STAR GAZER
THE INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Lorain County JVS NASA CORE / 15181 Route 58 South / 440/775-1400 / FAX 440/775-1460 / nasaco@leeca.org / http://core.nasa.gov
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Horkheimer: Greetings, greetings fellow star gazers.
Have we ever got some astro goodies for you next week because
not only will planet #1 be putting in its best evening appearance
for the entire year but you'll also be able to easily find it
by using an exquisite crescent Moon. On top of which, next Saturday
May 10th is National Astronomy Day which means that astronomy
clubs and planetariums and science centers all across the U.S.
will be planning all sorts of special activities of an astronomical
nature for the entire family. Let me explain.
O.K., we've got our skies set up for next Tuesday May 6th about 45 minutes after sunset facing west where you'll see an exquisite two day old crescent Moon complete with earthshine which will look like a dark full Moon nestled within the crescent. And directly beneath it the elusive planet which keeps popping in and out of evening and morning skies but only for brief periods of time, planet #1 from the sun, tiny 3,000 mile wide Mercury, a planet only 1,000 miles larger than our Moon. So if you've never seen planet Mercury before now is your chance because on Tuesday you can use the Moon as a finder. Make sure you look about 45 minutes after sunset because an hour later it will have set along with the Moon. And don't be surprised if it looks pink to you which is an effect caused by its always being so close to the horizon.
The pink color comes not from the planet itself but from all the dust and dirt in our Earth's atmosphere through which we see Mercury, the same reason the Sun looks so bloody red when it's close to the horizon just before it sets. Now Mercury is named after the swift Roman messenger of the gods probably because it darts in and out of sight so quickly. But unsuspected by our ancestors the name is even more appropriate because Mercury actually is the fastest moving planet. If you remember the old rule that the closer a planet is to the Sun the faster it moves take a look at planet #3 our Earth which orbits the Sun once every 365 and 1/4 days. Planet #2 Venus makes one trip around the Sun once every 225 days. But Mercury is so close to the sun it zips around it once every 88 days. So a year on Mercury is only 88 Earth days long. Wow!
So once you've found Mercury by using the Moon next Tuesday go out every night the following week at the same time and you'll see it just a little bit higher above the horizon. And on the evenings of the 13th and 14th it will reach its very highest and be at what we call greatest elongation, which simply means that it will be at its farthest distance visually from the Sun. After the 14th it slowly starts to dip a little bit lower in the heavens each night and towards the end of the month it's not only real low just after sunset but also much dimmer. So start your Mercury watch next week. And go to our website to get the latest space probe pictures of this wonderful desolate world plus more info on National Astronomy Day! Keep looking up!
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Horkheimer: Saturday May 10th is National Astronomy Day. So make plans to visit your nearest science center, planetarium or astronomy club. Plus you can use the Moon to find Mercury at its best. On Tuesday the 6th just after sunset just below an exquisite crescent Moon you'll see tiny 3,000 mile wide Mercury, which is only 1,000 miles larger than our Moon. It looks pink because we always see it through our Earth's dirty atmosphere. It's the fastest moving of all the planets and orbits our Sun once every 88 Earth days, which means a year on Mercury is only 88 Earth days long. It will reach its highest on the 13th and 14th. So start your Mercury watch next week. Keep looking up!
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* This week's Sky At A Glance and
Planet Roundup from Sky & Telescope.Starry Night Deluxe was used to produce this episode
of Star Gazer
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