partial solar eclipse. In Hawaii, the sun 

 will rise partially eclipsed. For most of Eu- 

 rope, the sun will set eclipsed. 



The Planets in May 



Mercury is in the evening skies during 

 the second half of the month and is in a 

 good position for Northern Hemisphere 

 observers just after sunset. On the 15th, 

 Mercury is 8° above the red star Alde- 

 baran in Taurus. On the 30th, Mercury 

 reaches its greatest distance east of the sun 

 for the year — a whopping 23° east of the 

 sun. Now is the time to look for Mercury 

 in the western twihght. 



Venus shines at -3.9 magnitude just 

 after sunset in the west. On the 4th, it will 

 pass 6° north of the reddish star Alde- 

 baran. On the 12th and 13th. look for 

 Venus just above the very young moon. 

 Those lucky enough to be in the path of 

 annularity during the eclipse on the 10th 

 should look for Venus about 30° to the left 

 (east) of the sun as the sky darkens. 



Mars remains difficult to spot, low in 

 the southeast as the sun rises. On the 7th 

 and 8th the waning moon passes nearby. 



Jupiter continues to dominate the night 

 sky. It rises a couple of hours before sunset 

 in the southeast and travels across the 

 southern sky, setting just before sunrise. 

 On the nights of the 22d and 23d, the gib- 

 bous moon passes near Jupiter. All month 

 long Jupiter vies for our attention with the 

 bright star Spica, which is nearby in the 

 constellation Virgo. 



Saturn rises in the east several hours 

 before sunrise. The planet is in the constel- 

 lation Aquarius. Look in Pisces for the 

 bright star Fomalhaut — from the Arabic, 

 meaning "the fish's mouth" — ^just below 

 Saturn, nearly matching the ringed planet 

 in magnitude. On the 5th, look for Saturn 

 near the waning crescent moon in the 

 predawn skies. 



Uranus and Neptune remain in eastern 

 Sagittarius. Both are now in their apparent 

 westward motion through the constella- 

 tion — a function of the earth overtaking 

 them in orbital speed (all the planets move 

 in an easterly direction through the con- 

 stellations in the sky). In dark, predawn 

 skies, both planets can be found with 

 binoculars and a detailed sky chart, just 

 east of the dense river of stars forming the 

 Milky Way. Facing Uranus and Neptune, 

 you are looking toward the center of the 

 galaxy. 



Pluto's biggest day of the year occurs 

 this month, at opposition in our nighttime 

 skies on the ! 7th in Libra. It is as far from 

 the sun as it can get for the year, so this is 



the best time for serious astronomers to 

 try observing Pluto — the faintest planet in 

 the solar system. 



The Moon reaches last quarter on the 

 2d at 10:32 a.m., EDT; is new on the 10th 

 at 1 :07 P.M., EDT; and reaches first quarter 

 at 8:50 a.m., EDT, on the 18th. The moon 

 is fiall on the 24th at 1 1 :39 p.m., EDT, and 

 will produce the second eclipse of the 

 month. This partial lunar eclipse begins at 

 10:38 P.M., EDT, when the moon enters 

 the dark umbral shadow of the earth. 

 Maximum eclipse will come at 1 1 :30 P.M., 

 EDT, when the lower quarter of the 

 moon's disk is covered. The moon will 

 leave the umbra at 12:23 a.m., EDT. 



The Eta Aquarid meteors, a stream of 

 frozen particles left behind in the path of 

 Halley's comet, are best during the hours 

 just after midnight on May 5. Unfortu- 

 nately, moonlight will interfere. They are 

 named not for the comet but for the place 

 in the sky where they seem to originate (a 

 dim star in the faint constellation Aquar- 

 ius). We can expect to see twenty bright 

 meteors per hour: some bright yellow; 

 some leaving long, glowing trails. These 

 meteors were first recorded by the Chinese 

 in A.D. 401. 



Gail S. Cleere lives in Washington, D.C., 

 and writes on popular astronomy. 



It is possible to both preserve and 

 enjoy nature. Bausch & Lomb* 

 binoculars let you observe every 

 detail without disturbing nature's 

 delicate balance. Precision made, 

 multi-coated optics in rugged bodies 

 insure years of viewing enjoyment. 

 For a free color brociiure or the location 

 of your nearest Bausch & Lomb Dealer, 

 please call (800)423-3537. 



See what we've been doing 

 for over 100 years. 



@1994 Bausch & Lomb Incorporated. 3euSC380 



BAUSCH 

 &LOMB 



75 



