Abrams Planetarium
Night Sky Notes

The Night Sky Notes is a place on our web site that we use to keep skywatchers up to date on what's up in the sky. Check back often to find out what's new and visible in our ever changing sky. As we learn about something new, we'll post it to this page as soon as we can. If you like to subscribe to news feeds, click the RSS link below. The posts will automatically show up in your news aggregator or feed reader.

If you would like more detailed information including star charts, check out our Sky Calendar. For just $11.00 per year, you'll get 12 issues mailed to you. Proceeds from the Sky Calendar help support the Abrams Planetarium and Night Sky Notes.

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The URL for the RSS feed of the Abrams Planetarium's Night Sky Notes is:
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The URL for the iCal feed of the Abrams Planetarium's Night Sky Notes is:
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If you maintain a web page, and would like the Night Sky Notes RSS feed on your site. Click HERE for information on how to put Abrams Planetarium's Night Sky Notes on your web page.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012
A thin crescent Moon is to the lower left of Venus. Look to the WNW after sunset.

Monday, May 21, 2012
The young Moon is below Venus. Look for a very thin crescent in the WNW 30 minutes after sunset. Binoculars may help spot the thin Moon.

Sunday, May 20, 2012
Annular Eclipse! The Moon passes in front of the Sun. The Moon is close to its apogee making it appears smaller than usual. So when the Moon eclipses the Sun, it's not big enough to totally cover the Sun. The annular eclipse is only visible in the USA within a small strip in the southwest. Most of the west will see a partial eclipse. Observers on the east coast miss out.

Saturday, May 19, 2012
The old Moon is very low in the ESE, 35 minutes before sunrise. This is the last chance to see the Moon until it eclipses the Sun tomorrow.

Friday, May 18, 2012
A very thin crescent Moon is low in the ENE an hour before sunrise. Venus is 2 degrees to the left of the star Alnath. Look low in the WNW an hour after sunset for crescent Venus.

Thursday, May 17, 2012
A thin waning crescent Moon is in the east an hour before sunrise.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The waning crescent Moon is in the east an hour before sunrise. Uranus is less than 5 degrees below the Moon.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Venus is within 2 degrees from the star Alnath in Taurus the Bull. Venus is now a 13% crescent. In just 3 weeks, Venus will transit the Sun. Mark your calendars for June 5th for the Transit of Venus. If you miss it, you'll have to wait 105 years until it happens again.

Monday, May 14, 2012
The waning crescent Moon is in the ESE at dawn.

Sunday, May 13, 2012
Jupiter is in conjunction with the Sun today. Jupiter will reappears in the morning sky in June.

Saturday, May 12, 2012
Venus remains close to the star Beta Tauri. Look for the star 1.6 degrees to the lower right of Venus. Beta Tauri marks the tip of the northern horn of Taurus the Bull. Other names for Beta Tauri are Alnath, Elnath and El Nath, which means "the butting" in Arabic.

Friday, May 11, 2012
Mars is 8 degrees east of Regulus. Find Mars high in the SSW at dusk.

Thursday, May 10, 2012
The waning gibbous Moon is to the upper left of the teapot. Look for the Moon in the predawn sky.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The waning gibbous Moon is near the teapot of Sagittarius. Look for the Moon in the low in the south at dawn.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Venus is now a 20% crescent, 43 arcseconds across. Can you see the crescent shape in the view of binoculars? Try looking before the sky is dark. The crescent is more noticeable against a blue sky.

Monday, May 7, 2012
The Moon is to the upper right of the star Antares in Scorpius. Look to the SSW two hours before sunrise.

Sunday, May 6, 2012
Venus passes 0.8 degrees south of the star Beta Tauri. Beta Tauri marks the tip of the northern horn of Taurus the Bull. Look for Venus in the WNW an hour after sunset. Aim a telescope at Venus to see it as a 21% crescent.

Saturday, May 5, 2012
The Full Moon occurs at 11:35 p.m. EDT. This is the closest Full Moon for the year. At perigee, its closest approach to the Earth, the Moon will be 221,802 miles from the earth. This is about 17,000 miles closer than average. When the Full Moon is near perigee, tides are more extreme. Watch for very high and very low tides this weekend.

Friday, May 4, 2012
Venus sets farther north than it will again until the year 2239. Watch Venus set in the northwest more than 3 hours after sunset.

Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Moon is to the right of Saturn and Spica. Look for the waxing gibbous Moon in the southeast, an hour after sunset.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Aim a telescope or binoculars at the Moon to see the bright crater Aristarchus. Aristarchus is the brightest large crater on the Moon's surface. Its albedo is about twice as much as the Moon's average albedo.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Mars starts the month of May less than 6 degrees to the east of the star Regulus. By the month's end, Mars will be 15 degrees east of the star. Look for Mars and Regulus high in the south in the evening sky. The waxing gibbous Moon is to the lower left of Mars.

Monday, April 30, 2012
The waxing gibbous Moon is below Mars and Regulus. Look for Mars high in the south in the evening sky.

Sunday, April 29, 2012
Jupiter sets at mid-twilight. Can you still spot Jupiter very low in the WNW? Jupiter will be in conjunction with the Sun on May 13th and will reappear in the morning sky in June.

Saturday, April 28, 2012
Astronomy Day! Venus and Jupiter are 30 degrees apart. Look for Jupiter close to the WNW horizon 40 minutes after sunset. Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn span 155 degrees across the evening sky.

Please send any comments, suggestions, or questions to
John French: frenchj@ msu.edu