Upcoming Conjunctions with the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter in May 2011

[iceman]

During the month of May 2011, we're in for a treat as four of the five naked eye planets will be close to each other (what we call a conjunction) in the pre-dawn sky.

To make it even better, the thin Crescent Moon joins the show on May 1st and May 30th/31st, and will be a beautiful sight visually and also present some fantastic photographic opportunities - well worth getting up for!

To find out more about the conjunctions during May, including where and how you can see them, sky charts for key dates during May, how to photograph the conjunctions, and even to learn more about what a conjunction actually is, then head to this article which has everything you need:

Upcoming Conjunctions Featuring the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter in May 2011 (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-624-0-0-1-0.html)

We'd love to see your images and read your reports from the event. Please share your experiences in our Solar System forum or on our Facebook page.

Good luck with the weather (it can't be cloudy during the whole month of May can it!??) and make sure you prepare early enough as the dawn light changes rapidly.

Cheers

[iceman]

If you're on Facebook, please 'Like' the article!

[iceman]

Only a few weeks to go now.

Have you decided where you'll view or photograph the conjunctions from?

The good news about these conjunctions is that the weather plays less of a role than normal. While it would be nice to be clear when the Moon is there, the planets will be close all month - and it can't be cloudy for the entire month, right? :)

[Suzy]

Hi Mike, thanks so much for informing us, and for that link. :thumbsup:

[leon]

Yep looking forward to this one, thanks for the Heads Up.

Leon

[DJVege]

Did you just tempt the Gods? Make a bet with Mother Nature? :)

[mozzie]

tomorrow morning there's a nice conjunction of 4 planets with mercury & mars only 0.6 deg apart.taking the binos out for this look lets hope the clouds keep away.....

[mithrandir]

For Sydneysiders with a good eastern horizon the ISS is supposed to pass through the Venus, Uranus, Mars, and Mercury conjunction, but CdC, Stellarium and Calsky all disagree as to when it happens.

CdC says 5:40 on the 20th
Stellarium says 6:18 on the 20th
Calsky says 5:04 on the 21st

If CdC or Calsky are right, it is just before sunrise. If Stellarium is right the sun is peeking over the horizon.

[mozzie]

it went between venus this morning thats all i could see cloud to the east as usual..oh well try tomorrow morning...

[Liz]

I also crawled outa bed for a peek, but cloudycloudycloudy. :shrug:

[mozzie]

the crescent moon is getting closer to the planets to make a nice conjunction!!! what's the bet this weather doesn't clear in time...

[iceman]

Yeh the weather is terrible here. Hope it clears on the weekend!

[Dennis]

Rain and clouds in Brisbane....

[SkyViking]

I saw Venus, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter this morning just before sunrise. A great sight, and with the crescent Moon approaching in the coming days it'll look even more majestic. Of course it'll probably be cloudy by then... but at least I got to enjoy it today :)

[h0ughy]

Well those in NSW on the coast can kiss the event goodbye as an east coast Low is parking itself off the coast. I had picked the prime location and have everything ready to go - was even going to do a timelapse but not to be:sadeyes: . Wished i could go somewhere else :) dry and cloud free. i hope the low moves off real quick..

[iceman]

Yeh, I regret those words now Dave. Weather looks shocking for the foreseeable future.

[mozzie]

hasn't the weather been shocking david the past week!!!!! everybody has had enough....

[Liz]

Come up to Townsville!! Looking not too bad. :D

[leon]

How would someone on the West Coast go at getting a good view of this event, :shrug: well that someone is me. :)

Obviously 2 hour difference, but would I still get that view, one can see I'm not really a Planet person. :shrug:

Leon :thumbsup:

[steve000]

hey leon.. download stellarium. once setup set the time in it to tommorow about 5am. and see where 2 loook etc.

everything started for me in QLD about 5am. just find somewhere with a decent eastern view. and u will get good images etc.

[steve000]

The clouds finally cleared for a crystal clear night.

I am going to punch someone at the BCC though. who thought it was a good idea to install a street light across from my place.

no ordinary street light.. one of those twin fluro on angle thingos that dont shine on the ground but shine everywhere else inc my bedroom, camera etc.

the lights blew a few months ago. maybe i need 2 make them blow again :P

Anyway... 5 mins drive later im parked across from an empty lot.

pics attached. im not very happy with them, tommorow hopefully i will try iso 100 instead of 1600. and better focus.

Taken with a 450D

[leon]

Thanks Steve, it was not problem has i had thought, just went out this morning to see where it might be, and found a lovely spot toward the East and saw the Moon and three of the Planets, so things should be fine.
Just have to get the best time.

Leon

[Dennis]

Hello,

Against the grain of the recent weather patterns and gloomy forecasts, the skies in Brisbane were clear this morning, Saturday, 30th April.:)

Having not expected this, we were unprepared, setting off hurriedly for the 15km drive to Mt Coot-tha at 4:30am. Along the way, I mentally rehearsed the camera settings procedure, as I had not touched the night skies for ages.

