This Months Sky

News on what is visable in this months sky as posted by Adrian Zielonka's in his monthly sky notes.

Thank you Adrian and thank you CADAS.

Hi All

Here is the astronomy news for October.

From Adrian Zielonka

Astronomy News

Night Sky 2021- October

During the evenings this month Jupiter lies just above the two stars Delta Capricorni (2.8 mag) and Nashira (3.6mag) in retrograde motion. Jupiter and the two stars form an equalateral triangle around the 3^rd - 5^thas well as on the 31^st when its back in forward motion.

During the first half of this month the asteroid Ceres (8.3 mag) stays 2 degrees from Aldebaran (0.8 mag). Ceres will be to the lower left of Aldebaran. On the 31^st at 11:00pm Ceres (7.7 mag) is just ½ a degree to the lower left of Aldebaran. This is a good month to follow Ceres. (For further information please see the “Asteroid “ section in the website above).

On the 1^st at 5:30am the Beehive Star Cluster is 6 degrees below the crescent Moon and 1 degree to the left.

On the 2^nd the Bepi Colombo mission to Mercury has its first flyby of this planet. It goes into orbit around Mercury in 2025.

At 5:30am on the 2^nd the Beehive Star Cluster is 7 degrees to the right of the crescent Moon and 5 degrees above.

Venus is at aphelion on the 3^rd.

An occultation of the star Eta Leonis (3.4 mag) by the Moon occurs on the 3^rd. It disappears at 3:41:21am and reappears at 4:16:03am. (Please note that these times are set for Yeovilton)

At 5:15am on the 4^th the star Chertan (3.3 mag) in Leo is 5 degrees to the left of a

thin crescent Moon.

On the 5^th at 6:00am a very thin crescent Moon will be seen low in the east at 85 degrees azimuth and just 3 degrees above the horizon.

At 7:05pm on the 7^th a very thin crescent Moon may be seen low in the WSW at 251.5 degrees azimuth and 1 degree above the horizon.

The Draconids meteor shower reaches its peak on the 7^th. The shower runs annually from the 6^th – 10^th. This year, the nearly new Moon will leave dark skies for what should be a good show. Best viewing will be in the evening from a dark location away from lights.

Mars is at superior conjunction on the 8^th.

The Moon is at perigee (363,386km) on the 8^that 6:29pm. At 7:15pm a very thin crescent Moon is just 2½ degrees above the horizon at 240 degrees azimuth.

Mercury is at inferior conjunction on the 9^th.

On the 9^th at 7:15pm the crescent Moon is 5 degrees above the south west horizon at 226 degrees azimuth. Venus is just 2 degrees to the lower left of the Moon at 224.5 degrees azimuth amongst the stars of Scorpius. The star Dschubba (2.2 mag) is ¾ of a degree above Venus.

From the 10^th - 18^th around 7:15pm Venus will be low near the south west horizon passing through the constellation of Scorpius. On the 16^th at 7:00pm Venus is 4 degrees above the horizon at 220 degrees azimuth with the star Antares (1 mag) just 1½ degrees below it.

At 7:30pm on the 10^th the star 84405 'Hipparcus I.D.' (4.3 mag) in Ophiuchus is 4 degrees to the left of the crescent Moon.

On the 11^th at 8:20pm the star Mu Sagittarii (3.8 mag) is 6 degrees above the crescent Moon.

At 8:15pm on the 12^th the star Nunki (2 mag) in Sagittarius is 3 degrees to the right of the Moon. The star Tau Sagittarii (3.3 mag) is less than a degree below the Moon.

On the 13^th at 10:00pm Saturn is 7½ degrees above the Moon and 3½ degrees to the left.

At 10:45pm on the 14^th Saturn is 8 degrees to the left of the Moon. Jupiter is 10 degrees upper left of the Moon. All three are amongst the stars of Capricornus.

On the 15^th at 9:00pm Jupiter is 6 degrees above right of the Moon. Between them and slightly nearer Jupiter is the star Delta Capricorni (2.8 mag). The star Nashira (3.6) is 1½ degrees below Jupiter.

The Parker Solar Probe has a Venus flyby on the 16^th.

From the 16^th - 31^st around 6:45am Mercury passes through the constellation of Virgo low in the east. On the 17^th at 6:45am Mercury is 3½ degrees above the horizon at 100 degrees azimuth with Porrima (2.7 mag) 2¼ degrees to the upper left. On the 20^th Mercury is 5½ degrees above the horizon at 101.5 degrees azimuth with Porrima 1½ degrees upper left. On the 23^rd Mercury is 6 degrees above the horizon at 102.5 degrees azimuth with Porrima 2¼ degrees above. On the 29^th Mercury is 4 degrees above the horizon at 104 degrees azimuth with the star Theta Virginis (4.3 mag) just ½ a degree to its right.

At 7:00pm on the 16^th the star Tau Aquarii (4 mag) is less than ½ a degree above the Moon. The star Skat is 2¼ degrees below the Moon.

There is a planned launch no earlier than October 16^th* from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida of the “ Lucy “mission. Lucy will be the first space mission to study the Trojan asteroids associated with the planet Jupiter. Lucy will complete a 12 year journey to eight different asteroids which hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the solar system.

On the 17^th at 7:00pm Neptune is 5 degrees above the Moon.

Mercury is at perihelion on the 20^th.

At 9:00pm on the 20^th the star Omicron Piscium (4.2 mag) is 2¾ degrees above the Moon and 2 degrees to the right.

On the 21^st at 9:45pm the star Mu Ceti (4.2 mag) is 3 degrees to lower right of the Moon. Following a straight line from Mu Ceti through the Moon you will come to Uranus which is 2¼ degrees further on. A fainter star is just below and close to Uranus.

