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Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Saturn (magnitude 0.6) returns to the evening sky in late June. The ringed planet rises in the east-southeast about 11:30pm on June 30, and about an hour earlier by mid-July. Morning Sky Seven planets, eight if you include Pluto, are visible in the early morning sky from now through early July. Looking from southwest to northeast, Pluto (magnitude 14.3), Saturn (0.6), Neptune (7.9), Jupiter (-2.5), Mars (0.5), Uranus (5.8), Venus (-3.9), and Mercury (-0.6) form the line of planets. Saturn currently rises just past midnight, Jupiter about 1:45am, Mars just after 2:00am, Venus a little after 3:30am, and Mercury around 4:15am. By mid-July, Saturn and Jupiter rise an hour and 45 minutes earlier, Mars an hour earlier, and Venus around the same time. Mercury vanishes into the early morning sunlight by the first week of July. The moon passes 3° south of Jupiter the morning of June 21, less than 1° south of Mars the next morning, and 3° north of Venus on June 26. On June 27, a crescent moon passes 4° north of Mercury, but this will be difficult to see from Longview as the pair will only appear about 6° above the horizon at dawn. Just before midnight on July 15 and into the early morning hours of July 16, the moon appears 4° south of Saturn. The moon and Jupiter rise about 2° apart just past midnight on July 19 and remain together into the early morning hours. Moon Phases Last (6/20), new (6/28), first (7/6), full (7/13), last (7/20), new (7/28). 
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Sky Report by Ted Gruber
Morning Sky Saturn (magnitude 0.8), Mars (0.8), Jupiter (-2.2), and Venus (-4.0) are visible in the early morning southeast to east sky. Saturn currently rises around 2:00am, followed by Mars just before 3:30am, Jupiter about 3:30am, and Venus just past 4:00am. Mercury (magnitude 2.3) joins the morning crowd in early June, rising about 30 minutes before sunrise. All five naked eye planets are then visible spanning the sky from south to east-northeast, in order of decreasing distance from the sun. On June 15, Saturn (0.7) rises about 12:15am, Jupiter (-2.4) just before 2:00am, Mars (0.6) about 2:15am, Venus (-3.9) a bit past 3:30am, and Mercury (0.7) about 4:15am. In addition, Uranus (5.8) lies south of Venus, Neptune (7.9) lies south of Jupiter, and Pluto (14.3) lies southwest of Saturn. The last quarter moon passes about 4° south of Saturn in the early morning hours of May 22. Two mornings later, the moon passes about 3° south of Mars and Jupiter. Venus appears just north of the moon the morning of May 26, and just south of the moon the next morning. Mars appears less than 1° south of Jupiter the morning of May 28. Moon Phases Last (5/22), new (5/30), first (6/7), full (6/14), last (6/20), new (6/28). Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Mercury (magnitude -1.1) returns to the evening sky in mid-April. The innermost planet becomes visible low above the west-northwest horizon as darkness falls. Mercury sets about 9:15pm on April 15, just before 10:00pm on April 22, and at 10:15pm on April 30. Morning Sky Venus (magnitude -4.4), Mars (1.2), and Saturn (0.8) are visible in the southeast sky just before dawn. Venus rises first, currently just before 5:30am, followed by Mars just after 5:30am, and Saturn just after 6:00am. This order reverses by mid-April, with Saturn rising just before 4:30am, Mars about 15 minutes later, and Jupiter just past 5:30am. Between now and then, Venus and Saturn dim very slightly, while Mars brightens very slightly. Jupiter (-2.0) returns to the morning sky next week, rising in the east just before sunrise. The giant planet will be easier to see over the next month, rising about 3 minutes sooner each morning. Venus, Mars, and Saturn appear close together during the last week in March, with a crescent moon joining the trio the morning of March 28. That morning the moon appears about 6° below Mars, while Saturn and Venus appear about 2° apart and about 6° above the moon. Jupiter is also visible low on the horizon. The moon appears 4° below Mars the morning of March 27 and about 4° below Saturn and about 7° south of Venus the next morning. Venus appears 2° above Saturn on March 29, and the moon appears 4° below Jupiter the morning of March 30. Mars and Saturn appear about 0.2° apart the morning of April 4, close enough to appear within the same field of view through a telescope. Jupiter and Neptune appear less than 0.1° apart the morning of April 12, but the conjunction will be difficult if not impossible to see so close to sunrise. Moon Phases Full (3/18), last (3/25), new (4/1), first (4/9), full (4/16), last (4/23), new (4/30) Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Jupiter (magnitude -2.0) becomes visible low on the west-southwest horizon at twilight, setting just past 6:30pm. Although bright, the giant planet will be difficult to spot as it sets about three minutes later and closer to sunset each night. Morning Sky Venus (magnitude -4.0) and Mars (1.3) are currently visible in the pre-dawn southeast sky. Brighter Venus currently rises just past 4:30am and about a minute sooner each day over the next month. Mars currently rises about 30 minutes after Venus, and about 15 minutes after Venus by mid-March. The moon passes about 9° south of Venus and about 4° south of Mars the morning of February 27. Venus passes about 4° north of Mars the morning of