Star calendar for April–June 2011

By Arnold Medalen

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Star Calendar

• April


• May


• June

New moon

Full moon

April

2 Apr
Following its closest perigee on 19 March, the moon reaches its farthest apogee for the year, 63.76 Earth-radii away.

7 Apr
The Pleiades Cluster is 4 finger-widths to the moon’s lower right tonight. Magnitude 1.1 Aldebaran is the same distance to the left, and Orion is farther left. Try to spot the two magnitude 4.4 stars to the moon’s upper left, kappa Tauri and upsilon Tauri.

8 Apr
Aldebaran is 1 fist-width below the moon at sunset. Magnitude 1.8 Elnath is 3 finger-widths to the upper right, and magnitude 3.0 zeta Tauri is 3 finger-widths to the upper left.

9 Apr
High in the west at sunset, Capella is 2.5 fist-widths to the moon’s right, Procyon is the same distance to its upper left, and the Gemini Twins are 2 fist-widths above.

12 Apr
High in the south at dusk, Regulus is 1.5 fist-widths to the moon’s left or upper left, and Procyon is 2 fist-widths to the lower right. Fifty years ago today Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made the first manned Earth orbit.

14 Apr
High in the southeast at evening twilight, Regulus is 1.5 fist-widths to the moon’s upper right and Saturn is 3 fist-widths to the lower left. Porrima is 1 finger-width to Saturn’s upper right.

16 Apr
Just after sunset, Saturn becomes visible 4 finger-widths to the moon’s upper left, Spica appears 1 fist-width to its lower left, and magnitude 0.2 Arcturus is 3.5 fist-widths to the left.

17 Apr
Low in the east at sunset, the moon lines up with Spica, 2 finger-widths above the moon, and Saturn, 1 fist-width above Spica. Tomorrow morning, Spica and Saturn are to the moon’s right low in the west. The moon is at perigee, 56.15 Earth-radii away.

26 Apr
Look for the Summer Triangle an hour before sunrise; Altair is in the southeast 3 fist-widths above and to the right of the moon, Deneb is 3.5 fist-widths to Altair’s upper left, and Vega is 2.5 fist-widths to Deneb’s upper right.

29 Apr
Before sunrise, Venus is 1 fist-width to the moon’s lower left, and Mercury is 2 finger-widths beyond Venus. The moon is at apogee, 63.66 Earth-radii away.

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May

1 May
One fist-width to the moon’s right, Venus and Mars rise an hour before the sun, but with sharp eyes, you might be able to see Venus well after first light.

5 May
Aldebaran is 4 finger-widths below the moon in the early evening, and Orion is to its lower left. Fifty years ago today, Alan Shepard became the first American in space with a 15-minute flight aboard Mercury 7.

6 May
The bright star 2.5 fist-widths to the moon’s right or upper right tonight is magnitude 0.2 Capella, in the constellation Auriga, the Charioteer.

7 May
High in the west at sunset, the moon is between magnitude 0.5 Procyon, 2 fist-widths to the left, and Capella, 3 fist-widths to the right. The Gemini Twins, Pollux and Castor, are 1.5 fist-widths above the moon.

10 May
Less than one-half finger-width apart, Venus and Jupiter rise an hour before the sun. Venus, the brighter of the two, is on the right. Mercury is less than 1 finger-width to the lower right. In the early evening, magnitude 1.3 Regulus is 4 finger-widths to the moon’s upper left high in the southwest. Procyon is 3 fist-widths to the lower right.

11 May
Regulus is less than 1 fist-width to the moon’s upper right tonight. Magnitude 0.6 Saturn is 3 fi stwidths to the lower left.

13 May
Saturn is less than 4 finger-widths to the moon’s upper left in the early evening. Magnitude 1.2 Spica is 1.5 fist-widths to the lower left.

18 May
Low in the southeast at dawn, the moon is 1 finger-width above Antares.

20 May
The moon is just above Sagittarius, the Teapot constellation, this morning.

24 May
Cygnus, the Swan, is directly overhead just before dawn. Magnitude 1.3 Deneb is the constellation’s brightest star.

28 May
Low in the east before dawn, Jupiter is 1 fist-width to the moon’s lower left.

30 May
Just before dawn, Jupiter is far to the moon’s upper right. Try to spot magnitude 1.3 Mars, less than 2 finger-widths below the moon, before the sun rises.

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June

5 Jun
As twilight fades, look 1.5 fist-widths below the moon for magnitude 0.5 Procyon and the same distance to the right for the Gemini Twins. The Big Dipper, Ursa Major, is high in the north with its handle pointing up.

6 Jun
Regulus is 1 fist-width to the moon’s upper left this evening. The Gemini Twins are far to the lower right.

8 Jun
The moon is midway between Regulus, to the right or upper right, and Saturn, to the upper left.

10 Jun
Spica is 3 finger-widths to the moon’s left or upper left tonight. Magnitude 0.8 Saturn is 1 fist-width to the upper right. See if you can spot magnitude 2.9 Porrima less than one-quarter degree to Saturn’s upper right.

11 Jun
Spica is less than 1 fist-width to the moon’s upper right tonight. Arcturus is 3.5 fist-widths above the moon.

12 Jun
The moon is at perigee, 57.63 Earth-radii away.

13 Jun
The moon is in the head of the Scorpion constellation, Scorpius, this evening. Antares, the heart of the Scorpion, is 4 finger-widths to the lower left.

14 Jun
Antares is 4 finger-widths to the moon’s right this evening.

16 Jun
Tonight the moon is above the Teapot constellation, Sagittarius.

17 Jun
The moon is high in the south by early morning. Sagittarius is to the moon’s right or lower right, and Altair, in Aquila, the Eagle, is high above or to the moon’s upper right.

21 Jun
The summer solstice occurs at 1717 UT as the sun is farthest north of the celestial equator for the year.

25 Jun
In the east before dawn, magnitude -2.2 Jupiter is less than 1 fist-width to the moon’s lower left.

27 Jun
The waning crescent moon lies midway between Jupiter, 1.5 fist-widths to the upper right, and magnitude 1.4 Mars, the same distance to the lower left. The Pleiades Cluster is 3 finger-widths above Mars.

28 Jun
The moon is nearly 2 finger-widths above Mars this morning. Try to spot magnitude 4.5 37 Tauri between them. The Pleiades Cluster is 1 finger-width above the moon.

use binoculars

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