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    Adrian Dening's Stars Over Somerset

    Thursday, 15 May 2025 00:21

    Monday 19th to Sunday 25th May 2025

     

    If you are an early riser, look towards the east around 4am on Saturday 24th to see a 12%-lit waning crescent Moon just to the left of a very bright planet Venus.  At the same time, further to the right of Venus, you will find Saturn.  Venus will be shining very brightly at a magnitude of around -4.5 while Saturn will be dimmer, at a magnitude of about +1.1

    Using a telescope to observe Venus will reveal it to be a beautiful crescent shape at this point in its orbit around the Sun, relative to us.  It will look almost like a last quarter Moon.

    If an object is located between us and the Sun, you can observe different phases, but if a planet is further away from the Sun than Earth, then you will only ever see it as a fully-illuminated disc.

     

    If you have brought your telescope out, then you could also have a go at observing the dust rings around Saturn, although they are currently sideways-on to us, so not in the greatest position.  Some of Saturn's many moons should be obvious though.

    By 5am, the Sun will be rising, so please make sure that your telescope is packed away by then!  You will notice that because they are so bright, the Moon and Venus will still be visible, but Saturn will have disappeared from view in the dawn sky.

    Something for the evening observers - May sees the start of the noctilucent cloud season, where sunlight is scattered by ice crystals in the upper atmosphere at twilight.  There were some great occurrences of this phenomenon in 2024, so keep your fingers crossed!

    www.starsoversomerset.com

    Noctilucent cloud image courtesy of Wikipedia

    Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium

    Copyright Adrian Dening and Radio Ninesprings 2025

     

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