Hi everybody

Here's the latest article from the Astronomy site at BellaOnline.com.

Jupiter
One planet in the Solar System dominates the others, so it's fitting that it's named for Jupiter, the king of the Roman gods. Jupiter has moons galore and monster storms, and it spins so fast that its day is only ten hours long.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art38645.asp

I haven't been able to be at my computer for the past week, so I don't have much news for you this week. But I will say that the new article on Jupiter is in honor of Jupiter's being at its closest to Earth for 47 years. There will be a "kids" article on Jupiter on Friday.

Jupiter was at opposition last night (September 21). Any planet from Mars outward at opposition is at its closest to Earth. This is when the planet, the Earth and the Sun are all lined up.

If you missed it, don't worry. Jupiter is still a brilliant night sky object and will stay that way for some while. Tonight you should be able to find it near the the full moon.

It's the autumn equinox today. Here is more information on this and why we have seasons.

Why Planets Have Seasons
For people living outside the tropics, June 21st is the longest or shortest day of the year, a solstice. It marks the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere. But why do we have seasons? And do other planets have them?

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art54046.asp

That's all for this week.  Wishing you clear skies.

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Mona Evans, Astronomy Editor
http://astronomy.bellaonline.com

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