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March 4, 2026

Centreville Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Centreville

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March 2026 Sky-Watch Total Eclipse and Spring by Dennis Herrmann

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An early morning Total Eclipse of the Moon is the highlight of March skies this year for skywatchers. Although the eclipse will be visible across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as in Australia and Asia, those in the Eastern Time Zone will see only the first half of the eclipse.

The Full Moon rises on March 2nd among the stars of Leo. After midnight on March 3rd the Moon will begin to enter the Earth’s shadow , beginning the partial phase of the eclipse, at 4:50 am EST (eastern standard time). This will also be at 3:50 am in the central time zone. The Moon will appear to darken as it progresses into Earth’s shadow and will begin to assume an orange hue.

When totality begins at 6:04 am (EST) with the Moon completely inside Earth’s shadow, we will find it hard to see with twilight from the rising of the Sun interferring, and the Moon’s low altitude above the western horizon. Sunrise on March 3rd (EST) will be at 7:10 am.

This is why skywatchers in the eastern time zone will see only about half of the eclipse. But it is still worthwhile to look, especially between 5:00 and 6:10 am. In the Central Time zone the Moon will be 20 degrees above the western horizon, and observers in the Mountain and Pacific zones will see the total eclipse in a dark sky.

Venus is a bright and easy target in the western evening sky 40 minutes after sunset all month. On March 7th and 8th much dimmer Saturn is just left and slightly above Venus. Binoculars may be necessary to see the ringed planet. By the end of March Saturn will be lost in the glare of the Sun for awhile.

Jupiter is March’s dominant planet sitting at its highest altitude in the southern sky at 8:30 pm (EST) on March 1st, and 7:30 pm (EDT) on March 31st. We revert to Daylight Savings Time on the night of March 7/8; pushing our clocks ahead one hour when we retire for the night.

Vernal Equinox, the first day of spring, occurs exactly at 10:46 am (EDT) on March 20th. Daytime and nighttime are approximately equal then. Day length gradually increases each day after this until mid-June, with the Sun appearing higher in the sky with each passing day. This is all due to the tilt of Earth and the changes of the position of the Earth in our orbital revolution around the Sun.

Dennis Herrmann developed a life-long interest in astronomy at an early age and got his first telescope at the age of 12. Through his 43 years of teaching at Kent County High School he taught Astronomy and Earth/Space Science and coached track and field and cross country. He led and participated in numerous workshops on astronomy at the Air and Space Museum (DC), the Maryland Science Center, and the Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society. He loves sharing and explaining the night sky to increase understanding and enjoyment of it to folks of all ages.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

February 2026 Sky-Watch By Dennis Herrmann

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Jupiter, king of our Solar System’s planets, continues to dominate the night sky in February.  Lying inside the zodiac constellation Gemini (twins), which sits well up in the eastern sky, it is the brightest object there and cannot be missed.  Jupiter is visible all night.  Look for the gibbous Moon just above Jupiter on February 27th.
Saturn is gradually getting harder to see but may be viewed with several other planets in the western sky shortly after sunset in the first half of February.  Look for the ringed planet about 35 degrees above the horizon in the first two weeks of the month.  But on February 18th a nice grouping of objects occurs.
On February 18th Saturn will be the highest; 30 degrees above the western horizon.  Mercury will be 15 degrees below the ringed planet, with the slim crescent Moon just to its left.  And very close to the horizon and below Mercury, Venus, the brightest of all these objects may be seen, especially for sky-watchers who have a good clear view right down to the western horizon.
In the latter half of February both Saturn and Mercury will appear to swing down toward the Sun with Mercury disappearing by March.  Saturn will be even harder to see in March and will be lost in the glare of the Sun by month’s end.  Venus however, will gradually appear to appear higher toward March.  Mars remains invisible to us again this month.
February 2nd is the exact mid-point between the Winter Solstice, the first day of winter, and the Vernal Equinox, the first day of spring.  Despite whatever the Ground Hog sees this day; shadow or nor shadow, spring is still 6 weeks away.  However the night sky offers a hint of springs arrival in mid-February.  Looking east around 8 or 9 pm Zodiac constellation Leo the lion pushes its backwards question mark shape into the sky.  Leo lies high in the south in April and May.  In February we see the front of Leo as the promise of spring to come!
Look for the waxing crescen tMoon very close to the Pleiades open star cluster on February 23rd  Binoculars should show both in the same field of view.  Also look for an early Full Moon this February; on February 1st.

