Astro News

Friday, May 25
When the stars begin to come out in twilight at
this time of year, Vega is at the same height
in the northeast as Capella is in the northwest.
These are the brightest stars in the May evening
sky-along with Arcturus very high in the southeast.

Saturday, May 26
With Bootes high overhead in the evening, now's a
fine time to check in on the semiregular red
variable star V Bootis using big binoculars or
a small scope.

Sunday, May 27
Look for Spica only about 2° from the waxing gibbous
Moon (as seen from North America).

Monday, May 28
The Big Dipper is very high overhead these evenings.
When the stars come out it lies upside down almost
horizontally (face north), then within two hours
it twists around to hang straight down by its
handle (face northwest).

Tuesday, May 29
It's still spring, but the Summer Triangle is up in the
east by about 11 p.m. daylight saving time. Its top star
is Vega, which dominates the high eastern sky. Deneb is
the brightest star to Vega's lower left (by 2 or 3
fist-widths at arm's length). Look even farther to Vega's
lower right for Altair on the rise.

Wednesday, May 30
Venus is 4° south (lower left) of Pollux. It's also
less than 3/4° from fainter Kappa Geminorum (magnitude 3.6).

The brightest asteroid, 4 Vesta, is at opposition.
It's shining at an unusually bright magnitude 5.4 - distinctly visible to
the unaided eye in a good sky - not far from Jupiter. This is the brightest
that Vesta has become for 18 years.

Thursday, May 31
Full Moon (exact at 9:04 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time).
This is the second full Moon in May for the time zones
of the Americas, so it's called a Blue Moon. In the time
zones of Europe and Asia, June will be the month that
gets two full Moons.

Antares twinkles above the Moon during evening and
Jupiter shines farther to its left.


This Week's Planet Roundup

Mercury (about magnitude 0) is usually elusive, but
right now it's having a fine apparition in evening
twilight. Don't miss it! Look for Mercury low in
the west-northwest about an hour after sunset,
far to the lower right of bright Venus.

Venus (magnitude -4.3, in Gemini) is the brilliant
"Evening Star" in the west during and after twilight.
Pollux and Castor are lined up above it at the
beginning of the week, and to its right by June 2nd.
In a telescope, Venus appears just about perfectly half-lit.

Mars (magnitude +0.9, in Pisces) is gradually getting
higher in the east before and during dawn. It's the
orange-yellow dot below the Great Square of Pegasus.

Jupiter (magnitude -2.6, in southern Ophiuchus) rises
in the east-southeast during twilight and dominates
the south by 1 a.m. daylight saving time. Antares,
less bright, sparkles 8° to its right during the
evening, and lower right after midnight. Jupiter
will be at opposition on June 5th.

Saturn (magnitude +0.5, in Leo) shines high in the
west during evening, far upper left of bright Venus
(by 30° to 23° this week). Watch these two closing
in on each other. They're on their way to a close
conjunction at the end of June.

Regulus, less bright at magnitude +1.4, is 10° or
11° to Saturn's upper left. North of Regulus is
2nd-magnitude Algieba (Gamma Leonis), a fine
telescopic double star.

Uranus (magnitude 6, in Aquarius) is in the
east-southeast before dawn.

Neptune (magnitude 8, in Capricornus) is higher
in the southeast before dawn.

Pluto (magnitude 14, in northwestern Sagittarius)
is not far from Jupiter in the south during early
morning hours.


The Lone Sidewalk Astronomer of Rosamond
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