Bootleg Astronomers

(the Registration Form needs to be completed and returned along with your payment no later than May 25th in order to qualify for the Early Registration discounted fee)

2	Last Quarter Moon at 11:16 UT.
6	Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks at 1h UT. Active from April 19 to May 28. Associated with Comet Halley. Very fast, bright meteors, up to 30 per hour. Favors skywatchers in the tropics and southern hemisphere observing a few hours before dawn. • The Eta Aquarids (Gary Kronk) • The Eta Aquarids (IMO)
9	Venus 4.1° SSE of Pleiades (11° from Sun, evening sky) at 21h UT.
10	New Moon at 0:31 UT. Start of lunation 1118. • Lunation Number (Wikipedia)
10	Annular Solar Eclipse from 21:25 (9 May) to 3:25 UT, greatest eclipse at 0:26 UT. Path of annularity from N Australia out across the Pacific. Partial eclipse in Australia, New Zealand and much of the Pacific. • Annular Solar Eclipse of 2013 May 10 (NASA/Google Map) • Annular Solar Eclipse of 2013 May 10 (NASA/PDF) • Eclipses During 2013 (NASA inc Maps & Tables) • The Eclipses of May 2013 (Sky & Telescope)
11	Moon near Venus and Pleiades (11° from Sun, evening sky) at 0h UT. Mag. -3.9. • The Pleiades (Wikipedia)
11	Moon near Aldebaran (evening sky) at 20h UT.
11	Mercury at superior conjunction with the Sun at 21h UT. The planet passes into the evening sky.
12	Moon near Jupiter (evening sky) at 14h UT.
13	Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 14h UT (distance 405,825 km; angular size 29.4').
16	Moon near Beehive cluster (M44) (evening sky) at 14h UT. • Beehive Cluster (Wikipedia)
18	First Quarter Moon at 4:35 UT.
18	Moon near Regulus (evening sky) at 9h UT.
22	Moon very near Spica (142° from Sun, evening sky) at 10h UT. Occultation from NE Australia & Indonesia. • Occultation of Spica (US Naval Observatory) • Occultation of Spica (IOTA)
23	Moon near Saturn (midnight sky) at 6h UT. Mag. +0.3.
24	Mercury 1.4° N of Venus (15° from Sun, evening sky) at 21h UT. Mags. -1.0 and -3.9. Jupiter nearby at -1.9.
25	Full Moon at 4:26 UT. • Full Moon Names (Wikipedia)
25	Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon from 3:53 to 4:27 UT. Only a very tiny portion of the Moon will dip into Earth's penumbral shadow at maximum eclipse. Not observable. • Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2013 May 25 (NASA/PDF) • Eclipses During 2013 (NASA inc Maps & Tables) • The Eclipses of May 2013 (Sky & Telescope)
25	Moon near Antares (midnight sky) at 13h UT.
26	Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 2h UT (358,377 km; 33.3').
27	Mercury, Venus and Jupiter form triangle within circle diameter 2.4° (17° from Sun, evening sky) at 8h UT. Mags. -0.7, -3.9 & -1.9.
28	Venus 1.0° N of Jupiter (16° from Sun, evening sky) at 19h UT.
31	Last Quarter Moon at 18:59 UT.
	>>> All times Universal Time (UT). USA Central Standard Time = UT-6 hours. (DST = UT-5 hrs,)

The 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)