The Sky This Week from May 22 to 29 – Astronomy Magazine

Tuesday, May 26Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) reaches perihelion today, rounding the Sun at a distance of 37 million miles (59.5 million kilometers) from our star. Glowing around magnitude 6, the comet is an excellent binocular or small scope target in Perseus. But Northern Hemisphere observers beware: Its already low on the northwestern horizon an hour after sunset, roughly 10 high and sinking. The comet is less than 5 above the horizon two hours after sunset, but with good seeing and a clear view all the way to the horizon, youre likely to spot it a little over 8 due west of Capella.

Even as Comet SWAN sets, a different swan is rising: M17 (NGC 6618), also known as the Swan Nebula or the Omega Nebula in Sagittarius. Rising around 10 P.M. local time and gaining altitude with each passing hour, the Swan Nebula can be seen with binoculars or even a small scope. The star-forming regions name comes from its resemblance to a swan gliding across a lake; can you spot the birds arching neck and long, feathery body?

Wednesday, May 27Asteroid 3 Juno is stationary at 10 A.M. EDT. After today, Juno will halt its northwestern motion and make a tight turn, heading back to the southeast relative to the background stars.

Currently in the constellation Virgo, you can find Juno about 6 northwest of Auva (Delta [] Virginis). Juno is currently magnitude 10.7, so youll need large binoculars or a small scope to seek it out. Tonight, its just 1 northwest of the galaxy NGC 4580, a dim spiral youll likely need a 10-inch scope (or larger) to glimpse.

Juno is about 145 miles (234 km) in diameter. It contains roughly 1 percent of the total mass in the asteroid belt but is only about 3 percent the total mass of Ceres, the largest body in the main belt.

Thursday, May 28A nearly 40-percent-lit Moon sits just in front of Leo the Lion tonight. Nearby is Leos bright heart, Regulus, a magnitude 1.4 star whose name means little king in Latin. One of the brightest stars in the sky, Regulus is located almost exactly on the ecliptic, the plane of our solar system on which all the major planets orbit.

If you draw a line between the Moon and Regulus, then follow it 24.5 to the east, youll reach magnitude 2.1 Denebola, often drawn as the tip of the lions tail. Located a mere 36 light-years away, this blue-white star is more than 1.5 times as wide as the Sun and emits nearly 14 times as much light. It is also surrounded by a complex disk of cool dust, which emits light at longer, infrared wavelengths; this is the same dust from which planets are born, although there are no planets yet confirmed around this star.

Friday, May 29Saturns largest moon, Titan, sits roughly 1' due north of the ringed planet this morning. At magnitude 8.6, the moon should be the second-brightest object in your field of view (after the planet itself).

Saturns more distant, two-faced moon, Iapetus, is on its way toward its greatest western elongation on the 31st. Along the way, its growing steadily brighter, and should now be shining at nearly magnitude 10.5 almost 9' directly west of the planet. Hyperion sits roughly one-third of the way between Saturn and Iapetus, but may be invisible at magnitude 14.

First Quarter Moon occurs tonight at 11:30 P.M. EDT.

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The Sky This Week from May 22 to 29 - Astronomy Magazine