Moon on a trip to meet other stars

Our very own moon seems be on a trip of the Universe this month!!

A lot happening in the sky this May. Amateur astronomers will have a busy time this month, and for those who love to gaze at the sky, it will be a treat. On 3rd May there is a new moon, a quarter on the 10th and a full moon on 17th and last quarter appears on the 24th.

This month our planet will be closer to the star Porrima, within 0.3 degrees, which is less then a moon’s breath, by this month end. For couple of days around the 11th, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter lie some 25 degrees east of the Sun, close enough to be seen in the same view of the binocular. It will be a breathtaking view if they are seen from equatorial latitudes. This is the most compact grouping which will not be seen for years to come.

The orange colored star, Arcturus will be the most prominent in the May night sky. It is believed that as the Earth rotates, the Great Bear and Ursa Major are driven Arcturus, around the northern sky. Arcturus is red in color and 30 times larger then our Sun.

Moon, being nearest to our planet Earth can be studied in a lot more detail then any other heavenly body. You always see the same face of the moon as the orbital period and the rotation period are the same for moon i.e. 27.3 days. The dark areas known as ‘maria’ were believed to be seas of water by the early astronomers, but now they are believed to be seas of volcanic lava.

On 11th moon will be seen near the star Regulus of Leo constellation and on 13th it will pass beneath the planet Saturn. On 14th moon will come close to the star Spica, then on 17th and 18th moon will pair up with the star Antares of Scorpius constellation. On 29th you can see moon directly above Jupiter and close to Venus on 30th morning.