Visible for some five hours after sunset is Mars, making its way through Cancer. Shining at 1st magnitude, this ruddy point of light is easy to find in the western sky during May evenings, standing directly above the bright star Procyon in Canis Minor as these constellations set.
Through a telescope, Mars’ disk spans just 6” — a reflection of its distance from Earth, now nearly 1.6 astronomical units (1 astronomical unit, or AU, is the average Earth-Sun distance of 93 million miles [150 million kilometers). Mars was last closest to Earth in January and has been trailing behind us in its larger orbit — and shrinking in our sky — ever since. Although surface features are now hard to make out for all but the most experienced imagers with the biggest scopes, anyone can enjoy the eponymous hue of the Red Planet in the sky, with or without optical aid.
With the Moon gone from the evening sky, you can also enjoy the Beehive Cluster (M44) in central Cancer, which Mars passed earlier in the month. Shining at magnitude 3.7 and spanning almost 100’, this large, bright open cluster is visible to the naked eye from a dark site and pops right out against the background when viewed with binoculars or any telescope.
Sunrise: 5:43 A.M.
Sunset: 8:11 P.M.
Moonrise: 12:19 A.M.
Moonset: 9:18 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (78%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.
For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column.
