A Couple of Astronomical Highlights for May

May 2007  :  Dave Huestis

Note: This article may contain outdated information

This article was published in the May 2007 issue of The Skyscraper and likely contains some information that was pertinent only for that month. It is being provided here for historical reference only.

I am hoping that by the time you read this column the weather will have vastly improved. We have had to cancel many of our Saturday public observing nights at Seagrave Observatory this past Winter and early Spring due to absolutely horrendous weather. December and January were actually quite nice compared to what came afterwards.

First the snow, then rain on top of that, and then a fast freeze, creating an impassable "glacier" on our property. A little melt, then more snow and ice and then more rain and then mud. Though astronomical Spring arrived on March 20, Mother Nature has yet to receive notice as I write this column in mid-April!

Once the warmer weather settles in and hopefully clear skies return, May will provide a few astronomical events of interest to the casual stargazer.

First up is the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower. This year it peaks a couple of hours before dawn on the morning of May 6. The constellation Aquarius, from where the meteors will appear to originate, will be very low in the southeast sky when the shower peaks. That's the area of sky on which you want to focus your attention.

Normally about 15-20 meteors per hour can be seen during this shower's maximum activity, but unfortunately a bright waning Gibbous Moon, about halfway between Full and Last Quarter, will prevent all but the brightest of these meteors from being observed.

Due to this limited observing scenario, I wouldn't begin to observe until around 3:00 am. The Sun rises at approximately 5:30 am locally.

This display of shooting stars (particles stripped off Halley's Comet) enters our upper atmosphere nearly head-on at 41 miles per second. This high-speed collision results in forty percent of the meteors leaving long persisting dust trains. They are swift and yellow in color.

All month that bright beacon high in the western sky after sunset will be our closest planetary neighbor, Venus. On the 19th a thin crescent Moon will be within one degree (two Full Moon diameters) of Venus, providing a great opportunity to capture a wonderful sky picture.

Don't forget to visit Seagrave Memorial Observatory on any clear Saturday night for a tour of the heavens. Visit our web site for additional information: www.theskyscrapers.org.

Keep your eyes to the skies.