The Sky This Week for May 5 to May 7

The Sky This Week for May 5 to May 7

The Summer Triangle, Jupiter at opposition, and other beautiful things to look for in the sky this week.
By Richard Talcott

 

Friday, May 5

Although the calendar says May, the sky’s Summer Triangle returns to prominence this month. The asterism’s three bright stars — Vega in Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus, and Altair in Aquila — all clear the horizon by midnight local daylight time. An hour later, they rule the eastern sky. Vega shines brightest and appears at the apex of the triangular asterism. Look for Deneb to Vega’s lower left and Altair to the lower right of the other two. The Summer Triangle will grace the Northern Hemisphere’s evening sky from now through the end of the year.

Saturday, May 6

The Eta Aquariid meteor shower reaches its peak before dawn. Although this is typically one of the year’s most prolific showers, a waxing gibbous Moon interferes with the 2017 show. The Moon sets around 4 a.m. local daylight time, just before morning twilight starts to paint the sky. For the best views, head outside an hour or two before then and find a spot where trees or buildings block the Moon’s glow low in the west. Eta Aquariid meteors derive from bits of debris ejected by Comet 1P/Halley during its many trips around the Sun. When Earth crosses this debris stream, our planet’s atmosphere incinerates the tiny dust particles and we see the streaks of light called meteors, or “shooting stars.”

Sunday, May 7

Although Jupiter reached opposition and peak visibility exactly one month ago, it remains a stunning sight nearly all night. It appears about 40° above the southeastern horizon an hour after sunset and climbs highest in the south around 11 p.m. local daylight time. As a bonus this evening, a waxing gibbous Moon appears just a few degrees away. The pair lies among the background stars of Leo, though only 1st-magnitude Spica some 10° below appears conspicuous thanks to the bright Moon nearby. When viewed through a telescope, Jupiter’s disk spans 43″ and shows a wealth of detail in its atmosphere.

Mars passes 6° due north (to the upper right) of Aldebaran today. Use binoculars to pick them out of the evening twilight. Although Aldebaran shines a half-magnitude brighter than the planet, Mars’ greater altitude should make it just as easy to see.

 

Source

The Astronomy Magazine