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IAAS Monthly Astronomy Newsletter (Email version) SUBSCRIBE Subscription notes below.
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Excerpts from JPL mission updates are provided as a public service as part |
In this Newsletter...
- The Month - At-A-Glance
- Moon
- Planets & Dwarf Planets
- Astronomical Events
- Subscriber Gallery
- Member Meteor Sightings
- Planetary/Lunar Exploration Missions
- Mars Missions
- Astronomy Links and Other Space News
- Astronomical Lexicon
- UniverseToday
- Acknowledgments and References
- Subscription Information
- Newsletter Archives
- Items of Special Interest to Ham Radio Operators
- IAAS News
- Web Sites of Interest
Imaged March 21/22, 2001
using the 16" Kitt Peak Visitors Center telescope
as part of the Kitt Peak Advanced Observing Program.
"This stunning trick of perspective makes it look as if the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope is shouldering the weight of Earth's eclipsed satellite. A longer-than-usual total lunar eclipse will delight skywatchers this month." Y. Beletsky (LCO)/ESO. Astronomy Magazine, May 2022, p. 32.
The Month At-A-Glance
A calendar displaying the daily astronomical events.
The Moon
Phases
- First Quarter Moon occurs on the 8th.
- Full Moon occurs on the 16th.
- Last Quarter Moon occurs on the 22nd.
- New Moon occurs on the 30th.
Apogee/Perigee
- The Moon is at Apogee (251,833 miles from Earth) on the 5th.
- The Moon is at Perigee (223,879 miles from Earth) on the 17th.
Moon/Planet Pairs
- The Moon passes 1.8° south of Mercury on the 2nd.
- The Moon passes 0.008° south of dwarf planet Ceres on the 4th.
- Mars passes 0.6° south of Neptune on the 17th.
- The Moon passes 4° south of Saturn on the 22nd.
- The Moon passes 4° south of Neptune on the 24th.
- The Moon passes 3° south of Mars on the 24th.
- The Moon passes 3° south of Jupiter on the 24th.
- The Moon passes 0.2° south of Venus on the 26th.
- The Moon passes 0.3° south of Uranus on the 28th.
- Mars passes 0.6° south of Jupiter on the 28th.
For reference: The Full Moon subtends an angle of ~0.5°.
The Planets & Dwarf Planets
Planetary Reports generated by "TheSkyX" software. These reports provide predicted data for the planets for the first of each month for the current year. The rise and set times for the Sun and the Moon for each day of the month as well as meteor shower radiants are also included in the reports. These reports have been optimized for the Denver, Colorado location, however, the times will be approximate for other locations on Earth.
(All times are local unless otherwise noted.)
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Planetary Highlights for May
"A total eclipse of the Moon greets observers of the sky this month. It's perfectly timed for the evening of May 15 across the U.S. and the early morning hours of May 16 in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Meanwhile, catch Mercury early in May, ending its period of best evening viewing this year for Northern Hemisphere skygazers. It quickly sinks out of view. This leaves planetary observers to enjoy the pre-dawn treat of four visible planets, starting out with Venus and Jupiter spectacularly close, while Saturn and Mars continue to climb higher in the morning sky." Astronomy Magazine, May 2022, p. 32. |
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Mercury
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Venus
Rises at 4:22 a.m. on the 1st and about 3:52 a.m. by month's end. Look for Venus to the southeast before sunrise. Venus moves from the constellation of Pisces into Aries shining at magnitude -4.0. |
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Earth
N/A. |
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Mars
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Jupiter
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Saturn
Rises at 2:56 a.m. on the 1st and about 12:58 a.m. by month's end. Look for Saturn to the southeast before sunrise. Saturn is in the constellation of Capricornus shining at magnitude 0.7. |
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Uranus
Is in conjunction with the Sun on the 5th. Uranus sets at 8:06 p.m. on the 1st. After conjunction, Uranus returns to the morning sky. Look low to the southeast before sunrise to spot Uranus during the last week of the month. Uranus rises about 4:17 a.m. by month's end. Uranus is in the constellation of Aries shining at magnitude 5.9. |
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Neptune
Rises about 4:12 a.m. on the 1st and about 2:12 a.m. by month's end. Look for Neptune low to the southeast before sunrise. Neptune is in the constellation of Pisces shining at magnitude 7.8. |
Dwarf Planets |
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Ceres
Sets at 11:34 p.m. on the 1st and about 10:32 p.m. by month's end. Look for Ceres towards the southwest in the early evening. Ceres is in the constellation of Taurus shining at magnitude 8.9. |
