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Your May 2023 Sky Tour-
The month of May offers up some great views of the night sky, as temperatures around the nation return to create a pleasant experience.
We begin our tour of the heavens with a discussion of the Moon and how best to view it and avoid it, if you are seeking the darkest of skies.
As the month opens up, the Moon appears as a gibbous or egg shaped disk moving on to the Full Flower Moon on the 5th at 1:34 p.m. EDT. The Moon will rise on the evening of the 5th as a spectacular disk. On the other side of the world, the Moon will experience a slight penumbral lunar eclipse. The penumbra is the outer of the Earth and a very faint one.
The Moon will be some 237,000 miles from us, not the closest full Moon, but on to enjoy!
Have you ever seen what looks like shapes of animals of faces on the surface of the Moon?
You are in good company, as the phenomenon is known as pareidolia, the ability to see shapes out of randomness!
With regards to the Moon, here is some additional information:
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/pleasures-of-lunar-pareidolia/
From here; the Moon moves on to last quarter phase on the 12th and then appears as a waning crescent from the 13th to the next new Moon on the 19th.
The new Moon or the “Dark of the Moon” is the best time to view many of the faintest objects in the night sky.
Here are some details on how to view some of these sky delights:
https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/deep-sky-naked-eye/
May skies offer up some great views of the planets.
The evening sky is dominated by Venus, a true goddess of love and beauty as it closes in on Earth and remains the brightest object in the sky, other than the Sun and Moon.
Look for a close conjunction of the thin waxing Moon and Venus on the evening of the 23rd just after sunset in the WNW sky.
Mars remains a faint but naked eye object low in the W, above Venus as it heads into the glare of the Sun. The Moon and Mars will be close on the night of the 24th.
The giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn remain as early morning planets, low into the pre dawn skies.
May offers up a meteor shower known as the Eta Aquariid’s which peak in the Se sky on the morning of the 6th. Meteors seen from this shower are all debris from Halley’s Comet.
More on the Aquariid meteor shower:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eta_Aquariids
Finally, as special treat for those of you that do not have a telescope but enjoy the views of the sky with the naked eye or binoculars.
Look to the E after sunset and you will see a bright orange colored star known as Arcturus!
Arcturus is the 3rd brightest star in the night sky and the brightest star in the northern hemisphere. Arcturus is some 37 light years from Earth!
Arcturus is a massive orange-red super giant with a diameter of around 20 million miles.
Our star, the Sun is only 865,000 miles in diameter. Here is a visual comparison:
Another fact about Arcturus has an American connection too!
Arcturus was used to help open the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair!
A telescope was set up along Lake Michigan and other locations as the light of Arcturus was sent to a photoelectric switch to turn on the lights of this historic fair.
The reason Arcturus was chosen is the fact that it’s 37 light years away and the last Chicago Worlds Fair was some 37 or so years in the past.
Here are some details on this amazing story:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_of_Progress
The previous 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_Columbian_Exposition
As you look at Arcturus with all its rich history, think what you were doing back in 1986, when the light you see tonight left this star and just got here now!
Many or you were not even around then!
The star Arcturus is most amazing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcturus
Get your very own monthly star chart to download:
Questions…. email me:
“Always Remember To Keep Your Eyes to the Skies”
