Bootleg Astronomers

Send in your registration forms, as early registration ends Saturday, September 12th! (if the Star Party cannot be held as a group event, as was the case in the spring, then your registration fee will be refunded and you will just have to pay for your nightly camping fee)!

The Bootleg Star Party Registration Form is available HERE (pre-registration deadline is May 29th)

*** Due to the number of people doing imaging at the Bootleg Star Parties, Bootleg Management is indicating that Green Lasers will not be permitted starting one hour after sunset ***

3	Last Quarter Moon at 19:51 UT.
3	Moon near Saturn (morning sky) at 20h UT. Mag. 0.7. • Saturn (Wikipedia)
5	Moon near Jupiter (morning sky) at 1h UT. Mag. −2.2. • Jupiter (Wikipedia)
5	Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks at 19h UT. Most active for 7 days around this date. Associated with Comet Halley. Very fast, bright meteors, up to 40 per hour. Favors skywatchers in the tropics and southern hemisphere observing a few hours before dawn. • Eta Aquariids (Wikipedia) • 2021 Meteor Shower Calendar (PDF) (IMO)
11	New Moon at 19:00 UT. Start of lunation 1217.
11	Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 22h UT (distance 406,512 km; angular size 29.4').
12	Moon near the Pleiades at 15h UT (9° from Sun, evening sky). • The Pleiades (Wikipedia)
12	Moon near Venus (12° from Sun, evening sky) at 23h UT. Mag. −3.9. • Venus (Wikipedia)
13	Moon near Aldebaran at 9h UT (evening sky). • Aldebaran (Wikipedia)
13	Moon near Mercury (22° from Sun, evening sky) at 20h UT. Mag. 0.1. • Mercury (Wikipedia)
16	Moon near Mars (48° from Sun, evening sky) at 6h UT. Mag. 1.7. • Mars (Wikipedia)
16	Moon near Castor at 20h UT (evening sky).
17	Moon near Pollux at 1h UT (evening sky).
17	Venus 5.8° N of Aldebaran at 4h UT (15° from Sun, evening sky). Mags. −3.9 and 0.9.
17	Mercury at greatest elongation east (22° from Sun, evening sky) at 6h UT. Mag. 0.5
18	Moon near Beehive cluster M44 (evening sky) at 4h UT. The Beehive is lovely sight in binoculars. • Beehive Cluster (Wikipedia) • M44: The Beehive Cluster (APOD)
19	First Quarter Moon at 19:12 UT.
19	Moon near Regulus at 22h UT (evening sky). • Regulus (Wikipedia)
23	Moon near Spica at 19h UT (evening sky). • Spica (Wikipedia)
26	Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 1:46 UT (distance 357,311 km; angular size 33.4').
26	Full Moon at 11:14 UT. Perigee only 9.5 hours earlier.
26	Total Eclipse of the Moon begins at 11:11 UT and ends at 11:26 UT. Mid-eclipse at 11:20 UT. Partial phases begin at 9:45 UT and end at 12:52 UT. During totality the Moon will turn red-orange in color as it passes into the Earth's shadow. Light passing through the Earth's atmosphere scatters into red colors (same as sunset/sunrise) and reflects off the lunar surface. • Total Lunar Eclipse of 2021 May 26 (PDF) (NASA) • Eclipses of the Moon (Mr Eclipse) • NASA Lunar Eclipse Page (NASA)
26	Moon near Antares at 20h UT (midnight sky). • Antares (Wikipedia)
29	Mercury 0.40° SE of Venus (17° from Sun, evening sky) at 4h UT. Mags. 2.3 and −3.9.
31	Moon near Saturn (morning sky) at 4h UT. Mag. 0.6. • Saturn (Wikipedia)

>>> All times Universal Time (UT). USA Central Standard Time = UT-6 hours. (DST = UT-5 hrs,)

Zodiacal Light is caused by sunlight reflected off meteoric dust in the plane of the solar system. Choose a clear, moonless night, about 1-2 hours after sunset, and look for a large triangular-shaped glow extending up from the horizon (along the ecliptic). The best months to view the Zodiacal Light is when the ecliptic is almost vertical at the horizon: March and April (evening) and October-November (morning); times reversed for the southern hemisphere.
• Zodiacal Light (Wikipedia)
• Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)
• Photographing the Zodiacal Light (Weatherscapes)