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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through May 30th, 2019. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.
The planet Jupiter is the brilliant object that gleams above the southeast horizon at 10:00 p.m. It is in the constellation Ophiuchus the Snake Bearer, and the sparkling orange star to Jupiter’s lower right is Antares, the brightest star of Scorpius the Scorpion. Jupiter is highest in the sky when it crosses the southern meridian at about 2:00 a.m. Binoculars will show you Jupiter’s four largest moons that appear as tiny stars clustered around the planet. A telescope will show the planet’s changing cloud details, including Jupiter’s colorful oval storm, the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot will face observers in the Pacific Time zone at 11 p.m. on May 28th and 30th.
The ringed planet Saturn is east of Jupiter, in the constellation Sagittarius the Archer, and it nearly retraces Jupiter’s path two hours after Jupiter. Saturn reaches the meridian at dawn. Nearly any telescope can be used to see the northern face of Saturn’s beautiful ring system, the plane of which is now titled slightly less than 24 degrees from edge on to our line of sight.
Venus, the brightest planet, is difficult to see because of its proximity to the east-northeast horizon when it is most visible, about 30 minutes before sunrise.
The moon rises later with each passing night. Moonrise is at 12:23 a.m. on the 24th and at 3:38 a.m. on the 30th. Over this period its phase wanes from gibbous to crescent, and it is last quarter on the morning of the 26th.
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 8th between 2:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
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From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook, and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.