Astronomy a Go Go! May Sky Tour
This tool displays the approximate Moon phases for a
given month(images are close approximations). For official phase times and dates
for this month and past months are available from the U.S. Naval
Observatory.
Astronomical Online
Glossary
Download this month's sky map!
Skymaps.com is our favorite monthly
skymap provider. Download either the
Northern hemisphere sky map
or theSouthern hemisphere sky
map so you can follow along with our viewing sessions.
Creator: Kym
Thalassoudis
Southern Hemisphere Additional Information
As Astronomy a Go Go! finds
its home in the higher Northern latitudes those of you who live south of the
equator will benefit from these two Southern Hemisphere sites: Royal
Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site (absolutely
outstanding) and
Southern Sky Watch.
Planets for May 2009
April will be a morning viewing month for planets with a lovely lunar meet
and greet with Jupiter and Mars and an occultation of Venus. Saturn is available
for evening viewers!
May Morning Planets
(click images to
enlarge)
Beginning of the month
End of the month
- Mercury- Quickly receding back towards the Sun and will be in
inferior conjunction on May 18th moving into the early morning sky along with
Venus, Mars and Jupiter 1.0 mag (1st) to 5.6 mag (21st)
- Venus- The brightest object low in the morning sky as she moves
towards greatest western elongation in June -4.7 mag (1st) to -4.4 mag (21st)
- Mars- Plays little game of tag with Venus within Pisces this month,
Venus trail about 6 degrees behind Mars. 1.2 (1st) to 1.2 mag (21st)
- Jupiter- Beautiful close to the meridian in the morning sky, rising
at midnight for southern observers this month, in June for northern observers.
(unless you are in Seattle and we have our perpetual planet zapping cloud banks)
-2.2 mag (1st) to -2.2 mag (21st)
- Saturn- In eastern Leo Saturn's were rings were seemingly flat at the
end of April and beginning of May. The rings will open to 4.2 degrees by the
15th, the widest they will be until late November. Saturn begins the month in
retrograde motion, becoming stationary on the 17th before resuming eastward
motion 0.7 mag (1st) to 0.8 mag (21st)
- Uranus- In Aquarius 5.9 mag (1st) to 5.9 mag (21st)
- Neptune- In Capricorn 8.0 mag (1st) to 7.9 mag (21st)
- Ceresand Eta - Finder chart
from the New Zealand RAS (RASNZ) great charts! Northern Hemisphere observers
this time you get to flip the chart or stand on your head!
Vesta chart
temporarily missing...use this
one until site is corrected
Key Dates for May 2009
Days and Times in UT: (help with
time)
Observations are for 10 pm for Northern Hemisphere and 8pm for the
Southern Hemisphere.
Today's sunrise
and sunset times or plan ahead using the US Naval Observatory
Website
Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website!
Astronomical Highlights - May 2009
| 1-3 |
- AAGG will be judging the Astronomy section of the Cascade Challenge!! Go
Girl Scouts! |
| 1 |
- First Quarter Moon (4 UT) |
| 6 |
- Peak of the Eta Aquarid Meteor shower, debris left behind from Halley's
Comet |
| 9 |
- Full Moon (4:01 UT) |
| 10 |
- Moon near Antares (21h UT) Occultation visible from SE Europe, NE Africa
and S.Asia, check the IOTA
website for occultation information for your area. |
| 14 |
- Moon at apogee (404,915 km) |
| 15 |
- Shadow transit of Titan on Saturn 5:30-10:35 UT You will need a 8" or
better aperture |
| 17 |
- Last Quarter Moon (7:26 UT) |
| 18 |
- Mercury at inferior conjunction with the Sun passing into the morning sky
to join Venus, Mars and Jupiter |
| 21 |
- Venus 7 deg S of Moon |
| 21 |
- Mars 7 deg S of Moon |
| 24 |
- New Moon (12:11 UT) |
| 25 |
- Jupiter 0.4 deg S of Neptune |
| 26 |
- Moon at perigee (361,153 km) |
| 27 |
- Jupiter 0.39 deg SSE of Neptune at 10 UT mag -2.4 and +7.19 |
| 31 |
- First Quarter Moon 3:22 UT |
Date information courtesy of: RASC Observer's Handbook, Skymaps.com,
Astronomical Calendar 2009, CalSky, Skymaps.com. sunrise and sunset times
for your home*
Comparative lengths of
day and night
More sites to help with Virgo hunting
Start by listening to show 39 from
2007, I take you through one path of 49 galaxies step by step...with pictures
too!
