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Skywatch May 2006by Julene M Packer-JohnsonMars, Saturn & Jupiter are visible in the evening sky this month. Venus is visible in the pre-dawn sky. Mercury is visible in the morning at the beginning of the month, passes out of view, and then reappears in the evening at the end of month. The Eta Aquarids peak on May 5th. Planetary Data The morning-star-Mercury rises around 6:00 a.m. on the 1st in the northern hemisphere. Sunrise occurs earlier each day and the window of opportunity to view Mercury closes in the first few days of May. In the southern hemisphere, Mercury rises around 5:30 a.m. on May 1st. When the Eta Aquarids peak on the morning of the 5th, Mercury rises around 6:00 a.m. See if you can spot Mercury while watching the meteor shower display. The evening-star-Mercury sets around 9:30 p.m. on the 28th and around 9:45 on the 31st in the northern hemisphere. This provides us with a chance to view the planet slightly above the western horizon as sunset darkens the skies. Due to the slant of the ecliptic in the southern hemisphere, you will not likely see Mercury return to the stellar stage as an evening planet until next month. However you are able to view his morning star status longer than those in the northern hemisphere. Venus is also direct and gaining on the Sun. Each morning before sunrise, Venus will appear a bit lower above the eastern horizon. She begins the month about 43 degrees from the Sun and ends the month about 39 degrees away. Notice the amount of sky Venus covers this month. She begins the month among the stars of the constellation Pisces and reaches the stars of Aries by monthís end. Venus reaches aphelion on May 17th. Her greatest distance from the Sun in her elliptical orbit will be 67,706,912 miles or 108,940,422 km. In the northern hemisphere, Venus rises around 5:00 a.m. at the beginning of May. At monthís end she rises around 4:30 a.m. In the southern hemisphere, Venus rises around 3:30 a.m. at the onset of the month and around 4:30 a.m. at the end. Mars moves a considerable distance east this month in his direct motion. From night to night we can watch the red planet travel through the constellation Gemini. He begins the month near the knees of the Twins and ends near their heads. In the northern hemisphere Mars sets around 12:45 a.m. at the beginning of the month and around midnight by monthís end. In the southern hemisphere, Mars sets around 8:45 p.m. at the beginning of May and around 8:15 p.m. by the end of May. Jupiter is retrograde. We can track his westward motion against Zubenelgenubi of the constellation Libra. Jupiter reaches opposition to the Sun on May 4th at 11:00 a.m. EDT. This means he will rise as the sun sets and set as the sun rises. During the opposition Jupiter, Sun and Earth align with Jupiter with Earth in the middle. Planets are always retrograde when closest to Earth. Since Jupiter is opposing the Sun, he travels through the sky all night long. In the northern hemisphere, Jupiter begins May by rising around 8:30 p.m. and setting around 6:30 a.m. At the end of May, he will be rising around 6:15 p.m. and setting around 4:30 a.m. Notice that Jupiter gains more height over the eastern horizon each consecutive evening as sunset darkens the skies. In the southern hemisphere, Jupiter will rise around 5:45 p.m. at the beginning of the month and set around 7:15 a.m. By monthís end, Jupiter will rise around 3:45 p.m. and set around 5:00 a.m. Saturn speeds up a bit since last monthís direct station. We can track his eastward motion through the constellation Cancer. While these stars are fairly dim and hard to see, Saturn begins the month near Eta Canceri and ends the month near Asellus Australis. In the northern hemisphere, Saturn sets around 2:15 a.m. at the beginning of the month and around 12:15 a.m. at the end of the month. In the southern hemisphere, Saturn sets around 11:00 p.m. on May 1st and around 9:15 p.m. on the 31st. Locating the Evening Planets in the Northern Hemisphere As the Moon travels the zodiac, she can help you locate the planets. The Moon lies above Mars on the evening of the 2nd. Mars appears to be a red hued star that does not blink. The Moon lies below Saturn on the evening of the 4th and above Saturn on the evening of the 5th. Saturn is a bit brighter than Mars and brighter than the stars of Cancer he is traveling among. The Moon lies to the right of Jupiter on the evening of the 11th. Jupiter is the brightest object in the evening sky, except for the moon of course. As the month progresses, notice Mars move through the constellation Gemini and gain on Saturn. By monthís end, Mars will lie near the heads of the Twins and be noticeably closer to Saturn than at the onset of May. Jupiter provides a good opportunity to observe retrograde motion. Notice at the beginning of the month that Jupiter lies just above Zubenelgenubi of Libra. By monthís end he will be noticeably further west of this fixed star. Look for Mercury to re-appear above the western horizon on the evening of the 28th. He will be below the Moon. El Nath, the bullís horn, will lie between the two. In the four final days of the month, watch Mercury gain on El Nath. By the 31st, Mercury will lie to the left of El Nath. The Moon will travel through the entire zodiac and join with Mars again on the evening of the 30th. Mars will lie to the left of the Moon on this night. The Moon re-joins Saturn as well. Look for Saturn just below the Moon on the 31st. The first and final days of May provide excellent lunar conjunctions from night to night to help locate the planets at sunset. Locating the Morning
Planets in the Northern Hemisphere As the month progresses, Venus rises earlier and covers a significant amount of sky. Notice her eastward movement through the zodiac constellated backdrop of the ecliptic plane. She will be among the stars of Aries by monthís end. The Moon joins Venus on the morning of the 24th. Locate Venus below and slightly right of the Moon. Locating the Evening
Planets in the Southern Hemisphere The Moon will help you to locate the planets as she makes her monthly trip through the zodiac. Look for Mars just above the Moon on the evening of the 2nd. Look for Saturn just above the Moon on the evening of the 4th. Look for Jupiter just below the Moon on the evening of the 12th and to the left of the Moon on the evening of the 13th. The Moon will join Mars in the evening sky for a second time this month on the 31st. Look for Mars to lie above and slightly right of the Moon on the last day of May. As the month progresses, watch the movement of the planets. Mars moves a considerable distance through the constellation Gemini this month and gains on a slower moving Saturn in the process. By the end of May, Mars will lie above Pollux & Castor, the twinís heads, as they descend sideways into the western horizon. Saturn does make a bit of detectable eastward motion through the constellation Cancer. See if you can notice Saturn slowly gain on Asellus Australis this month. Jupiterís westward retrograde motion is detectable by noting his close position to Zubenelgenubi at the beginning of May. By the end of May, youíll notice an increase of distance between Jupiter and the fixed star representing the Bullís horn. Locating the Morning
Planets in the Southern Hemisphere As the month progresses, notice Venus travel east through the constellation Pisces. By monthís end she will be among the stars of Aries. The Moon joins Venus on the morning of the 24th. Locate the brilliantly shining planet slightly below and to the right of the Moon in the pre-dawn hours on this morning. Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Moon Data Sky Maps Available in
the OCA Public Library Happy star gazing, planet tracking and meteor shower watching! There is still time to register for Summer Semester classes beginning in May at Online College of Astrology. Julene Packer, Dipl.OCA, CAP |
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