March 12. Saturn (magnitude 0.8) and Mercury (0.0) return to the morning sky by the end of February. Both planets will initially be very low above the east-southeast horizon just before sunrise. Mercury remains visible each morning through about March 10 when it fades into the morning sunlight, while Saturn rises a few minutes earlier each morning. The moon passes about 4° south of Mercury and about 4° south of Saturn the morning of February 28. Mercury passes less than 1° south of Saturn the morning of March 2. Moon Phases Full (2/16), last (2/23), new (3/2), first (3/10), full (3/18), last (3/25) Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Jupiter (magnitude -2.1) becomes visible in the southwest sky at dusk and currently sets just before 8:00pm. The bright planet remains visible through mid-February, when it appears low in the west-southwest sky and sets a bit after 6:30pm. A very thin crescent moon passes about 4° south of Jupiter the evening of February 2. Morning Sky Mars (magnitude 1.5) and Venus (-4.4) are visible in the pre-dawn southeast sky. Mars currently rises about 5:45am, with much brighter Venus following about 30 minutes later. Both planets brighten slightly over the next month and rise about 30 minutes sooner by mid-February. The moon passes about 2° south of Mars the morning of January 29. Mars appears just south of Venus in early February; the two planets make their closest apparent approach the morning of February 12 when they appear about 6.5° apart. Mercury (magnitude 1.9) returns to the morning sky by the end of January, rising in the east-southeast about 6:30am. The innermost planet brightens quickly through mid-February, shining at magnitude 0.0 when it reaches greatest western elongation on February 16. Mercury rises about 6:00am on that day. Moon Phases Last (1/25), new (2/1), first (2/8), full (2/16), last (2/23) Sky Report by Ted Gruber
Evening Sky Venus (magnitude -4.3) becomes visible in the southwestern sky at twilight and currently sets about 8:00pm (PDT), and around 7:00pm (PST) by mid-November when it reaches magnitude -4.6. Jupiter (magnitude -2.6) is visible in the east-southeast at dusk, with Saturn (0.6) becoming visible west of Jupiter as the sky darkens. Saturn currently sets in the southwest about 12:30am (PDT) and Jupiter a bit before 2:00am (PDT). By mid-November, Jupiter will dim slightly to magnitude -2.4 and set just after 11:00pm (PST). Saturn will also dim slightly to magnitude 0.7 and set around 9:45pm (PST). The moon passes about 1° north of Venus in the early evening hours of November 7. On November 10, the moon, Jupiter, and Saturn form a triangle in the southern sky, with the moon passing about 4° south of Saturn, and 4° south of Jupiter the next night. Morning Sky Mercury (magnitude 0.9) appears very low above the east-southeast horizon just before sunrise in early November. The moon occults Mercury the morning of November 3, but this occultation will not be visible in the Pacific Northwest. Here there will be about 1° of separation when the pair rises about 6:30am (PDT). This conjunction should be visible for a little more than an hour until fading from view as dawn breaks, reaching about 10° above the horizon. Meteor Showers The Orionids meteor shower is active from September 26 to November 22, peaking the night of October 20-21. This year the predicted rate at the peak is 20 meteors per hour, but a full moon will drown out all but the brightest meteors. The shower is called the Orionids because the meteors appear to emanate from a point in the constellation Orion in the east-southeast sky. The meteors result from the debris trail left by Halley’s Comet. The Leonids meteor shower is active from November 6 to 30. It peaks in the early morning hours of November 17 with a predicted rate of 10 meteors per hour, but as with the Orionids, a nearly full moon that night will drown out all but the brightest meteors. The shower is called the Leonids because the meteors appear to emanate from a point in the constellation Leo in the southeast sky. The Leonids result from the debris trail left by comet 55P/Temple-Tuttle. Moon Phases Full (10/20), last (10/28), new (11/4), first (11/11), full (11/19), last (11/27) Sky Report by Ted Gruber
Evening Sky Venus (magnitude -3.9) and Mercury (1.9) become visible in the northwest as the sky darkens right after sunset. Currently, both planets remain visible until setting just after 10:00pm, with Mercury appearing just above Venus. On May 28, the two planets appear less than 0.5° apart, and after that conjunction, brighter Venus appears above Mercury, with the gap between the planets increasing each evening. Mercury remains visible through the first week in June. A thin crescent moon appears about 1.5° north of Venus the evening of June 11. Mars (magnitude 1.7) becomes visible in the west-northwest as the sky darkens. The red planet currently sets just after midnight and around 11:30pm by mid-June. A crescent moon appears about 3° north of Mars the evening of June 13. Morning Sky Saturn (magnitude 0.6) currently rises in the east-southeast just after 1:00am, with Jupiter (-2.4) following about 45 minutes later. Both planets rise about 90 minutes earlier by mid-June and remain visible until fading into the morning sunlight. The moon appears about 5° southeast of Saturn the morning of May 31 and about 5° southeast of Jupiter the next morning. Moon Phases Last (6/2), new (6/10), first (6/17), full (6/24) Evening Sky Mars (magnitude 