Helpful free maps 7 and 7a
Alan M.
MacRobert's "Mastering
the Virgo Cluster" Sky and Telescope, May 1994 pg 42
-This is the one I
carry in my notebook because I love the route and the map.
Tom Trusock's Cloudy
Nights Article
Steve Gottlieb's Virgo
Mainline Article
A great set of hopping lists from
SEDS
Galaxy hopping in Leo
Alan MacRobert's Leo
hopping article in Sky and Telescope
This month we
continue our tour of our nearby neighbors outside the Milky May galaxy. Our
observing will take in 10 more galaxies. Be ready to look for very faint and
small objects. Most are possible to see in binoculars, but you will need a
telescope and dark skies to really enjoy the sights. This is the final warm up
to prepare us for next month's challenge, navigating the Virgo Cluster of
galaxies. When you are done with these objects and give yourself a treat, skip
ahead to the summer globular clusters of M3 or M13. While they are not an
official part of this month's tour they should never be missed whenever they are
available. Besides these bright and spectacular objects are a treat to tired
eyes after a night of galaxy hunting. Be careful, these are so bright after the
other objects that you might want to wear shades.
M51
- The famous Whirlpool galaxy in Canes Venatici is a bright face on spiral
with a smaller elliptical companion, NGC 5195. Look for a pair of fuzzy patches
of light. The slightly larger and brighter one is M51. Make sure to spend some
time here as there is almost always some spiral structure to be seen, on good
nights the detail possible is unbelievable. This is a difficult but very
possible object in binoculars appearing as a hazy patch of light.
M63
- Another spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici smaller and fainter than M51, but
seen more edge on so the galaxy appears as an elongated patch of light with a
bright star at one end. Further inspection will show a faint halo around this
patch. A difficult object in binoculars.
M94
- Just past M63 is another galaxy in Canes Vanitici. Look for a bright fuzzy
star to find the core of M94, surrounded by a faint haze. A tough binocular
object.
M101
- I consider this face on spiral galaxy in Ursa Major one of the most
difficult Messier objects to find in a telescope. This is a large faint patch of
light almost as big as the full moon. There are no real condensations so use low
power and look for a brighter part of the sky, more of a change in contrast than
an object at first glance, which is the galaxy. Dark skies really help in the
search of this one and are a to find M101 in binoculars.
M102
- Not an official Messier object in most references, we will look for the
galaxy NGC 5866
which is a somewhat standard insertion. Look for a small, faint patch light that
looks like a short fuzzy line.
M64
- In a telescope this galaxy in Coma Berenices is a fairly bright, slightly
oval shaped patch of light. Look for the dark lane which gives this galaxy the
common name Black Eye. The galaxy appears as a faint fuzzy patch in binoculars.
M85
- This elliptical galaxy lies in Coma Berenices just north of the Virgo
Cluster of galaxies. This appears as a bright, but small, patch of light with a
bright stellar core.
M49
- This is an elliptical galaxy in Virgo just south of the main cluster of
galaxies. M49 is round patch of light with bright center gradually fading to a
round halo. M49 looks like a faint fuzzy star in binoculars.
M61
- This is a face on spiral galaxy just south of M49 in Virgo, but much
fainter. Look for a faint, round fuzzy patch of light.
M104
- This is the well known Sombrero galaxy in Virgo. It is bright edge on spiral
galaxy which looks like a bright, elongated streak. It is very possible to see
in binoculars.
From the Tony
Cecce, Corning, NY - Twelve Month Tour of The Messier Catalog
Comets for May 2009
More comet
information at
Seiichi
Yoshida's comet website. Also checkout Gary Kronk's
comet and meteor pages
Skyhound Comet pages
Historical and Current Events
...Did you know?
