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Weekly Stargazing Tips
Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally, for Alaska and Hawaii). Check out last week's tips or the Sky Almanac if you missed a night.
May 13, 2008
The constellation Virgo glides across the south on spring nights. Look for its brightest star, blue-white Spica, well up in the southeast at nightfall, and due south a couple of hours later.
May 14, 2008
The Moon is in its "gibbous" phase now, which means that sunlight illuminates more than half of the lunar hemisphere that faces our way. The dark portion of the lunar disk is in the Moon's own shadow, so it's night on that part of our satellite world.
May 15, 2008
Corona Borealis, the northern crown, stands almost halfway up the eastern sky as darkness falls this evening. It forms a small semicircle of moderately bright stars that opens to the left. It is topped by a binary star system known as Alphecca.
May 16, 2008
The Moon and the star Spica stage quite an encounter tonight. At their closest, during early evening, just a couple of degrees will separate them, with Spica to the Moon's left or upper left. They will remain together as they wheel across the south later on.
May 17, 2008
Summer is still more than a month away, but one of its signature stars is already putting on a good show. The star is Vega, in the constellation Lyra, the harp. It is one of the brightest stars in the entire sky, and forms one point of the Summer Triangle.
May 18, 2008
Bootes, the herdsman, passes high overhead on May evenings. It is best known for its brightest star, yellow-orange Arcturus, which is high in the east at nightfall. It's easy to pick out because there are few other bright stars in that region of the sky.
May 19, 2008
The constellation Ursa Major, the great bear, is high in the north on May evenings. The bear's body and tail form the Big Dipper. Less-prominent streamers of stars form his head and legs, streaming away from the dipper's bowl.
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