Space and Astronomy

The Planets and Special Events

The Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower peaks in the early morning hours of Wednesday May 5. These meteors are made from material shed from Halley's Comet.

Venus (Mag -3.9) begins it's appearance in our evening sky in May. Venus sets at 8:22 p.m. on the 1st.

Jupiter (Mag -2.3) rises at 2:50 a.m. on May 1 and a little earlier each day afterwards.

Mars (Mag +1.7) is halfway up in the western sky at sunset.

Saturn (Mag +0.6) rises at 2:03 a.m. on May 1.

Reprinted with permission, the information above is made available in the Griffith Observer , a monthly publication by the Griffith Observatory. For complete information on the Planets and other items related to Astronomy, please visit the Griffith Observatory Web Site.

The theory that our Sun is the center of the universe and our planets revolve around it was first documented by Nicolas Copernicus. The interesting thing is that Copernicus was a Catholic Priest and Philosopher, not an Astronomer. But he believed that God would have made the movements of the planets more simple than the previously documented theory (which was very complex). As we know today, Corpernicus was right !

• Your Place In Space: A nice article by Bill Nye in The Planetary Report featuring one of my photos
• Astronomy Picture Of The Day
• Want to see a Sattelite or the Space Station fly by ?
• Read about Solar Flares and Solar Wind
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration