Skywatch May 2005

by Julene M Johnson

Skywatch Stargazing Archives

Saturn and Jupiter are visible throughout May in the evening as soon as the skies darken at sunset. Mars is visible all month in the morning. Mercury is visible in the morning during the first two weeks of May. Venus begins to climb out of the sunset around mid month. The Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower peaks this month and the moon occults two planets and a fixed star.

*ETA AQUARIDS PEAK May 5th
This is one of the best meteor showers this year because the moon does not interfere and the radiant climbs high enough to produce a good display. Considering that while you are watching the Eta Aquarids you can also witness the rise of Mars, Moon and Mercury, as well as the setting of Jupiter, this shower is worth getting up for!

The Eta Aquarids radiate from the constellation Aquarius near the fixed star Eta Aquarii. The two brightest stars of Aquarius are Sadul Suud and Sadalmelek, which represent the Water Bearers right and left shoulders respectively. Off the left shoulder three lower magnitude stars come into play to form is a small diamond representing a hand on the water jar. Eta Aquarii is the tip of the diamond opposite Sadalmelek. Therefore, you will find the radiant near the eastern shoulder of Aquarius.

The parent comet of this annual meteor shower is Halleyís Comet, also responsible for our annual Orionids in October. As the Earth in her orbit around the Sun, passes through debris and dust left behind by Halleyís Comet, meteors enter our atmosphere at about 145,000 miles per hour. The quick speed of entry causes long trails of light as our atmosphere burns them up.

-Northern Hemisphere Viewing:
Aquarius is rising fairly straight up out of the eastern horizon. Eta Aquarii rises over the eastern horizon of North America around 3:15 a.m. when you might see a shooting star. The radiant should have enough height by 4:00 a.m. to yield 10 ñ 20 meteors per hour until sunrise. The number growing as the radiant climbs higher in the sky. While you are watching, look for Mars to rise around 3:45 a.m. near the hips of The Water Bearer. A slender waning crescent of a Balsamic Moon will begin to peak over the horizon around 5:00 a.m. in the constellation Pisces. Mercury rises in Pisces around 5:35 to the left of the Moon to let us know sunrise will soon be upon us.

-Southern Hemisphere Viewing:
Aquarius is rising sideways out of the eastern horizon. His right shoulder peaks above the horizon before the left. Due to the eclipticís slant, Mars will rise over the eastern horizon of Australia nearly an hour before the Eta Aquarid radiant. Mars rises around 2:10 a.m. followed by Eta Aquarii around 3:05 a.m.. Moonrise will be around 4:45 when youíll see a slender smile of a Balsamic Moon peek above the eastern horizon among the dim stars of Pisces. Mercury rises around 6:00 a.m. further along in Pisces, rising straight up out of the eastern horizon. You should have a good hour to view Mercury before sunrise begins to bring the light of dawn, dimming Mercury form view. Due to the height of the ecliptic this time of year in the southern hemisphere, the radiant of Eta Aquarids will be nearly overhead by sunrise. This provides the potential for the shower to yield up to 60 meteors per hour!

Set your alarm and be sure to tune in for what is likely to be the most spectacular celestial show of the year. A sky map of Aquarius, Mars, Moon & Mercury just before sunrise on May 5th is available for both hemispheres in the OCA Public Library: http://www.astrocollege.com/campus/libraries.cgi

*OCCULTATIONS BY THE MOON
On May 19th the moon passes in front of Jupiter, blocking him from view if you are observing from the northern and central parts of South America, the Caribbean and southern South Africa.

On May 24th the moon occults Antares, the alpha star of the constellation Scorpius. Observers in the Caribbean, the northern tip of South America, Central America, the United States, and all but northernmost Canada can witness the Moon pass in front of the red super giant representing the heart of the Scorpion. On the east coast of North America, the occultation begins around 4:23 a.m. For observers on Americaís west coast, the occultation begins around 11:57 p.m. on the 23rd. The occultation lasts for about an hour and fifteen minutes before you will see Antares emerge on the west side of the moon that is moving east across the star.

On May 31st the moon occults Mars over the southernmost part of South America, mid-west Africa and Antarctica.

