Thursday May 5 to Thursday May 12

The First Quarter Moon is Monday, May 9. Four bright planets are visible in a line in the morning sky. Saturn, Mars, Venus and Jupiter. Jupiter is climbing higher in the sky leaving Venus behind. The Eta Aquariid meteor shower has good rates in the morning between the 7th to 9th of May.

The First Quarter Moon is Monday, May 9. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on May 5. 

 Morning sky on Saturday, May 7 as seen from Adelaide at 5:30 am ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). Saturn, Mars and Venus form a line with Jupiter. 

The insets show the telescopic appearance of the planets at this time. 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).

The
north-eastern horizon as seen from Adelaide at 5:00 am ACST, the eta
Aquariid radiant is marked with a starburst. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (click to
embiggen). 

The eta Aquariid meteor shower, which is produced by the debris from Halley’s Comet, will peak
on May 6, 08h UT, which is sadly after sunrise on May 6 (late afternoon). 

Despite
this, we will have worthwhile rates on the weekend mornings of May 7,
May 8 and May 9, from 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM local time Australia-wide,
where people with dark skies should see a meteor around every three
minutes. 

 Whole sky on Saturday, May 7, 18:54 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click
to embiggen). Orion can be seen above the western horizon. As Orion
sinks Scorpius rises above the Eastern horizon. Between the bright star
Canopus and the Southern Cross are a wealth of binocular objects to
discover.

 Elsewhere
in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset). 

Mercury is difficult to see low in the twilight glow.

Venus is lowering in the morning twilight.

Mars forms a line with Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus. Mars draws closer to Jupiter.

Jupiter climbs higher in the morning twilight below Saturn and Mars. Over the Week Jupiter leaves Venus behind.

Saturn climbs away from Mars, Jupiter, and Venus.

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:57 pm