When the Curves Line Up

May 22, 2021:  Saturn, the Ringed Wonder, begins its retrograde motion today.  The planet is in the southern sky to the upper right of bright Jupiter before sunrise.  The planet is at opposition on August 2, and ends its retrograde motion on October 10. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/12/2021-may-22-saturn-retrogrades/

May 19, 2021: The display of five planets continues.  Jupiter and Saturn are morning planets, visible in the southeast before sunrise.  After sunset, brilliant Evening Star Venus, Mercury, and Mars are in the western sky.  The half-full moon is to the upper left of Regulus. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/12/2021-may-19-five-pla...

May 18, 2021: Bright morning planets Jupiter and Saturn are in the southeast before sunrise.  After sunset, Evening Star Venus, Mercury, and Mars are lined up in the western sky.  The thick crescent moon is higher near Regulus. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/11/2021-may-18-planet-quintet-waxing-moon/

May 17, 2021: The five bright planets – Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, and Mars – are visible in night sky.  Jupiter and Saturn are in the morning.  Evening Star Venus, Mercury and Mars are in the evening sky with the crescent moon. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/10/2021-may-17-planets-moon-line-up/

May 15, 2021: Five planets and the crescent moon are visible today.  Morning Planets Jupiter and Saturn are in the southeast before sunrise.  Brilliant Evening Star Venus, Mercury – on its best evening appearance of the year, Mars, and the crescent moon are in the western sky after sunset. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/08/2021-may-...

May 16, 2021: The moon occults a star in Gemini this evening, and Mercury reaches its greatest separation from the sun.  Bright Jupiter and Saturn are in the southeast before sunrise.  After sunset, Evening Star Venus, Mercury, Mars, and the lunar crescent are lined up above the western horizon. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/09/202...

May 14, 2021:  Five planets are on parade.  Bright Jupiter and Saturn are in the southeast before sunrise.  After sundown, brilliant Evening Star Venus, Mercury, Mars, and the lunar crescent are in the evening sky. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/07/2021-may-14-planets-on-parade/

May 13, 2021: Venus, Mercury, the crescent moon, and Mars are in the western sky after sunset. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/06/2021-may-13-evening-star-venus-mercury-moon/

May 13, 2021: Bright Jupiter and Saturn are the morning planets in the southeast before sunrise. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/06/2021-may-13-bright-jupiter-saturn-morning-planets/

May 12, 2021: Before sunrise bright Jupiter, in front of Aquarius, is in the southeast before sunrise.  Saturn is to the upper right of Jupiter, in Capricornus.  In a few mornings, Saturn begins to retrograde. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/05/2021-may-12-morning-planets-jupiter-saturn/

May 12, 2021: Evening Star Venus and the crescent moon make a spectacular grouping after sunset. Thirty minutes after sunset, the razor-thin moon is 1.2° to the left of brilliant Venus.  This is the closest grouping of the moon and Venus during this evening appearance of the brilliant planet.  Mercury is 9.1° to the upper left of Venus.  Mars maintains its eastward march in Gemini....

May 11, 2021: The planet parade continues today. Five planets are on display.  Bright Jupiter and Saturn are in the southeastern sky before sunrise.  After sundown, brilliant Venus, Mercury, and Mars are in the western sky.  The moon is at its New phase and at apogee today. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/04/2021-may-11-planets-...

May 10, 2021: Five planets are on display.  Jupiter and Saturn are visible in the southeastern sky before sunrise.  Brilliant Venus, Mercury, and Mars shine from the western sky after sunset.  Only the sun disrupts a continuous view of the five worlds. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/03/2021-may-10-five-planets-on-parade/

May 9, 2021: Look for five planets today.  Jupiter and Saturn are visible in the southeast before sunrise.  Venus, Mercury, and Mars are in the western sky after sunset. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/02/2021-may-9-planets-on-parade/

May 8, 2021: Five planets are visible during morning and evening appearances.  Jupiter and Saturn are visible before sunrise.  Daylight interrupts the viewing until evening, when Venus, Mercury, and Mars are visible in the west after sundown. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/01/2021-may-8-watch-the-planet-parade/

May 7, 2021: The planets and moon parade across the sky today.  Jupiter and Saturn are visible before sunrise in the southeast.  The moon can be seen closer to sunrise.  After sunset Venus, Mercury, and Mars are in the west-northwest . This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/04/30/2021-may-7-five-planets-on-parade/

The first morning appearance of a star before sunrise is known as the heliacal rising of the star. Sirius, the brightest star, makes its first appearance each year during mid-August from mid-northern latitudes. For 2021, under the best conditions, the star is first visible without optical help on August 11 for latitude 41.7 ° North. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecur...

May 6, 2021: During a 24-hour period, the five bright planets and the moon are visible.  Before sunrise this morning, Saturn, Jupiter, and the crescent moon are lined up in the southeast.  After sunset, brilliant Evening Star Venus is visible after sunset.  As the sky darkens Mercury, then Mars, appears in the western sky. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whent...

May 5, 2021: The crescent moon, bright Jupiter and Saturn lineup in the southeast before sunrise.  One hour before sunup, the moon is low in the sky with bright Jupiter to its upper right.  Saturn is to the upper right of Jupiter.  Jupiter is brighter than all the stars in the sky. Saturn is brighter than the stars in the immediate region after the Jovian Giant. This episode is also...

May 5, 2021:  Brilliant Venus, Mercury, and Mars are visible in the western sky after sunset.  Venus is visible low in the west-northwest about 30 minutes after sunset.  By 45 minutes after sundown, Mercury is visible to the brilliant planet’s upper left.  Mars is easily visible and hour after the sun sets, about one-third of the way up in the west, in front of the stars of Gem...

May 4, 2021: Three planets are visible after sunset.  Brilliant Venus is low in the west-northwest after sundown.  Mercury is above Venus.  It is visible lower as the sky darkens.  As night falls, Mars is over a third of the way up in the west, under Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/04/27/20...

May 4, 2021: This morning the moon is near Jupiter and Saturn before sunrise.  Look about an hour before sunup.  Bright Jupiter is to the upper left of the thick lunar crescent, while Saturn is to the upper right. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/04/27/2021-may-4-moon-near-jupiter-saturn/

May 3, 2021: Three bright planets are visible after sunset. Brilliant Venus is low in the west-northwest, with Mercury to its upper left.  As the sky darkens further a binocular reveals that speedy Mercury is to the lower left of the Pleiades star cluster.  Mars is visible in a darker sky in Gemini, below Castor and Pollux. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecu...

May 3, 2021:  The slightly gibbous moon is near Saturn this morning before sunrise.  The lunar orb is 6.8° to the lower right of the Ringed Wonder.  Jupiter is to the lower left of Saturn. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/04/26/2021-may-3-moon-meets-saturn-jupiter/

During May 2021, Mars marches across the starfields of Gemini.  The planet is visible in the western sky after sunset.  Early in the month, Mars is near the feet of Castor.  Mars moves through the constellation diagonally from lower right to upper left.  It ends the month passing Pollux. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/04/25/2...