| Title: |
May Skywatch Highlights |
| Location: |
Hawaiian Islands |
| Date / Time: |
May 2008 |
| Comments: |
As the sky darkens in early May, Saturn & Mars are high in the southwestern sky. SATURN, almost directly overhead at sunset, easily outshines nearby Regulus, the "heart" of Leo the Lion, which sits just west of the ringed planet. Saturn's ring system is beginning to tilt "edge-on" to our view from Earth. In late 2008, & through much of 2009, the rings will disappear from our view. This month, however, the rings are magnificent! You'll need at least a 30x telescope to view them. (Join us at a KEASA Starwatch & SEE for yourself). MARS appears near the head of Gemini brother Pollux at the beginning of May, then crosses into Cancer. On May 9th, look for the waxing Moon 6¡ to the west of Mars, & on May 10th, 6¡ to the east. May 21-23, Mars passes through the Beehive star cluster (M44) in Cancer, offering some great binocular viewing; the ruddy Red Planet shining brightly against a background of the Beehive's few hundred stars. The constellation Cancer has few bright stars discernible from the city, though under dark skies, I'm usually able to find the Beehive. With naked eyes it appears as a hazy patch or "smudge" between Pollux (in Gemini) & Regulus (in Leo). Try locating Cancer by following Mars on its path through the Beehive May 21-23. Watch for brilliant JUPITER, rising in the southeast by midnight early in the month, and by 10PM at month's end. Jupiter appears among the stars of Eastern Sagittarius, near the handle of the "teapot" asterism, and dominates the night sky as the brightest object except for the Moon. MERCURY reaches its eastern elongation this month, when the innermost planet is at it's greatest distance from the Sun. Early May is a good time to view the tiny but bright planet, in Taurus, just 2¡ south of the Pleiades star cluster (M45). Best views come through binoculars as twilight falls, just slightly above the west-northwestern horizon. On May 6th, you'll find Mercury 3¡ to the lower left (south) of the crescent Moon. VENUS is moving back around the Sun & will be challenging to view until it reappears in the evening sky in late summer.
Look for the Southern Cross to rise by around 8:30PM in early May, & by 7 PM, late in the month, low on the southern horizon. Hawaii is one of the few places where we can see all the way from the North Star, Polaris (Hokupa'a), to the Southern Cross, a Polynesian navigational "star line" called Ka Iwikuamo'o, "The Backbone."
For further details and a May sky map, visit Bishop Museum Planetarium www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium (bishopmuseum.org).
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Maintained by Roz Reiner - Kauai, Hawaii
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