For the Northern Hemisphere April 19 - May 20, 2009 All times are local unless otherwise specified. Look Up!
Planetary Treats Mercury ~ Its 2009 Evening Best Continues
Mercury is high enough and bright enough to see as Taurus begins. This inferior planet is giving us its superior evening showing for 2009! Check out a sunset and wait for the elusive one to spring up on the celestial stage above the western horizon. Mark Your Calendar! April 26, Sunday, Mercury is at greatest elongation, when a Crescent Moon with earthshine joins the Pleiades very near the planet. Use binoculars for an extra special treat! Examine this view with this view. Look Up! Compare Mercury's color and brightness with that of nearby Aldebaran. What will you see? Click Moon Dances for an additional map, lunar information and meditative reflections. Moon,
Mercury, Seven Sisters, Astronomy Day As the April nights unfold watch Mercury move to the left (south) of the Seven Sisters. Continue to compare the planet's fading brightness to that of nearby Aldebaran. View Mercury in the vicinity of the Pleiades until May 5. Afterwards the dimming and descending planet becomes difficult to see. Reflections ~ Mercury Retrograde As Mercury sinks very low on the sunset horizon, it begins to leave the evening sky and appears to move backwards among the stars of Taurus the Bull, to the west instead of east of the Pleiades. Helpful Map This westerly motion is called a retrograde. Mercury is stationary retrograde May 6 at 10:01pm PDT (05:01 UT 5/7). Mercury joins the Sun in inferior conjunction May 18. This marks the planet's transition from the evening to the morning sky and the mid-point of its retrograde. The planet ascends out of the solar glare and reappears in the morning sky in June. Mercury halts its 21-day retrograde motion May 30 when it is stationary direct at 6:22pm PDT (01:22 UT 5/31).
During this time Mercury the messenger of the gods and Taurus the Bull are inspiring and enlightening humanity to change desire into spiritual aspiration and true love. [Return to Menu at top]
Cassini Sees Sensational Saturn
Saturn can be found overhead, high in the southwest, during the first couple of hours of darkness. Our ringed wonder remains in a dark sky until it sets in the west, in the beginning of Taurus around 4:15am and by its end at 3:00am. Saturn is the farthest planet normally visible without a telescope. Hence, from our perspective it is the slowest moving planet. Its orbital distance and retrograde motion has kept it lingering in the den of Leo the Lion for two years now. The planet currently lies near the hindquarters of Leo the Lion, and shines at magnitude 0.8 somewhat brighter than Regulus, the Lion's heart star, which shines at magnitude 1.35. The waxing Gibbous Moon guides us to Regulus May 2 and to Saturn May 3. Click Moon Dances for a map and meditative reflections. Saturn's westerly retrograde movement stops May 16 when the planet is stationary direct. Afterwards it moves easterly again toward the Lion's tail. Though the planet's nearly closed reflective rings are temporarily and gradually opening from a 3.4º tilt in April to 4.1º in May, its distance from Earth is increasing causing a gradual dimming. In June the rings begin closing again to exactly edge-on in September, when regrettably the planet is out of view in conjunction with the Sun. The maximum ring tilt of 27º occurred in 2003. Why are Saturn's rings disappearing?
View
Saturn’s Ring Tilt Any night look for the triangle formed by Saturn, Spica and Arcturus. The two stars lie to the southeast and northeast of the planet respectively. Find the Big Dipper, arc down to bright golden Arcturus in Bootes from there spike down to dimmer blue-white Spica in Virgo. Helpful Image ~ 5/10 9pm Sky Chart
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Dance
of Venus in 2009 Venus is a "knock your socks off" blazing beauty of light in the eastern morning sky. At magnitude -4.7 this goddess of love is at her morning brightest during Taurus, officially achieving greatest brilliancy for this apparition on May 2. One now has the opportunity to enjoy the full beauty of Venus in a dark sky. Our gorgeous "morning star" rises in the beginning of Taurus at 4:45am and by its end at 4:00am, 1 1/2 and 2 hours before sunrise respectively. The goddess of love is currently transiting the faint constellation Pisces found south of Pegasus. The planet's mid-April prograde motion is bringing it closer to the star Algenib, the wing of Pegasus the Flying Horse, until passing it further to the east around May 10. You may want to review these meditative reflections for Venus, Pisces and Pegasus. As noted in Aries and the previous Moon Dances, a waning Crescent Moon positioned itself very near Venus April 22 and occulted the planet for North America excluding the far south and east. It was a beathtaking observation. Those with a telescope could see the crescent phase of Venus. Here are some great photos of the encounter: #1, #2, #3. Mark Your Calendar! May 21, Thursday morning, a waning Crescent Moon guides us to both Venus and Mars. 5/21 5am Map Click Moon Dances for an additional map and reflections. Begin a predawn observation Sunday, May 17; each following morning watch the Moon's waning journey bridge brilliant Jupiter in the southeast with blazing Venus in the east. It's a great way to start the day. The Moon anywhere in the vicinity of these two stunning planets is a planetary treat. Binoculars are helpful in spotting dim Mars. Look Up! The
Moon Visits 3 Planets 5/17
5am Sky Chart Telescopic Venus Focus a telescope on Venus for several months and you will see what Galileo saw 400 years ago, variations of lighting on the planet's surface, the phases of Venus. You'll also see its increasing / decreasing disk size. Animated Phases of Venus This telescopic discovery of Galileo confirmed the theory of Copernicus; that the planets did indeed revolve around the Sun. Use this helpful image, when reading the following quote:
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Phase & Apparent Disk Size of Venus Mars may still require keen eyes or an optical aid to see it before sunrise low on the twilit eastern horizon, however visibility is improving. It now rises in a dark sky at 5:00am during the beginning of Taurus and 4:15am by its end. Venus is a great guide to locating Mars and binoculars are a wonderful aid in spotting the planet.
