The brightest light in sky ?

[Acousticmoose]

Ok this may be a silly question , i know Venus is the brightest body in the sky apart from the moon , but why is it so intense at the moment ?

[triops]

What sort of time are you seeing it? At this time of year, for most of the night, Jupiter is the brightest thing in the sky.

[Acousticmoose]

Thanks for taking the time to reply , the object rises in the SE and sets in the NE sky , its light is stable and doesnt shimmer like a star . is there a possibility of it being a large geostationery sattelite ?

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Acousticmoose

is there a possibility of it being a large geostationery sattelite ?

I guess by definition a geostationary satellite doesn't rise or set, so it can't be!

Jim

[triops]

Its Jupiter. Witheven a birding scope it is possible to make out 2-3 of its moons. For all necessary information about the sky google
Heavens-Above Home Page
a brilliant site.

[Doggle Avaddit]

Download this free application:

Stellarium


It really is amazing and will identify everything in the night sky.
(Apart from sattelites).

[Acousticmoose]

Thanks you lot , though i still find it slightly odd

[Green Man]

Definitely Jupiter - I teach astronomy and can recommend Stellarium as Doggle Avaddit suggests -it'll open a whole new world to the amateur astronomer