ajamesmccarthy
patreon
What's in the sky this month?
🕑 Added 2020-05-05 17:24:43 +0000 UTCHowdy Patrons! Here's a quick rundown of what's happening in our skies this month.
May 5th-6th: Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
This event will be largely obscured by the nearly full moon, but with patience and sharp eyes you might be able to see a couple. It peaks on the morning of the 6th
May 7th: Supermoon
The moon will be full, and during its perigee, so it will appear slightly larger and brighter than usual. This moon is referred to as the "Milk Moon" or Flower Moon. Also called "Corn Planting Moon". Catch it rising right at sunset in the East.
May12th: Lunar Conjunction with Jupiter and Saturn
In the morning of May 12th before dawn, you can see our moon come close to Saturn and Jupiter in the Eastern Sky
May 14th: Last Quarter Moon
One of my favorite phases but also the one hardest to image, the last quarter moon is high in the sky at dawn, so is a treat for early risers.
May 15th: Mars/Moon Conjunction
In the eastern skies the morning of the 15th, you can see the moon pass close to Mars. It will also be close to Ceres, a large asteroid, but you will need a telescope for that.
May 22nd: New Moon
This is the best time to do deep sky observations. If you stay up late enough and have dark skies, you can watch the milky way rise! Look for bright nebula visible with the naked eye, like the Lagoon, Trifid, Eagle, or Omega nebulae. I plan on travelling to dark skies around this time to capture deep space images.
May 28th: Double Shadow Transit on Jupiter
You can see the shadow of Europa and Ganymede's shadow on Jupiter in this morning. It starts at 8:48GMT and lasts until 11:33 GMT. It will be much more visible in the US, with best viewing on the west coast. You will need a telescope to see it.
May 30th: First Quarter Moon
This is the best time to observe crater detail, as the long shadows exaggerate details. This is the phase I capture the most.
