• Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are easy to spot in the evening sky.
  • Timothy Johnson

Parade of Planets

Three planets are easy to spot in the night sky, looking from west to east. They are Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.

Venus is the easiest to spot, high in the western sky soon after sunset. The planet will spend many hours in the western sky, setting late in the night. By late June, and for the rest of the summer, Venus will lose its height. Though gradual at first, Venus is poised to start appearing lower and lower in the western sky in the summer. The planet will jump into the morning sky in autumn.

Jupiter is the second brightest planet in our evening sky. Jupiter is not far south from Venus. You can’t see one without also being aware of the other. Jupiter has faded only slightly in the last two months. But that won’t matter as Jupiter moves closer to Venus. Venus overwhelmingly outshines Jupiter.

Saturn, the ringed planet, is rising in the eastern sky at sunset. Saturn reaches opposition on Friday, May 22. At 827 million miles away, the planet rises in the southeast at sunset and doesn’t set in the southwest until dawn. Though close, Saturn resides low in our southern sky, not the most ideal placement for those looking for crisp, sharp imagery in a telescope.

 

Sunrise and Sunset
Day Sunrise Sunset
Fri., May 15 5:22 7:54
Sat., May 16 5:21 7:55
Sun., May 17 5:20 7:56
Mon., May 18 5:19 7:56
Tues., May 19 5:18 7:57
Wed., May 20 5:17 7:58
Thurs., May 21 5:16 7:59
Fri., May 22 5:16 8:00
Temperatures and Precipitation
Day Max (Fº) Min (Fº) Inches
May 8 79 49 0.00
May 9 59 48 0.00
May 10 60 53 T
May 11 70 57 0.00
May 12 74 59 0.03
May 13 76 53 0.00
May 14 71 40 0.00

 

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 62º F

Comments

Comment policy »

YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT LOCAL NEWS

Subscribe or become a Friend of the Vineyard Gazette and receive our free newsletters and free and discounted tickets to Gazette events along with our award-winning news and photography.