 

Dennis Herrmann developed a life-long interest in astronomy at an early age and got his first telescope at the age of 12. Through his 43 years of teaching at Kent County High School he taught Astronomy and Earth/Space Science and coached track and field and cross country. He led and participated in numerous workshops on astronomy at the Air and Space Museum (DC), the Maryland Science Center, and the Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society. He loves sharing and explaining the night sky to increase understanding and enjoyment of it to folks of all ages.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

January 2026 Sky-Watch By Dennis Herrmann

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A new year for sky-watchers begins with Jupiter coming into opposition on January 10th.  This means that Jupiter appears to us opposite the Sun in the sky, with the giant planet rising in the eastern evening sky as the Sun sets in the western sky.  This also means that Earth is closer to Jupiter now than we have been in the last 13 months.  Therefore Jupiter is and will be unmistakably bright all through the winter months.
Jupiter lies just below zodiac constellation Gemini and is 6 times brighter than the two first magnitude stars, Pollux and Castor, that mark the heads of the Gemini twins.  Jupiter always provides a wealth of observable features.  It dazzles to the naked eye and binoculars reveal its 4 brightest moons arranged around it. Sometimes there will be two on each side of the planet and at other times 3 on one side, one on the other.  Watching over the course of several hours or on successive days will show this “dance” as the moons orbit Jupiter.
Though telescopes Jupiter’s banded atmosphere shows up with two dark equatorial bands and viewing patiently over time, many other shaded lines will emerge and shift as Jupiter’s atmosphere churns.  The Great Red Spot near the southern equatorial belt, a huge long-lasting cyclonic storm may also be seen.  Jupiter rotates in only 10 hours and 50 minutes so that its features shift rather quickly, only to return nearly as fast.
Meanwhile, Saturn remains a good sight this month now shifted over to the southwestern sky.  It remains visible among the star of Pisces until just before midnight, when it sets. Telescopes reveal its rings still only open a few degrees to our line of sight, so they look quite thin.
But Neptune still lies along the same line of sight as Saturn so that using binoculars at Saturn and looking just above and left (around 11:00 o’clock on a clock face) we can spot a pale blue dot that will be Neptune.
Very early on New Year’s Day morning in the eastern sky, Mercury may be spotted 30 minutes before sunrise.  Mars and Venus will not be visible in January as both are in conjunction with the Sun.
The mid-winter evening sky looking due south is the brightest over all the year, with 8 of the sky’s 20 brightest stars, along with dozens of bright 2nd and 3rd magnitude stars present.  The constellations of winter are easy to spot with mighty Orion, the hunter, right in the middle.  Below and left of Orion is the brightest star Sirius in Canis Major, the dog.  Canis Minor, the smaller dog, is  up and left of Sirius, and Gemini easily marked by Jupiter this month, is just above it.  Near the top of the sky is Auriga, a large pentagon-shaped group, and down left and alongside Orion is the V-shaped head of Taurus the bull.  All of these combine for a lovely sight on clear, cold winter nights.
January’s Full Moon is early in the month, on January 3rd.

 

Dennis Herrmann developed a life-long interest in astronomy at an early age and got his first telescope at the age of 12. Through his 43 years of teaching at Kent County High School he taught Astronomy and Earth/Space Science and coached track and field and cross country. He led and participated in numerous workshops on astronomy at the Air and Space Museum (DC), the Maryland Science Center, and the Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society. He loves sharing and explaining the night sky to increase understanding and enjoyment of it to folks of all ages.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

