There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and
another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from
another star in glory. - 1 Corinthians 15:41
Hello Friends,
I'm excited about what's going on the sky. The current alignment of Jupiter and Venus is
unprecedented in my experience, and I hope to write more about it in June and July. Also, the upcoming "Blood Moon" lunar eclipse this September will be excellent as seen from the USA, since it will be visible in the early evening hours after sunset. Sometime soon, I'll begin talking about the BIG total eclipse of the Sun that will occur over the United States in 2017, only two years away.
In 13 years of writing this newsletter, the biggest problem I've had is getting people to go outside and look at all these wonderful sky events. Though folks enjoy reading about these events, for whatever reason, many readers just do not go outside and take a look! So I'm throwing down the
gauntlet! I hereby challenge all of you to the....
60 Second Challenge
After reading this newsletter, I challenge you all to go outside each clear night for 6o seconds over the next two weeks and look at Jupiter and Venus! Be proactive! Program it into your phone, or whatever you need to do to remember! You shouldn't need more than a minute, but feel free to spend more time if you like! And at some point, drop me an email and let me know what you see!
Better yet, as the days grow warmer, have an outdoor gathering and invite your family and friends! As night falls, point out the amazing sight of Jupiter and Venus in the evening sky. And start planning now to have an outdoor "Blood Moon" party in the fall! The sky is most fun when you're sharing it with others!
For more information about topics from Classical Astronomy discussed in this newsletter,please check out a homeschool astronomy curriculum
(but popular with adult readers too!)
Visit our archive of previous editions of the Classical Astronomy Update newsletters, going back to 2007.
Visit this page to subscribe to the Classical Astronomy Update and the Northeast Ohio Astronomy (NEOastro) newsletters.
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Jupiter and Venus Draw Closer!
As reported in our February newsletter, the planets Venus and Jupiter have been drawing closer together in the evening sky over the span of the winter and the spring. Back in February, these planets were on opposite
sides of the sky, since Jupiter was rising in the east while Venus was in the western sky after sunset. If you were watching all this time, you would have seen Jupiter creeping across the evening sky over the last three months, moving toward its July rendezvous with Venus. By now in the month of May, these two bright objects are now sharing the same patch of sky, and are approaching a little bit more each evening!
After the sunset during
May, you can see the position of these planets among the stars of the zodiac. During May, Venus will appear to be moving through the stars of the constellation Gemini. Jupiter is currently in the constellation Cancer, "the dark constellation," formed of very faint stars. However, even from the brightly-lit cities, it should be easy to see that Jupiter is in between Gemini and the constellation Leo. Look for these brilliant planets near
the twin stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini, and Regulus in Leo. If you try soon, you might be able to see the bright star Procyon, one of the conspicuous stars of winter, which will soon vanish into the sunset.
Though they appear to be aligning in the evening sky, Jupiter and Venus are actually many millions of miles apart from each other, as seen from a "God's eye view" of the solar system. As the Earth rotates in its orbit, the Sun appears to be heading east into the constellations, which creates the illusion that Jupiter is drawing toward the sunset. Because of this, Jupiter will soon slip behind the Sun, as seen from the
Earth.
Venus, however, has recently moved out from behind the Sun, and heading toward the general direction of Jupiter, and is thus moving into alignment.
You can't miss Venus and Jupiter, because they are the brightest "stars" currently visible in the evening sky. They are often confused with airplanes, or even "UFOs" by people who do not closely observe the sky. But in case you're still not sure, go out in the evenings this week, after the waxing crescent Moon reenters the evening sky.
The Moon will pass near Venus on the evening of Thursday, May 21. The Moon will continue to march across the sky night after night, and will pass Jupiter two nights later, on Saturday, May 23. This is sure to be a beautiful sight, so do your best to see this with your family!
If you keep your eye on Venus throughout May, you can watch it draw into alignment with the stars Castor and Pollux. On the evening of June 1, Venus will form a straight line with these stars, and will be an amazing sight to behold!
Be sure to make it a point to observe these amazing sights that the LORD has placed over our heads. And help your family and friends to see this sight too! Forward this email to them, and share it with the members of your homeschool support
group. A summer alignment of Jupiter and Venus will not happen again in our lifetime, so don't miss it!
Til next time, God bless and clear skies,
- jay
The Ryan Family Cleveland, Ohio, USA
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which
thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? - Psalm 8:3-4, a Psalm of David
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