New ------------ 3rd 05:05 to 21:22
1st Quarter --- 10th 11:45 to 01:55
Full ------------ 17th 21:38 to 04:35
Last Quarter -- 24th 01:30 to 12:16
Planets
Jupiter is still out of contention all month in the west, but from the middle it should be seen in the east soon before the Sun rises. Though the bright twilight will likely remove all chance of picking up any detail.
Uranus will also be unavailable in the west but should be seen in the east from mid-month before the Sun rises. More difficult than Jupiter as it’s much less bright, but further away from the Sun.
Similarly Neptune is available from mid-month, but though even further from the Sun it’s so small that it will be very difficult to see in the brightening sky.
Saturn will rise at 5.30pm on the 1st of the month and will stay in the sky till 5am. At the end of the month it’ll rise at 3.30pm and set at 3am. So it’ll continue to be available virtually all night all month, with the rings gradually widening. Easily visible now together with up to 7 of it’s moons.
Venus will be setting all month just before the Sun so not available in the west. It doesn’t follow the pattern set by Jupiter and the outer gas planets in pulling away from the Sun, but keeps close, so is really not worth seeking all month.
Mars too keeps close to the Sun, so shouldn’t be sought all month, with optical aid. A shame really as it’s very close to Jupiter on the 1st, having run close from the 30th of April, to be within 21arcmin on the 1st of May, before pulling away on the 2nd.
Mercury is also too close to the Sun all month so don’t look for it with optical aids.
Meteor showers
Eta Aquariids is the shower for this month, with up to 60/hour at the zenith. However, the problem with this shower is that the Radiant is in Aquarius, of course, which rises above the horizon with the dawn twilight, so you must wait for this shower till the early hours and watch in the east. The thin crescent Moon will rise soon after the radiant and the Sun. So, a shower for the more dedicated.
Comets
None that is know of to be within binocular sight, but I’ll advise if a worthwhile one is spotted.
For manmade satellites please check with http://www.heavens-above.com as the list may be too long for this page.
However, if you’d like a sky chart for an event or a particular date or part of the sky please contact me at the observatory through the website.
Summer observing starts now, with Arcturus leading the way for the Summer Triangle of Deneb in Cygnus, Vega in Lyra and Altair in Aquila, to rise fully by 11:45pm on the 1st (9:30pm by the month’s end). The galaxy season is ending and being replaced by Open Clusters, Globular Clusters Nebulae and all sorts of things. The centre of the Milky Way is becoming available deep in the south with all the many wonders in Sagittarius, Scutum, Ophiuchus, Serpens, Aquila and Cygnus. So much to see, but unfortunately made difficult by the shorter hours of darkness that are not really dark. So for many items you’re looking for something light grey in a slightly darker shade of grey background.
