The days continue to get longer and the nights shorter as we progress through the year into May. Hopefully you were able to see some nice sights during April. I was able to see the ISS multiple times. I also enjoyed looking at the Moon not only at night, but also during the day. I loved following Jupiter through the night sky and waking up to see beautiful Venus rising over the mountains.
To start the month off, Mars will still be visible in the western sky after sunset. It will be found in Taurus the Bull next to the orange giant star, Aldebaran. Aldebaran represents the eye of Taurus and will be close to the same color as Mars, so don't confuse the two. Remember, stars twinkle while planets do not. By the middle of May, Aldebaran will lose its battle to the Sun and be lost in its glow, while Mars will still be visible. So if you can't tell which is which, wait until then to find out. Mars still won't offer up much surface detail as it lies low on the horizon where the Earth's atmosphere interferes with viewing.
In contrast to Mars, Jupiter will be up all night for great views through a telescope or binoculars. It will rise in the east close to the same time the Sun sets in the west. On May 7th, Jupiter and the Moon will be very close in the sky, with only about 2 degrees separating the two. If you are good at photography, this might be a picture perfect moment! Don't forget that with just a pair of binoculars, you can see 4 moons of Jupiter.
Saturn will also be visible for much of the night, if you don't mind staying up past your normal bedtime. It will rise around midnight. Saturn won't be at opposition until next month, but will still be worthy of your attention in May. I hope to have a couple of star parties this summer, in which Saturn will find itself in the sights of my telescope. If you haven't been able to see the rings of Saturn with your own eyes, don't pass up the chance to do so! While it's not as nice looking as a picture you can find on the Internet, there's nothing like seeing something with your own eyes. This is true for most space based objects.
Venus will continue to shine brightly in the predawn sky during May. It will rise a couple of hours before the Sun, so for the early risers, be sure to check it out. Venus was one of my favorite objects to look at during the morning hours in April. I'm sure it won't disappoint me this month either!
Mercury will join Venus in the predawn sky but will be harder to spot since it lies closer to the Sun. It will rise only about thirty minutes before the Sun, so be quick to see it. It also won't shine nearly as bright as Venus, so your eyes will automatically look to Venus.
The ice giants, Uranus and Neptune will also rise early in the morning. They will be hard to spot since they are so faint, but with a telescope you should be able to see them. I haven't seen them through my telescope yet, but hopefully I'll get the chance soon.
Comet 41P will still be visible throughout May, possibly reaching 6th magnitude. Since comets are so unpredictable, it might brighten enough to see with the naked eye. It is found in the constellation of Hercules near the bright star Vega.
Another comet is making its appearance this month in the constellation of Boötes. This comet is named Johnson (C/2105 V2) and it looks to be its first journey to the inner solar system. With it being its first visit, it might put on quite a show as the ice and gases warm up. Keep your fingers crossed!
Comet PANSTARRS (C/2015 ER61) will be visible in the morning hours. It will be found close to brilliant Venus. For all of these comets, you will at least need a pair of binoculars. There is a small chance that they will brighten enough to be viewed with the naked eye.
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower will also peak this month on the night of May 6th. Look towards the constellation of Aquarius found in the eastern sky as the Sun sets. You may be able to see about 50 meteors an hour. These meteors have a tendency to produce a long tail due to their speed and the angle of entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
Here is the breakdown for the month:
May 06: Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks. Up to 50 meteors per hour with long tails.
May 07: Jupiter and the Moon pass within 2 degrees of each other.
May 10: Full Moon
May 22: Venus and the Moon pass within 2 degrees of each other.
May 25: New Moon
There are only two major happenings from the month of May as far as the history of astronomy and space travel are concerned. Since there are only two, I thought I would go into a little more depth on each instead of just choosing one.
On May 5th, 1961, Alan Shepard was the first American in space. If you remember my history report last month, Yuri Gagarin was the first person in space on April 12th of the same year. The space mission was named Mercury-Redstone, but Alan Shepard named his capsule "Freedom 7". He was in space for just over 15 minutes and did not make a complete orbit of the Earth, but it was still quite an accomplishment for the Americans. He was about 115 miles away from the surface of the Earth. If you remember from a previous post, the ISS orbits the Earth close to 220 miles up.
Alan Shepard went on to walk on the Moon with the Apollo program. He is also the only person to have hit golf balls on the surface of the Moon. It is not known how far the ball actually went, but it's been calculated that it could have gone up to 2.5 miles! The average for a pro golfer on Earth is about 825 feet. That's not very far at all!
On May 14, 1973, Skylab was launched and was the first American space station. It only orbited the Earth until 1979 when it was brought back down and crashed in Australia. It didn't burn up as quickly as NASA predicted and debris was found all around the crash site near Perth.
Only three astronauts were able to be aboard Skylab at the same time. It was designed for science experiments, solar observing, and to see how the human body reacts to longer periods of time in space. Skylab was around 82 feet long. By comparison, the ISS is slightly larger than a football field and houses up to 7 people at a time.
I hope that you are able to make some time this month to get outside and look at the stars or the Sun, with the proper equipment of course. Check back soon for a new post or sign up for e-mail notifications. Don't forget to leave comments on your stargazing experiences.
Now get outside and look up!
