1 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:09,780 Your guide to constellations, 2 00:00:09,780 --> 00:00:14,720 deep-sky objects, planets, and events: Tonight’s Sky. 3 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:20,560 Highlights of the May sky: 4 00:00:41,260 --> 00:00:45,560 At nightfall, Venus hangs like a blazing diamond 5 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,520 in the western sky. 6 00:00:52,060 --> 00:00:54,940 A backyard telescope reveals only its 7 00:00:54,940 --> 00:01:01,960 sunlight-reflecting clouds, which hide its rocky surface. 8 00:01:11,820 --> 00:01:13,720 A second blazing planet 9 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,980 hangs over the southeastern horizon. 10 00:01:16,980 --> 00:01:20,900 Jupiter reaches opposition on May 8. 11 00:01:20,900 --> 00:01:23,780 It lies opposite the Sun in our sky, 12 00:01:23,780 --> 00:01:29,780 rises at sunset, and is visible all night. 13 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:35,960 A small telescope shows its cloud bands 14 00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:41,000 and its four large moons. 15 00:01:50,300 --> 00:01:53,440 Looking toward the south, we’ve turned away from the 16 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,560 crowded center of our Milky Way Galaxy. 17 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:00,760 Thus, we see farther into the universe. 18 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,500 The large constellation Virgo 19 00:02:03,500 --> 00:02:09,280 fills the southern sky in the late evening. 20 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,700 One of the zodiacal constellations of ancient times, 21 00:02:12,700 --> 00:02:21,540 Virgo honors the life-giving virtues of women. 22 00:02:21,540 --> 00:02:23,640 Using a pair of binoculars, 23 00:02:23,640 --> 00:02:27,180 visit the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. 24 00:02:27,180 --> 00:02:30,700 These tiny smudges of light are galaxies, 25 00:02:30,700 --> 00:02:33,340 far away from our own Milky Way, 26 00:02:33,340 --> 00:02:42,060 each aglow with the light of billions of stars. 27 00:02:42,060 --> 00:02:45,180 The Sombrero Galaxy, M104, 28 00:02:45,180 --> 00:02:48,560 lies in the southern part of Virgo. 29 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,660 Its dark dust lane makes it look like a large hat, 30 00:02:52,660 --> 00:02:57,320 hence its name. 31 00:03:04,900 --> 00:03:09,840 Two smaller constellations lie above Virgo. 32 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:13,420 Coma Berenices honors a queen who gave her 33 00:03:13,420 --> 00:03:16,600 long hair to the gods to ensure her husband’s 34 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:21,760 safe return from war. 35 00:03:29,660 --> 00:03:32,960 M64, a spiral galaxy, 36 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:39,780 can be found tangled in Berenice’s Hair. 37 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:06,680 Canes Venatici represents the 38 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:12,080 hunting dogs of the gods. 39 00:04:19,540 --> 00:04:24,200 The brightest star in Canes Venatici is Cor Caroli, 40 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:25,680 the Heart of Charles, 41 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:33,160 named for King Charles I of England. 42 00:04:39,980 --> 00:04:43,040 M51, in Canes Venatici, 43 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,540 is known as the Whirlpool Galaxy. 44 00:04:46,540 --> 00:04:55,820 It is one of the most beautiful face-on spirals in the sky. 45 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:16,680 By month’s end, the planet Saturn is 46 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:20,140 rising in the southeast around midnight. 47 00:05:20,140 --> 00:05:24,240 Mars, growing ever brighter as the year progresses, 48 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:29,300 follows not far behind. 49 00:05:29,300 --> 00:05:32,320 Saturn’s iconic rings are visible 50 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:34,800 even in small telescopes. 51 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:36,940 As Mars gets closer to Earth, 52 00:05:36,940 --> 00:05:44,540 large-scale surface details may become visible. 53 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,380 Just before sunrise during the first part of the month, 54 00:05:56,380 --> 00:05:59,440 diminutive Mercury may be seen 55 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:04,920 just above the eastern horizon. 56 00:06:10,660 --> 00:06:14,700 Because it is so small and so close to the rising Sun, 57 00:06:14,700 --> 00:06:16,820 spotting Mercury becomes more 58 00:06:16,820 --> 00:06:22,680 difficult as the month progresses. 59 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:35,540 The annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower returns 60 00:06:35,540 --> 00:06:40,800 this month. 61 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:43,580 On the night of May 6 to 7, 62 00:06:43,580 --> 00:06:47,360 expect to see up to 10 meteors per hour. 63 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:53,040 Look for them shooting from the east after midnight.