| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| May 7 | Jupiter 2°S of Moon |
| May 7 | Mercury 2°S of Uranus |
| May 10 | Full Moon |
| May 11 | Double shadow transit on Jupiter |
| May 13 | Saturn 3°S of Moon |
The double shadow transit on Jupiter is an interesting sight. The Moons of Jupiter come between the Sun and the large planet many times a month. When they do they cast a shadow on the planet's surface. This is the same as when a solar eclipse casts a shadow on the face of the Earth. Sometimes the alignment of Jupiter's Moons has two or even three casting a shadow at the same time. Imagine the Earth having three solar eclipses occurring at the same time.
When I first looked at Jupiter through a telescope in April of 2016 I noticed two black spots on the surface. Unbeknownst to me there was a double transit occurring and I was lucky to see it. Due to the 2:1 orbital resonance of Io and Europa (two innermost Moons) a double transit will occur every 3-4 days until the end of June. I am hoping to catch an image of this sometime in the next 6-8 weeks. The image below was taken from by backyard on May 4 and shows two of Jupiter's Moons orbiting the big planet.
 |
| Jupiter and two Moons |
May 10 brings a Full Moon to light up the evening sky and exacerbate insomnia sufferers. I was unable to get a picture of the Full Moon last month due to clouds so I am hoping for clear skies. It is looking promising!
Enjoy the sky while the bugs are not in full swing and take in the mid-Spring constellations!
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