The Orionids meteor shower reaches its peak on the night of the 21^st and the morning of the 22^nd. Though they can be seen from the 1^st October - 6^th November. The full Moon will be a problem this month though if you are patient, you should manage to see a few bright ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight.

At 11:00pm on the 22^nd the Pleiades star cluster is 6 degrees to the left of the Moon and 3 degrees above.

From the 22^nd - 25^th Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (11.8 mag – Sept 13th) will be passing the star Mu Geminorum (2.8 mag) in Gemini. At midnight on the 23^rd Chur-Gera will be just ½ a degree upper left of Mu Geminorum. Its distance from Earth on this day is 0.431AU. It will be ¾ of a degree from the Moon at midnight on the 26^th. Its at perihelion on the 2^nd of November when its 1.211AU from the Sun. From November 8^th - 14^th its at its closest to Earth at 0.418AU near the bright star Pollux.

On the 23^rd at 11:00pm Aldebaran (0.8 mag) is 6 degrees below the Moon. Midway between them is the star Ain (3.5 mag).

The Moon is at apogee (405,615km) on the 24^th at 4:29pm. At 11:00pm the star Elnath (1.6 mag) in Taurus is 5½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 1½ degrees above.

Mercury reaches maximum western elongation on the 25^th when its 18.4 degrees from the Sun

At 11:00pm on the 25^th the star 28734 'Hipparcos I.D.' (4.1 mag) in Gemini is 2 degrees to the lower right of the Moon. The star Propus (3.3 mag) is 3¾ degrees below the Moon.

On the 26^th at 10:30pm the star Mebsuta (3 mag) in Gemini is 3 degrees to the upper right of the Moon.

At 11:30pm on the 27^th the star Kappa Geminorum (3.5 mag) is 1¾ degrees upper right of the Moon.

On the night of the 28^th at 12:30am the Beehive Star Cluster is 3 degrees to the right of the Moon and 1 degree below.

Venus reaches maximum eastern elongation on the 29^th when its 47 degrees from the Sun.

At 1:00am on the night of the 29^th the star Epsilon Leonis (2.9 mag) is 4 degrees to the left of the crescent Moon and 3 degrees above.

On the 31^st at 6:00am the crescent Moon is approximately midway between the stars Chertan (3.3 mag) and Regulus (1.3 mag) in Leo.

There is a planned launch on the 31^st* from Kennedy Space centre to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission will launch four astronauts aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket. Assigned to the mission are NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron. Also with them is the European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer. (See below for further details)

= Dates and times are subject to change.

News: The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is now scheduled for December 18^th. It will be placed 960,000 miles from Earth at Lagrange point (L2) which is directly opposite the Sun and known as an halo orbit. Since L2 is just an equilibrium point with no gravitational pull, a halo orbit is not an orbit in the usual sense: the JWST will actually be in orbit around the Sun, but stays in the vicinity of the L2 point.

It was announced on the 7^th September that the Perseverance rover had successfully collected two pencil-size cores from Jezero Crater on Mars. The holes were drilled September 1^st and the 7^th.

Four amateur astronauts have splashed down successfully in the Atlantic ocean after spending three days in space. They are the first private, all-civilian team ever to orbit the Earth. The Inspirational4 crew left on a SpaceX capsule from Florida on Wednesday 15^th September and landed off the state's coast on Saturday 18^th.

ISS News: Raja Chari (b.1977) is married to Holly Schaffter and have three children. In June 2017 he was selected for NASA Astronaut Group 22 to begin two years of training to become an astronaut. In December 2020 he was selected to be a part of the Artemis Team, a group of astronauts “to help pave the way for the next lunar missions including sending the first woman and next man to walk on the lunar surface in 2024”. He will be the first NASA rookie to command a spaceflight in this current mission since Joe Engle, who commanded the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1981.

Tom Marshburn (b.1960) is an American physician and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of two spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS). During his first spaceflight in 2009 he took part in three spacewalks. During his second spaceflight in 2012/2013 Christopher Cassidy and himself performed an unplanned spacewalk to replace a pump controller box suspected to be the source of an ammonia coolant leak. Two days later Marshburn and his crew returned to Earth on May 13^th.

Kayla Barron (b.1987) is married to Tom, who is a U.S. Army Special Forces officer. Kayla is an American submarine warfare officer, engineer and a NASA astronaut. Following her submarine assignment on USS Maine she was Flag Aide to the superintendent at the Naval Academy until her selection as an astronaut.

Matthias Maurer (b.1970) is a German European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and materials scientist. He is fluent in three other languages (English, Spanish and French). He has also taken intensive language training in Russian and Chinese for his astronaut training. On the 28^th July 2020 he was announced as a backup crew member for Thomas Pesquet on SpaceX Crew-2 to the ISS. The current mission will make him the twelfth German astronaut.

Facts: Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to go into space. In 1963 she spent almost three days in space and orbited Earth 48 times in her space capsule, Vostok 6. It was her only trip into space. She later toured the world to promote Soviet science and became involved in Soviet politics.

