Download Astronomy Club of Asheville May 2016 Sky Events

Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 2016 Sky Events
The Planets this Month - page 2
Planet Highlights - page 6
Moon Phases - page 9
May 5th – Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower - page 10
May 9th – Transit of Mercury - page 12
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Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 2016 Sky Events – the Planets
 Until late May, Jupiter is the only planet visible at dusk this
month. As darkness moves in, Jupiter can be found high in the
south within the boundaries of the constellation Leo.
 Mars joins Jupiter in the early evening sky during the last third
of the month, rising in the southeast at sunset along the
Scorpius/Libra border.
 Mars is at opposition (opposite the Sun from Earth) on
May 22nd, and it’s closest to Earth for the year just eight days
later on May 30th.
 At a distance of just 0.50 AUs (astronomical units), this is the
closest opposition of Mars in 11 years. It’s just 47 million miles
away (half the Earth-Sun distance), and it shines at a brilliant
magnitude of -2.1 -- briefly rivaling Jupiter!
 This is a great time to look for telescopic details on the red
planet.
Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 2016 Sky Events – the Planets
The Moon Joins the Planet Jupiter
On the evenings of May 13-15, the
waxing Moon joins the bright planet
Jupiter in the constellation Leo.
The two solar system objects will
appear closest on the night of May 14th
when they are separated by about 4°
and located about 60° above the
horizon.
Although these 2 celestial objects
appear close in our 2-dimensional
view, Jupiter is some 467 million miles
behind the Moon!
Image courtesy of Sky & Telescope
Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 2016 Sky Events – the Planets
Saturn, Mars and the Full Moon
After dark on the nights of May 20-22,
look SE to locate the planets Saturn and
Mars with the Full Moon.
Mars reaches opposition on May 22nd, and
Saturn reaches opposition on June 3rd. So
both planets will be near their closest
approach to Earth for the year, appearing
very bright, and at their largest in
telescopes for the year as well.
The bright red giant star Antares in
Scorpius will also shine with an orange
tint. It’s name (from the ancient Greek)
literally means “rival of Mars” (in orange
brightness). Mars is the Roman name for
the Greek war god, Ares.
Image courtesy of Sky & Telescope
Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 2016 Sky Events – the Planets
 The planet Saturn can be found late night this month – rising
at 10:45 p.m. EDT on May 1st and at 8:38 p.m. EDT on May 31st.
So good telescopic views of Saturn will be a late night affair this
month. Saturn reaches opposition – closest position to Earth
for the year on June 3rd.
 Venus, Uranus and Neptune are all too close to the Sun in
the sky to observe easily this month.
 You will have only one chance to see Mercury this month, and
that is during the daytime hours of May 9th when the planet
reaches a very special inferior conjunction – passage between
the Earth and the Sun. The planet Mercury will transit (pass in
front of) the Sun, as seen from Earth, for the first time since
2006. You will need not only clear skies but also magnification
and solar eye protection to observe this event. Find out more
on page 12.
Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 2016 Planet Highlights
Planet
Avg.
ConstellaDistance tion(s)
from
Earth
Avg.
Avg.
Diameter Magin arc
nitude
seconds
Mercury 0.6
AUs
Aries
10.7
1.5
Venus
1.7
AUs
Aries &
Taurus
9.7
-3.9
Mars
0.5
AUs
Scorpius &
Libra
17.4
-1.8
Comments
Page 1 of 3
Reaches inferior
conjunction and
transit on
May 9th
Too close to the
Sun to be
observed this
month
At opposition on
May 22nd
Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 2016 Planet Highlights
Avg.
Distance
from
Earth
Constellation(s)
Jupiter
5.1 AUs
Saturn
Uranus
Planet
Avg.
Diameter
in arc
seconds
Avg.
Magnitude
Leo
39.1
-2.2
9.1 AUs
Ophiuchus
18.3
0.1
21 AUs
Pisces
3.4
5.9
Comments
Page 2 of 3
In great
viewing
position this
month
Positioned in
the late night
sky all month
In the morning
twilight & not
easily observed
this month
Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 2016 Planet Highlights
Planet
Avg.
ConstellaDistance tion(s)
from
Earth
Neptune 30 AUs
Aquarius
Avg.
Avg.
Diameter Magin arc
nitude
seconds
2.3
7.9
Comments
Page 3 of 3
In the morning
twilight & not
easily observed
this month
Astronomy Club of Asheville
The Moon – May 2016
New Moon
6th
3:30 p.m.
First Quarter
13th
1:02 p.m.
Full Moon**
21st
5:14 p.m.
Last Quarter
29th
8:12 a.m.
** The “Flower Moon”
Unless otherwise indicated, all times are EDT
Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 2016 Sky Events
Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower Peaks – May 5th
 The Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks before dawn on
Thursday, May 5th, this year. This shower typically produces
close to 50 visible meteors per hour lasting for 2 or 3 days.
Because the radiant point of these meteors is in the southern
hemisphere constellation Aquarius, northerners are not
positioned well for spotting many of the Aquariid meteors.
The ones that do reach us can make the early morning rise
rewarding.
 The Eta Aquariids are debris from the orbit of Halley’s Comet.
 Fortunately, moonlight will not interfere with the viewing this
year; so, if you have clear skies and a dark-sky location, you
should be treated to a spectacular show in the pre-dawn
hours on May 5th to the 7th.
Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 2016 Sky Events
Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower Peaks – May 5th
May 5 - 7, 2016
- Just before dawn
Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 9, 2016 Transit of Mercury
On May 9, 2016, a Monday, our
solar system’s smallest and
innermost planet will transit
across the disk of the Sun, as
seen from Earth, for the first
time in nearly a decade, and
here in the Asheville, North
Carolina region, with clear
skies, the entire 7½ hour event
will be visible. This Mercury
transit may be thought of as a
special type of partial (very
partial) eclipse of the Sun by a
planet! To observe this rare Mercury transit event and spot the disk of this elusive planet in front of the
Sun, you will need 3 things: a clear sky, magnification (binoculars or a telescope), and proper
protection for your eyes while using those binoculars or telescope. Remember — it is not safe
to look directly at the Sun without proper solar eye protection.
Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 9, 2016 Transit of Mercury
This illuistration
shows the
approximate path
and timings for
Mercury’s transit
across the Sun as
seen from
Asheville, NC.
(Chart courtesy of
Sky & Telescope)
Only the two interior planets (Mercury and Venus) can ever transit across the
Sun’s disk, as seen from Earth. Due to Mercury’s speedy orbit around the Sun
(only 88 days), its transits, although not common, occur more often than those
of Venus. Mercury transits occur only in early May or early November,
and only about 13 times per century. The last Mercury transit occurred on
November 8, 2006.
Astronomy Club of Asheville
May 9, 2016 Transit of Mercury
During its transit, Mercury will appear as a tiny dot slowly gliding across the face of the
Sun. To see the small disk of Mercury, you will need a magnified image with proper
solar eye protection. Unlike Venus, whose planetary disk is large enough for the human
eye to discern without magnification, Mercury is a much smaller planet and more
distant from Earth during a transit. Above image: 2003 Mercury transit from NASA
SOHO.
Find out where to safely observe this rare Mercury transit in the Asheville
area at this link.
Find out even more about this Mercury transit at this informative link.
End