Sky Watching

Look Up! This Month in the Sky: May

Parts of the western U.S. and eastern Asia are in the path of an annular solar eclipse on the 20th. Remember to never look directly at the Sun; permanent eye damage can result. The Chicago area will get only a very brief partial eclipse as the Moon’s shadow barely grazes the bottom of the setting Sun around 7:30 p.m. local time. The Sun will be only a few degrees above the west-northwest horizon at that time, so it will be difficult if not impossible to see due to buildings, trees or other obstructions on the horizon. Observers should not even attempt to view the Sun directly without using eye protection specifically designed for solar viewing. Due to buildings blocking the view, the eclipse will not be visible from the Adler.

An ultraviolet image of Venus' clouds (Courtesy of NASA, Pioneer Venus Orbiter)

This month the planet Venus is nearly as brilliant as it was last month; but it sinks lower in the west-northwest sky each passing evening, while the Sun stays up later each evening. On the 22nd, Venus appears about five degrees from a very slim waxing crescent Moon. Early in the month Venus sets about 11:00 p.m. Central daylight time, but by the end of the month it’s setting about 9:00 p.m. -- less than an hour after the Sun sets.

Mars taken by Hubble Telescope (NASA/J. Bell, Cornell U. and M. Wolff, SSI)

The planet Mars is high in the southern skies during evening twilight. Early in May it appears about five degrees from the bright star Regulus, in the constellation Leo.  By the end of the month, Mars and Regulus are about 15 degrees apart. Mars sets in the west about 3:00 a.m. at the start of the month and about 1:00 a.m. by month’s end.

TA natural-color image of Saturn taken by Cassini (NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute)

The planet Saturn is in the southeast sky during early evening twilight this month.  As it has been since the start of the year, Saturn appears a few degrees away from the nearly-as-bright star Spica, in the constellation Virgo. On the 4th and the 31st, the pair appear near a waxing gibbous Moon. Saturn is about 40 degrees high in the south in the midnight hours. It sets in the west-southwest at the start of morning twilight early in the month and around 3:00 a.m. by month’s end.

This month the planet Jupiter appears too close to the Sun to be readily visible.

Download this month's Adler NightWatch (PDF)

Download the Sky Watching Guide for 2012 (PDF)

All times are given in Central Time (CT).

Night Sky Observation Group on Flickr

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The Moon in 2012

Dates are calculated based on Central Time (CT).

Special Viewing Opportunities in 2012

Photo Credit: Adler Planetarium Astronomer José Francisco Salgado, Ph.D.

In 2012, no total eclipses will be visible from the Chicago area.  Keep in mind that solar eclipses happen only when the Moon is new, and lunar eclipses happen only when the Moon is full.  And of course, visibility will depend on weather conditions.

NEVER look directly at the Sun at any time without proper eye protection.  Keep this in mind during solar eclipses and transits, referenced below.

On May 20, an annular solar eclipse is partially visible from the western half of the U.S. in the early-evening hours before sunset, as well as from parts of Asia and the northern Pacific Ocean.  Annular eclipses result in a small ring-shaped halo of the solar disk visible -- rather than exposing the Sun's streaming, filmy corona, which can only be seen during total solar eclipses.

The evening of June 3 and morning of June 4, a partial lunar eclipse is visible from western Alaska and Hawaii.

On June 5, the planet Venus will transit the Sun, meaning that Venus will appear to move across the bright solar disk.  The transit will be visible from all of North America; in the Chicago area, the transit begins about 5:04 p.m. Central Daylight Time and will continue through sunset.  A telescope is not needed to view a transit, but a solar viewing filter is absolutely necessary for transit viewers looking directly at the Sun.  The actual transit will look like a tiny black dot slowly moving across the face of the Sun.  Transits of Venus occur in pairs:  two transits about eight years apart, followed by a period of over 100 years before the next pair of transits occur.  The last transit of Venus was in 2004, and the one after this year's transit will be in 2117.

On November 13, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from parts of Australia, southern South America, Antarctica, and the southern Pacific Ocean.

Adler Night and Day Podcast

Check out our bi-weekly podcast, Adler Night and Day, to find out more about what is going on in the night sky including solar weather, tips for viewing, and a new space science expert each week!

Learn more about Adler Night and Day.

Other Sky Watching Resources

• The Adler provides periodic sky watching information on its Twitter feed and Facebook page. Follow the Adler via @adlerskywatch on Twitter or adlerplanetarium on Facebook.
• The U.S. Naval Observatory
• Sky and Telescope
• NASA Sightings
• Space Weather