Bootleg Astronomers

The Bootleg Spring Star Party Registration Form is available HERE (pre-registration deadline is May 18, 2024) 12th)

*** 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 ***

1	Last Quarter Moon at 11:27 UT.
4	Moon near Saturn at 0h UT (morning sky). Mag. 1.2. • Saturn (Wikipedia)
4	Moon, Mars and Neptune within circle 4.1° diameter at 19h UT (44° from Sun, morning sky). Mags. 1.1 and 7.9.
5	Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks. Most active for 7 days around this date. Associated with Comet Halley. Very fast, bright meteors, up to 40 per hour. Best seen from the tropics and southern hemisphere a few hours before dawn. • Eta Aquarids (Wikipedia) • AMS Meteor Shower Calendar 2024-2025 (IMO)
5	Moon near Mars at 3h UT (morning sky). Mag. 1.1. Occultation visible from Madagascar. • Disappearance and Reappearance Times (IOTA) • Lunar occultation of Mars (In-The-Sky)
5	Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 22:08 UT (distance 363,163km; angular size 32.9').
6	Moon near Mercury at 6h UT (26° from Sun, morning sky). Mag. 0.7. • Mercury (Wikipedia)
8	New Moon at 3:23 UT. Start of lunation 1254.
9	Moon near the Pleiades at 1h UT (evening sky). • The Pleiades (Wikipedia)
9	Mercury at greatest elongation west at 21h UT (26° from Sun, morning sky). Mag. 0.5.
11	Moon near M35 star cluster at 8h UT (evening sky). • Messier 35 (Wikipedia)
12	Moon near Castor at 17h UT (evening sky).
12	Moon near Pollux at 23h UT (evening sky).
14	Moon near Beehive cluster M44 at 2h UT (evening sky). • Beehive Cluster (Wikipedia) • M44: The Beehive Cluster (APOD)
15	First Quarter Moon at 11:48 UT.
15	Moon near Regulus at 23h UT (evening sky). • Regulus (Wikipedia)
17	Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 19h UT (distance 404,640km; angular size 29.5').
18	Jupiter at conjunction with the Sun at 19h UT. The largest planet passes into the morning sky. • Jupiter (Wikipedia)
18	Asteroid 2 Pallas at opposition at 23h UT. Mag. 9.0. • 2 Pallas (Wikipedia)
20	Moon near Spica at 12h UT (evening sky). • Spica (Wikipedia)
23	Full Moon at 13:55 UT.
24	Moon near Antares at 4h UT (morning sky). Occultation visible from SE USA, Caribbean, Central America, and West Africa. • Antares (Wikipedia) • Disappearance and Reappearance Times (IOTA) • Occultation of Antares (In-The-Sky)
30	Last Quarter Moon at 17:12 UT.
31	Moon near Saturn at 9h UT (morning sky). Mag. 1.2. Occultation visible from southern South America. • Saturn (Wikipedia) • Disappearance and Reappearance Times (IOTA) • Occultation of Saturn (In-The-Sky)

>>> 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)