Astronomy
News

Night Sky 2021 - September

Sunrise

Sunset

Mercury Sets

Venus Sets

1^st – 6:25am

10^th – 6:39am

20^th – 6:54am

30^th – 7:10am

1^st – 7:56pm

10^th – 7:36pm

20^th – 7:13pm

30^th – 6:51pm

1^st – 8:27pm

5^th – 8:16pm

10^th – 8:02pm

15^th – 7:47pm

1^st – 8:58pm

10^th – 8:38pm

20^th – 8:18pm

30^th – 7:59pm

Moon Rise

Moon Set

Moon Rise

Moon Set

- - - - - - -

2^nd – 12:39am (NE)

3^rd – 1:37am

4^th – 2:45am

5^th – 4:00am

6^th – 5:19am (ENE)

7^th – 6:39am

8^th – 8:00am (E)

9^th – 9:22am

10^th – 10:46am

11^th – 12:11pm (ESE)

12^th – 1:37pm

13^th – 2:59pm

14^th – 4:13pm (SE)

15^th – 5:14pm

16^th – 5:59pm

17^th – 6:33pm

18^th – 6:58pm

19^th – 7:17pm (ESE)

1^st - 5:17pm (NW)

2^nd – 6:07pm

3^rd – 6:48pm

4^th – 7:20pm

5^th – 7:45pm

6^th – 8:05pm (WNW)

7^th – 8:23pm

8^th – 8:39pm (W)

9^th – 8:56pm

10^th – 9:15pm (WSW)

11^th – 9:37pm

12^th – 10:05pm

13^th – 10:43pm

14^th – 11:34pm (SW)

16^th – 12:38am

17^th – 1:53am

18^th – 3:12am

19^th – 4:32am (WSW)

20^th – 5:50am

20^th – 7:33pm

21^st – 7:48pm (E)

22^nd – 8:02pm

23^rd – 8:17pm

24^th – 8:33pm (ENE)

25^th – 8:52pm

26^th – 9:17pm

27^th – 9:48pm

28^th – 10:29pm (NE)

29^th – 11:21pm

- - - - - - -

All times

in notes are set

for

Somerton

unless stated

21^st – 7:04am

22^nd – 8:17am (W)

23^rd – 9:28am

24^th – 10:39am (WNW)

25^th – 11:50am

26^th – 12:59pm

27^th – 2:06pm

28^th – 3:08pm (NW)

29^th – 4:01pm

30^th – 4:45pm

- - - - - - -

Moon Phases

New Moon – 7^th

First Quarter – 13^th

Full Moon – 21^st

Last Quarter – 29^th

A useful site:
www.heavens-above.com

A S Zielonka

On the night of the 1^st
there is an occultation of the star Mebsuta (3 mag) in Gemini. At the time 2:01:51am Mebsuta reappears from behind the crescent Moon. (Please note – times for this are set for Yeovilton).

On the 2^nd at 5:00am the star Mebsuta (3 mag) in Gemini is 2 degrees to the upper right of the crescent Moon.

In the early hours of the 3^rd there is an occultation of the star Kappa Geminorum (3.5 mag). At 3:38:16am K.G. disappears behind the Moon and then reappears at 4:33:51am. (Please note – times
for this are set for Yeovilton).

At 5:00am on the 3^rd the star Kappa Geminorum (3.5 mag) is ¾ of a degree to the upper right of the crescent Moon.

On the 4^th at 5:00am the Beehive Star Cluster is 2½ degrees below right of the crescent Moon in the east.

From the 4^th - 6^th Venus passes close to Spica (1 mag) in Virgo. On the 5^th at 8:15pm Spica is 1¾ degrees below Venus. Venus is 5 degrees above the horizon.at 247 degrees
azimuth.

At 5:00am on the 5^th the star Lambda Leonis (3.5 mag) is 4 degrees above a thin crescent Moon and 2 degrees to the left.

Mercury reaches aphelion (its most distant from the Sun in its orbit) on the 6^th.

On the 6^th at 5:40am a very thin crescent Moon may be seen low in the ENE horizon at 69.5 degrees azimuth and 2 degrees above the horizon.

At 8:15pm on the 8^th a very thin crescent Moon will be low in the west at 265.5 degrees azimuth and just 3 degrees above the horizon. The star Porrima (2.7 mag) in Virgo is just 1 degree to the left of the Moon.

On the 9^th at 8:15pm the thin crescent Moon is low in the WSW at 252 degrees azimuth and 5½ degrees above the horizon. Venus is 6 degrees to the left of the Moon and 1½ degrees below.

Asteroid 4 Vesta at the beginning is in the constellation of Virgo. On the 9^th at 8:45pm Vesta is just 2½ degrees above the Moon low in the WSW. The Moon is 1 degree above the horizon at 258 degrees
azimuth.

At 8:15pm on the 10^th Venus is 8 degrees to the lower right of the crescent Moon in the WSW. Venus is 3½ degrees above the horizon.

The Moon is at perigee (368,461km) on the 11^th
at 11:04am. At 8:15pm the crescent Moon will be due south west. The star Zubenelgenubi (2.7 mag) in Libra is 7 degrees to the right of the Moon and 1 degree below.

At 9:20pm on the 12^th the crescent Moon is due south west and only 4½ degrees above the horizon, amongst the stars of Scorpius.

On the 13^th at 9:00pm the star Theta Ophiuchi (3.2 mag) is 1 degree above left of the first quarter Moon.

Mercury is at Maximum eastern elongation on the 14^th.

Neptune is at opposition on the 14^th. Around this date is the best time to view Neptune with binoculars or a small telscope. It will be brighter than any other time of the year

At 9:30pm on the 14^th the star Kaus Borealis (2.8 mag) in Sagittarius is 2 degrees to the upper left of the Moon.

From the 15^th - 30^th Jupiter passes close to the star Delta Capricorni (2.8 mag). On the 20^th at 9:00pm Delta Capricorni is 1½ degrees below Jupiter in the SSE.

There is a planned launch on the 16^th* from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The mission Landsat 9 continues the nearly 50-year old legacy of the
Landsat series. Its an irreplaceable record of Earth's land surfaces as seen from space. The partnership between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, the Landsat program offers the longest continuous global record of the Earth's surface.

On the 16^th at 9:30pm Saturn is 6½ degrees to the upper left of the Moon low in the south.