Mark has developed his own website
so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us
this month!
Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hat
or write us a
favorable review in iTunes of Podcast Pickle or iPodder!
Music Scottish Guitar
Quartet -"Romance Within You"
Angelique Kidjo- "Salala"
Antonin Bastian- "Tu Cha Cha Cha"
Earth's major motions for 2009
| Perihelion |
|
Jan 4 15(UT) |
| First Cross Quarter Day |
|
Feb 2-6 |
| Equinox |
|
Mar 20 11:44(UT) |
| Second Cross Quarter Day |
|
May 4-7 |
| Solstice |
|
June 21 05:45(UT) |
| Aphelion |
|
July 4 02h (UT) |
| Third Cross Quarter Day |
|
Aug 5-8 |
| Equinox |
|
Sept 22 21:18(UT) |
| Fourth Cross Quarter Day |
|
Nov 5-8 |
| Solstice |
|
Dec 21 17:47(UT) |
Planet Positions for 2009
| 2009 |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Venus |
Sgr |
Cap |
Aqr |
Psc |
Tau |
Gem |
Cnc |
Vir |
Vir |
Sco |
Sgr |
Cap |
| Mars |
Sgr |
Cap |
Aqr |
Psc |
Psc |
Ari |
Tau |
Tau |
Gem |
Cnc |
Cnc |
Leo |
| Jupiter |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
| Saturn |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Vir |
Vir |
Vir |
Vir |
Interesting Planet Pairing for 2009
- December 31, 2008 - Jupiter and Mercury - After sunset a
little more than one degree apart in Sagittarius. Pull out the binos and
telescopes because Mercury will be a mere 15 arcminutes from the globular
cluster M75. All three will be together in one field of view in most home
binoculars.
- January 22nd - Venus and Uranus - After sunset 1.3 degrees
apart a few days later on the 29th they are joined by a waxing crescent moon.
- February 23rd - Jupiter, Mars and Mercury - In the early
morning sky just before sunrise the trio are in a space about 2 degrees wide.
Binoculars will be helpful but beware the quickly rising Sun. The Moon, almost
invisible, will be between Mars and the Sun.
- March 23rd - Mars, Moon, Neptune, and Jupiter - Makes a nice
line-up in the morning sky with Neptune just off the tip of the waning crescent
moon.
- April 21st - Venus, Mars, Uranus, waning crescent Moon, Neptune
and Jupiter - all in the pre-dawn sky together. First the right triangle of
Venus, Mars, and Uranus followed by the waning crescent Moon and then finally by
Neptune and Jupiter. Mars will be a faint 1.41 mag so binoculars will be
helpful. The next day, possible occultation of Venus by the Moon. Check the IOTA
website for occultations in your area.
- May 25th - Jupiter and Neptune - Jupiter is less than 1/2
degree South of Neptune in the morning sky. If you have ever had problems
finding Neptune this would be a good time to try, between now and June.
- June 19th - Venus and Mars - In the pre-dawn sky just south of
a waning crescent Moon. Closer to the Sun is Mercury and the Pleiades.
- August 17th - Saturn and Mercury - Very close to the Sun low
in the evening sky. Much better view for Southern viewers.
- September 3rd UT 4:43 - Jupiter hides its Galilean moons. Not
until 2019 will all of Jupiter's Galilean moons orbit in such a way.
- September 4th - Saturn - Not exactly a pairing but the Earth
will cross the plane of the rings from south to north making the rings invisible
- October 16th - Mercury, Venus, and Saturn - All lined up in
the pre-dawn sky close to the horizon. A faint waning crescent is just south of
the trio.
