Celestial sights of May continue as moon pairs off with several planets
We have two opportunities coming up over the next two weeks, one will be in the morning for early risers and one in the evening sky for the night owls.
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The month of May has already given us one full moon and a meteor shower. Next up are a couple of moon and planet pairings.
We have two opportunities coming up over the next two weeks, one will be in the morning for early risers and one in the evening sky for the night owls.
Next week, Mars, Saturn and the moon will team up very low in the pre-dawn sky. All three objects will rise about an hour or two before sunrise in the east. Starting on the morning of Tuesday, May 12, use the crescent moon as a marker and look for it in the southeastern sky. Saturn and Mars will be diagonally off to the lower left. Saturn will look like a star and Mars will look orange.
Each morning, the moon will rise slightly later, and since it’s closest to Earth, appear to change position quickly relative to the planets in the sky. On Thursday morning, it will appear as if the moon is sitting between Saturn and Mars. By Friday, the moon will be the first object you see above the horizon.
Viewing may be difficult due to how low the moon and planets will be before the sky gets too bright. All of this will take place between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. in the glow of the rising sun. Of course, viewing highly depends on the weather, but do your best to try to locate the moon each morning, as that will be the easiest to see.
Next week, the moon will make an appearance in the evening sky and pair up with Venus and Jupiter.
