Astronomy Guide to the rest of the Memorial Day Weekend
Memorial Day weekend is here! If you have plans to relax outside this weekend, there are some cool things to check out in the night sky.
We've been talking about it for a while, but Jupiter is in the sky through most of the night. It is highest in the evening sky. Even the novice skywatcher can enjoy Jupiter. Grab some binoculars and you are in for a treat as you will be able to see a few of the moons around the planet. Unsure where Jupiter is? Just look for the brightest thing (besides the moon) in the evening sky.
Jupiter and its moons
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The bright object on the image is Jupiter, and you can see several of its moons close around it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/astronomy?src=hash">#astronomy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jupiter?src=hash">#Jupiter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astrophotography?src=hash">#Astrophotography</a> <a href="https://t.co/DL6b6av2j3">pic.twitter.com/DL6b6av2j3</a></p>— John W. Sheldon (@GreatWesley) <a href="https://twitter.com/GreatWesley/status/867576239971762180">May 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
A parade of planets will continue through the night. Saturn will rise before midnight at most locations. It is brighter than nearly every star, so it is easy to spot. Saturn remains in the sky through sunrise. You can see Saturn's rings with a small telescope.
For those up very late (or very early) Venus rises before dawn. Venus outshines every other planet and is very easy to spot. Heck you can even see it in the middle of the day if you know where to look! Through a small telescope, Venus will appear as a crescent!
Look to the south to see the planets. The planets and sun basically appear on the same "orbital plane" through the night sky. This is called the ecliptic. In the U.S. and Europe, the planets never rise directly overhead as they do near the equator. So, you will have to face south to get the best view.
The moon will not be in the sky most of the holiday weekend. So, planet and star viewing will be enhanced! If you do want to see the moon, look west around sunset, and it will be in its crescent phase through the weekend. Of course the moon will be higher in the sky each evening, as it sets an hour later each night. http://www.amsmeteors.org/2017/05/meteor-activity-outlook-for-may-27-june-2-2017/
There are no major meteor showers this weekend. But, you can always see meteors. According to Bob Lunsford from the American Meteor Society. The hourly rate of meteors will be highest before dawn, but still rather meager at 8-per hour. Check Bob's meteor viewing guide for the weekend from the American Meteor Society
Viewing Conditions
Areas most likely to have clear skies are colored blue. Meanwhile areas most likely to have cloudy skies are red.
Areas most likely to have clear skies are colored blue. Meanwhile areas most likely to have cloudy skies are red.
This may get you in a summery mood if you are dealing with cool weather this holiday weekend. Thomas Pesquet's twitter feed is full of gorgeous views from the space station!
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another flight over Florida and the Bahamas and onto North-East South America. The cloud formations steal the show this time! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/timelapse?src=hash">#timelapse</a> <a href="https://t.co/Nud2CkH0s6">pic.twitter.com/Nud2CkH0s6</a></p>— Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) <a href="https://twitter.com/Thom_astro/status/867439825430827008">May 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
I hope you have a great holiday weekend and can make astronomy a part of it. Thanks for reading and just look up because you never know what you will see!
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