With skies partially clearing late Friday night and remaining that way Saturday night, it might be a good time to check out some of the astronomical attractions of the latter half of May. In order to get the best views of the moon, stars, and planets, it’s best to get somewhere away from the light pollution of Boston and other cities. Beaches are a great spot as are hilltops. Be sure you can legally access these spots, of course.

The easiest object to find in the night sky is, of course, the moon. The moon is going through its new phase when it is barely visible. A new moon sky is the darkest sky of the month because there is no moonlight.

When the moon is new, it’s not visible because its orbit takes it between the earth and sun. The side of the moon facing away from us here on Earth is lit so we can’t see it. Just after the new moon look in the western sky early in the evening and you might catch a glimpse of the thin sliver of moon setting.

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If you are a morning person, check out Venus. Aside from the moon, this is the second brightest object in the sky this month. The image below shows the approximate position of Venus in the middle of May, but it doesn’t change much throughout the month.

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At dusk over the next few days, Mars, the red planet, will be visible not too far from the moon. Also check out the two notable stars Castor and Pollux.

Jupiter is another bright object in the sky.. It would have been easier to see in early May, but we had so many cloudy days it was difficult to do so. Look to the left of the Moon at the end of the month. A telescope or binoculars will give you the best view.

May’s opportunities to see the space station are quite numerous. THe chart below shows how the station will travel across the sky and how long it will take. Some of the passes are as long as six minutes. This is long enough to really see the station. If you have a high-quality phone, you can actually take a movie of the pass! I think taking the kids out to see the space station is a lot of fun.

Finally, if you want to find something a bit more challenging, how about the four stars in the center of the constellation Hercules? Vega is the brightest star in the eastern sky at dusk. Use this to find the keystone, which is basically Hercules’ torso. According to EarthSky.org, “Locate the Keystone by using Vega in conjunction with the brilliant yellow-orange star Arcturus. From mid-northern latitudes, Arcturus is found way high in the southern sky at nightfall and evening. The Keystone is found about one-third the way from Vega to Arcturus, the two brightest stars to grace the Northern Hemisphere’s spring and summertime sky. The only star-like object to outshine these stars is the king planet Jupiter, in your south to southwest sky at nightfall.”

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As summer approaches, there will be other celestial objects to view. We’ll talk about those in an upcoming piece.