Astro News for 5-4-07

Friday, May 4
The waning gibbous Moon shines near Jupiter and
Antares from about midnight tonight until dawn
Saturday morning.

Saturday, May 5
As the evening grows late, bright Vega climbs well
up in the northeast. Meanwhile Arcturus is shining
very high in the southeast. Look a third of the way
from Vega to Arcturus for the dim Keystone of Hercules.
Look two thirds of the way for the dim semicircle of
Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown.

Sunday, May 6
A small telescope will always show Titan, Saturn's
largest moon. Tonight and tomorrow Titan is three or
four ring-lengths to Saturn's east.

Monday, May 7
How many galaxies have you seen with binoculars? Under
the handle of the Big Dipper are four you can try for
using Gary Seronik's Binocular Highlight chart in the
May Sky & Telescope, page 44. It's much easier to see
such faint targets if you mount your binoculars or
image-stabilize them; here's a cheap and easy way to do so.

Tuesday, May 8
The red long-period variable stars R Corvi and RU Herculis
should be at maximum light (7th or 8th magnitude) this week.

Wednesday, May 9
Venus passes just north (upper right) of the star cluster
M35 in the feet of Gemini.

Thursday, May 10
Last-quarter Moon (exact at 12:27 a.m. EDT on this date).

Friday, May 11
The waning crescent Moon points the way to Mars low in the
glow of dawn on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Saturday, May 12
It's May, so the Big Dipper floats upside
down at its highestin the north after dark.
Face north and look almost straight up.


This Week's Planet Roundup

Mercury is hidden, for now, in the glare of the Sun.
Venus (magnitude -4.2, at the Taurus-Gemini border)
is the brilliant "Evening Star" in the west during
and after twilight. To Venus's lower right, watch
the almost-first-magnitude star Beta Tauri moving
farther downward day by day.
Mars (magnitude +1.0, crossing from Aquarius into
Pisces) is still low in the east-southeast during dawn.
Jupiter (magnitude -2.5, in southern Ophiuchus) rises
around 10 or 11 p.m. daylight saving time and
dominates the south in the hours before dawn.
Saturn (magnitude +0.4, at the Leo-Cancer border)
shines high in the southwest to west during evening.
Uranus (magnitude 6, in Aquarius) is very low in the
east-southeast just before dawn, upper right of Mars.
Neptune (magnitude 8, in Capricornus) is less low
in the southeast just before dawn.
Pluto (magnitude 14, in northwestern Sagittarius) is
not far from Jupiter in the south before dawn.


--
There are those who believe that life here, began out there, far across the
universe, with tribes of humans, who may have been the forefathers of the
Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. Some believe that they may yet be
brothers of man, who even now fight to survive, somewhere beyond the
heavens.


The Lone Sidewalk Astronomer of Rosamond
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
Sidewalk Astronomy
www.sidewalkastronomy.info
The Church of Eternity
http://home.inreach.com/starlord/church/Eternity.html
AD World
http://www.adworld.netfirms.com/