The only mistake I made was that although I did set the lens to Manual Focus, I did not subsequently check focus during the session. During the session, whilst tilting the camera from horizontal to vertical, I must have inadvertently touched the focus ring and disturbed the focus. Luckily, I was using a 17-40mm lens so I (almost) got away with it!:P

Moral of the story – plan, plan, plan and then rehearse at least once if you have not done this for over 2 years! Also, don’t shoot wide open – the corners were horrible!:(

Cheers

Dennis

[h0ughy]

wow some excellent results guys:thumbsup: - fully clouded out and raining here this morning i hope it clears a bit for tomorrow morning:question:

[Liz]

Wonderful images Dennis!! :thumbsup:

[Dennis]

And here’s one where I zoomed from 17mm to 40mm for that warp speed effect!:)

Cheers

Dennis

[jjjnettie]

Seems we all had some light pollution to deal with this morning.

"Conjunction over the Abbotoirs"
:rofl:

[StephenM]

Great shots Dennis! I'll be back at that same spot tomorrow morning for a follow-up shot from the one I took a week ago.

Weather forecast looks OK at this stage...

Cheers,
Stephen

[iceman]

Great shots guys, hoping tomorrow is clear!

[steve000]

you're not the only one.

if anyone is interested. I shot from here http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=&daddr=-27.32946,153.008759&hl=en&geocode=&mra=mift&mrsp=1&sz=18&sll=-27.329504,153.008764&sspn=0.003307,0.006866&ie=UTF8&ll=-27.329504,153.009789&spn=0.003307,0.004823&t=h&z=18

Heaps of on street parking and few lights towards the east east. If you are in the area I highly recommend this spot. If clear I will be there from about 4:30 onwards.. maybe I will see you there

[steve000]

Hey All,

Another cloudless day.. i swear the world is ending, brisbane 2 cloudless days in a row!

attached 3 images.. amazing morning.

[Dennis]

Nice work Steve; good catch of Uranus too.

Neptune was higher up out of frame, and you may have even captured the area of sky where Eris is currently located.

Cheers

Dennis

[leon]

Hi Guys, well here is my humble attempt from Kalbarri on the West Coast of WA.
It is a little hard to see, :whistle: but all four planets are in there, honest, ;) plus of coarse the Moon, hope you like it.

Leon :thumbsup:

[Dennis]

I can see them all Leon – they stick out like a sore thumb on my computer display!

Is that an in-flight seagull on the LHS, or a dust spot on your sensor?

Cheers

Dennis

[steve000]

I had a look at the original and yes i did cap the area that Eris is in. i could pinpoint it almost... cept its mag 19 :p

but technically it is there :D

[steve000]

MATE!!! OMG.. wake up a little earlier and take that same image! look at your eastern horizon its dead flat! talk about envy

[leon]

Thanks guys, for you comments.

Dennis that spot is only on one frame, i suspect it is a bug or something, :shrug: the place is alive with insects during the day, they get up early mate. :lol: :lol:

Leon :thumbsup:

[mork]

Hi All,

I have been "lurking" for a while. The time has come where I can contribute something for once. Photos from 1st (yes!)and one from 2nd May (cloudy but a least a nice sunrise).

http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/25160360/1/110501_Conjunction_Venus_Mercury_Mo on_Jupiter?h=6794bb (http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/25160360/1/110501_Conjunction_Venus_Mercury_Mo on_Jupiter?h=6794bb)


Regards,
Pieter

[mithrandir]

We spent the weekend between Scone and Quirindi. Perfect skies for most of the time. At a quick glance these are probably the best of my conjunctions shots. SQM at 5:15am was 19.36. The overnight skies were to die for. SQM range from worst 21.41 to best 21.76.

[gary]

Article in today's Sydney Morning Herald about alignment of Mercury, Venus, Mars
and Jupiter at around 05:00 AEST over the current period.
See http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/planets-to-align-in-australian-sky-this-friday-20110511-1eici.html

[h0ughy]

lets hope it clears

[Markaus]

first time ive seen it, headed out at 5.30 this morning. shame i have a TV antenna in the view :)

[iceman]

Was a lovely morning. Wouldn't have minded a few clouds for drama in the sky but it was a great view.

[Deeno]

Had a sticky myself this morning, quite a sight!

[Crash Nebula]

Is it going to get high enough in the sky before it gets light to be seen with general suburban things in the way? I'm keen to head out tomorrow morning to show a friend and get some photos, but I'm worried there will be houses/etc in the way...

[iceman]

Yes for sure - at least, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will. Mars will be tougher.

I'm sure you'll be able to see it in the gaps between houses, or go to a local park etc.

