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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through May 9, 2018. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.
On Saturday morning, May 5th, southern California is in for a rare treat as Vandenberg Air Force Base prepares for the first interplanetary launch from the West Coast! NASA’s InSight (Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport) Mars lander’s first launch opportunity will occur at between 4:05 and 6:05 a.m. If the launch is delayed, it could be rescheduled to happen sometime before June 8. The United Launch Alliance Atlas-V rocket should make a fiery trail that will arc through the southwest sky along a trajectory that parallels the coast. The rocket’s ascent may be visible from all points in the state south of Porterville, California and parts of southern Arizona, to the northern part of Baja California, Mexico, and the western coast bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Jet Propulsion Laboratory has created a video simulation of what the InSight launch might look like from various southern California locations.
The planet Venus is the brightest object in the sky after sunset and until it sets in the west-northwest at about 10:00 p.m. By that time, the gleam of the second brightest planet, Jupiter, in the constellation Libra the Scales, will attract your attention low in the southeast.
On the 8th, Jupiter is at opposition, meaning that it is then directly opposite to the sun in the sky. As a consequence, Jupiter is then at its closest to Earth (409 million miles), it appears at its brightest for the year, and will then rise at sunset and set at sunrise. It will be at its highest point above the southern horizon when it crosses the meridian at 12:50 a.m. on the 9th. Observers with telescopes should look for the planet’s famous oval storm, the Great Red Spot, at 10:00 p.m. on the 2nd, 5th, and 7th.
The other bright outer planets, golden Saturn and orange Mars, are both within the starry backdrop of the constellation Sagittarius the Archer, and are easy to see in the southeast sky by 2:00 a.m. These planets are highest in the south at dawn, while Jupiter is low and to the west-southwest.
Observers equipped with telescopes will, as usual, have a grand view of Saturn’s rings. Mars is now close enough to earth to reveal some of its detail through telescopes with a diameter of four inches or more. It currently appears about half as large as it will when it is closest to Earth, at the end of July.
The waning moon becomes last quarter on the 7th. As its orbit around the Earth carries it farther eastward each night, its rising time is delayed from 10:20 p.m. on the 2nd to 2:43 a.m. on the 9th. The moon will appear to the west of Saturn on the 4th, between Saturn and Mars on the 5th, and north of Mars on the 6th.
Unfortunately, the moon’s brilliance on the morning of the 6th will greatly reduce the visibility of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower then reaching its peak. In the hour before dawn (3:30-4:30 a.m.), when they are visible, the numbers of meteors seen will most likely fall short of the 20 per hour that the shower can produce under ideal conditions.
Free views of the Sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other interesting celestial objects at night are available to the public in clear weather through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes from Tuesday through Sunday, before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for the schedule. The next free public star party on the grounds of Griffith Observatory, hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society, will take place on Saturday, May 19th.
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From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook, and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.