(11-18-2020, 08:41 PM)homebiscuit Wrote:

(11-18-2020, 08:36 PM)Jags Wrote: Let me ask you this, when I look to the East, I see a fairly bright reddish “star”.  Is that mars?  The moon appears to be to the south or a touch southeast.  I have woods in that direction.  But the last few nights I’ve been admiring this pretty red thing East-ish.

That is Mars. A rule of thumb to tell the difference between stars and planets is stars twinkle, planets do not.

Mars gets its reddish hue from iron oxides in its soil. Rust.

I’m glad I correctly identified it for my wife.  That is just awesome to be able to see it with the naked eye. Call me crazy, but I don’t see the “twinkle” in stars.  Perhaps too much light pollution?   I can only see a few stars where I’m at.  And I feel I see jupiter almost all the time.  The brightest thing I can see and it’s not toward the north.

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