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Pluto
Rises at 1:43 a.m. on the 1st and about 11:36 p.m. by month's end. Pluto is in the constellation of Sagittarius shining at magnitude 15.2. As always, good luck at spotting Neptune, Ceres and Pluto, a large telescope and dark skies will be needed. |
Is 
Rises at 3:45 a.m. on the 1st and about 2:39 a.m. by month's end. Look for Mars to the southeast before sunrise. Mars passes 0.6° south of Neptune on the 17th. Mars passes 0.6° south of Jupiter on the 28th. Mars moves from the constellation of 
Rises about 4:20 a.m. on the 1st and about 2:32 a.m. by month's end. Jupiter can be spotted to the southeast before sunrise. Jupiter is in the constellation of Astronomical Events
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Meteor Showers
For more information about Meteor Showers, visit Gary Kronk's Meteor Showers Online web page. Meteor Scatter (or Meteor burst communications) - "is a radio propagation mode that exploits the ionized trails of meteors during atmospheric entry to establish brief communications paths between radio stations up to 2,250 kilometres (1,400 mi) apart." Tune your shortwave or your HF amateur radio to 54.310 MHz SSB and see if you can hear any pings. Try other frequencies as well... 6m FT8 digital - 50.313 Mhz & 50.276 Mhz, JP-65 digital mode and the carrier frequencies of the lower VHF bands for TV channels 2, 3 & 4. Meteor Rx How-To by Terry Bullett (WØASP) |
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Comets
For more information about Comets, visit Gary Kronk's Cometography.com webpage. |
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Eclipses
Solar Eclipses
Lunar Eclipses
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Observational Opportunities
 Asteroids
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(From west to east)
 Ocultations
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Subscriber Gallery
Featured Images
STARLINK-3200 and others
December 03, 2021
Courtesy of Burness Ansell
Taken with iPhone X @ 6:43 P.M. MST
Traveling from WSW to W passing close to the bright star Altair in Aquila.
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Member Meteor Sightings
In this section I will post meteor, fireball, etc sightings that have been published on the American Meteor Society's web site. I want to make this an active section of the web pages and newsletter and would like to publish the links to member sightings. If you have any published sightings, please provide me with the links and I will post them here for all to enjoy.
Event ID
Date/Time
Location
Observer
Link
3871-2015
2015-11-13 01:55 MST
CO
Charles N
3871a
3587-2015
2015-11-22 17:38 MST
CO
Kevin S
3587aw
3829-2015
2015-12-05 18:06 MST
CO
Burness A
3829a
986-2020
2020-02-21 22:20 MST
CO
Lukas S
986
3716-2020
2020-07-24 23:22 MDT
CO
Lukas S
3716
4774-2021
2021-08-13 21:57 MDT
UT
Lukas S
4774
7044-2021
2021-10-28 20:37 MDT
CO
Burness A
249058
Planetary/Lunar Exploration Missions
(Excerpts from recent JPL mission updates)
Mars Missions
Be A Martian
Mars website mobile version is here!
Mars Daily Weather Report
Astronomy Links and Other Space News
(If you have a link you would like to recommend to our readers, please feel free to submit it.)
Colorado Astronomy Links
- Brighton Astronomy Group - Astronomy in Brighton, Colorado (under construction).
- Cloudbait Observatory, Guffey Colorado - Submit your fireball reports here. Interesting, knowledgeable site.
- Colorado Springs Astronomical Society - The Colorado Springs Astronomical Society (CSAS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the enjoyment of the nighttime sky.
- Denver Astronomical Society - Promotes the enjoyment and understanding of astronomical phenomena, history and lore by providing educational and observing opportunities for our members, general public, and outreach activities at the University of Denver's historic Chamberlin Observatory, schools, and nature centers.
- Little Thompson Observatory - Begin or sustain your interest in astronomy at LTO! The night sky is wondrous, filled with countless swirling galaxies, the planets, the moon and so much more. Many of these sights are easily visible from Earth, but few people have witnessed them personally.
The Little Thompson Observatory can change that for you. Our mission is to help people of all ages learn about the universe by offering a first-hand experience with astronomy...
- National Space Science & Technology Institute - NSSTI runs the Star Light—Star Bright Observatory in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- Northern Colorado Astronomical Society - The Northern Colorado Astronomical Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the science of astronomy and to encourage and coordinate activities of amateur astronomers.