- December 24th - Jupiter and Neptune - Just after sunset
Jupiter and Neptune sit side-by-side just north of delta Capricornus and east of
the "42,44,45 Cap Wall"
Phases of the Moon 2009
(click to enlarge)
Universal Time
NEW MOON FIRST QUARTER FULL MOON LAST QUARTER
d h m d h m d h m d h m
JAN. 4 11 56 JAN. 11 3 27 JAN. 18 2 46
JAN. 26 7 55 FEB. 2 23 13 FEB. 9 14 49 FEB. 16 21 37
FEB. 25 1 35 MAR. 4 7 46 MAR. 11 2 38 MAR. 18 17 47
MAR. 26 16 06 APR. 2 14 34 APR. 9 14 56 APR. 17 13 36
APR. 25 3 23 MAY 1 20 44 MAY 9 4 01 MAY 17 7 26
MAY 24 12 11 MAY 31 3 22 JUNE 7 18 12 JUNE 15 22 15
JUNE 22 19 35 JUNE 29 11 28 JULY 7 9 21 JULY 15 9 53
JULY 22 2 35 JULY 28 22 00 AUG. 6 0 55 AUG. 13 18 55
AUG. 20 10 02 AUG. 27 11 42 SEPT. 4 16 03 SEPT. 12 2 16
SEPT. 18 18 44 SEPT. 26 4 50 OCT. 4 6 10 OCT. 11 8 56
OCT. 18 5 33 OCT. 26 0 42 NOV. 2 19 14 NOV. 9 15 56
NOV. 16 19 14 NOV. 24 21 39 DEC. 2 7 30 DEC. 9 0 13
DEC. 16 12 02 DEC. 24 17 36 DEC. 31 19 13
Eclipses for 2009
January 26 - Annular Solar Eclipse ( see map,
times, and animation!): The first
solar eclipse of 2009 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in western
Capricornus. An annular eclipse will be visible from a wide track that traverses
the Indian Ocean and western Indonesia. A partial eclipse will be seen within
the much larger path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes the southern
third of Africa, Madagascar, Australia except Tasmania, southeast India,
Southeast Asia and Indonesia.
February 09 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times): The first lunar eclipse of 2009 is one of four such events during
the year. The first three eclipses are penumbral while the last (on Dec. 31) is
partial. The Feb 09 event is the deepest penumbral eclipse of the year with a
penumbral magnitude of 0.899. It will be easily visible to the naked eye as a
dusky shading in the northern half of the Moon. The times of the major phases
are listed below.
July 07 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times.): July's penumbral eclipse is only of academic interest since the
magnitude is just 0.156. Although the Moon will be above the horizon from most
of Canada, the eclipse is so minor as to be completely invisible to the naked
eye.
July 21-22 - Total Solar Eclipse ( see map,
times, and animation!): To make up
for the anemic lunar eclipse earlier in the month, a major total eclipse of the
Sun occurs two weeks later. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow extends across
India, China, a handful of Japanese islands and the South Pacific Ocean (Espenak
and Anderson, 2008). A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of
the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and
the Pacific Ocean.
August 05-06 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times): A shallow penumbral eclipse occurs 15 days after the total solar
eclipse. Since its magnitude is only 0.402, it will not be visible to the naked
eye.
December 31 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse ( see map,
times): The last eclipse of 2009 occurs on New Year's Eve. This minor
partial lunar eclipse takes place in Gemini, and is visible primarily from the
Eastern Hemisphere (Figure 8). Greatest eclipse takes place at 19:23 UT when the
eclipse magnitude will reach 0.0763.
