Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All dates are based on Universal Time (UT).
Brief Calendar of Events
| Date | Event |
| 1 |
Wed |
Neptune at west quadrature |
| 4 |
Sat |
Mercury at greatest elongation east (21°) |
| Last Quarter Moon |
| 5 |
Sun |
Eta Aquariids meteor shower |
| 7 |
Tue |
Moon at apogee |
| 12 |
Sun |
New Moon |
| 14 |
Tue |
Moon occults Saturn |
| Moon occults Mars |
| Moon occults Venus |
| 19 |
Sun |
First Quarter Moon |
| Uranus at west quadrature |
| 23 |
Thu |
Moon at perigee |
| 26 |
Sun |
Full Moon |
| Penumbral lunar eclipse |
| 27 |
Mon |
Mercury at inferior conjunction |
The Sun and Moon
As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the constellation Aries to the constellation Taurus.
The Moon occults three planets in quick succession on 14 May, but only the last takes place during the hours of darkness. From around 21 UT, observers in the South Pacific can watch as Venus disappears behind the very young crescent Moon.
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
- Best seen from northern latitudes, maximum elongation east for this tiny planet occurs on 4 May. Don't wait too long though because Mercury reaches inferior conjunction on 27 May and will be too close to the Sun to see. Look for it in the west after sunset in the constellation Taurus.
- Venus
- The "evening star" skims by its solar system neighbour Mercury on the first of the month. Then Venus is occulted by the Moon on 14 May. This brightest of planets is located in the constellations Taurus and Gemini.
- Mars
- The young crescent Moon occults the red planet during daylight hours on 14 May. Mars sets well before midnight in the constellation Taurus.
- Jupiter
- Like Mars, Jupiter is plunging towards the Sun and sets before midnight in the constellation Gemini.
- Saturn
- Saturn participates in a daytime occultation by the Moon on 14 May. The ringed planet is increasingly difficult to observe as it approaches conjunction with the Sun next month.
- Uranus
- This distant gas giant reaches west quadrature on 19 May in the constellation Aquarius.
- Neptune
- Not far from Uranus in the sky, this blue planet arrives at west quadrature on the first of the month. Rising around midnight, Neptune is in the constellation Capricornus.
- 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. However, Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke may brighten to as much as eighth magnitude. Discovered in 1819 by Jean-Louis Pons (a janitor at the observatory in Marseilles!), it was lost until 1858 when F.A. Winnecke recovered it. The comet reaches perihelion on 15 May in the constellation Aquarius.
- Meteors
- The waning crescent Moon should not badly hamper observers watching the Eta Aquariids meteor 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
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
Southern Hemisphere : 30° S
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
For More Information...
- Consult our online glossary for non-technical explanations of many of the astronomical terms used in these pages.
- Blue moons, eclipses, the dates of Easter and much more can be found at the Interactive Astronomy Pages.
- For more information about the objects and events described in SkyEye, visit these astronomy-related sites.
Credits
Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of your favourite amateur astronomy magazine 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. Used with permission.
Copyright © 1995-2002 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman
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Last modified on 30 April 2002
https://www.obliquity.com/skyeye/archive/2002/may2002.html