- Rocky Mountain Star Stare - The Premier Star Party in The Rocky Mountains
- Sangre Stargazers - We are a group of individuals interested in amateur astronomy most of whom live in the Wet Mountain Valley of Custer County, Colorado, where the Sangre de Cristo Mountains meet the stars on the western horizon.
- Southern Colorado Astronomical Society - The Southern Colorado Astronomical Society, CSU-P and the Pueblo Nature and Raptor Center welcomes everyone to participate in the discovery of our night sky.
- Star Cruiser Bill's Astrophotography - Great astrophotography from Aurora Colorado.
- Star Light-Star Bright Observatory - The observatory is part of the nonprofit National Space Science & Technology Institute's education and public outreach program.
The goal of the Star Light—Star Bright Observatory, is to put the universe within reach of primary grade students and their teachers; along with being an educational asset for the community. The observatory is an educational project that was established in 2004 to serve young and old alike and provides the only free access to viewing the universe in the Pikes Peak Region.
Radio Astronomy Links
- AMSAT - The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, or AMSAT, is a worldwide group of Amateur Radio Operators (Hams)... AMSAT's goal is to foster Amateur Radio's participation in space research and communication.
- HighQ Software Group - Blog of Ralph Boyd, Software engineer, amateur radio operator, radio astronomer.
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory - NRAO - Radio Astronomy news and information.
- Radio Astronomy Research Posts - Radio Astronomy Research news posts and observations.
- Radio Astronomy Supplies - Radio Astronomy Supplies, the International leader in research radio telescopes for universities, observatories and individual.
- Radio JOVE Project - Radio JOVE students and amateur scientists observe and analyze natural radio emissions of Jupiter, the Sun, and our galaxy.
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Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers - The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) is an international society of dedicated enthusiasts who teach, learn, trade technical information, and do their own observations of the radio sky.
Other Astronomy Links
- "TheSky" - Astronomy Software by Software Bisque. It's where discoveries are made. Where astronomers unravel the mysteries and reveal the beauty of space. At the heart of this search lies Software Bisque and its family of precision-crafted robotic telescope mounts, astronomy software solutions and embedded systems. Tools that help quench the astronomers' thirst for scientific breakthrough and personal enrichment the world over.
- A Sea of Stars - Voyages of a Merchant Mariner & Amateur Astronomer - I'm a retired Navy veteran, currently sailing with the US Navy's Military Sealift Command as an Operations Chief. My dominant interests are science (esp. astronomy), history and photography, and I enjoy naval and military wargaming WHEN I can find the time.
- A Short Guide to Celestial Navigation - Celestial navigation is the art and science of finding one's geographic position by means of astronomical observations, particularly by measuring altitudes of celestial objects — sun, moon, planets, or stars.
- The ARRL - Amateur Radio Relay League - Information about amateur radio and how to become an amateur radio operator.
- American Meteor Society - Provides amateur observers a place to learn about and report meteor, fireball and related sightings.
- AstroBackyard - Welcome to the AstroBackyard Backyard of the Week! This is a place where we honor the hard work and dedication put into building an astrophotography rig to capture the glorious night sky. There are many ways to tackle this hobby, with varying types of telescopes, cameras, and mounts with one thing in common — they produce results!
- Astrogirl Homepage - Astrogirl.org exists to educate, encourage and promote the hobby of amateur astronomy to people of all ages. It is the goal of this site to provide relevant information and resources to the amateur astronomer as an aid in their enjoyment of the night sky. It is a family-friendly, educational site and has been rated as a safe site for all ages.
- Astronomia - Online web applications that use catalogues of astronomical objects. Applications and their description are also prepared in English.
- Astronomy Picture of the Day - Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
- Astronomy Resources - This site has some good links a young, interested student wishes to share.
- Beginners Guide To Astrophotography - A Quick & Easy Tutorial Of How To Take DSLR Astro Photography
- Be an Astronomer right from your Window - At-home astronomy techniques.
- Black Hole Encyclopedia - Excellent site from StarDate - University of Texas McDonald Observatory
- Caelum Observatory - The LARGEST dedicated public telescope in the Southwest at the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter!
- Celestron Telescopes - Celestron telescopes.
- Clear Skies Observing Guides - CSOG, short for Clear Skies Observing Guides is a new concept in visual amateur astronomy. It is a digital publication that will enable observers to target all deepsky objects and carbon stars within reach of their equipment.
- The Constellations and Their Stars - Good site for finding out more about the 88 constellations and their associated stars.
