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Ross Hockham's May Sky Guide:
UK Astronomy's Inflatable Planetarium, currently visiting schools in the Home Counties
but will be making an appearance at Public Events, later in the year.
but will be making an appearance at Public Events, later in the year.
Planets this month.
The Sun sets at around 21:00, the bright Venus will pop out of the twilight sky
followed slowly by the red planet Mars around an hour later.
Here's a little something to think about if you pop out and see Mars and Venus in the evening sky.
The gap between them is where the Earth passed through
and we are now looking back at the planets as we move away backwards.
Although Venus is chasing us and passes us later in the year.
All the other planets are in the morning sky, starting with Saturn who rises at 3am, Neptune at 3.30am and Jupiter a 4.20am. You can spot them but they are not at their best. Mercury then pops up at 4.45am
and will appear as a thin crescent through a scope with Uranus following it but to close to the rising Sun to be spotted.
The Sun sets at around 21:00, the bright Venus will pop out of the twilight sky
followed slowly by the red planet Mars around an hour later.
Here's a little something to think about if you pop out and see Mars and Venus in the evening sky.
The gap between them is where the Earth passed through
and we are now looking back at the planets as we move away backwards.
Although Venus is chasing us and passes us later in the year.
All the other planets are in the morning sky, starting with Saturn who rises at 3am, Neptune at 3.30am and Jupiter a 4.20am. You can spot them but they are not at their best. Mercury then pops up at 4.45am
and will appear as a thin crescent through a scope with Uranus following it but to close to the rising Sun to be spotted.
To start the guide off, I want to talk about a bright star.
Arcturus which is one of the most energetic stars in our skies, it seems to burn like a torch in the constellation Boötes.
In fact, our ancestors named it Arcturus as they believed its power
drove the constellation Ursa Major (The Great Bear) across the sky.
The word Arctic comes from the Greek word Arktos, which means bear.
Through binoculars or a telescope, it flickers madly
especially if our atmosphere is moving more as it does in the summer months.
The star itself is a red giant around 36.7 light-years away
but is so bright you can actually see it with a telescope in the daytime, if you know where to look.
Arcturus which is one of the most energetic stars in our skies, it seems to burn like a torch in the constellation Boötes.
In fact, our ancestors named it Arcturus as they believed its power
drove the constellation Ursa Major (The Great Bear) across the sky.
The word Arctic comes from the Greek word Arktos, which means bear.
Through binoculars or a telescope, it flickers madly
especially if our atmosphere is moving more as it does in the summer months.
The star itself is a red giant around 36.7 light-years away
but is so bright you can actually see it with a telescope in the daytime, if you know where to look.
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Its also Noctilucent cloud season.
Known as night shining clouds these are the only clouds allowed by astronomers,as we hate clouds!
They can be seen as thin wispy white, blue clouds high up in Earth’s mesosphere as high as 50 miles above our surface.
They say they’re made of ice crystals that form in incredibly low temperatures
on fine dust particles from meteors that have burnt up in our atmosphere.
They are best seen 90-120 minutes after sunset or before sunrise
as the sun lights them up from underneath while it is still sitting below our horizon.
Known as night shining clouds these are the only clouds allowed by astronomers,as we hate clouds!
They can be seen as thin wispy white, blue clouds high up in Earth’s mesosphere as high as 50 miles above our surface.
They say they’re made of ice crystals that form in incredibly low temperatures
on fine dust particles from meteors that have burnt up in our atmosphere.
They are best seen 90-120 minutes after sunset or before sunrise
as the sun lights them up from underneath while it is still sitting below our horizon.
We are going to start with what’s left of the month following the Moon
as it goes from a thin evening crescent to the bottom right of Venus this evening
and watch it brighten and pass the planets over the next few days.
as it goes from a thin evening crescent to the bottom right of Venus this evening
and watch it brighten and pass the planets over the next few days.
Moon gets very close to the bright Venus, see if you can spot the prominent dark patch known as the Mare Crisium,
the sea of crisis.
It is 450x560km and has three cool small craters in it you may be able to see (Picard, Peirce and Swift).
You should be able to spot the Mare with your eyes but Binoculars and a telescope will bring out more craters.
the sea of crisis.
It is 450x560km and has three cool small craters in it you may be able to see (Picard, Peirce and Swift).
