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SkyTips: May 2014
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| Many leading astronomers from the United States, and a few from Europe, gathered on May 5, 1939, to celebrate the dedication of McDonald Observatory and its first big telescope. McDonald is celebrating its 75th anniversary this week. |
Stargazing Summary
Planets scatter across the sky this month, with Saturn and Mars in view for most of the night, Jupiter dropping down the western evening sky, and Venus low in the dawn sky. Mercury pops in for a brief evening visit late in the month. Among the stars, Orion makes its last stand in the evening sky, as does Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.
More stargazing information »
More stargazing information »
Radio Program Highlights
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May 1-4: Spring Meteors. A spring meteor shower is due for a light sprinkling of “shooting stars” on Monday night, and we’ll have details. We’ll also talk about a wet asteroid, plus an encounter between the Moon and a brilliant planet.
May 5-11: McDonald Jubilee. McDonald Observatory is celebrating its 75th anniversary this week. We’ll talk about its birth and have a voice from its dedication, plus much more. Join us for the celebration, plus the Moon and a couple of bright companions.
May 12-18: Golden Saturn. The solar system’s second-largest planet is putting on its biggest showing of the year, and we’ll have details. We’ll also talk about a planet that’s just peeking into the evening sky. Join us for this and more.
May 19-25: Spring Surprise. A brand new meteor shower may brighten the night sky this weekend, and we’ll have details. We’ll also talk about an encounter between the Moon and the brilliant “morning star” and much more.
May 26-31: Evening Attractions. The crescent Moon passes a couple of planets that are a study in contrasts in the evening sky late this week — tiny Mercury and giant Jupiter. We’ll have details. Join us for this and many more wonders in the night sky.
May program schedule »
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May 1-4: Spring Meteors. A spring meteor shower is due for a light sprinkling of “shooting stars” on Monday night, and we’ll have details. We’ll also talk about a wet asteroid, plus an encounter between the Moon and a brilliant planet.
May 5-11: McDonald Jubilee. McDonald Observatory is celebrating its 75th anniversary this week. We’ll talk about its birth and have a voice from its dedication, plus much more. Join us for the celebration, plus the Moon and a couple of bright companions.
May 12-18: Golden Saturn. The solar system’s second-largest planet is putting on its biggest showing of the year, and we’ll have details. We’ll also talk about a planet that’s just peeking into the evening sky. Join us for this and more.
May 19-25: Spring Surprise. A brand new meteor shower may brighten the night sky this weekend, and we’ll have details. We’ll also talk about an encounter between the Moon and the brilliant “morning star” and much more.
May 26-31: Evening Attractions. The crescent Moon passes a couple of planets that are a study in contrasts in the evening sky late this week — tiny Mercury and giant Jupiter. We’ll have details. Join us for this and many more wonders in the night sky.
May program schedule »
Hear StarDate every day on more than 300 radio stations nationwide. Find an affiliate »
This Month in StarDate Magazine
McDonald Observatory’s 75th anniversary is coming up May 5, and we’ll look back at the observatory’s origins. And Leila Belkora returns to StarDate with a feature on how scientists are searching for signs of exploding stars on Earth and the Moon.
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Celebrate our 75th Anniversary in Dallas and Paris, Texas
We’ve got several events happening in May to celebrate in different parts of the state. On May 1, McDonald Director David L. Lambert will speak at the Perot Museum’s monthly Lab Night in Dallas. On May 2, he will speak in Paris, Texas, home of William Johnson McDonald, whose gift to The University of Texas made McDonald Observatory possible.
Details »
Details »
McDonald Exhibit Opens at Texas State History Museum
The exhibit ‘McDonald Observatory: 75 Years of Stargazing’ opens May 1 at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. It runs through June 29. The exhibit features early instruments from the observatory, the first engineering drawings of Struve and Smith telescopes, the half-ton model of the Struve Telescope, and more. Third floor Rotunda Gallery; free.
Details »
Details »
News From the Observatory
Texas, California Astronomers Release New Game ‘Super Planet Crash’
Super Planet Crash is a pretty simple game: players build their own planetary system, putting planets into orbit around a star and racking up points until they add a planet that destabilizes the whole system. Beneath the surface, however, this addictive little game is driven by highly sophisticated software code that astronomers use to find planets beyond our solar system. University of Texas at Austin astronomer Stefano Meschiari did the bulk of the programming.
Super Planet Crash is a pretty simple game: players build their own planetary system, putting planets into orbit around a star and racking up points until they add a planet that destabilizes the whole system. Beneath the surface, however, this addictive little game is driven by highly sophisticated software code that astronomers use to find planets beyond our solar system. University of Texas at Austin astronomer Stefano Meschiari did the bulk of the programming.
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