December 2025 Sky-Watch By Dennis Herrmann

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The Annual Planetarium Christmas Program presented by the Kent County High School Planetarium and Radio Station (WKHS – FM 90.5) will return for its 37th year on six nights in December (December 11, and 12; and then the following week December 15, 16, 18, and 19) at 7:00 o’clock pm.   No admission is charged and seasonal refreshments will be offered.
The theme for the  2025 program is “I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS,” inspired by the well-known Christmas carol of the same name which soared to the top of the hit parade in 1942 when many could not be home for Xmas due to World War II. As usual the traditions of Xmas will be explored along with a good dose of the night time sky.
Winter Solstice arrives on December 21st at 10:00 am.  This is the official first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere when the Sun is at its lowest above the southern horizon at noon.  (26 ½ degrees above the horizon at our latitude (39 degrees north).  Sky-watchers have longer nights in which to delight in the sky’s wonders this month and into the next.
Saturn is easy to spot in the south/southwest sky all month, and until the crescent Moon arrives December 26th, will be the brightest object there.  Neptune can also be seen with binoculars using Saturn as a guide, looking slightly up and left of the ringed planet.  Saturn’s rings seen edge on most recently will appear to open slightly this month (seen through a telescope).
Jupiter rises about 8 pm in the eastern sky brightening and growing in size all month.  We are moving closer to Jupiter as we orbit the Sun right now.  We will be at our closest to the giant planet since last year in January 2026.  A waning gibbous Moon stands just above and left of Jupiter on the 8th.  The longer nights this month would allow sky-watchers with telescopes to see the entire surface of Jupiter in one night as it rotates in just 10 hrs.
Venus and Mars are close to conjunction with the Sun and are not visible this month.  but the Geminid meteor shower peaks on December 14th.
The Geminid meteor shower is known for bright meteors and isone of the best of the year’s meteor showers.  One hundred meteors per hour are not unusual.  The best time to look is from midnight to 3 am toward Gemini, high up 70 degrees in the southern sky.  A waning crescent Moon may interfere somewhat, but only for the dimmer meteors.

Dennis Herrmann developed a life-long interest in astronomy at an early age and got his first telescope at the age of 12. Through his 43 years of teaching at Kent County High School he taught Astronomy and Earth/Space Science and coached track and field and cross country. He led and participated in numerous workshops on astronomy at the Air and Space Museum (DC), the Maryland Science Center, and the Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society. He loves sharing and explaining the night sky to increase understanding and enjoyment of it to folks of all ages.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

November 2025 Sky-Watch By Dennis Herrmann

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Daylight Savings time officially ends at 2 am on Sunday November 2nd.  Most of us set our clocks back one hour when we retire for the night on November 1st so we are on time the next morning.  Darkness descends an hour earlier on November 2nd,  so sky-watchers can start looking at the night sky at an earlier “clock” time.
Darkness will continue to increase compared to daylight all month and on until December 22nd, the date of Winter Solstice, when the Sun at noon will be at its lowest in the sky for the entire year.  Thereafter daylight time will gradually increase.  The tilt of the Earth is the cause of seasonal changes as we orbit the Sun.
Mercury moves from the evening sky to the morning sky in November.  On November 9th Mercury lies just to the right of Antares (brightest star in Scorpius) low in the southwestern sky around 5:30 pm.  Binoculars will help to spot it.
By November, Mercury’s orbit will have taken it around to the eastern morning sky where it may be spotted just above much brighter Venus, 30 minutes before sun-up.  Venus will point the way to Mercury just above and a bit left of it. Binoculars will help to see them since they are so close to the horizon.
Saturn spends the month high in the southeastern sky among the stars of Aquarius.  On November 2nd, the nearly Full Moon will pass just below Saturn.  Full Moon is actually on November 5th.  Though Saturn will dim a bit this month it will be visible all night, and the Moon will be near it again on November 25th.
Jupiter is rising in the eastern sky around 11 pm when November begins and its brightness will be increasing all month.  It lies below the two brightest stars in Gemini, Castor and Pollux.  A waning gibbous moon will be below the giant planet November 9/10.
This year’s annual Leonid meteor shower peaks November 17/18.  Meteors appear to come from the area of sky where we find Leo the lion constellation which rises around midnight in the eastern sky.  As usual with meteor watching the best time is 1 to 2 hours before sunrise as Earth’s rotation turns us toward the meteor stream.  Look toward the front of Leo at its “sickle-shaped” grouping of stars (which also looks like a backwards question mark).
Happy Thanksgiving!