At 10:30pm on the 17^th Jupiter is 8 degrees upper left of the Moon. The star Delta Capricorni (2.8 mag) is 1½ degrees below Jupiter. The star Zeta Capricorni (3.7 mag) is 1½ degrees below the Moon and ¼ of a degree to the left.

On the 18^th at 10:30pm Jupiter is 8¼ degrees to the upper right of the Moon.

At 10:30pm on the 19^th Neptune is 9 degrees to the upper left of the Moon.

On the 20^th at 10:30pm Neptune is 7 degrees to the upper right of the Moon.

From the 20^th August - 20^th September around 4:00pm the asteroid Ceres (8.8 mag) will pass below the Hyades star cluster in the east. On the 2^nd Sept Ceres is ½ a degree below
the star Theta Tauri (3.4mag). On the 13^th & 14^th Ceres is just under 1 degree below Aldebaran. The Hyades is the nearest open cluster and one of the best-studied star clusters.

At 10:30pm on the 22^nd the star Nu Piscium (4.4 mag) is 3 degrees below left of the Moon.

From the 22^nd - 24^th Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (11.3 mag – Aug 11th) will pass by the star Ain (3.5 mag) which is in the Hyades star cluster in Taurus. On the 23^rd
at midnight Chur-Gera is a quarter of a degree upper left of Ain in the east. Chur-Gera is 0.537AU from the Earth. Chur-Gera's closest approach to Earth is from the 8^th - 14^th Nov when it will be 0.418AU. Chur-Gera is at perihelion on
the 2^nd Nov. This comet is likely to brighten more over the next couple of months months, though by how much, is anybody's guess.

On the 23^rd at 9:30pm the star Xi Ceti (4.3 mag) in Cetus is 1 degree below right of the Moon.

At 10:30pm on the 24^th Uranus is 3 degrees above the Moon and 1½ degrees to the right.

On the 25^th at 10:30pm the Pleiades star cluster is 5½ degrees to the upper left of the Moon.

At 10:30pm on the 26^th the star Tau Tauri (4.2 mag) is 1½ degrees to the left of the Moon.
The Moon is at apogee (404,640km) at 10:44pm.

On the 27^th
at midnight the star Zeta Tauri (2.9 mag) is 3½ degrees below the Moon and ¾ of a degree to the right.

At midnight on the 28^th
the star Mu Geminorum (2.8 mag) is 3 degrees to the lower right of the Moon.

On the night of the 29^th
at 12:30am the star Wasat (3.5 mag) in Gemini is 3¼ degrees below right of the last quarter Moon.

* = Dates and times are subject to change

News: Mission: Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer. This x-ray astronomy satellite will study active galactic nuclei, microquasars, pulsars and pulsar wind nebulae, magnetars, accreting X-ray binaries, supernova
remnants and the galactic centre.

The first flight of NASA's X-57, a small, experimental airplane powered by electricity will take place this autumn. All-electric technology will make flying cleaner, quieter and more sustainable. The flight
will take place at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Centre in California.

CAPSTONE – Cubesat Pathfinder Mission will validate new navigation technologies and verify dynamics in Gateway's planned orbit. It will launch aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket this Autumn.

In August astronomers have discovered the two reddest objects in the asteroid belt. A team led by Sunao Hasegawa (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan) found the two objects. Their named 203
Pompeja and 269 Justitia. Objects this red must have journeyed inward from beyond Neptune's orbit, and their presence in the main belt strengthens the case for giant planet migration early in the solar system's history.

The recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi dramatically brightened from magnitude 11.2 to 4.8 over August 8^th – 9^th. Irish amateur Keith Geary was the first to report the surprise outburst of RS
Ophiuchi, one of the few known recurrent novae. He captured photos of it glaring at magnitude 5 with his DSLR camera at 11:20pm on August 8^th.

September Fact: The Hyades is the nearest open cluster and one of the best-studied star clusters. Its located about 153 light years away and consists of a roughly spherical group of hundreds of stars sharing
the same age, place of origin and motion through space. The brightest star being Aldebaran is unrelated to the Hyades, as it is located much closer to Earth and merely happens to lie along the same line of vision

Hi All

Here is the astronomy news for June.

From Adrian

Astronomy News

Night Sky 2021 - June

Sunrise

Sunset

Mercury Sets / Rises

Venus Sets

1^st – 5:02am

10^th – 4:57am

20^th – 4:56am

30^th – 5:00am

1^st – 9:17pm

10^th – 9:25pm

20^th – 9:29pm

30^th – 9:29pm

1^st – 10:08pm

11^th – Inf Conjunction

26^th – 4:18am

30^th – 4:05am

1^st – 10:40pm

10^th – 10:52pm

20^th – 10:57pm

30^th – 10:54pm

Moon Rise

Moon Set

Moon Rise

Moon Set

1^st - 2:05am

2^nd – 2:26am (ESE)

3^rd – 2:43am

4^th – 2:57am

5^th – 3:11am (E)

6^th – 3:25am

7^th – 3:41am (ENE)

8^th – 3:58 am

9^th – 4:20am

10^th – 4:48am

11^th – 5:25am

12^th – 6:11am

13^th – 7:09am

14^th – 8:16am

15^th – 9:29am

16^th – 10:44am (ENE)

17^th – 12:02pm

18^th – 1:20pm

19^th – 2:41pm (E)

1^st - 11:25am (WSW)

2^nd – 12:40pm

3^rd – 1:52pm

4^th – 3:01pm (W)

5^th – 4:09pm

6^th – 5:17pm

7^th – 6:26pm (WNW)

8^th – 7:34pm

9^th – 8:42pm

10^th – 9:47pm

11^th – 10:46pm

12^th – 11:35pm

14^th – 12:15am

15^th – 12:45am

16^th – 1:10am

17^th – 1:30am (WNW)

