Dr Hoselton's Physics Pages

Each horizontal division above represents 10-degrees on the sky or 40 minutes in time. To find out which, if any, planets are currently due south of you (for northern hemisphere residents) follow these steps. Find the Sun symbol. The Sun will be directly south at local high noon. If the time is before noon, count the number of 40-minute periods until noon and move that many divisions to the right of the Sun sign on the sky chart. If the time is after noon, count the number of 40-minute periods since noon and move that many divisions to the left of the Sun sign on the sky shart. Some planets are visible during the day, Venus and Mars, are possible. Some have reported seeing Mercury, but it is awfully close to the Sun and eye injuries are possible anytime you view the sky while the Sun is still visible. On the other hand, the Moon, which is easy to see during the daylight, is seldom noticed. With a little effort you can be one of the few to see a planet during the day. Try Venus when it is at its maximum distance from the Sun. The next date for the maximum elongation of Venus is November 3, 2005. On that date, Venus will be about 45-degrees East of the Sun. So, at about 3pm to 4pm local time it should be nearly due south and as high in the sky as the Sun was at noon. (March 25, 2006, June 9 and October 28, 2007) All the planets shown here are visible on a clear night when they are far enough away from the Sun. Planets close to the Sun and to the right can be seen above the eastern horizon just before sunrise. Those close to the Sun and to the left can be seen above the western horizon just after sunset. Objects 18 divisions left or right of the Sun will be due south at midnight.