*PLANET VISIBILITY IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

-Mercury is visible for the first two weeks of May. The Messenger rises around 5:40 on May 1st and gains a bit of height suited for observing before dawn blots him from view. While Mercuryís rise time only becomes later by about 5 minutes by the 14th, the sunrise is encroaching upon Mercury as the month progresses. Youíll probably have to know exactly where Mercury is from observing the first week of May to find him in the hurried dawn during the second week.

-Venus is visible in the last two weeks of May very low in the western horizon. Begin watching the sunset around the 14th, though if you have very dark skies, far from city lights you may want to start around the 9th. Look for a bright star to pop into view very low along the horizon and quickly set, that will be Venus. If your horizon does not allow for the observation of our sister planet just yet, keep watching. Venus sets around 9:15 p.m. on the 14th and around 9:55 on the 31st. You should be able to locate her by monthís end.

-Mars rises around 3:45 a.m. on the 1st among the stars of Aquarius. The Red Planet travels about 22 degrees through the zodiac this month. By the 31st he will rise around 2:45 a.m. around the cusp of Aquarius and Pisces. The orientation of the ecliptic will make it look like he is between the chin of Aquarius and the head of Pisces. The star in Aquarius that will be to the right of Mars at monthís end is Skat, his left knee.

-Jupiter is likely to be the first ëstarí you see as the skies darken after sunset. Youíll know itís Jupiter because he wonít twinkle like a star. Look for Jupiter above the eastern horizon near the 11th/12th house cusp area. As the skies darken more, the actual star youíll see pop into view below Jupiter will be Spica, the alpha star of Virgo. If you observe Jupiter all month long at sunset, youíll notice he pops into view further west along the ecliptic each night. By the 31st, youíll find Jupiter near the 10th/11th house cusp area of the sky. Jupiter is retrograde this month and slows as he nears his station in early June. Moving less than two degrees west, we wonít detect any movement from the Jovial Giant against the fixed backdrop of Virgo this month. The star of Virgo he is traveling near is Porrima.

-Saturn will also pop into view at sunset. Since Saturn is about a magnitude and a half dimmer than Jupiter you will see Jupiter first. Spica is only about one magnitude dimmer, so Spica and other first magnitude stars will appear before Saturn. Turn your gaze to the western horizon on the 1st. The first star you see pop into view in the southwest sky will be Sirius, the alpha star of Canis Major. As the skies darken, Betelgeuse and Rigel of Orion will pop into view in the west-southwest sky. Shortly after, Saturn will become visible above them in the 8th house area of the western sky, followed by the Castor and Pollux the heads of the Gemini twins above him to the right and Alhena, Polluxís left foot below and to the right. As the month progresses, Saturn will appear lower and lower over the western horizon at sunset. By the 31st, Saturn will pop into view in the upper 7th house area of the sky at sunset. Venus will be the brighter planet very near the horizon.

A sky map of the northern hemisphere on May 30th around 9:45 p.m. depicting the position of Venus, Saturn and Jupiter is available in the OCA Public Library: http://www.astrocollege.com/campus/libraries.cgi

-While Uranus is not visible to the naked eye, there is a chance to observe him this month with binoculars on the 15th. Locate Mars in the early morning sky and then try to find a star that is not blinking in the same binocular field. That will be Uranus. Good luck!

*PLANET VISIBILITY IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

-Mercury rises around 5:55 a.m. on the 1st among the dim stars of Pisces making him easy to spot since he is the brightest object low along the eastern horizon. He should climb a good way into the 12th house before the glow of dawn blots him from view. He rises later and later as the month progresses. On the 14th he peeks above the horizon around 6:35 a.m. If your skies are dark enough to see the stars of Pisces you will be able to notice a significant amount of eastward movement from the speedy messenger. By the 20th he is among the stars of Aries, rising around 7:20 a.m. with sunrise just behind. You probably wonít be able to see him after that, but if youíve been tracking him all month, you might locate him up until that day.

-Venus will become visible around the 28th or a bit before. The orientation of the ecliptic that allows you to view Mercury in the morning later into the month than observers in the northern hemisphere is also resulting in the visibility of Venus in the evening occurring later in the month as well. Near the end of the month begin to look for brilliant Venus to pop into view amid the sunset along the west-northwest horizon. Sheíll climb out higher for you next month.