BTW: Mars has been moving from one side of Venus to the other during Taurus: Mars 4/22 (lower right of Venus), Mars 4/25 (below Venus), Mars Mid-May (lower left of Venus).
Jupiter's Core Issue Is Supersized! Image: Universe Today
Jupiter, a brilliant beacon of light in the morning sky, opens wide any sleepy eyes! This planetary beauty rises in the southeast around 3:30am in the beginning of Taurus and at 2:00am by its end. One can view Jupiter until sunrise. Jupiter is located in the dim constellation Capricornus. Gleaming at magnitude -2.3 the planet far outshines any stars in its vicinity. Watch the gaseous giant ascend and brighten as the months unfold. Mark Your Calendar! Observe 3 lunar phases near Jupiter! Saturday morning, May 16, the waning Gibbous Moon lies to the west of the planet; predawn Sunday, May 17, the Last Quarter Moon joins Jupiter; Monday morning, May 18, the waning Crescent Moon passes the planet to the east. 5/17 4:30am Map To see a 3-day map with meditative reflections click Moon Dances. Each following morning, just before sunrise, watch the shrinkng Moon make its way toward Venus and Mars in the east, culminating in a 3-way conjunction May 21. Use binoculars to spot dim Mars in dawn's early light. 5/21 5am Map The
Moon Visits 3 Planets + An Invisible Goodie Telescopic Jupiter Every six years the Earth lies in the orbital plane of Jupiter's moons. At this time Jupiter's 4 bright moons are directly in our line of sight, and the shifting of these moons, one in front of another, plus their shadows crossing the surface of Jupiter grab the attention of those with telescopes. The last time this occurred was in 2003. Once again in 2009 Earth is moving through the plane of Jupiter's satellites, allowing the moons to line up in their special 6-year geometry.
Jupiter’s
Moons BTW: The four largest and brightest moons of Jupiter, first discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610, are known as the Galilean satellites. The 2009 International Year of Astronomy recognizes and celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first major legendary observations of 1609. Jupiter's Galilean Moons ~ Europa Occults Ganymede Note: Telescopic Neptune lies near Jupiter. Get up earlier enough on Thursday, May 21, and with a small telescope you might be able to spot Neptune to the left of Jupiter plus the line-up of Jupiter's Galilean moons! They extend from the right of Jupiter. Helpful Star Gazer Image Use Sky & Telescope’s JavaScript utility to locate/name the moons at anytime in the morning. The
Planets
Celestial Delights The
Wesak ~ Festival of the Buddha [Image]
The Wesak is a Full Moon Festival occurring during the sign Taurus. An ancient legend says the Buddha, for a brief period, renews His touch and association with the work of our planet at this time. The Festival of the Buddha releases forces of enlightenment from our highest spiritual planetary center, Shamballa. These forces spark initiation and are stepped down for humanity through the Buddha, the Christ and the Spiritual Hierarchy. The Wesak Festival, when the Buddha and the Christ come together in a sacred ritual, is spiritually known to be the supreme moment in the annual cycle. During Taurus we have the opportunity to tap into the channel of direct communication between humanity and Deity and celebrate the evolutionary blessings that come to all of humanity. It is important that groups of all faiths unite globally to invoke the divine in everyone. Together we are the Chalice, the Holy Grail on Earth, prepared to receive the outpouring of potent energies from on High. In 2009 the Full Moon during the sign of Taurus occurs Friday, May 8, at 9:01pm PDT (04:01UT 5/9). Click Moon Dances for a map and meditative reflections. Three Major Planetary Festivals The Work of Buddha, Christ and Humanity
Through
The Buddha, the wisdom of God streams forth.
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April 19 - May 20
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