SkyEye

Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All dates are based on Universal Time (UT).

The Sun and Moon

There are no eclipses this month.

As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the constellation Aries to the constellation Taurus.

The phases of the Moon are

New : 4 May
First Quarter : 10 May
Full : 18 May
Last Quarter : 26 May

The Moon is at perigee on 6 May and at apogee on 22 May.

The Planets

The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars.
Mercury
Mercury reaches superior conjunction on 9 May. It reappears on the evening sky just after sunset towards the end of the month and climbs rapidly, giving the best views to the northern hemisphere. Mercury is in the constellations Aries, Taurus, and Gemini.
Venus
Venus is lost in the Sun's glare and is difficult to see after the first part of the month in the constellations Aries and Taurus. In the southern hemisphere it may be worth trying to see the extremely close pair-up of Venus and Jupiter on 17 May just before sunrise.
Mars
The red planet's proximity to the Sun makes it extremely difficult to observe this month. Mars can be found in the constellation Taurus.
Jupiter
This gas giant is in conjunction with the Sun on 8 May and is extremely difficult to observe this month in the constellation Aries.
Saturn
Saturn follows the lead of Jupiter and arrives at conjunction on 10 May in the constellation Aries.
Uranus
Rising after midnight, Uranus reaches west quadrature on 11 May. On 25 May, this distant gas giant begins to retrograde. Uranus can be seen in the constellation Capricornus.
Neptune
Neptune can be found not far from Uranus in the constellation Capricornus. It begins retrograde motion on 8 May.
Pluto
The outermost planet in the solar system is up nearly all night in the constellation Ophiuchus.

Minor Planets, Comets and Meteors

Minor Planets
A number of interesting minor planets populate the solar system.
Comets
There are no naked-eye comets visible this month.
Meteors
On 5 May the Eta Aquariids reach their peak of activity. The nearly New Moon should cause no problems for southern hemisphere observers watching this shower.

The Celestial Sphere

Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognises 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.

Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect. (Note: These times are approximate.)

Northern Hemisphere : 45° N

Southern Hemisphere : 30° S

For More Information...

Credits

Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of Sky & Telescope and in other fine amateur astronomy magazines available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.

The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.

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Last modified on 30 April 2000
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