a valued customer...

[peckman]

Go up there sue ! Go on ! It's a great view just done let graham catch you !

[Sue]

peckman Wrote:

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> Go up there sue ! Go on ! It's a great view just

> done let graham catch you !

:)) :)) :))

[yeknomyeknom]

I so wanted this to be about chocolate.

[Sue]

yeknomyeknom Wrote:

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> I so wanted this to be about chocolate.

Sorry! :)) :)) :))