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May 16: Whale watching
Springtime viewing of the zodiacal light will soon come to an end — so give it a try tonight, while the Moon won’t interfere. The zodiacal light appears as a soft, cone-shaped glow that spikes above the western horizon after sunset, stretching up through Taurus into Gemini and Cancer. You can use the bright planets Venus (in Taurus) and Jupiter (in Gemini) to guide you, as they outline the ecliptic, the plane of the solar system. This is also where the zodiacal light is concentrated.
The zodiacal light is generated by sunlight scattering off dust left behind by comets as they travel through the inner solar system and are heated by the Sun. Over time, this dust settles onto the ecliptic, which is why the glow is found there.
The zodiacal light becomes increasingly difficult to see as spring turns into summer, but will reappear in the predawn sky in late summer and early fall.
Sunrise: 5:43 A.M.
Sunset: 8:10 P.M.
Moonrise: 5:53 A.M.
Moonset: 9:55 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing crescent (3%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 10 P.M. local time from the same location.