Dennis Herrmann developed a life-long interest in astronomy at an early age and got his first telescope at the age of 12. Through his 43 years of teaching at Kent County High School he taught Astronomy and Earth/Space Science and coached track and field and cross country. He led and participated in numerous workshops on astronomy at the Air and Space Museum (DC), the Maryland Science Center, and the Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society. He loves sharing and explaining the night sky to increase understanding and enjoyment of it to folks of all ages.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Fall Planets October 2025 Sky-Watch By Dennis Herrmann

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October opens with Saturn, just about a week past opposition, high up in the eastern sky after dark and visible all night.  Look for it just below the nearly Full Moon on October 5th.  Full Moon is one night later.

This month the tilt of Saturn’s rings narrows so that only larger telescopes will reveal them clearly.  The variation of Saturn’s and Earth’s orbital planes around the Sun cause this.  Most of the time we, on Earth, are either above Saturn’s orbital plane, or below it.  But now we coincide with its plane from our point of view.

Saturn’s continues to be the guide for our finding Neptun through binoculars.  Centering the ringed planet in a binoculars field of view, Neptune may be seen at the outer edge of that field.  That would be at 11:00 o’clock if the field of view were a clock face.  Currently Neptune is 2.7 billion miles from Earth, while Saturn is 816 million miles away!

On the night of October 9/10 the Moon, just 3 days past Full, will appear to pass through the Pleiades open star cluster in the eastern sky.  It will temporarily block several of the Pleiades stars, especially between 11 pm and 1 am that night.

Jupiter comes up in the eastern night sky around 12:30 am local time on October 1st but will be well up in the east before midnight by October 31st.  Jupiter appears below and left of Gemini’s two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux.  The waning crescent Moon will be above Jupiter in the early morning hours of October 13th before dawn.

Jupiter always pleases sky-watchers with telescopes because of its colorful cloud bands.  Watching Jupiter with patience over several minutes through the eyepiece will reveal other swirling details in its active atmosphere.

Brilliant Venus continues to shine in the eastern sky before dawn, but its altitude is shrinking as its orbit is bringing it around between us and the Sun.  Next month it will be lost in the glare of the Sun for a while.  Note the crescent Moon near Venus on October 19th and near Spica, brightest star in Virgo on October 31st.

Dennis Herrmann developed a life-long interest in astronomy at an early age and got his first telescope at the age of 12. Through his 43 years of teaching at Kent County High School he taught Astronomy and Earth/Space Science and coached track and field and cross country. He led and participated in numerous workshops on astronomy at the Air and Space Museum (DC), the Maryland Science Center, and the Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society. He loves sharing and explaining the night sky to increase understanding and enjoyment of it to folks of all ages.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Planet Conjunctions and Meteors August 2025 Sky-Watch by Dennis Herrmann

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Another opportunity to see Neptune with help from Saturn presents itself in August, following the conjunction of the two planets at the end of June.  This month Neptune and Saturn will appear very close on August 6th in the eastern morning sky between 4 an5 am.
Neptune is 1.9 billion miles beyond Saturn in the solar system and very dim because it is so far away.  But it can be seen with binoculars or small telescope just above Saturn on August 6th.
Saturn and Neptune rise together around 10:30 pm on August 1st, so by August 6th they will be well up in the eastern morning sky.  Saturn, among the dim star of Pisces, will be easy to spot with the unaided eye. Find Saturn and using binoculars find Neptune as a blue-green dot just above it.  This month, using small telescopes, the underside of Saturn’s ring system will be seen.
On February 15, 2026 there will be another close conjunction between Saturn and Neptune.
The two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, will head for a close conjunction of their own on August 11 and 12.  Venus at magnitude -4.0 rises around 3 am in the eastern sky on August 1st and will maintain an altitude of about 20 degrees most of the month by an hour before sunrise.  Jupiter will be rising a bit later and will appear to close in on Venus for the next 10 days.  By August 11th the two bright planets will be just 2 Moon widths apart and be side by side the next morning August 12th.  For a few days on either side of this closest approach Venus and Jupiter will be a dazzling sight!  And on August 19th a crescent Moon will be in the same area of sky!
August always brings sky-watchers the year’s best Meteor shower; the Perseids.  Unfortunately, August’s Full Moon is on the 9th and will impact the peak nights of the Perseids, August 11/12.  However,  the Perseids are often very bright so looking to the northeastern sky between 3 am and dawn is still worthwhile.  Focus your eyes about halfway up to the zenith (top of the sky).
The Perseids are debris from Comet 109P Swift-Tuttle which last passed through the inner solar system in 1992; and will return again in 2092.
August this year brings sky-watchers some really fantastic sights!

