1. Highlighting the Near and Deep Sky
What’s Up E W
Highlighting the Near and Deep Sky
May , 2018 S

2. General Information May 2018
Among this month’s celestial happenings:
Sol’s largest companion puts on its best show of the year. (Yay!)
Earth’s natural satellite spoils an annual meteor shower. (Boo!)
Our favorite ringed planet cozies up to one of our favorite globular clusters.
Sunset Range: 8:09 PM (May 1st) to 8:34 PM (May 31st).
End of Astronomical Twilight*: 9:48 PM (May 1st) to 10:24 PM (May 31st).
* This is “full darkness” – the sun has reached 18° below the horizon. It’s usually dark enough for observing about a half hour before this.

3. Moon Phases
May 2018
Mon., 7th – Last Quarter (Fri./Sat. observing opportunities May 4th/5th)
Tues., 15th – New Moon (Fri./Sat. observing opportunities May 11th/12th)
Mon., 21st – First Quarter
Tues., 29th – Full Moon
Roughly speaking:
First Quarter Moon is highest at sunset and sets at midnight
Full Moon rises at sunset and is in the sky all night
Last (“Third”) Quarter Moon rises at midnight and is highest at dawn
New Moon sets at sunset and is absent from the sky all night

4. Celestial Events
May 2018
Wed., 2nd, Dusk – Watch as Venus, then Sirius and then, between them, the stars of Orion emerge from the glow of sunset.
Sat., 5th – Moon at apogee; distance Earth-radii.
Sun., 6th – Annual Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower peaks; best in pre-dawn hours. Usually 10 to 20 per hour, but waning gibbous moon spoils 2018’s show.
Tues., 8th – Jupiter at opposition; magnitude –2.5.! Rises at sunset and sets at sunrise.
Sun., 13th – Equation of Time reaches shallow maximum of 3.65 min.
Sat., 19th, Pre-Dawn – Saturn 1.6° north of globular cluster M22.
Sun., 20th – Moon 1.4° south of the Beehive Cluster (M44) in the evening sky.

5. (~30 min. before full darkness) (~30 min. before full darkness)
May 15th, 9:00 p.m.
(~30 min. before full darkness)
May 15th, 9:30 p.m.
(~30 min. before full darkness)
May 2nd, 8:20 PM
For tonight, Mar. 19th, 8:30 p.m. is about 30 min. before full darkness.
For tonight, Apr. 16th, 9:00 p.m. is about 30 min. before full darkness.
May 2nd, 8:30 PM
May 2nd, 8:50 PM
Venus
May 2nd, 8:40 PM
Betelgeuse
Sirius
Venus
Sirius
Venus
Venus
51° E W
Rigel
Jupiter
Stargazers Online S

6. What’s Up programs are posted on the RVAS Website!
Questions
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What’s Up programs are posted on the RVAS Website!