Eclipse information from: NASA Eclipse
Homepage, Eclipses
Online (HM Nautical Almanac Office, UK in coordination with the U.S. Naval Observatory)
| Shower |
Activity Period |
Maximum |
Radiant |
Velocity |
r |
ZHR |
Class |
Moon |
| |
|
Date |
S. L. |
R.A. |
Dec. |
km/s |
|
|
|
|
| Antihelion Source (ANT) |
Dec 14-Sep 07 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
30 |
3.0 |
3 |
II |
- |
| Quadrantids (QUA) |
Dec 26-Jan 13 |
Jan 03 |
283°16 |
15:20 |
+49° |
42 |
2.1 |
120 |
I |
6 |
| Alpha Centaurids (ACE) |
Jan 28-Feb 21 |
Feb 07 |
319°2 |
14:00 |
-59° |
56 |
2.0 |
5 |
II |
12 |
| Delta Leonids (DLE) |
Feb 15-Mar 10 |
Feb 25 |
336° |
11:12 |
+16° |
23 |
3.0 |
2 |
II |
0 |
| Gamma Normids (GNO) |
Feb 25-Mar 22 |
Mar 13 |
353° |
16:36 |
-51° |
56 |
2.4 |
4 |
II |
16 |
| Lyrids (LYR) |
Apr 16-Apr 27 |
Apr 23 |
033° |
18:12 |
+33° |
46 |
2.1 |
18 |
I |
27 |
| Pi Puppids (PPU) |
Apr 15-Apr 28 |
Apr 23 |
033°5 |
07:20 |
-45° |
18 |
2.0 |
var |
III |
27 |
| Eta Aquarids (ETA) |
Apr 27-May 23 |
May 07 |
047° |
22:36 |
-01° |
68 |
2.4 |
60 |
I |
12 |
| Eta Lyrids (ELY) |
May 06-May 14 |
May 10 |
050° |
19:22 |
+43° |
43 |
3.0 |
3 |
II |
15 |
| June Bootids (JBO) |
Jun 22-Jul 02 |
Jun 27 |
095°7 |
14:56 |
+48° |
18 |
2.2 |
var |
III |
5 |
| Piscis Austrinids (PAU) |
Jul 15-Aug 10 |
Jul 28 |
125° |
22:44 |
-30° |
35 |
3.2 |
5 |
II |
7 |
| Alpha Capricornids (CAP) |
Jul 12-Aug 08 |
Jul 28 |
125° |
20:20 |
-10° |
24 |
2.5 |
4 |
II |
7 |
| Delta Aquarids (SDA) |
Jul 21-Aug 30 |
Jul 30 |
127° |
22:42 |
-17° |
43 |
3.2 |
20 |
I |
9 |
| Perseids (PER) |
Jul 13-Aug 26 |
Aug 12 |
140° |
03:12 |
+58° |
59 |
2.6 |
100 |
I |
20 |
| Kappa Cygnids (KCG) |
Aug 03-Aug 25 |
Aug 17 |
145° |
19:04 |
+59° |
25 |
3.0 |
3 |
II |
25 |
| Alpha Aurigids (AUR) |
Aug 28-Sep 03 |
Sep 01 |
158°6 |
06:06 |
+39° |
65 |
2.6 |
7 |
II |
11 |
| September Perseids (SPR) |
Sep 06-Sep 13 |
Sep 10 |
168° |
03:12 |
+40° |
65 |
2.9 |
5 |
II |
19 |
| Delta Aurigids (DAU) |
Sep 18-Oct 10 |
Sep 29 |
186° |
05:52 |
+49° |
64 |
2.9 |
2 |
II |
13 |
| Draconids (GIA) |
Oct 06-Oct 10 |
Oct 08 |
195°4 |
17:28 |
+54° |
20 |
2.6 |
var |
III |
18 |
| Southern Taurids (STA) |
Sep 18-Nov 26 |
Oct 11 |
198° |
02:18 |
+09° |
29 |
2.3 |
5 |
II |
21 |
| Epsilon Geminids (EGE) |
Oct 18-Oct 21 |
Oct 20 |
207° |
06:48 |
+28° |
71 |
3.0 |
2 |
II |
2 |
| Orionids (ORI) |
Sep 28-Nov 10 |
Oct 21 |
208° |
06:22 |
+16° |
68 |
2.5 |
23 |
I |
3 |
| Leo Minorids (LMI) |
Oct 17-Oct 27 |
Oct 23 |
209° |
10:40 |
+37° |
61 |
2.7 |
2 |
II |
4 |
| Northern Taurids (NTA) |
Oct 20-Nov 29 |
Nov 13 |
231° |
03:52 |
+22° |
29 |
2.3 |
5 |
II |
25 |
| Leonids (LEO) |
Nov 07-Nov 28 |
Nov 18 |
236° |
10:16 |
+22° |
71 |
2.5 |
var |
III |
1 |
| Alpha Monocerotids (AMO) |
Nov 15-Nov 25 |
Nov 21 |
239°32 |
07:48 |
+01° |
65 |
2.4 |
var |
III |
4 |
| Dec Phoenicids (PHO) |
Nov 28-Dec 09 |
Dec 06 |
254°25 |
01:12 |
-53° |
18 |
2.8 |
var |
III |
18 |
| Puppid/Velids (PUP) |
Dec 01-Dec 15 |
Dec 07 |
255° |
08:12 |
-45° |
40 |
2.9 |
10 |
I |
19 |
| Monocerotids (MON) |
Dec 06-Dec 20 |
Dec 07 |
255° |
06:32 |
+09° |
41 |
3.0 |
2 |
II |
10 |
| Sigma Hydrids (HYD) |
Nov 22-Dec 23 |
Dec 09 |
257° |
08:24 |
+03° |
60 |
3.0 |
3 |
II |
21 |
| Geminids (GEM) |
Dec 05-Dec 19 |
Dec 14 |
262°2 |
07:36 |
+32° |
35 |
2.6 |
120 |
I |
26 |
