Event Date: May 14th
Time: 9:00 PM
Brief
As Venus sets in the west northwest, still at an outstanding declination of 27º (almost 4º better than the Sun at the time of the summer solstice about 28 minutes further east), it is spending a few minutes close by a popular star: El Nath. The reason of the star's popularity isn't because it's visibility as Taurus the Bull's northern horn tip however: it is the star that marks the anti-center of our Milky Way Galaxy. To show this, I am including the galactic equator, which marks our Milky Way as we see it under dark conditions. I am also marking the perpendicular galactic meridian.
Detailed
Although Venus is seen near the Meridian and will cross it in a few days, that is not why I am including it. Instead, observe the intersection of it and the equator. On the other side of our sky, 180º away along both of these guidelines close to the Sagittarius/Scorpious border, that is a precise part of the sky where the Mayans predicted that the Sun will be on what has been translated as "doomsday". Of course, it is the day that their calendar ends and there will be no doomsday associated with astronomy. Why? I will mention that tomorrow, as that part of the sky is now seen in the wee hours of the morning. For now, here is a showing of Venus and eastern Taurus with the two guidelines. The other (southern) horn, Zeta Tauri, is labeled as well.
Time: 9:00 PM
Brief
As Venus sets in the west northwest, still at an outstanding declination of 27º (almost 4º better than the Sun at the time of the summer solstice about 28 minutes further east), it is spending a few minutes close by a popular star: El Nath. The reason of the star's popularity isn't because it's visibility as Taurus the Bull's northern horn tip however: it is the star that marks the anti-center of our Milky Way Galaxy. To show this, I am including the galactic equator, which marks our Milky Way as we see it under dark conditions. I am also marking the perpendicular galactic meridian.
Detailed
Although Venus is seen near the Meridian and will cross it in a few days, that is not why I am including it. Instead, observe the intersection of it and the equator. On the other side of our sky, 180º away along both of these guidelines close to the Sagittarius/Scorpious border, that is a precise part of the sky where the Mayans predicted that the Sun will be on what has been translated as "doomsday". Of course, it is the day that their calendar ends and there will be no doomsday associated with astronomy. Why? I will mention that tomorrow, as that part of the sky is now seen in the wee hours of the morning. For now, here is a showing of Venus and eastern Taurus with the two guidelines. The other (southern) horn, Zeta Tauri, is labeled as well.
The second image shows Venus near El Nath in a 5º field, which will be the case for the next few days as Venus reaches stationary and go retrograde tomorrow. As the case with other planets, Venus will pick up in retrograde as we see it against the stars, yet will start slowly enough that we see it near the star in binoculars easily. This evening, the separation is 1.8º
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| click on image to enlarge: courtesy of Starry Night Pro Plus, version 6.4.3, by Simulation Curriculum Corp. |
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