18^th – 1:48am

19^th – 2:04am (W)

20^th – 2:21am

20^th – 4:05pm

21^st – 5:32pm (ESE)

22^nd – 7:01pm

23^rd – 8:28pm

24^th – 9:45pm

25^th – 10:47pm

26^th – 11:33pm

28^th – 12:05am

29^th – 12:29am (ESE)

30^th – 12:48am

- - - - - - -

All times

in notes are set

for

Somerton

unless stated

21^st – 2:40am (WSW)

22^nd – 3:04am

23^rd – 3:34am

24^th – 4:15am

25^th – 5:11am

26^th – 6:21am

27^th – 7:41am

28^th – 9:02am

29^th – 10:21am (WSW)

30^th – 11:36am

- - - - - - -

Moon Phases

Last Quarter – 2^nd

New Moon – 10^th

First Quarter – 18^th

Full Moon – 24^th

A useful site: www.heavens-above.com

A S Zielonka

From the 30^th May – 1^st June Mars passes close to the star Kappa Geminorum (3.5 mag). On the 31^st

Kappa Geminorum will be just under 2 degrees to the upper right of Mars.

At 4:00am on the 1^st in the south east Jupiter is 7 degrees to the upper left of the Moon. At the same time Saturn is 13 degrees to the right of the Moon and 5½ degrees above the Moon.

At 4:00am low in the SSE at the beginning of the month the star Theta Capricorni (4 mag) is barely ½ a degree to the left of Saturn. On the 30^th low in the south they will be 1½ degrees apart.

On the 1^st at 9:45pm Venus is 7 degrees above the horizon in the WNW at 300.5 degrees azimuth. Mercury is 5 degrees to the lower right of Venus at 303 degrees azimuth. The star Elnath (1.6 mag) in Taurus is 8 degrees to the right of Venus.

On the 2^nd at 4:00am Jupiter is 9½ degrees to the upper right of the Moon. The star Tau Aquarii (4 mag) in Aquarius is 1¼ degrees to the upper right of the Moon.

There is a planned launch on the 3^rd* of SpaceX Commercial Resupply Mission-22 to the ISS. It will be launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

At 4:00am on the 3^rd Neptune is 5 degrees above the Moon and 1½ degrees to the left.

On the 6^th at 4:00am a crescent Moon will be 4½ degrees above the eastern horizon and at 84 degrees azimuth.

From the 5^th – 7^th at midnight the two stars Zosma (2.5 mag) and Chertan (3.3 mag) in Leo point the way to the asteroid Vesta. On the 6^th two degrees to the lower left of Chertan in the west is Vesta.

At 4:00am on the 7^th a thin crescent Moon will be 2 degrees above the horizon at 73.5 degrees azimuth. Uranus is 3 degrees to the left of the Moon and 2½ degrees above.

On the 8^th at 4:15am a very thin crescent Moon is 1½ degrees above the horizon at 66 degrees azimuth. The Pleiades star cluster is 9 degrees to the left of the Moon and 3½ degrees above.

From the 9^th – 12^thVenus passes close to Mebsuta (3 mag) in Gemini. On the 10^th at 10:00pm Mebsuta is 1 degree upper right of Venus low in the WNW at 301.5 degrees azimuth and just 8 degrees above the horizon. Venus is at perihelion (closest point from the Sun in its orbit) on the 12^th.

Mercury is at aphelion (furthest point from the Sun in its orbit) on the 10^th.

There is an annular Solar Eclipse on the 10^th. Totality will start in mid Canada and travel across north western Greenland, the Arctic, including the North Pole ending in Siberia. The partial phase of the eclipse for us starts at 10:04:07am and ends at 12:18:04pm. Mid-eclipse is at 11:08:31am.

At 10:00pm on the 11^th a very thin crescent Moon will be 4½ degrees above the WNW horizon at 305 degrees azimuth. Venus is 5 degrees above left of the Moon. The star Mebsuta (3 mag) in Gemini is 1¾ degrees to the right of Venus.

On the 12^th at 10:00pm Venus is 6 degrees lower right of the thin crescent Moon. The star Wasat (3.5 mag) in Gemini is 2¾ degrees to the lower left of the Moon.

At 10:00pm on the 13^th Mars is 2 degrees to the lower left of the crescent Moon. The Beehive star cluster is 6½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 1 degree above.

Comet C/2020 T2 Palomar (11 mag – May 17^th) is at perihelion on the 11^th July and 2.055AU from the Sun. On the night of the 13^th June looking approximately 45 degrees above the horizon in the south west the two stars Arcturus (0.05 Mag) and Muphrid (2.6 mag) in Bootes point the way to comet Palomar. At midnight Comet Palomar is 4 degrees to the lower right of Muphrid.

On the 14^th at 10:00pm the Beehive star cluster is 6½ degrees to the lower right of the crescent Moon. Its approximately midway between the Moon and Mars.

At 12:30am on the night of the 15^th the star Eta Leonis (3.4 mag) in Leo is ½ a degree above the crescent Moon low in the WNW at 290 degrees azimuth. The star Regulus (1.3 mag) is 2 degrees above the horizon at 266.5 degrees azimuth.

From the 16^th – 18^th Venus passes close to the star Wasat (3.5 mag) In Gemini. On the 17^th at 10:15pm Wasat is just 1½ degrees to the lower left of Venus. Venus is 5½ degrees above the horizon at 301 degrees azimuth.

On the 17^th at 11:30pm the star Nu Virginis (4 mag) in Virgo is ½ a degree upper left of the crescent Moon.

At 11.30pm on the 18^th The star Porrima (2.7 mag) in Virgo is 2¾ degrees to the left of the Moon.

