Abrams Planetarium Starline

Abrams Planetarium Starline http://www.pa.msu.edu/abrams/starline/ What's up in the night sky this month. May 2008 Starline Podcast http://www.pa.msu.edu/abrams/starline/starline2008may-pod.mp3 You are reading the Abrams Planetarium Sky Information podcast for May 2008. Three planets are visible in the evenings this month. Mercury, Mars and Saturn. Mercury can be found low in the west-northwest until around mid-May. Near the start of the month, swift moving Mercury passes close to the Pleiades star cluster. Watch with binoculars. Mercury is at its greatest elongation from the Sun on the 13th at 22°. During the second half of the month, Mercury fades rapidly in brightness. This is the best evening apparition of Mercury for the year. Mars moves from Gemini into Cancer during May. On May 4th, Mars forms a line with the stars Castor and Pollux of Gemini. On the 22nd, Mars appears in front of the Beehive star cluster. Mars is moving towards Saturn. By the end of May, Mars and Saturn are 20° apart. The two planets pass by just a half degree in July. NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is scheduled to land on the red planet May 25th. The ringed planet Saturn stays close to the star Regulus in Leo the Lion all month long. It's at its closest, 2.2°, on May 3rd. The next time Saturn gets this close to Regulus will be in the year 2036. Jupiter rises about 5 hours after sunset near the start of the month and close to 3 hours after sunset at the end of the month. Before sunrise, you can see Jupiter in the south. It's to the left of the "teapot" of Sagittarius. Jupiter and Saturn can both be seen together about 140° apart. This is the farthest apart they'll be for the year. Venus is behind the Sun all month and can't be seen. A thin crescent Moon is near Mercury on the 6th. It passes Mars on the 9th and 10th. On the 12th the Moon is near Saturn and Regulus. Look for the Moon below Jupiter on the morning of the 24th. The Moon is New on the 5th, First Quarter on the 11th, Full on the 19th and Last Quarter on the 27th. The MSU Observatory open house weekend will be May 9th and 10th. Astronomy Day is May 10th. If you have further questions, or wish to request a sample Sky Calendar/star map which will help you find the objects mentioned in this message, call us at 517-355-4676 during regular business hours, weekdays 9:00 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Thanks for reading the Abrams Planetarium Sky Information podcast for May 2008.