Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen (from left) and NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch make up the Artemis II crew, with Wiseman as commander, Glover as pilot, and Koch and Hansen as mission specialists. The four will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration. Artemis II is currently slated to launch in November 2024. Image: NASA/James Blair.
Meteors, Brilliant Venus and More for May Star Gazers
BY JONATHAN TRUAX, ASTRONOMER, MUSKEGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE'S CARR-FLES PLANETARIUM
This month, become a sky watcher; see a meteor shower, enjoy views of bright stars, watch the moon move among the stars, and enjoy all five naked eye planets.
Brilliant Venus continues to dominate the evening sky this month. Locate Venus as a very bright white “star” in the west about 40 minutes after sunset. The waxing crescent moon is very close to Venus on the nights of May 22 and 23.
Higher in the west and not nearly as bright, sky watchers can find the orange planet Mars. The planet is very close to the twin stars Castor and Pollux of Gemini the Twins all month. Look just to the left of Pollux and above and left of Venus. The waxing moon will be very close to Mars on the night of the 24th.
This month Saturn is best seen before dawn. Locate a fairly bright yellow “star” east of the stars forming the Capricornus the “Sea-goat” low in the southern sky, about an hour before sunrise. The waning moon is very near Saturn the mornings of the 13th and 14th of May.
Far to the east (left) of Saturn and fairly low, sky watchers can locate Jupiter near the eastern horizon about 40 minutes before sunrise. Jupiter appears as a bright yellow white “star” much brighter than Saturn. On the morning of the 17th of May, the waning crescent moon will rise very close, just west of Jupiter. After sunrise, the moon will occult or pass in front of Jupiter as seen from the eastern United States.
In late May, Mercury will also make an appearance in the morning sky. Look for the planet Mercury as a fairly bright white “star” low in the east, about 30 minutes before sunrise. Mercury will be below or east of Jupiter.
Look for this month’s Full moon west of the bright red star Antares of Scorpius the Scorpion on the 6th of May. The waning gibbous moon is right next to Antares the morning of the 7th.
The annual Aquariid meteor shower reaches peak activity on the mornings of May 5 and 6. Sky watchers observing a couple hours before dawn can expect to see up to 40 meteors per hour radiating from the southeast on those two mornings. This shower occurs as the Earth crosses the orbit of Halley’s Comet and sweeps up dusty debris. The Full moon will make it challenging to see some of the fainter meteors.
As darkness falls after sunset this month, locate the bright yellow star Capella of Auriga, the charioteer, high in the northwest. The winter constellation of Orion can be seen very low in the west, marked by three stars in a row, the famous “belt” of Orion, just above the horizon. Use the “belt” stars pointing toward the southeast, to locate the bright blue-white star Sirius the brightest star in the Heavens. The bright white star Procyon is high in the west.
Looking high in the north, nearly overhead, locate the “Big Dipper” formed by the stars of Ursa Major. Low on the northern horizon; find a “W” forming the stars of Cassiopeia. High in the eastern sky nearly overhead, locate Arcturus of Bootes, the brightest star of summer. Low in the southeast is the bright blue star Spica of Virgo the Virgin. Very low in the northeast the bright summer star Vega is rising.
Visit the MCC Carr-Fles Planetarium website for upcoming events and call (231) 777-0289 for sky show information. Carr-Fles Planetarium is located on the Muskegon Community College campus in Room 135. Thanks to the generosity of the Reach for the Stars campaign donors, you can now experience Carr-Fles Planetarium with state-of-the-art digital projection, sound and lighting systems; all-new library of shows; and modern theater seating and domed ceiling.
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