Dennis Herrmann developed a life-long interest in astronomy at an early age and got his first telescope at the age of 12. Through his 43 years of teaching at Kent County High School he taught Astronomy and Earth/Space Science and coached track and field and cross country. He led and participated in numerous workshops on astronomy at the Air and Space Museum (DC), the Maryland Science Center, and the Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society. He loves sharing and explaining the night sky to increase understanding and enjoyment of it to folks of all ages.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

July 25 Sky-Watch Planets and Meteors by Dennis Herrmann

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This July Mars appears low in our western sky for an hour or two after sunset.  Spotting it will be made easier if binoculars are used.  Mars’ orbital motion against out skies is taking it across southern Leo and towards Virgo.
On July 1st Mars is just right(west) of Regulus, brightest star in Leo, while a nice waxing crescent Moon is just below and left of the red planet.  Later,  on July 27th, a slender crescent Moon will be seen to the right (west) of Mars.  By then, Mars will have moved into Virgo.  On July 28th the Moon will be left and below Mars.  Look for them one hour after sunset in the west because they will be quite low to the horizon.
Little detail of Mars’ surface will be visible even through telescopes this month because Mars is quite far away from Earth just now.
Binoculars will, however, allow us to find very distant Neptune because it appears rather close to Saturn all month.  Neptune will appear as a bluish dot of light just above (1 degree) Saturn.  And on July 16th the waning crescent Moon is just above Saturn with Neptune in between the two planets.  Look for all these in the early morning eastern sky, well placed above the horizon 2 hours before sunrise.
At its peak of July 31st, the southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower should produce 15 to 20 meteors per hour.  Look for them in the southwestern sky 1 hour before sunrise.  We can look forward to next month’s Perseid meteor shower, always one of the year’s best , when it will peak.
Venus remains very bright and easy to spot in the eastern sky before dawn.  Its brightness will give us a chance to see another of the outer most planets of our solar system with binoculars.  Uranus will be close to Venus on the morning of July 4th.  Imagine a clock face with Venus at the center and look toward 10 o’clock with binoculars.  the Pleiades star cluster will be there, and Uranus may be seen between it and Venus.
Just knowing we can see Uranus and the already mentioned Neptune; both so very distant from us is thrilling, even though we won’t be able to see any surface details.
Watch Venus throughout the month:  on July 14th it will be very close to Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus; a crescent Moon will be just above it on the 21st; and on the 28th Venus will be up near one of Taurus; “horn” stars.
Finally, Jupiter begins to move into our eastern morning sky but remains fairly low.  Watch near the eastern horizon on July 23rd when it appears with a nice crescent Moon to its left.
July’s Full Moon is on the 10th.
Dennis Herrmann developed a life-long interest in astronomy at an early age and got his first telescope at the age of 12. Through his 43 years of teaching at Kent County High School he taught Astronomy and Earth/Space Science and coached track and field and cross country. He led and participated in numerous workshops on astronomy at the Air and Space Museum (DC), the Maryland Science Center, and the Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society. He loves sharing and explaining the night sky to increase understanding and enjoyment of it to folks of all ages.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

