May Astronomical Highlights

There’s nothing like waking up during the early morning hours to observe a few shooting stars blaze across the sky. Even if you live near a medium-sized metropolitan community, after midnight street noise is at its minimum and some outdoor lighting gets turned off, leaving the sky less light polluted. You may be the only person for miles around who can really appreciate the beauty such a morning adventure can provide.

If you wish to experience firsthand a predawn scenario like that described above, then mark the morning of May 5th on your calendar. The annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks a couple of hours before dawn’s early light brightens the sky.

Though this stream of particles shed by Comet Halley and left in orbit about the Sun is better observed from the southern hemisphere, we do see a fair amount of activity here. And this year astronomers believe we may see a dramatic increase in the number of meteors during the peak time. They’ve noticed a recurring increase every 12 years, and the beginning of that period starts in 2008 and ends in 2010. So the Eta Aquarids definitely deserve your attention.

Another beneficial factor this year is the Moon phase: the Moon will be New so it will not be present to brighten our view of the sky. We can only hope the sky will be clear!

My suggestion is to set your alarm for about 2:30 am or so and set up outside as soon as you can. Get comfortable in a lawn chair or chaise lounge and face east. The constellation Aquarius, from where the meteors will appear to radiate, only rises low in the east-southeast around that time. As the morning progresses, Aquarius will rise higher into the sky, and with it the number of meteors should increase as well.

Normally about 15-20 meteors per hour can be seen during this shower’s maximum activity, but astronomers’ forecast of heightened activity means this number could possibly double or even triple at its best in the southern hemisphere. Here in southern New England I think perhaps 25-35 meteors per hour around the 4:00 am time frame might be more realistic should the increase come to fruition during 2008 at all.

You’ve got a very limited observing window, since the Sun rises at approximately 5:30 am locally and dawn begins more than an hour before that.

The Eta Aquarids enter our upper atmosphere nearly head-on at 41 miles per second. This high speed collision results in forty percent of the meteors leaving long persisting dust trains. They are swift and yellow in color.Good luck with your meteor observing, and enjoy the peace and quiet of a predawn mid-Spring morning.

Mars Meets the Beehive

One other astronomical event I’d like you to view this month occurs over the course of two nights, May 22-23. The Sun sets around 8:10 pm, so you must wait until it gets dark. Face west and look about halfway up the sky from the horizon. You’ll first notice a bright, reddish looking star. Well, that’s no star. It’s Mars! And once the sky darkens you’ll observe it is very near a cluster of stars. This cluster is known as the Beehive.
Watch Mars move through the Beehive cluster these next two nights. While your naked eye will definitely be able to resolve this scene, grab a pair of binoculars for a more splendid view. And if you have even a small telescope, focus your view towards this beautiful apparition. You’ll be rewarded with a spectacular sight. (Telescopic observing tip: Start with a magnification/power that provides a view of the entire cluster.)
Mars will be very far from the Earth at this time (approximately 169 million miles), so only a large telescope will reveal any surface detail, However, with a fair amount of magnification and a few minutes of observation, an observer should be able to see Mars move relative to some of the brighter stars in the cluster. Good viewing!

Don’t forget to visit Seagrave Memorial Observatory on any clear Saturday night for a tour of the heavens. Visit our web site for additional information: www.theskyscrapers.org.
Keep your eyes to the skies.