{"id":32011,"date":"2022-05-24T10:18:44","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T10:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=32011"},"modified":"2022-05-24T10:18:44","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T10:18:44","slug":"explainer-spend-a-month-with-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/2022\/05\/24\/explainer-spend-a-month-with-the-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"Explainer: Spend a month with the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The fundamentals of astronomy for beginners<\/p>\n\n

EXPLAINER<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
\n\n

Spend a month with the Moon<\/h4>\n\n

Scott Levine follows Earth\u2019s natural satellite and jumps off to spot nearby targets<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
1 June: look for a thin crescent Moon under an arch of five stars above the western horizon <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

We all need some help when we\u2019re new to the skies Fortunately, we have an incredibly handy tool to guide us on our way: the Moon. As it orbits and its phase changes, we can use it to hop off to the amazing objects it passes on its way. So use this article as inspiration this month, as you head outside and let the Moon guide you through the night.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Most of what we will talk about here are objects we can see with the unaided eye, but we\u2019ll visit some deep-sky objects too. Before you start, however, remember to give your eyes time to adjust to the dark and preserve your night vision with a red filter on a torch, or by using a mobile phone\u2019s night mode. Now we are ready, let\u2019s get started on our month\u2019s tour with the Moon!<\/p>\n\n

New to first quarter Moon<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

The Moon was at its new phase on 30 May, lying between the Sun and Earth, which means that as June gets underway it starts to leave the Sun\u2019s glare. On 1\u20132 June, you will find an eyelash-thin crescent under five stars arching just above the western horizon. With the summer solstice only about three weeks away, twilight lingers deep into the evening, so these may be tough to see.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

From left to right (south to north), they are Procyon (Alpha (\u03b1) Canis Minoris), Pollux (Beta (\u03b2) Geminorum), Castor (Alpha (\u03b1) Geminorum), Menkalinan (Beta (\u03b2) Aurigae) and Capella (Alpha (\u03b1) Aurigae). Sound familiar? In the cold parts of the year, we\u2019re used to seeing them along the left-hand edge of the Winter Hexagon, but the seasons have whittled them down to this subtle and delicate arch. This part of the sky is the opposite<\/span> direction to the galactic centre: as we look towards the Moon, our gaze races through the twilight and off into the vast emptiness of the open Universe.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
7 June: the first quarter Moon appears in the Spring Triangle, with Arcturus marking the asterism\u2019s top corner<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Let\u2019s see if we can spot the first quarter Moon in the south in the late afternoon on 7 June (see box \u2018Viewing the Moon in the day\u2019). After sunset, the Moon appears to be about halfway between the stars Spica (Alpha (\u03b1) Virginis) and Regulus (Alpha (\u03b1) Leonis), within the sprawling Spring Triangle. Try to spot orange-red Arcturus (Alpha (\u03b1) Bo\u00f6tis), the third of the Triangle\u2019s corners, northeast of the Moon.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Full Moon and Sagittarius<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Look for June\u2019s full Moon on the 14th in Sagittarius, where the brightest of the Archer\u2019s stars form its famous \u2018Teapot\u2019 asterism. It\u2019s about two weeks \u2013 about half a lunar orbit \u2013 since we saw the Moon near the galactic anti-centre. Now, we\u2019re facing inwards, towards the Galaxy\u2019s centre, which is thousands of lightyears behind the Teapot\u2019s spout. A few Messier objects are in this part of the sky, including the Butterfly and Ptolemy Clusters, M6 and M7, and the Lagoon Nebula, M8, but the full Moon makes them tricky to see.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
14 June: the full Moon is now near the Teapot asterism, its brightness making nearby deep-sky objects tricky to spot<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
Waning Moon and planets<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

After full Moon, its late-night, waning phases begin. Over the next few nights the Moon meets up with four of our Solar System\u2019s bright planets: on 18\u201319 June it glides past Saturn; and then, on 21 June, on the night of the summer solstice, the last quarter Moon shines with Jupiter.<\/span> From there, it meets Mars in the morning twilight on the 22nd, and a whisper-thin crescent greets Venus on the 26th.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
21 June: on the night of the summer solstice, the shortest night of the year, the last quarter Moon can be spotted near Jupiter, having passed by Saturn on 18\u201319 June<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

We see these conjunctions because the planets all orbit the Sun in roughly the same plane, which we see as a path across the sky called the ecliptic. The ecliptic also represents the Sun\u2019s path across the sky. The Moon\u2019s orbit is tilted by 5\u00b0 relative to the ecliptic, so the Moon usually appears to pass near the Sun and planets, but only blocks them out from time to time.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The Moon is new again on 29 June. So, we\u2019ve made it all the way back to where we started, ready to see what July brings.<\/p>\n\n

We hope you\u2019ll enjoy using our nearest neighbour as your guide as you discover some amazing sights in the night sky.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
26 June: look for a thin crescent Moon near Venus and the Pleiades, M45, after it has appeared close to the Red Planet on the morning of the 22nd<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>
\n

Viewing the Moon in the day<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Top tips on spotting the Moon\u2019s phases in daylight hours<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We often think the Moon is a fixture of the night, but we can also see it during the day. Since the Moon travels all the way around Earth as it orbits, it spends half its time on Earth\u2019s daytime side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can see all the phases during the day, but it\u2019s easiest to start around first quarter (7 June). This phase rises around noon and sets around midnight, so we\u2019ll see it towards the south in the late afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Moon rises 50 minutes later each day, and inches deeper into the night before it slides into the early mornings. Last quarter phase (21 June) sees it due south in the mid-morning. Spotting a full Moon in the day is tricky because it rises around sunset. Try and catch it just before it sets around sunrise.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Scott Levine is an astronomy writer and naked-eye observer based in New York\u2019s Hudson Valley<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

CHARTS BY PETE LAWRENCE, CLEUSA SANTOS\/EYEEM\/ISTOCK\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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