1.5) is visible high in the western sky as darkness falls. The red planet currently sets around 1:00am and about 30 minutes earlier by mid-May. The moon passes 1.5° north of (above) Mars on the evening of May 15. Venus (magnitude -3.9) has returned to the evening sky and now appears low in the south-southwest just after sunset. It continues to get slightly higher above the horizon each evening. A crescent moon appears less than 1° south of Venus the evening of May 12. Mercury (magnitude -1.3) returns to the evening sky toward the end of April. It appears low in the south-southwest just after sunset, a few degrees higher above the horizon than Venus. Like Venus, the innermost planet appears higher above the horizon each evening, but it also becomes dimmer, reaching magnitude 0.3 by mid-May. The Pleiades star cluster (M45) appears about 5° from Mercury on May 2, 3, and 4. The moon passes less than 3° south of Mercury on May 13. Morning Sky Jupiter (magnitude -2.2) and Saturn (0.7) are visible in the early morning southeastern sky. Saturn rises first, currently just before 3:30am, with Jupiter following about 30 minutes later. Both planets remain visible until fading into the morning sunlight. The moon passes about 4° south of Saturn the morning of May 3, and about 5° south of Jupiter the next morning. Meteor Showers The Lyrids meteor shower is active from April 16 to April 30, peaking the night of April 21-22, with an expected rate of 18 meteors per hour at the peak when the moon is about 70% illuminated. The shower produces its highest rates over three nights centered on the peak. The Lyrids are so named because the meteors appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Lyra in the eastern sky. The Eta Aquariids meteor shower is active from April 19 to May 28, peaking the night of May 4-5. Best viewing is from the southern tropics, but even in the northern hemisphere the shower produces 10-30 meteors per hour at the peak just before dawn. The moon, about 40% illuminated, rises just before 4:00am on May 5. Activity is good for about a week centered on the peak. The Eta Aquariids are so named because the meteors appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Aquarius in the eastern sky. Total Lunar Eclipse A total lunar eclipse occurs in the early morning hours of May 26. The partial phase begins at 1:47am and ends at 5:52am. Totality is less than 15 minutes, lasting from 4:11am to 4:25am. More on this in next month’s sky report. Moon Phases Full (4/26), last (5/3), new (5/11), first (5/19), full (5/26) Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Mars (magnitude 1.1) is visible high in the western sky as darkness falls. The red planet currently sets around 1:30am and about 30 minutes earlier by mid-April. The moon appears about 2° south of (below) Mars on the evening of March 19, just west of Mars on April 16, and just southeast of Mars the following night. Venus returns to the evening sky in mid-April, and Mercury does the same toward the end of the month. Look for more details in next month’s sky report. Morning Sky Saturn (magnitude 0.7) currently rises in the east-southeast about 5:30am, with Jupiter (magnitude -2.0) following 30 minutes later, and Mercury (magnitude 0.0) edging above the horizon about 6:30am. By the end of March, Mercury disappears into the morning sunlight, but the innermost planet will return to the evening sky by the end of April. A crescent moon appears about 4° south of (below) Saturn on the morning of April 6, and about 4° southeast of Jupiter the next morning. By mid-April, Saturn rises in the southeast just before 4:00am and Jupiter just before 4:30am. Both planets rise earlier and climb higher above the horizon each month through summer. Meteor Showers The Lyrids meteor shower is active from April 16 to April 30, peaking the night of April 21-22, with an expected rate of 18 meteors per hour at the peak when the moon is about 70% illuminated. The shower produces its highest rates over three nights centered on the peak. The Lyrids are so named because the meteors appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Lyra in the eastern sky. Moon Phases First (3/21), full (3/28), last (4/4), new (4/11), first (4/20), full (4/26) Sky Report by Ted Gruber Evening Sky Mars (magnitude 0.7) becomes visible high in the western sky as darkness falls and remains visible until setting around 1:00am and about 15 minutes earlier by mid-March. The moon passes 4° south of (below) Mars and just southwest of the Pleiades star cluster (M45) on the evening of February 18. Mars continues to get closer to M45 with each passing night, making its closest approach during the first week of March. Morning Sky Mercury and Saturn currently rise in the east-southeast just after 6:00am, with Jupiter following about 20 minutes later. The three planets form a triangle and rise a few minutes earlier each morning. On March 20, Mercury shines at magnitude 0.9 and gets slightly brighter each morning, reaching magnitude 0.0 by mid-March. Saturn and Jupiter remain at magnitudes 0.7 and -2.0 respectively during this period. On the morning of March 4, Mercury appears about 1° west of Jupiter, and 0.3° north of (above) Jupiter the following morning. The moon passes 4° south of Saturn the morning of March 9, and 4° south of Jupiter and Mercury on March 10. Moon Phases First (2/19), full (2/27), last (3/5), new (3/13), first (3/21), full (3/28) |
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