The Dudley Observatory Skywatch Line for Wednesday, May 28th and Thursday, May 29th written by Louis Suarato On Wednesday, there is a New Moon at 2:40 p.m. EDT. After sunset, look for Mercury about 10 degrees over the west-northwest horizon. Jupiter can be found approximately 20 degrees to Mercury’s upper left. Jupiter sets around 11:30 pm. Thursday evening offers an opportunity to see a very young, 2% illuminated, waxing crescent Moon below Mercury and Jupiter. As Mercury is setting, Mars will be 40 degrees over the southern horizon in the constellation Virgo. Saturn, in the constellation Libra, will be about 20 degrees over the southeastern horizon. Venus rises at 3:44 a.m. Thursday in Pisces. The nights before, after and during the new Moon phase provide optimal conditions for telescopic viewing of planets and deep sky objects. Other factors include finding a location with minimal light pollution such as the Landis Arboretum used by the Albany Area Amateur Astronomers for their Star Parties. Celestial targets should also be located in constellations which are high above the horizons to prevent atmospheric interference. Deep sky targets in and near the constellations Ursa Major, Bootes, Canes Venatici, and Virgo fit the criteria for ideal locations at this time. The Whirlpool Galaxy, or M51, can be found about 3 degrees below the last star in the Big Dipper’s handle, Alkaid. M3, a globular cluster containing a half million stars, is between the constellations Bootes and Canes Venatici. Look to the west of Arcturus for this magnificent cluster. A visual trek through the constellation Virgo will reveal 11 Messier objects which are elliptical and spiral galaxies. Look to the upper right of Mars and above Leo’s tail star, Denebola for many of these galaxies. This weekend, the Albany Area Amateur Astronomers will be providing views of these objects and more as they set up a variety of telescopes at the Landis Arboretum in Esperance, NY on Friday and Saturday nights. If you’re thinking of purchasing a telescope, a star party is an ideal place to try various types before making your decision. A brief tour of the constellations will be given as the sky darkens. Directions to the Landis Arboretum can be found at dudleyobservatory.org/AAAA/Directions.html. Star Parties may be cancelled if the sky is mostly cloudy.
Posted on: Tue, 27 May 2014 19:01:10 +0000