The waxing crescent moon
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JUNE 2005 SKYWATCH The big retrograde news is Jupiter turning direct on June 5. Well, Jupiter is also the big planetary news in the sky. It is high and bright for most of the night. After sunset we can see it high in the southwest sky, close to Virgo’s sparkling blue star, Spica. Jupiter is close to the First Quarter Moon on June 15-16. Saturn is dipping into the West around sunset, and to find it we have to look before it is totally dark. The turbulence close to the horizon makes planet-watching difficult in the twilight of morning and evening, so even if we catch Saturn before it goes, it may be hazy. Look for it just below the Gemini twins. Use binoculars if you have them. Venus and Mercury are a bit below Saturn, and are climbing up towards Saturn. Venus is bright, Mercury dim. The three of them come together during the last week of the month, but close to the horizon. We can see them only in the early evening, before they disappear. New Moon occurs on June 6. On the evening of June 7, look for a tiny thin crescent to the lower right of Venus. There will be three planets, plus Moon, huddled together. Keep watching Moon grow and climb on each succeeding night. On June 8 it is above Venus, and on June 9 it sits between Pollux, the brightest Gemini Twin, and Saturn. As it moves up, Mercury becomes easier to see. By June 21, it is in the arms of Venus, where it remains for several days. They sit just below Pollux, with Saturn to the upper left. Saturn will slowly descend below the horizon as the month moves on, but Venus and Mercury will continue to move up. They are heading towards Regulus, the bright star to the upper left. Regulus is the main star in Leo. Stay tuned next month to watch this delicious twosome continue to tango. In the meantime, the Big Dipper is still above us, but slowly cycling northward around the Pole Star. (The Pole Star can be located by finding the outside edge of the Big Dipper’s cup, and extending it upwards until you see a bright star. All of the stars in the Northern Hemisphere circle around that guiding star.) And beautiful blue Vega is rising in the east, trailing the Great Summer Triangle behind her. |
