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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report for the week ending Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Here is what’s happening in the skies of southern California:
The waxing moon changes phase from gibbous to full on the 14th. May’s full moon is called the Flower moon.
The innermost planet, Mercury, can be spotted at the end of civil twilight at about 8:10 p.m. this week. Binoculars will be an aid in finding Mercury about 10 degrees above the west-northwest horizon at that time. 10 degrees is about the angle your clenched fist spans when it is viewed at arm’s length. Mercury will appear 10 degrees to the right of the bright orange star Aldebaran on the 10th and 11th.
The planet Jupiter, in Gemini the Twins, can be spotted in evening twilight, midway between the western horizon and the zenith. Jupiter’s four largest moons, discovered by Galileo more than 400 years ago, can be glimpsed in steadily-held binoculars. A telescope is required to see the features of Jupiter’s cloudy face.
Bright orange planet Mars, in Virgo the Maiden, is high in the southeast when darkness falls. It crosses the meridian two hours later. Mars is well placed for telescopic observation until 2:00 a.m., when it can be found 30 degrees high in the southwest. Mars will fade dramatically over the next two months as the distance between it and earth grows. To gauge the planet’s fading, compare Mars to the orange star Arcturus, 30 degrees to the left of the planet in the early evening. The planet currently outshines Arcturus, but over the next six weeks Mars will fade and equal the brightness of Arcturus. The waxing gibbous moon passes Mars on Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th.
The ringed planet Saturn, in Libra the Scales, is at opposition (the point of the sky opposite the sun) on the night of the 9th, when it rises in the east at sunset and sets in the west at sunrise. Opposition is approximately the time that Saturn is closest to earth, this year 830 million miles from us, or 8.9 times as far away as the sun. To the eye, Saturn appears as a bright golden star, but only a telescope can reveal Saturn’s magnificent ring system. This month, our view is from 22 degrees above the plane of Saturn’s rings. The moon appears near Saturn on the 13th.
The brightest planet, Venus, rises in the east at 4:10 a.m., almost two hours before the sun. At sunrise, it can still be glimpsed, 22 degrees high.
The next launch of a communication satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida, will be another chance for Hawthorne-based SpaceX to gently set the first stage of a Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket tail-first on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean after it separates from the upper stage. The test is another in a series to develop a system of reusable rocket boosters that may one day return to the launch pad instead of being discarded in the ocean. Reusability has the potential of dramatically lowering the cost of launching into space. The launch of the Orbcomm OG2 satellite is expected to take place during a 54 minute period starting at 6:47 a.m., PDT on Saturday, May 10. In case of delay, the next available launch window opens at 6:25 a.m., PDT, on Sunday, May 11. Live coverage of the Launch will be provided on the Internet by the Kennedy Space Center, Spaceflight Now, and possibly by SpaceX.
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 our schedule. The next 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 7.
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From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.