Star Chart_May-June_2016

S*T*A*R
C HART
FOR LATE SPRING
May/June
* 2016 *
THE PLANETS
MERCURY transits across the face of the
Sun for the first time in 10 years on May
9, starting at 7:13 a.m. EDT and lasting
until 2:41 p.m. EDT.
*
MARS shines its brightest for the entire
year, appearing as a reddish-orange
“star” with magnitude -2.0 in the
south-eastern evening sky, and reaches
its closest point to the Earth since 2005
on May 30.
*
JUPITER appears high in the southwestern evening sky, outshining all stars
with a magnitude of -2.3
*
SATURN reaches opposition on June 3,
rising at sunset shortly after Mars and
shining its brightest for the year with a
magnitude of 0.
THE CONSTELLATIONS
The star groups linked by lines are the
constellations created by our ancestors
thousands of years ago as a way of
mapping the night sky. Modern
astronomers still use the traditional
names, which give today’s stargazers a
permanent link to the sky myths and legends of the past. This season's
evening sky features the Big Dipper. Its seven stars are bright enough
to be visible through the glow of a city sky. Not a true constellation, the
Big Dipper forms pattern of stars found within the constellation known
as Ursa Major, or the Great Bear.
OBSERVING HIGHLIGHTS
MAY 6 Double-shadow transit of moons Io and Callisto on Jupiter in
constellation of Leo in the post-midnight sky
MAY 9 * Mercury transits across the Sun for the first time in 10 years
(peaks at ~ 11:00 a.m., EDT)
MAY 14 Conjunction between the Moon and Jupiter, passing within 3˚ of
each other in the southern evening sky
MAY 22 * Mars at opposition, shining its brightest in 2016 (rises at
sunset, sets at sunrise)
MAY 30 * Mars is at its closest to Earth since 2005 (75,281,058 km)
JUNE 3 * Saturn at opposition, shining its brightest in 2016
JUNE 11 Moon 5˚ from Jupiter in the south-western evening sky
JUNE 20 * Solstice, 6:34 p.m., EDT (summer officially begins in the
northern hemisphere)
* Impressive or rare event
SPACE STATION SIGHTINGS
As the space station orbits the Earth, sunlight reflects off of its giant solar arrays.
From Earth, it appears as a bright object moving high across the night sky. Visit
www.heavens-above.com to get a list of upcoming ISS passes over your community.
OBSERVING TIP:
Check our calendar for more details:
www.ontariosciencecentre.ca
Need a night-sky friendly flashlight?
Cover a flashlight's lamp with brown
or red paper to dim its light and
preserve your night vision.
MOON PHASES
Full
New
MAY 21 (5:14 p.m.)
JUNE 20 (7:02 a.m.)
MAY 6 (3:30 p.m.)
JUNE 4 (11:00 p.m.)
*FREE ASTRONOMY EVENTS AT THE OSC*
These programs are offered in collaboration with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada: Toronto Centre.
May 7th, 10th - 14th & June 4th 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Solar Observing: Spot sunspots and solar flares through specially filtered
telescopes. TELUSCAPE
May 9th, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Mercury’s Rising: Safely observe the transit of Mercury across the face of the Sun. TELUSCAPE
May 11th, 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.: Speaker’s Night: Learn about the Moon’s history from Sara Mazrouei, University of Toronto
PhD Candidate in Planetary Geology. STUDIO 2
May 14th, 7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.: Unbelievable Universe Star Party: Stargaze, see Jupiter up close, and learn about the
most mind-blowing discoveries in space. TELUSCAPE
OUR CHART SHOWS the major stars, planets and constellations visible
from Canada and the northern United States within one hour of these times:
EARLY MAY: 11:30 P.M.; LATE MAY: 11 P.M.
EARLY JUNE: 10 P.M.; LATE JUNE: 9 P.M.
NORTH
WEST
W
N
N
E
EAST
S
E
Download our most recent star chart:
www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/tour/default.asp?demoid=75
W
S
SOUTH
Cartography and design by Roberta Cooke. Base chart data derived from maps drawn by Roy Bishop for the Observer’s Handbook, published by The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
ROTATING NIGHT SKY: During the night, the Earth’s rotation on its axis slowly
shifts the entire sky. This is the same motion that swings the Sun on its daily eastto-west trek. The rotational hub is Polaris, the North Star, located almost exactly
above the Earth’s North Pole. Everything majestically marches counter-clockwise
around it, a motion that becomes evident after about half an hour.
Download our most recent star chart:
www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/tour/live-planetarium-show/
TO USE THIS CHART: Hold the chart in front of you and rotate it so the direction
you are facing (N,S,E,W) is at the bottom of the chart. The edge of the chart
represents the horizon; the overhead point is at centre. On a moonless night in the
country, you will see more stars than are shown here; deep in the city, you will see
fewer. The ecliptic line is the celestial pathway of the Moon and planets. The star
groups straddling this line are known as the zodiac constellations. The Moon is
shown for selected dates.
Prepared for the Ontario Science Centre by SkyNews,
the Canadian Magazine of Astronomy & Stargazing. SkyNews.ca
SkyNews.ca 1-866-759-0005