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70 Falmouth Street   Portland, Maine 04103 43.6667° N
 70.2667° W  Altitude:  10 feet below sea level Founded January 1970 Julian
Date:  2459334.18
2020-2021: CXX


THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Thursday, April 29, 2021
May 2021 Night Sky Calendar Part II

*WEDNESDAY, MAY 12: MOON NEAR THE PLEIADES*

[image: pleiades-seven-sisters-nov2019-e1572962425736.jpg]
Unfortunately, one cannot merely look into the sky and see the Pleiades as
it appears in the time-exposure photograph above.    The Pleiades
merely appears as a light patch just to the northwest of Hyades Cluster
that forms most of Taurus' face.    Tonight one MIGHT just glimpse the thin
waxing crescent moon (1% illuminated) near the Pleiades well over in the
western evening sky.    Both the moon and star cluster will set by 9:00
p.m, making them rather difficult to observe.

*WEDNESDAY, MAY 12:  MOON NEAR VENUS (SILVER EVENT!!....SORT OF)*

[image: skychart.png]

Ordinarily, a Venus-moon appulse would earn a silver or even gold rating.
After all, the moon and Venus are the night sky's two brightest objects.
However, this close approach occurs quite near the Sun (see image above) so
that they'll be difficult to observe.        No worries, however.  June's
Moon-Venus appulse will be much easier to see.

*THURSDAY, MAY 13:   MOON NEAR MERCURY (BRONZE EVENT!)*

[image: skychart (1).png]

One might have found it difficult to observe the moon and Venus last
night.  Seeing Mercury and the waxing crescent moon (3% illuminated) will
be easier tonight.   See the moon just south of Mercury and well north of
Orion low in the western evening sky.     The two objects will set by 10:00
p.m.

*SATURDAY, MAY 15:  SEEKING SCORPIUS*
Although we've just reached spring's mid-point, the summer constellations
are already ascending in the post midnight eastern sky.   Scorpius and its
cohort Sagittarius are two prominent summer constellations one will see
traveling through the southern sky.

[image: ScorpiusNightScapeV4.jpg]
Scorpius resembles a fish-hook, the tail of which just rises above the
southern horizon.    We are about as far north as an observer can be while
still being able to see all of Scoprius.     Mythologically, Scorpius
killed Orion under the instruction of the moon goddess Artemis who wanted
to prevent the reckless hunter from slaying all the world's animals.   Both
Scorpius and Orion were honored by being placed in the sky as
constellations.  However, to prevent them from ever fighting again, they
are diametrically opposed to one another so that one will never see them in
the sky simultaneously.     Mid May is the time when Orion finally vanishes
into the dusk.  By the time Orion returns to the pre-dawn eastern sky in
mid August, Scorpius will have become a prominent evening sky
constellation.

*SUNDAY, MAY 16:   MARS 1.6 DEGREES SOUTH OF THE MOON*

            [image: skychart (4).png]
One will see Mars and the waxing crescent moon (17% illuminated) in the
western evening sky tonight.    They will both appear within the
constellation Gemini the Twins, the last of the "winter constellations" to
set.     Both celestial objects will set in the northwest just after
midnight.

*MONDAY, MAY 17:  MERCURY AT GREATEST EASTERN ELONGATION*
Yes, it is somewhat confusing.  When an inferior planet (one closer to the
Sun than Earth) is at greatest western elongation, one will find it in the
eastern early morning sky.  Conversely, when the planet is at greatest
eastern elongation. it will appear in the western early evening sky.    One
will find Mercury in the western evening sky tonight.  The first world sets
by 9:55 p.m.

*WEDNESDAY, MAY 19:  FIRST QUARTER MOON*

We'll post the last part on Monday.  In that article we'll explain why we
didn't spend much time discussing this month's lunar eclipse.  (Hint:
because we truly won't see much of it at all.)

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