On the 19^th at 11:30pm the star Spica (1 mag) in Virgo is 5½ degrees below left of the Moon. The star Theta Virginis (4.3 mag) is 4 degrees to the lower right of the Moon. Both of the stars to the Moon form a perfect 90 degree rightangle.

At 10.30pm on the 20^th the star Kappa Virginis (4.1 mag) in Virgo is 1½ degrees to the upper right of the Moon.

The June solstice occurs on the 21^st at 4:21am. The North Pole of the Earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.44 degrees north latitude, which marks the first day of summer.

On the 21^st at 10:30pm the star Zubenelgenubi (2.7 mag) in Libra is 5½ degrees to the right of the Moon and 1 degree above.

At 11:30pm on the 22^nd the star Sigma Scorpii (2.9 mag) in Scorpius is 4 degrees below the Moon and 1 degree to the left. The star Antares (1 mag) is 2 degrees to the lower left of Sigma Scorpii.

On the 23^rd at 11:30pm the star Theta Ophiuchi (3.2 mag) in Ophiuchus is less than ½ a degree to the left of the Moon.

On the 24^th and 25^th Castor (1.5 mag) and Pollux (1.1 mag) point the way to Venus. At 10:15pm Venus will be 6 degrees above the horizon at 299 degrees azimuth.

At midnight on the 24^th the star Kaus Borealis (2.8 mag) in Sagittarius is 1¼ degrees above the Moon low in the SSE.

On the night of the 26^th at 12:05am the Moon is due south east and just 3 degrees above the horizon. Saturn is 8 degrees to the left of the Moon and 2½ degrees above. The star Theta Capricorni (4 mag) is 1¼ degrees to the left of Saturn.

At 12:30am on the night of the 27^th the Moon is 2½ degrees above the south east horizon. Saturn is 9 degrees above right of the Moon. Jupiter is 13 degrees to the left of the Moon and 2 degrees above.

On the night of the 28^th at 1:00am the Moon is 3½ degrees above the south east horizon with Jupiter 5½ degrees above the Moon... ...Then at 4:00am Jupiter is 6 degrees above right of the Moon.

On the 29^th at 4:30am Mercury is low in the ENE at 63 degrees azimuth and just 3 degrees above the horizon. Aldebaran (0.8 mag) in Taurus is upper right of Mercury at 70.5 degrees azimuth and 5½ degrees above the horizon.

At 4:00am on the 30^th Neptune is 7 degrees upper left of the Moon.

On the 30^th at 10:15pm Mars will be 7 degrees left of Venus and 2½ degrees above with the Beehive Star cluster approximately midway between them.

* = Dates and times are subject to change.

News: China launched the Tianhe module on the 29^th April into orbit, which contains living quarters for crew members for a new space station which should be operational by 2022. The new, 66 tonne, multi-module is set to be operational for at least 10 years. Beijing plans to have at least 10 more similar launches, carrying all the additional equipment into orbit, before the completion of the station next year. It will orbit Earth at an altitude of 340 to 450km (210-280 miles) which is much the same as the ISS. The ISS is due to be retired after 2024, which could potentially leave Tiangong as the only space station in Earth's orbit. When the Tiangong is up and running, it will be only a quarter of the size of the ISS.

China and Russia have announced plans to build a lunar space station. It comes as Russia prepares to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of its first-ever manned space flight. They will use their accumulated experience in space science, research and development and use of space equipment and space technology to jointly devlop a road map for the construction of an “international lunar scientific research station” the statement (in Mandarin) said.

On the 15^th May China successfully landed a spacecraft on Mars. The six-wheeled Zhurong robot was targeting the region Utopia Planita, a vast terrain in the planet's northern hemisphere. Only the Americans have really mastered landing on Mars until now. All other countries that have tried have either crashed or lost contact soon after reaching the surface.

NASA's Osiris-Rex leaves asteroid Bennu, and heads for home. After five years on mission, including more than two years spent exploring the 500 metre asteroid 101955 Bennu Osiris-Rex fired its thrusters for 7 minutes on Monday 10^th May. This burn set the spacecraft moving 600mph relative to the asteroid to start its 2½ year journey back to Earth.

Saturn is the only planet we know of whose magnetic field is almost exactly aligned with its axis of rotation. In a new analysis of data collected during the final orbits of the Cassini mission, astronomers propose the field's unique nature might come from a thick layer of helium ”rain” that's falling slowly onto the planet's mettalic hydrogen core.

In mid-May a star in the constellation of Cassiopeia that flared into view during mid-March has erupted to naked-eye visibility at 5.5 mag. The end two stars Schedar (2.2 mag) and Caph (2.2 mag) of the “W” shaped constellation point towards the Nova. The Nova is approximately 6 degrees from Caph.

Facts: China sent its first astronaut Yang Liwei (b.1965) into space in 2003 making it the third country to do so, after the Soviet Union and the United States.

Hi all

Here is the astronomy news for May.

From Adrian.

Astronomy News

Night Sky 2021 - May

Sunrise

Sunset

Mercury Sets

Venus Sets

1^st – 5:44am

10^th – 5:28am

20^th – 5:14am

30^th – 5:03am

1^st – 8:33pm

10^th – 8:47pm

20^th – 9:02pm

30^th – 9:14pm

1^st – 9:54pm

10^th – 10:47pm

20^th – 10:59pm

30^th – 10:21pm

1^st – 9:18pm

10^th – 9:45pm

20^th – 10:14pm

30^th – 10:36pm

Moon Rise

Moon Set

Moon Rise

Moon Set

1^st – 1:22am (SE)

2^nd – 2:21am

3^rd – 3:05am

4^th – 3:37am

5^th – 4:00am (ESE)

6^th – 4:19am

7^th – 4:35am

8^th – 4:49am (E)

