• Tim Johnson

Venus and Crescent Moon

The bright planet Venus has dominated our western evening sky this month and there is nothing in the sky to match - until next week.

Venus appears overhead in the west for quite a while after sunset. The planet is brilliant and closer to us than the Sun.

On Monday night the moon is joined by a thin crescent moon, to the viewer's right of the moon. The moon is fairly low so not everyone will see it.

Look again on Tuesday night and the moon will appear more southerly and higher above Venus. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Gemini.

Take another look above Venus and you'll see two bright stars. They are Pollux and Castor, the two main stars in Gemini. The two together with the planet form a triangle.

Take another look at the western sky on Wednesday night for another change in the moon's position. The faint red planet Mars will appear underneath the Moon. The two are in the constellation Cancer, one of the smallest zodiacal constellations. Mars is moving slowly westward and will appear close to Venus next month.

Sunrise and Sunset
Day Sunrise Sunset
Fri., May 19 5:18 7:57
Sat., May 20 5:17 7:58
Sun., May 21 5:16 7:59
Mon., May 22 5:16 8:00
Tues., May 23 5:15 8:01
Wed., May 24 5:14 8:02
Thurs., May 25 5:13 8:03
Fri., May 26 5:13 8:04
Temperatures and Precipitations
Day Max (Fº) Min (Fº) Inches
May 12 74 52 0.00
May 13 79 57 T
May 14 76 50 0.00
May 15 63 44 0.00
May 16 68 53 0.00
May 17 68 50 0.00
May 18 61 43 0.00

 

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 59º F

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