- CosmoQuest - The place where you map other worlds, explore out universe and contribute to science.
- Distant Suns - Desktop Astronomy package for PCs.
- EarthSky - Astronomy news.
- Heavens-Above - As the name implies - What's up in the heavens, particularly satellite passes.
- The International Dark-Sky Association - To preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies.
- informED: 10 Teaching Tools for Educators - informED - Teacher Resources.
- iTelescope.net - iTelescope.Net is the world's premier network of Internet connected telescopes, allowing members to take astronomical images of the night sky for the purposes of education, scientific research and astrophotography.
- JPL Solar System Ambassador Program - "Volunteers Bringing the Solar System to the Public"
- JPL Solar System - Jet Propulsion Laboratory information on our solar system.
- K8JTK.ORG - Welcome to the home page of Jeffrey Kopcak. You will find pages and posts I wrote about my hobbies, interests, projects, and things I'm involved in.
- Kids Space Center - Telescopes and Astronomy - Another site suggested by a young student - Great info about telescopes.
- Mars Exploration, Mars Rovers Information, Facts, News, Photos - National Geographic - Mars Exploration - Investigating the Red Planet.
- Meade Advanced Products Users Group - Mapug-Astronomy Topical Archive & information resource, containing a massive 335 page archive of discussions about Meade equipment, and much more: observatories, observing lists, permanent piers, equatorial wedges, remote operations, software, eyepieces, etc.
- NASA - Lunar and Planetary Science - General information, Missions to Comets, Data, Press Releases, Meteors and Meteorites, Other topics of Interest.
- NASA Science News - NASA missions, updates, astronomy news, excellent resource.
- National Archives info on space exploration - Archives Library Information Center (ALIC) - Space Exploration - Information about the United States' space flight programs, including NASA missions and the astronauts who participate in the efforts to explore space.
- Phys.org - Science News including Nanotechnology, Physics, Earth, Astronomy & Space, Technology, Chemistry, Biology and Other Sciences.
- Predictions for Solar and Lunar Eclipses - A website dedicated to predictions and information on eclipses of the Sun and Moon.
- Skymaps.com - Free sky maps each month.
- SKY-MAP.ORG - The main purpose of SKY-MAP is to consolidate astronomical, astrophysical and other information about different space objects and astrophysical facts.
- Space.com - Interesting space and astronomy articles.
- Spaceflight Now - Launches and satellite news.
- SpaceLinks/Space Careers - SPACELINKS is a specialist staffing consultancy sourcing and supplying high caliber professionals for a wide range of world class organizations in the Space and Defense industry.
- "SpaceRef.com" - SpaceRef's 21 news and reference web sites are designed to allow both the novice and specialist alike to explore outer space and Earth observation.
- Space Weather - Check out what the sun is doing as seen from space.
- Stellarium - Free, downloadable planetarium/astronomy software.
- The Most Expensive & Amazing Telescopes In History - Some of the most expensive and amazing telescopes in history - From The Hub Post.
- The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Astrophotography - Looking up into the night sky with just your eyes and maybe a telescope is amazing on its own. But it can be even better when you photograph and record it for your memories.
- Top 50 Astronomy NASA Photos of All Time - A list of the most interesting moments in the history of science - From The Hub Post.
- Ultimate Resource Guide for Astronomy - The resources we have provided below cover everything from discussing what astronomy is all the way to social media groups that focus on this popular and interesting topic. Use this resource guide for finding some great sites on astronomy whether you are a teacher looking for lesson plan ideas, a student wanting to brush up on their knowledge, a college student looking for a career or you just love the stars and want the most from your experiences.
- UniverseToday - Short, interesting articles about space and related topics.
Astronomical Lexicon
Definitions of astronomical terms. Many of the astronomical terms used in this newsletter are defined here.
Read the Universe Today Newsletter by clicking on the logo.
Acknowledgments and References
Much of the information in this newsletter is from Astronomy® Magazine (Kalmbach Publishing), JPL mission status reports, the Internet, "Meteor Showers - A descriptive Catalog" by Gary W. Kronk, Sky & Telescope web pages, and other astronomical sources that I have stashed on my bookshelves.The author will accept any suggestions, constructive criticisms, and corrections. Please feel free to send me any new links or articles to share as well. I will try to accommodate any reasonable requests. Please feel free to send questions, comments, criticisms, or donations to the email address listed below. Enjoy!
More Acknowledgements and References
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IAAS - COO, Director of Aerospace Technologies
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last modified: May 01, 2022
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