9^th – 5:03am

10^th – 5:17am

11^th – 5:33am (ENE)

12^th – 5:52am

13^th – 6:16am

14^th – 6:46am

15^th – 7:26am

16^th – 8:16am (NE)

17^th – 9:16am

18^th – 10:25am

19^th – 11:40am

1^st – 8:47am (SW)

2^nd – 9:54am

3^rd – 11:08am

4^th – 12:25pm

5^th – 1:40pm (WSW)

6^th – 2:52pm

7^th – 4:02pm

8^th – 5:11pm (W)

9^th – 6:19pm

10^th – 7:27pm (WNW)

11^th – 8:36pm

12^th – 9:44pm

13^th – 10:51pm

14^th – 11:54pm

16^th – 12:50am (NW)

17^th – 1:36am

18^th – 2:12am

19^th – 2:41am

20^th – 3:04am (WNW)

20^th – 12:58pm (ENE)

21^st – 2:18pm

22^nd – 3:40pm (E)

23^rd – 5:05pm

24^th – 6:33pm (ESE)

25^th – 8:04pm

26^th – 9:34pm

27^th – 10:58pm

29^th – 12:08am (SE)

30^th – 1:00am

31^st – 1:38am

- - - - - - -

All times

in notes are set

for

Somerton

unless stated

21^st – 3:24am

22^nd – 3:42am

23^rd – 3:59am (W)

24^th – 4:18am

25^th – 4:39am (WSW)

26^th – 5:06am

27^th – 5:42am

28^th – 6:30am (SW)

29^th – 7:33am (SW)

30^th – 8:48am

31^st – 10:06am

- - - - - - -

Moon Phases

Last Quarter – 3^rd

New Moon – 11^th

First Quarter – 19^th

Full Moon – 26^th

A useful site: www.heavens-above.com

A S Zielonka

Arianespace will use a Soyuz rocket to launch 36 satellites into orbit for the OneWeb internet constellation. The Mission, called OneWeb 7 will lift off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Siberia sometime during this month*.

China's Tianwen-1 Mars rover will touch down on the Red Planet this month*.

On the 1^st at 4:45am the star Kaus Borealis (2.8 mag) in Sagittarius is 1¼ degrees upper right of the Moon.

From the 1^st – 5^th Jupiter passes the star Iota Aquarii (4.2 mag) in Aquarius. On the 3^rd at 4:30am low in the south east Iota Aquarii is 1¼ degrees below Jupiter.

From the 2^nd – 4^th Mercury passes close to the Pleiades low in the WNW. On the 4^th at 9:05pm Mercury is 2½ degrees to the left of the Pleiades star cluster with Venus 6½ degrees below the Pleiades at 296 degrees azimuth and just 3 degrees above the horizon.

At 4:45am on the 3^rd Saturn is 9 degrees to the left of the Moon and 3½ degrees above. The star Theta Capricorni (4 mag) in Capricorn is just ¾ of a degree to the left of Saturn.

On the 4^th at 4:30am Saturn is 6 degrees above the Crescent Moon and 3½ degrees to the right. Jupiter is 11½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 3 degrees above. The star '106039' (4.5 mag) in Hipparcos Catalogue is 1 degree lower right of the Moon.

At 4:30am on the 5^th the crescent Moon is in the south east and just 3 degrees above the horizon at 122 degrees azimuth. Jupiter is 5¾ degrees above the Moon and ¾ of a degree to the right.

On the 6^th at 4:40am the crescent Moon is due ESE at 112.5 degrees azimuth and just 2¼ degrees above the horizon in the constellation of Aquarius.

The Eta Aquarids meteor shower can be seen from 19^th April - 28^th May. They reach their peak on the night of the 6^th/7^thMay. Its produced by dust particles left behind by comet Halley. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight and will radiate from the constellation of Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

At 4:45am on the 7^tha thin crescent Moon is barely a degree above the eastern horizon at 102 degrees azimuth. Neptune is 5½ degrees above the Moon and 2 degrees to the right.

From the 7^th – 10^th Venus passes close the Pleiades low in the WNW. On the 8^th at 9:15pm Venus is 4 degrees to the lower left of the Pleiades with Mercury 8 degrees above Venus and 3½ degrees to the left. Venus is at 298 degrees azimuth and just 3½ degrees above the horizon.

From the 7^th – 11^th Mars passes close to the star Mebsuta (3 mag) in Gemini. On the 9^th around 10:00pm Mebsuta will be ¾ of a degree upper right of Mars in the west.

On the 8^th at 5:00am a very thin crescent Moon will be low in the east at 94 degrees azimuth and just 1 degree above the horizon.

An occultation of the planet Venus by the Moon occurs on the 12^th. This will only be visible from the South Pacific ocean.

At 9:15pm on the 12^th a very thin crescent Moon is just 3 degrees above the WNW horizon at 298 degrees azimuth. Venus is 2 degrees above the Moon. Mercury is 8 degrees above Venus and 4 degrees to the left. Aldebaran (0.8 mag) is 7½ degrees to the left of Venus. The Pleiades star cluster are 6 degrees to the right of the Moon and Venus.

On the 13^th at 9:30pm Mercury is 2½ degrees to the upper right of the thin crescent Moon in the WNW. Venus is 9 degrees to the lower right of the Moon at 300.5 degrees azimuth and just 3½ degrees above the horizon.

From the 14^th – 16^th Venus passes close to the Stars Kappa Tauri (4.2 mag) and Upsilon Tauri (4.2 mag). On the 15^th at 9:30pm Kappa Tauri is less than ½ a degree to the upper right of Venus, and on the 16^th at the same time Upsilon Tauri is 1½ degrees to the right of Venus.

