Pondering your average alien
I
what’s up in the sky
May 6 – Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower Peak
The Eta Aquarids have a good chance
of putting on a particularly nice show
this year because the annual meteor
shower’s peak will coincide with the New
Moon on May 6. The shower is caused
by the Earth’s passage through debris left
behind by the famous Halley’s Comet,
which is also the source for another
meteor shower — the Orionids — every
October. Especially amazing for southern
hemisphere observers, who could be
treated to 30 or more meteors per hour,
the Eta Aquarids appear to radiate from
the Aquarius constellation.
May 22 – Mars at Opposition
If you are looking to get to know our
celestial neighbors, May presents an ideal
opportunity to see Mars truly shine. On
May 22, the Red Planet will be positioned
directly opposite of the Sun when viewed
from Earth. This means it will be in a
prime viewing situation for most of the
night. To the naked eye, Mars will appear
as a red-hued point of light in the Scorpius
Constellation, but those with moderate
telescopes should be treated to some
surface details.
June 3 – Saturn at Opposition
Saturn and its dazzling rings will be on
prominent display as the planet reaches
opposition in early June. During this event,
Saturn will be positioned directly opposite
of the Sun when viewed from Earth. It
will rise as the Sun sets and stay up all
night, which provides for ample viewing
time. In addition to delving into Saturn’s
fascinating ring system, small telescope
users might want to look for Titan, the
largest of Saturn’s moons, and the dark
groove in the rings that is identified as the
Cassini Division. To the naked eye, Saturn
will appear as a steady, gold point of light.
Following opposition, the planet will
remain a brilliant showpiece of the night
sky for several months.
July 28-29 - Delta Aquarid
Meteor Shower Peak
A thin crescent Moon should provide
little interference for the Delta Aquarid’s
loosely-defined peak on July 28-29.
With a radiant point in the Aquarius
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COURTESY OF ESA/NASA/SOHO
This time-lapse image shows Mercury transiting the Sun in 2006.
Mercury to transit sun in May
One of 2016’s standout astronomical
events will happen on May 9 as our
solar system’s innermost planet transits
the Sun.
During this fairly rare event, Mercury
will follow a path between the Sun and
the Earth — making it appear as a small
dark disk marching across the blazing
backdrop of the Sun.
Since this is a solar viewing event,
observers MUST take precautions
to avoid looking at the Sun — either
unaided or aided — without proper
protective eye gear. Even momentary
visual contact with the Sun’s light rays
through a telescope or optical device
Constellation, the Delta Aquarids begin
their annual amble across the sky in midJuly, bloom in late-July and fade out in the
third week of August. During the peak,
the shower can produce 15-20 meteors
per hour. Like other meteor showers, the
Delta Aquarids are the result of Earth’s
passage through debris left behind by
a comet. However, the exact source
comet for this shower has been a matter
of debate. The most likely candidate is
Comet 96P/Machholz, which was not
discovered until 1986.
Aug. 12 - Perseid Meteor Shower Peak
Although the waxing gibbous moon will
present some interference, the alwaysanticipated Perseid meteor shower
should still produce some real stunners
not outfitted for solar observation can
instantly cause irreversible damage to
your eye(s).
The best way to safely observe this
event is to project the image of the Sun
through a telescope and onto a white
screen. The transit, which will run from
11:12 to 18:42 Universal Time, can be
seen from any location where the Sun
is up during the transit hours. It can
be enjoyed in its entirety from parts
of western Europe, western Africa,
eastern North America and South
America.
The last transit of Mercury occurred in
2006, and the next will be in 2019.
when it peaks around Aug. 12. Caused
by the Earth’s passage through debris
left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, the
Perseids have been known to produce 80100 meteors per hour during their peak,
and many of these display impressive
persistent trains. The shower does favor
northern hemisphere viewers and occurs
in the perfect season for a long night of
languishing under the stars. The best time
to view will be in the predawn hours well
after the moon has set.
Aug. 27 - Venus and Jupiter Conjunction
The closest planetary pairin