May's Stargazing Delights

[Martha_05]

Midspring evening skies feature bright stars soon to set in the west and northwest (Procyon, Capella, and Pollux and Castor) and bright stars that have recently risen in the northeast to southeast (Vega, Deneb, and Antares). In between are the star patterns of the Big Dipper (north), Leo, the Lion (west), and the bright stars Arcturus and Spica (south). Some of the best sights of May evenings, however, are the dimmer, more mysterious ones.

There's nothing dim about the familiar outline of Leo, the Lion. If you have a moonless country sky or binoculars and scan up and to the left from the right triangle of stars that marks Leo's hindquarters, you'll find a lovely sight. A large, delightfully irregular sprinkling of rather dim stars called the Coma Star Cluster is scattered here. It's part of the constellation Coma Berenices, the hair of Queen Berenice.

Orange-colored Arcturus, in Boötes, the Herdsman, outshines all other stars now in the sky. Far to its lower right shines Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, the Virgin. Down to Virgo's lower right lies Corvus, the Crow -- a surprisingly conspicuous, oddly shaped boxy pattern looking nothing like a bird.

In the mostly dim swath of sky between Corvus and the Big Dipper's handle, small telescopes can pick out dozens (in larger amateur telescopes, hundreds) of tiny blurs of light. They're galaxies, and you'll need highly detailed star charts to locate most of them.

In the middle of this region is the great Virgo Galaxy Cluster, centered roughly between the stars Beta Leonis and Epsilon Virginis. It lies about 50 million light-years away. One of the best and brightest of spring's galaxies and an outlying member of the Virgo Cluster is located near the Virgo-Corvus border. This is M104, the Sombrero Galaxy. Although M104 is detectable in very small telescopes, you typically need a 6-inch or larger telescope in a dark country sky to glimpse the marvelous band of dark dust that outlines the "brim" of the Sombrero.

Planets in May

Jupiter, having its last hurrah in the evening twilight, pairs up with Mercury, which is having its best evening appearance of the year. Saturn is also near them, but it's becoming harder to spot.

Look low in the west-northwest as dusk fades. Jupiter is the brightest; that's your landmark. To its lower left sparkles Aldebaran. Saturn is more than twice as far to Jupiter's lower right and can be seen only during the first part of the month. On May 6th through 8th, brighter Mercury is to Saturn's upper right. On May 15th and 16th Mercury is just to the upper right of Jupiter. By month's end Jupiter has dropped deep into the twilight glow, while Mercury stands to its upper left.

Mars is now magnificent! It greatly outshines all the stars and glows with an imposing fiery hue. Go out around midnight on May 9th and 10th to see Mars low in the southeast near a big, bright Moon. A few nights later, turn binoculars or a very-wide-field telescope on Mars well after midnight, but before moonrise, and you'll see the Lagoon Nebula only about 2 degrees (less than a half binocular field) to the left of the planet.

All month look for the white polar caps of Mars in a scope at high power and note how the planet's dark markings change noticeably in just an hour or two as Mars rotates. The red planet hasn't been this big or bright in telescopes in 13 years. Next month it gets even better!

Venus shines in the east at dawn.
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Sky and Telescope magazine
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[goloso]

I can't wait for the next meteor shower. Those I like. I have never learned the names of the constellations, but I do know I love stargazing and some of the bright stars........I bet you'll have so much fun stargazing during your trip..........Enjoy it to the fullest Lore. It's not every day you get that kind of chance unless you live up there.........