| Coma Berenicids (COM) |
Dec 10-Jan 25 |
Dec 19 |
268° |
11:40 |
+25° |
64 |
3.0 |
5 |
II |
3 |
| Ursids (URS) |
Dec 16-Dec 25 |
Dec 22 |
270°7 |
14:34 |
+75° |
32 |
3.0 |
10 |
I |
5 |
Information and Table Template Courtesy The American Meteor Society, International Meteor Organization, and Meteors Online.
Shower: named for the constellation or closest star within a
constellation where the radiant is located at maximum activity.
Activity Period: the dates when the ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rates) are
equal to or greater than one.
Maximum: the date on which the maximum activity is expected to occur.
S.L.: the equivalent solar longitude of the date of maximum
activity. Solar longitude is measured in degrees (0-359) with 0 occurring at the
exact moment of the spring equinox, 90 at the summer solstice, 180 at the
autumnal equinox, and 270 at the winter solstice.
Radiant: the area in the sky where shower meteors seem to appear from.
This position is given in right ascension (celestial longitude) and
declination (celestial latitude).
Velocity: the velocity at which shower meteors strike the Earth's
atmosphere. The velocity depends on the angle meteoroids (meteors in space)
intersect the Earth. Meteoroids orbiting in the opposite direction of the Earth
and striking the atmosphere head-on are much faster than those orbiting in the
same direction as the Earth. This velocity is measured in kilometers per second.
r: The Population Index, An estimate of the ratio of the number
of meteors in subsequent magnitude classes. Simply stated: the lower the "r"
value, the resulting overall mean magnitude of each shower will be brighter. "r"
usually ranges from 2.0 (bright) to 3.5 (faint).
ZHR: Zenith Hourly Rate, the average maximum number of shower
meteors visible per hour if the radiant is located exactly overhead and the
limiting magnitude equals +6.5. Actual counts rarely reach this figure as the
zenith angle of the radiant is usually less and the limiting magnitude is
usually lower. ZHR is a useful tool when comparing the actual observed rates
between individual observers as it sets observing conditions for all to the same
standards.
Class: A scale developed by Robert Lunsford to group meteor showers by
their intensity:
Class I: the strongest annual showers with ZHR's normally ten or
better.
Class II: reliable minor showers with ZHR's normally three or better.
Class III: showers with widely variable rates. They may be strong one
year and totally inactive the next.
Class IV: weak minor showers with ZHR's rarely exceeding three. The
study of these showers is best left to experienced observers who use plotting
and angular velocity estimates to determine shower association. Observers with
less experience are urged to limit their shower associations to showers with a
rating of I to III. These showers are also good targets for video and
photographic work.
Moon: the age of the moon in days where 0 is new, 7 is first quarter,
14 is full, and 21 is last quarter. Meteor activity is best seen in the absence
of moonlight so showers reaching maximum activity when the moon is less than 10
days old or more than 25 are much more favorably observed than those situated
closer to the full moon.
Information from the "Observer's Handbook 2009" RASC
