{"id":43797,"date":"2023-04-18T14:13:18","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T14:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=43797"},"modified":"2023-04-27T14:54:39","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T14:54:39","slug":"may-highlights-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/2023\/04\/18\/may-highlights-2\/","title":{"rendered":"May highlights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Your guide to the night sky this month <\/p>\n\n

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

6 Saturday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Night is falling on our Moonwatch target, Mare Crisium, visible tonight and tomorrow night. Catch it later in the month too, between 22 and 24 May. See here<\/a> for more details<\/span> about Mare Crisium.<\/p>\n\n

7 Sunday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Eta Aquariid meteor shower reaches peak activity this morning but a bright, just-past-full Moon in the sky will cause issues this year. <\/p>\n\n

8 Monday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

From now until 23 May is a good time to check out this month\u2019s Deep-Sky Tour<\/a> which is looking at targets near the Plough. <\/p>\n\n

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

9 Tuesday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Mag. \u20134.1 Venus is located 1.8\u00b0 north of the mag. +5.0 open cluster M35 this evening. It\u2019s a tricky catch as the sky only gets dark enough to see the cluster stars as Venus approaches setting.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

10 Wednesday<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

After moonset, view Corona Borealis high in the south around midnight BST. Here lies the irregular variable star R Coronae Borealis, which varies between mag. +5.7 and +15. Have a look and see if it\u2019s visible. <\/p>\n\n

11 Thursday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Lunar libration and phase favours the northern polar region of the Moon at the moment, a good opportunity to look out for rarely seen features such as craters Hermite (111km) and Rozhdestvenskiy (177km).<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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

12 Friday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Before the dark skies totally slip away as we approach the June solstice next month, check out our Star of the Month, Diadem (Alpha (\u03b1) Comae Berenices) here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

16 Tuesday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Venus is 0.7\u00b0 north of Mebsuta (Epsilon (\u03b5) Geminorum). The pairing is visible as darkness falls and Venus approaches the northwest horizon.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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

17 Wednesday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Today, the 5%-lit Moon and Jupiter <\/span>have a very close encounter, resulting in a rare lunar occultation of the gas giant as seen from the northern part of the UK. See The Big Three<\/a> for details.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

21 Sunday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Minor planet 44 Nysa reaches opposition, shining at mag. +10.3 near the border between Scorpius and Libra. <\/p>\n\n

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

22 Monday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

It\u2019s time to look out for noctilucent clouds. If they are present, they are typically seen low above the northwest horizon 90\u2013120 minutes after sunset or a similar time before sunrise, low above the northeast horizon. <\/p>\n\n

23 Tuesday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Tonight the May Camelopardalids meteor shower reaches peak activity. <\/p>\n\n

A 14%-lit crescent Moon passes 1.7\u00b0 north of mag. \u20134.1 Venus during daylight hours.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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

24 Wednesday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

This evening the 25%-lit waxing crescent Moon lies 3\u00b0 north of mag. +1.5 Mars.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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

27 Saturday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

The clairobscur effect known as the Stars of Aristillus is visible this evening. It occurs when the central peaks within crater Aristillus catch the early light of the lunar dawn. <\/p>\n\n

29 Monday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Mercury reaches greatest western elongation, separated from the Sun by 24.9\u00b0 in the morning sky.<\/span> The Jewelled Handle clair-obscur effect is visible on the Moon tonight. <\/p>\n\n

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

30 Tuesday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Viewing Venus through a telescope reveals the planet approaching 50% illumination. Venus\u2019s \u2018phase anomaly\u2019 means the phase you observe is different to the phase predicted for that date. When do you think Venus looks 50%-illuminated?<\/span><\/p>\n\n

31 Wednesday <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

As it approaches setting, Mars will be just to the west of the Beehive Cluster, M44. The planet is due to pass in front of the cluster in early June. <\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n
Family stargazing <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Venus will appear near the beautiful Pleiades open cluster this month. This is conveniently placed and timed in the evening sky. Closest approach is on 10 April, but the approach and separation can be seen on the days before and after this. If it\u2019s clear, head outside and suggest making a drawing of the encounter based on what can be seen with the naked eye. The Pleiades are also known as the Seven Sisters, so use this opportunity to ask how many of the cluster stars you can see. bbc.co.uk\/cbeebies\/shows\/stargazing<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

NEED TO<\/strong> KNOW<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

The terms and symbols used in The Sky Guide<\/p>\n\n

Universal Time (UT) and British Summer Time (BST)<\/strong>
Universal Time (UT) is the standard time used by astronomers around the world. British Summer Time (BST) is one hour ahead of UT<\/p>\n\n

RA (Right ascension) and dec. (declination)<\/strong>
These coordinates are the night sky\u2019s equivalent of longitude and latitude, describing where an object is on the celestial \u2018globe\u2019<\/p>\n\n

Naked eye<\/strong>
Allow 20 minutes for your eyes to become dark-adapted<\/p>\n\n

Photo opp<\/strong>
Use a CCD, planetary camera or standard DSLR<\/p>\n\n

Binoculars<\/strong>
10×50 recommended<\/p>\n\n

Small\/medium scope<\/strong>
Reflector\/SCT under 6 inches, refractor under 4 inches<\/p>\n\n

Large scope<\/strong>
Reflector\/SCT over 6 inches, refractor over 4 inches<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n
GETTING STARTED<\/strong> IN ASTRONOMY<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re new to astronomy, you\u2019ll find two essential reads on our website. Visit bit.ly\/10_easylessons<\/a> <\/strong>for our 10-step guide to getting started and bit.ly\/buy_scope<\/a> <\/strong>for advice on choosing a scope<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

<\/div>
\n

MORE ONLINE<\/strong>
For Paul Abel and Pete Lawrence’s night-sky highlights for the month, see our Virtual Planetarium at
www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/bonus-content\/KZRG5FS<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your guide to the night sky this month <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":43767,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"44","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"44","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_44-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_44-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"May-2023","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"May-2023","purple_external_id":"May-2023-44-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"May-2023-44-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000086564||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000086564||","purple_android_product":"com.im.skyatnight.216","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.skyatnight.216","purple_ios_product":"com.im.skyatnight.216","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.skyatnight.216","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"075fab74-0a21-4201-866a-899d6c41c40c","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[14],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/04\/1f8390bb-62a3-4cf0-b8a3-e3d58506f8b5.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/04\/1f8390bb-62a3-4cf0-b8a3-e3d58506f8b5.jpg",1099,523,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/04\/1f8390bb-62a3-4cf0-b8a3-e3d58506f8b5-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/04\/1f8390bb-62a3-4cf0-b8a3-e3d58506f8b5-300x143.jpg",300,143,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/04\/1f8390bb-62a3-4cf0-b8a3-e3d58506f8b5-768x365.jpg",768,365,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/04\/1f8390bb-62a3-4cf0-b8a3-e3d58506f8b5-1024x487.jpg",800,380,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/04\/1f8390bb-62a3-4cf0-b8a3-e3d58506f8b5.jpg",1099,523,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/04\/1f8390bb-62a3-4cf0-b8a3-e3d58506f8b5.jpg",1099,523,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Your guide to the night sky this month","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43797"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43797"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44324,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43797\/revisions\/44324"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}