LISTEN to this week’s Sky Report
This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through June 7, 2017. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.
The moon waxes and lights the sky for a longer period each successive night. It is first quarter on June 1st, and then is gibbous as it approaches full on the 9th. There is no astronomical object that shows as much detail through binoculars or a telescope as the moon, so be sure check it out! The time of moonset changes from 7:59 p.m., PDT on May 31st to 4:43 a.m. on June 7th.
The brilliant planet Jupiter, in the constellation Virgo the Maiden, is visible high in the southern sky in the early evening, and sets in the west at about 2:30 a.m. The gibbous moon appears beside Jupiter on the 3rd. A telescope will show Jupiter’s giant oval storm, the Great Red Spot, to observers in the Pacific Time zone at 9:00 p.m. on May 31st, June 3rd, and June 5th. Also on the 3rd, in addition to the Great Red Spot, the black shadow of Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede, and the smaller shadow of the correspondingly smaller moon, Io, will also be quite noticeable at high magnifications. The details of our moon and those of Jupiter are currently displayed through Griffith Observatory’s public telescopes.
The ringed planet Saturn rises above the southeast horizon at about 9:00 p.m. The planet, resembling a bright golden star, now appears in the constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer. Saturn slowly climbs until it is 35 degrees high in the south at about 2:00 a.m., then it descends to the southwest until dawn blots it from view. A telescope is needed to see the spectacular ring system of Saturn.
The brightest planet, Venus, appears in the east when it rises at about 3:20 a.m. By sunrise, the planet is still visible and is 28 degrees high. Through a telescope, Venus now appears half-lit and in coming weeks it will appear gibbous.
Free views of the Sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects at night are available to the public in clear weather through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes from Tuesday through Sunday, before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for the schedule. The next free public star party on the grounds of Griffith Observatory, hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society, will take place on Saturday, June 3rd.
Follow the Sky Report on Twitter for updates of astronomy and space-related events.
From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook, and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.