-Mars rises around 2:10 a.m. in the east-southeast sky on the 1st to the right of Sadal Suud, Aquariusí right shoulder. You can track his movement through the constellation Aquarius and into Pisces this month. He begins the month at the hip of Aquarius, travels east to his bent left knee and into the dark sky between Aquarius and Pisces. On the 31st, Mars will rise around 2:00 a.m.

-Jupiter will be the first non-twinkling star to pop into view as the skies darken at sunset on May 1st, letting you know itís a planet. Look for Jupiter in the upper 12th house area of a low ecliptic. As the skies darken, Spica will pop into view almost due-east and to the right of Jupiter who will be slightly higher in they sky. As the month progresses, Jupiter will pop into view at sunset higher along the ecliptic. By the 31st youíll find Jupiter popping into view in the 10th house area of the sky.

-Saturn will pop into view after sunset in the north-northwest sky. Since he is dimmer than Jupiter and most alpha stars of the constellated sky, youíll have to wait for darker skies for him to appear around the 8th/9th house cusp of a low ecliptic. If it is dark enough to see Pollux and Castor, the heads of the Gemini twins and Alhena and Tejat Posterior their respective feet, you can locate Saturn. If you connect the dots of Pollux and Alhena, of the uppermost twin, Saturn will lie between them slightly above that line. By monthís end Saturn will pop into view around the 7th/8th house cusp area of the evening sky.

Iím not sure you will be able to spot Uranus in binoculars this month using the parallel conjunction with Mars since it occurs in Australia near 9:30 p.m. on the 15th when Mars is well below the horizon. The morning of the 16th offers a better chance than the morning of the 15th because the orb of the conjunction moves from twenty-nine minutes applying to ten degrees separating between those two days at 4:00 a.m. A telescope field of view should do it though!

A sky map of the southern hemisphere on May 31th around 6:45 p.m. depicting the position of Venus, Saturn and Jupiter is available in the OCA Public Library: http://www.astrocollege.com/campus/libraries.cgi

*MOON DATA
The Third Quarter Moon occurs on the 1st at 2:24 a.m. EDT. The New Moon occurs on the 8th at 4:45 a.m. EDT. The Moon reaches a distance of 251,407 miles from Earth at her apogee on the 14th at 9:41 a.m. EDT. The First Quarter Moon occurs at 4:18 p.m. EDT on the 16th. The 23rd brings a Full Moon at 4:18 p.m. EDT. The moon nears Earth in perigee on the 26th at 6:42 a.m. EDT. She will be 226,329 miles from earth and appear larger in the sky than at her apogee. The Moon makes a second waning square to the Sun on the 30th at 7:47 a.m. EDT resulting in another Third Quarter Moon.

*MOON AS OUR CELESTIAL TOUR GUIDE TO LOCATING THE PLANETS

-North America
On the morning of the 2nd you can locate Mars to the left of the Moon and very slightly above. On the morning of the 6th the moon rises with Mercury. Locate Mercury just to the left of the moonís balsamic sliver. On the evening of the 12th watch for Saturn to pop into view to the left and slightly above the moon as the skies darken. The following night, Saturn will pop into view beneath the moon. By the 18th the moon gains on Jupiter in the evening sky. Watch for Jupiter to appear below and to the left of the moon at sunset. At sunset on the 19th Jupiter will appear closely atop the Moon. On the 31st Mars will rise with the moon. Locate the Red Planet ever so slightly left of the moon.

-Australia
The moon rises with Mars around 2:10 a.m. on May 3rd. Look for Mars to almost touch the upper left tip of the moon. The mornings of the 6th and 7th will show the moon passing up Mercury. Look for the moon above the Mercury on the morning of the 6th and below the red planet on the 7th. On the 13th watch for Saturn to pop into view just above the moon as the skies darken. After which, Pollux & Castor will pop out to the right of the moon. On the 14th, look for Saturn to pop into view to the left of the moon, Castor and Pollux will emerge below and between Saturn and the moon. On the 19th Jupiter will pop into view to the right of the Moon. The following night youíll find Jupiter to the left of the moon at sunset. Look for Mars below the Moon on the 31st.

Happy stargazing and planet watching! Donít forget to get up and outside on the morning of the 5th to view the Eta Aquarids, Mars and Mercury in the eastern sky and Jupiter in the western sky.