You should be able to spot the Mare with your eyes but Binoculars and a telescope will bring out more craters.
The Moon moves passed Venus in between it and Mars and becomes more lit by the Sun.
You should be able to spot the Mare Fecunditatis,The sea of fertility, slipping out of the shadow.
There is a prominent crater that should be visible called Langrenus which spans about 130 km
with a central peak rising about 3 km in the middle of the crater, that you can spot with a telescope.
We also have the Camelopardalids Meteor Shower peak, well that was a mouth full.
It’s a minor meteor shower in the constellation Camelopardalis that looks like a giraffe.
Although there does seem to be some confusion in history over this constellation.
Camelopardalis is said to represent the camel which carried Rebecca to Isaac in the Bible
but is clearly a giraffe in our constellation art.
It was originally named by Jakob Bartsch in 17th century
but Historians and Astronomers believe the name was mistranslated to Giraffe maybe because the Latin word of Camelopardalis resembles the English words of Camel and Leopard (Spotted Camel?).
Anyway back to the Meteor Shower.
Camelopardalis sits low to the northern horizon most of the night
so may not be best with the peak radiating from the middle of the constellation at 22:00
with the Sun just having set.
The amount of meteors you will see per hour is quite small, maybe 5 if you are lucky.
But some sites say it can have massive out bursts of 150, but that has yet to been seen.
The Moon slips very close to Mars in its nearest conjunction for the month.
You should be able to get both in one field of view especially with binoculars.
Mare Nectaris has now come into view, the sea of nectar
and if the lighting on the moon is right you may spot the crater Rosse shining out from it.
Crater Rosse is a bowl shaped crater where the rising Sun on the Moon should light on it's left hand side inside edge making it pop out of the Mare's shadow.
You should be able to get both in one field of view especially with binoculars.
Mare Nectaris has now come into view, the sea of nectar
and if the lighting on the moon is right you may spot the crater Rosse shining out from it.
Crater Rosse is a bowl shaped crater where the rising Sun on the Moon should light on it's left hand side inside edge making it pop out of the Mare's shadow.
The Moon now slips away from the two planets off into the night sky
just to the left of Mare Nectaris three prominent craters should pop out for you to see.
From bottom to top: Catharina, Cyrillus and Theophilus.
Theophilus has a central peak like Langrenus we spoke about earlier
and has a smoother floor to the other two craters below.
Cyrillus has a smaller crater within it that may be spotted with scope and will look like a dark hole in the crater.
just to the left of Mare Nectaris three prominent craters should pop out for you to see.
From bottom to top: Catharina, Cyrillus and Theophilus.
Theophilus has a central peak like Langrenus we spoke about earlier
and has a smoother floor to the other two craters below.
Cyrillus has a smaller crater within it that may be spotted with scope and will look like a dark hole in the crater.
Now this is another new one I read about, the stars of Aristillus crater.
Inside this crater is a cluster of high peaks that catch the sunlight
making it look like glittering stars shining out from the crater.
It can be found to the left of the Apenninus Mountain Range
which is also definitely worth a look through your scope.
Inside this crater is a cluster of high peaks that catch the sunlight
making it look like glittering stars shining out from the crater.
It can be found to the left of the Apenninus Mountain Range
which is also definitely worth a look through your scope.
Mercury reaches its farthest point from the Sun in our morning sky.
Although it will be low and the Sun rises not long after it so the elusive planets stays a hard spot for us Astronomers.
Although it will be low and the Sun rises not long after it so the elusive planets stays a hard spot for us Astronomers.
This evenings Venus, should be at half phase if you take a look at it through a telescope
but something I have just found out is that it has a ‘phase anomaly’.
Apparently due to the planet’s thick atmosphere which interferes with the light, refraction etc
making the apparent the apparent phase appear earlier than it should.
but something I have just found out is that it has a ‘phase anomaly’.
Apparently due to the planet’s thick atmosphere which interferes with the light, refraction etc
making the apparent the apparent phase appear earlier than it should.
Mars is close to the awesome cluster known as M44 the Bee-Hive Cluster or Praesepe.
A lovely cluster of different coloured stars that look like busy bee’s buzzing round a hive
which looks best through a pair of binoculars.
A lovely cluster of different coloured stars that look like busy bee’s buzzing round a hive
which looks best through a pair of binoculars.