Lunar Phases  May 5 - 7:18 am* May 11 - 10:47 pm* May 19 - 9:11 pm* May 27 - 9:57 pm* Perigee: May 5 Apogee: May 20

May 2008
As the nights grow warmer, they also grow shorter, leaving less opportunity to view the night sky before bedtime. Fortunately, there are quite a few nice sights right at nightfall. Mars is high in the west, quite near the twin stars of Gemini. Mercury puts in one of its best appearances of the year, particularly when it teams up with the Moon on the 5th. And the planet Saturn remains within a whisker’s width of Regulus, the leading star of Leo, the lion. All are in good view by the time darkness settles.

2 Mars and the twins of Gemini form a straight, almost equally spaced line high in the west at nightfall. Mars is at the left end of the line, Castor at the right, with Pollux in the middle.

3 Saturn is holding still against the background of stars, near Regulus, the brightest star of Leo. They are high in the south at nightfall.

6 The planet Mercury puts in one of its best appearances of the year, just to the lower left of the Moon, low in the northwest shortly after sunset.

9-10 The Moon, Mars, and Gemini are high in the west at nightfall. Mars is to the upper left of the Moon on the 9th, with Pollux and Castor to its upper right. The Moon will have moved past Mars by the 10th.

12 Saturn and Regulus are to the upper right of the Moon at nightfall.

16 Spica, the brightest star of Virgo, is just to the upper left of the Moon at nightfall.

20 Antares, the “heart” of Scorpius, stands just above the Moon as they climb into view in late evening.

24-25 Bright, cream-colored Jupiter is to the upper left of the Moon as they clear the horizon on the morning of the 24th. It is farther to the upper right of the Moon on the 25th.

* Lunar phase times are listed for the U.S. Central Time Zone.