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Some objects to checkup up in the sky, this week May 25 to May 31, 2008

International Space Station

The ISS passes over in the late evening this week. Unfortunately, all passes are low in the NW (more or less) and not bright.

The Sun

There are no active regions currently visible on the Sun's disk.

On Sunday May 25 the Sun rose at 5:39 am and set at 8:20 pm MDT

On Saturday May 31 sunrise is at 5:36 and sunset is at 8:25 pm MDT

The Moon

The Moon will be at 3rd quarter on Thursday May 27 at 8:57 pm MDT

The Planets

Mars is visible in the west after it gets dark about 30 degrees above the horizon in the constellation Cancer. It is magnitude +1.5 in brightness and is 92% illuminated. It now only 5 arc sec in diameter.

Saturn is visible in the west after it is dark as well in the constellation Leo. It is magnitude +1.1 in brightness and is 18 arc sec in diameter.

Jupiter is in constellation Sagittarius and rises around 11:15 pm. It is -2.4 magnitude in brightness and the disk is 45 arc sec in diameter. Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) may be seen about an hour before and after the central crossing which occurs at the following times this week:
Tue May 27 at 01:26 am
Thur May 29 at 03:04 am Sat May 31 04:42 am Sun Jun 1 00:33 am

Comets

Only a couple comets to view this week that are less than magnitude 12. Both will appear nearly stellar and will be difficult to find visually.

C/2006 Q1 (McNaught) is in constellation Antila and is magnitude 10.8 in brightness and the coma is 11.8 arc min in diamter.

C/2007 B2 (Skiff) is in constellation Virgo and is magnitude 12 in brightness and the coma is 1.3 arc min in diameter

Dark Sky

The Moon rises just before 1 am as the week begins and around 3:30 am as the week ends. That must mean its time for some time out in the dark. The Western Nebraska Star Gaze III sponsored by The Panhandle Astronomy Club starts this Thursday near Bridgeport, NE.. Unfortunately, the weather is not looking good at the moment, though that can change.

Some early summertime favorites are now visible in the evening sky. Globulars M13 and M92 are in great position for viewing in the constellation Hercules. Just barely visible for us in the Denver area, only 2 degrees above the southern horizon, is the largest globular cluster visible orbitting our Milky Way Galaxy NGC 5139 or Omega Centauri. Take a look for it this weekend around 10 pm. M3 in Canes Venatici and M5 in Serpens Caput are fine globulars to view as well.

Messier 57, the Ring Nebula, is fairly high up in the sky around midnight in late May in the constellation Lyra. It is one of the summer objects that nearly everyone must check if they have a scope and a clear sky. It is easy to locate about midway between Beta and Gamma Lyrae. M57 is beautiful to look at and is also one of our best examples of a planetary nebula. The star in the center has expelled envelopes of gas and dust and has collapsed to a white dwarf. Intense radiation causes gases surrounding the star to ionize and glow. The ionized oxygen glows a greenish color and the ionized hydrogen a redish color.