June 2025 Sky-Watch Neptune May Be Seen by Dennis Herrmann

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Neptune, the farthest planet out from the Sun at 1.9 billion miles, cannot be seen without optical aid, and then only when one knows exactly where to look.  But on the morning of June 29th we will have a unique opportunity to be able to spot Neptune with binoculars.  On that morning in the eastern sky before dawn it will appear just one degree above the planet Saturn.
Saturn itself is rising in the eastern sky around 2:30 am on June 1st.  But it does not gain much altitude to be easily seen until an hour before dawn.  By June 29th however,  its altitude will have doubled, and it will be easier to see.  Point binoculars at it on the 29th around 4:30 am and you will see just above and slightly right of Saturn a bluish dot that will be Neptune.  Though other dim stars are in the region they are all in different locations around Saturn, so Neptune should be easy to find.  Seeing any details even with a small telescope will be difficult; but just knowing that you are seeing the real planet at its great distance from us will be a real treat!
By the way, Saturn’s rings have a narrow tilt currently as seen from Earth.  We will be looking at the southern face of Saturn’s rings for a while.  Thus we will have a clearer view of the entire disk of Saturn.  This happens because Earth and Saturn orbit the Sun on slightly different planes.  Over time we are “above” Saturn’s orbit, and later we are below it.  So our view of the ringed planet changes slightly.
The eastern morning sky also has the brightest planet we can see, and it is impossible to miss.  Venus at peak brightness lies among the sky region where the Pleiades and Hyades open star clusters are found (near Taurus); and the waning crescent Moon will be in this same area between June 22 and 24.
Mars will be the only planet visible before midnight that may be seen with ease.  It will be marked with a waxing crescent Moon just above it on June 1st.  This pairing will be seen well up in the western sky.  One June 16th Mars will appear in conjunction (very close to) with Regulus, the bright 1st magnitude star in Leo.  Mars’ reddish color contrasts nicely with the blue-white color of the hot star Regulus.
June’s Full Moon is on the 11th.
Dennis Herrmann developed a life-long interest in astronomy at an early age and got his first telescope at the age of 12. Through his 43 years of teaching at Kent County High School he taught Astronomy and Earth/Space Science and coached track and field and cross country. He led and participated in numerous workshops on astronomy at the Air and Space Museum (DC), the Maryland Science Center, and the Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society. He loves sharing and explaining the night sky to increase understanding and enjoyment of it to folks of all ages.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

May 2025 sky-watch by Dennis Herrmann

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Planet highlights are somewhat reduced this month although Mars makes a nice addition to the dim Zodiac constellation, Cancer the Crab.  On May 1st use binoculars to find Mars quite close to M44, the “Beehive Cluster;” an open cluster of stars found in Cancer.  Cancer lies in the western sky between the Gemini twins and Leo the lion which are brighter zodiac “bookends” to Cancer.  Mars is the brightest object in this area of the sky.
Leo has a 1st magnitude star (Regulus) at the bottom of the “backwards question mark” shape formed by the front of Leo.  Another 1st magnitude star (Spica) may be seen in the middle of the next Zodiac constellation to the left of Leo.  Both are blue-white stars and bright; but dimmer than Mars.
Jupiter is way over in the western sky appearing to draw closer to the Sun.  By 9:30 pm it will have set.  For the first half of May Jupiter will be seen close to the horizon and mostly in twilight.  However, it is still bright enough to be seen, especially through telescopes.  By June it will be lost in the glare of the Sun, but will return to view later in the summer in the eastern morning sky before dawn.
In the eastern morning sky now, Venus is very bright before sunrise.  On May 23rd look for it when the waning crescent Moon will be found just above and to the right of it.  Saturn will be found just to the right of the Moon.
Neptune lies in this same spot in the sky and on May 23rd it might be seen above and left of Saturn, but only with binoculars as a dim green dot.
Saturn will continue to gain altitude this month and into the summer eastern sky, and Venus’ orbit will appear to take in farther away from the Sun.  Both planets will be even easier to see into June and beyond this summer.
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks on May 5th.  Looking east from 2:30 to 4:30 pm, above where Venus and Saturn lie close to the horizon, may reveal several dozen very fast-moving meteors per hour caused by remnant dust particles from Halley’s Comet.
May’s Full Moon shines on May 12th.
Dennis Herrmann developed a life-long interest in astronomy at an early age and got his first telescope at the age of 12. Through his 43 years of teaching at Kent County High School he taught Astronomy and Earth/Space Science and coached track and field and cross country. He led and participated in numerous workshops on astronomy at the Air and Space Museum (DC), the Maryland Science Center, and the Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society. He loves sharing and explaining the night sky to increase understanding and enjoyment of it to folks of all ages.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.