At 10:30pm on the 14^th the star Zeta Tauri (2.9 mag) in Taurus is 4 degrees below the crescent Moon. The star Elnath (1.6 mag) is 6½ degrees to the right of the Moon. Mercury should easily be seen 6½ degrees below Elnath and 3 degrees to the right.

On the 15^th at 10:30pm the star Mebsuta (3 mag) in Gemini is ½ a degree above left of the crescent Moon. Mars is 3½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 2 degrees above.

At midnight on the 16^th the star Kappa Geminorum (3.5 mag) in Gemini is just 1¼ degrees above left of the Moon. Mars is 8 degrees to the lower right of the Moon.

Mercury is at maximum eastern elongation (22 degrees) from the Sun on the 17^th.

There is a planned launch on the 17^th *of an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will put the U.S. Space Force's fifth Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite (SBIRS GEO 5) into orbit.

On the night of the 17^th at 1:00am the Beehive Star Cluster is 2½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 1 degree below.

At 9:30pm on the 19^th the Moon is approximately midway between the stars Algieba (2 mag) and Regulus (1.3 mag) in Leo. The star Eta Leonis (3.4 mag) is just 2 degrees to the right of the Moon.

From the 20^th – 24^th Mercury passes within 3 degrees of the star Elnath (1.6 mag) in Taurus. On the 23^rd at 9:30pm Venus is 6½ degrees below Elnath. On the 24^th at 9:30pm Mercury is midway between Elnath and Zeta Tauri (2.9 mag) with Venus 4¼ degrees lower right of Mercury.

On the 20^th at 10:00pm the star Chertan (3.3 mag) in Leo is 5 degrees above the Moon.

At 10:00pm on the 21^st the star Nu Virginus (4 mag) in Virgo is 3 degrees to the right of the Moon and 1 degree above.

From the 21^st – 25^th Mars pases close to the star Wasat (3.5 mag) in Gemini. On the 23^rd at 10:00pm Wasat is just 1½ degrees lower left of Mars.

On the 22^nd at 10:00pm the star Porrima (2.7 mag) in Virgo is just 2 degrees to the right of the Moon.

At 10:00pm on the 23^rd the star Spica (0.9 mag) in Virgo is 6 degrees below right of the Moon.

On the 24^th at midnight the star Zubenelgenubi (2.7 mag) in Libra is just 2¾ degrees lower left of the Moon.

At midnight on the 25^th the star Theta Librae (4.1 mag) in Libra is 3¾ degrees to the upper left of the Moon... Then at 4:00am the following morning Theta Librae is 3½ degrees above the Moon and 1 degree to the right.

There is a Total Eclipse of the Moon on the 26^th May. As the greatest eclipse occurs around midday not even a partial phase will be visible from any part of Europe or Africa. The penumbral phase starts at 9:47am and ends at 2:49pm. Totality only lasts for 14½ minutes.

From the 26^th – 31^st Venus passes close to Mercury. On the 28^th at 9:30pm Mercury is ½ a degree to the left of Venus low in the WNW. On the 29^th at the same time Mercury is 1 degree below Venus.

On the 26^th at midnight low in the SSE the star Antares (1 mag) in Scorpius is 5 degrees to the right of the Moon and 2 degrees below.

From the 28^th – 31^st Comet C/2020 R4 Atlas (9.5 mag – April 16^th) passes close to the star Zosma (2.5 mag) in Leo. On the 29^th and 30^th at midnight Comet Atlas is 2½ degrees to the right of Zosma.

Low in the south east at 12:30am on the night of the 28^th, the star Nunki (2 mag) in Sagittarius is just 1 degree upper right of the Moon.

On the 30^th at 4:00am Saturn is 13½ degrees to the left of the Moon and 6 degrees above. The star Theta Capricorni (4 mag) is less than ½ a degree to the left of Saturn.

From the 30^th May – 1^st June Mars passes close to the star Kappa Geminorum (3.5 mag). On the 31^st

Kappa Geminorum will be just under 2 degrees to the upper right of Mars.

At 4:15am on the 31^st Saturn is 5 degrees above the Moon in the SSE.

* = Dates and times are subject to change.

News: NASA is working to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. Space Launch System (SLS), along with NASA's Orion spacecraft, the Human Landing System and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, are NASA's backbone for deep space exploration. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and cargo to the Moon on a single mission.

China's Chang'e 4 mission is currently exploring Von Karman crater on the Moon. A south pole site will also be the target for NASA's VIPER rover launching in 2023. The crewed Artemis initiative could also pay it a visit in the coming years.

NASA's Ingenuity carries inertial sensors, a laser altimeter,and two cameras: a 13-megapixel colour camera and a 0.5-megapixel black-and-white navigation camera. It also has internal heaters to withstand the cold Martian nights. There's also a piece of fabric from the original 1903 Wright flyer aboard Ingenuity, a swatch about the size of a postage stamp. The cost for design, development and construction of Ingenuity was $85 million.

Future helicopters could become standard aboard planetary missions to scout terrain ahead, look into shadowed craters, and more. While Ingenuity's mission is a short proof of concept, it's only the beginning. NASA plans on sending a much more ambitious nuclear-powered helicopter named Dragonfly to Saturn's large moon Titan, perhaps launching in 2027.

Facts: George Robert Carruthers (b.1939) was an African American inventor, who passed away at the age of 81 on December 26^th 2020, is immortalized on the Moon. There, in the shadow of the abandoned Orion lunar module, sits a 2 foot 7inch gold-plated camera that he designed and built: the first astronomical telescope to observe the heavens from another celestial body. It was launched aboard Apollo 16 in 1972.

Somerset Levels Stargazers

The Somerset Levels Astronomy Group

This Months Sky

News on what is visable in this months sky as posted by Adrian Zielonka's in his monthly sky notes.