Moon phases
New-5/2_____First Quarter-5/10____Full-5/17____Last Quarter-5/24
Planets
The Eta Aquarid shower peaks 5/5/00 at around 60/hr max. Unfortunately, you'll
have to be up VERY early to see any. Watch the eastern skies before dawn. The radiant rises
at 1:48 am MST.
Deep Sky Objects (DSO's)
We're smack in the middle of "Galaxy Central" after dark. If you can't find a galaxy to look
at, you're just not trying hard enough. ;-) Still lots of star clusters hangin' around too.
Just look to the East as the summer Milky Way rises.
Let's see, the entire Virgo Cluster of galaxies, M49, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 84, 85, 86, 87,
88, 89, 90, 91, 98, 99, 100, not to mention the galaxies not included in this group, 51, 83,
104, 106 oh, and you may want to check out 101. Then we have the globular clusters M3, 5, 53,
and 68. Round it out with M40, (2 stars, yawn) and you're just about done.....with
just the Messiers! There's a reason why most people take a break after Virgo during the
Messier Marathon. :-)
Named DSO's
There's a ton of other interesting galaxies in this region, too. Ngc 4565 is an amazing
edge-on galaxy in Coma Berenices. There's also one of my favorite binocular open clusters
-Melotte 111, just North of the Virgo cluster. It looks like a triangle with a spar on
one side.
Although not much to look at, there is 3C273, just to the south of M61. It's the brightest
quasar yet discovered. That should keep you busy for a while...since its visual magnitude
is around 12.
Here's the link to SEDS as promised.
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Messier Objects
January's page | February's page | March's's page | April's page | May's page | June's page |
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