[Jeeps]

There's no way i was getting up that early this morning however my daughter has the flu and i had to get up to give her some meds. Afterwards i noticed it was still dark, the sky was getting lighter slightly but don't ask me what time it was. Then i remembered the conjunction and raced over to the eastern window and there it was in all it's glory! What a sight!

cheers

[iceman]

I'm going to go to the Sydney Observatory tomorrow morning to do some photography of the conjunction.

They're having some viewing breakfast thingy (http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/2011/2011-05-13-early-morning-planetary-alignment/) as well (which I'm not going to), but there should be a bunch of people around.

Might see someone there?

[h0ughy]

great - being the media buff you are i am sure they will track you down - especially wearing the beanie and t shirts LOL

[iceman]

.. and the bunch of stickers stuck on the walls of the Observatory ;)

[Nugeorge]

This would have been great to go to seeing as I'm near the city, but sold out unfortunately :mad2:.

Hopefully I can get a good view from the backyard tomorrow morning - is it worth getting a telescope setup for the viewing or will the early light be a problem (along with being near the city).

[leon]

George your eyes will give you more pleasure with this lot, with a scope you probably wont get the lot in view at the same time.

Leon

[Waxing_Gibbous]

Well you can have mine if that'll help!!:mad2:

I bleedin' HATE winter!

[iceman]

I'm just going to observatory hill park, don't need any tickets for that! :)

[mozzie]

nice and clear here this morning.. wow nice conjunction,we'll be old people before we see this again!!!!

[Heath]

It's an amazing astronomical event here in Melbourne! The clouds have decided to have a conjunction party of their own and have perfectly aligned!

[iceman]

I was at Observatory Hill, and took this with my iPhone.

Steven Jacobs (I think) from Channel 9 doing a weather broadcast, talking about the conjunction.

I was kind of disappointed with the location I chose. I struggled back and forth trying to think of a good location. I got some photos but it's not what I hoped in my head. Needed to be more front on with the bridge but couldn't get to a location within walking distance of work.
I was also disappointed that the lights on the bridge weren't on :(

Need to stick to the seascapes ;)

In any case, I was lucky to get across the Harbour Bridge on the train when I did (5am this morning). Now they've closed the bridge down because some guy is up on top protesting.

[h0ughy]

yeah you are right Mike - pretty ordinary location;) but you were close to being on tele:rofl: as for the lights on the bridge - there was a guy on there wanting to jump i think

here is some from where i was this morning (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=75593)

[gary]

Hi Mike,

I'd hate to think what time you have been getting up lately on the Central Coast to get to
the city to catch the conjunction and then get to work. :lol:

Anyway, as you mentioned, the early bird routine paid off well for you given
the 1.5 hour bridge closure this morning and subsequent traffic meltdown.

Mind you, given the light pollution of Sydney, I never thought I would hear an
amateur astronomer utter the words "I was also disappointed that the lights on the
bridge weren't on" and yesterday you mentioned, "wouldn't have minded a few cloud for drama." :lol:

We arose at 4:30 this morning to watch the planets from Mt Kuring-Gai looking across
the National Park in the direction of Pittwater. A beautiful sight as they shone
bright but Mars was partly diminished in the thin cloud and haze nearer the horizon.

Would have been a treat for anyone sitting on the left side of the plane flying
down from Asia this morning.

Good luck with the photos! :thumbsup:

[iceman]

Thanks Gary :)

My eyes are definitely red and gritty - I've had some very early mornings over the past week. Getting up at 4am (or today, 3:40am) is starting to wear me down.

Tomorrow morning is a sleep in, but will be up early again on Sunday morning for some more photos at Terrigal then some running up and down the skillion :)

But the early start definitely was an advantage this morning - would've been very frustrated to be stuck on the train with all my camera gear. Trying to take a photo out of the blurry dirty train windows ;)

[alphamone]

I got a couple of shots of Mercury, Venus and Jupiter (and i may just have gotten a moon of jupiter, not too sure) this morning. Mars was just too low to the horizon to get into the picture from my location though. I will probably upload them later.

[cookie8]

On the Friday 13th Conjunction, there was a star fairly bright between Mars and Venus. I believe its in Pisces. Can anybody able to identify the star??

[Liz]

Absolutely Vincent, its in Pisces, and is Hip 8198 per stellarium. :)

[mithrandir]

Vincent, according to Simbad it has 30 names, of which the most recognisable are:

omi Psc
110 Psc
GSC 00622-00574
HD 10761
HIC 8198
SAO 110110
TYC 622-574-1

I've identified most of the stars using the SAO catalog in my image here (http://cid-628ad00a20e17fe3.photos.live.com/self.aspx/Astro/DSC03408.jpeg).

Andrew

[noswonky]

Here's a video I shot of the conjunction on the morning of May 12th....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqjCALYr89U

[hickny]

Here is the best of my photos taken on 13th May from the front verandah in the inner west of Sydney.

[zardos123]

:Pi tried a few nights including last night here are a few
regards brad

[iceman]

Excellent Brad! Love those.
Catherine Hill Bay is a lovely spot.

[madwayne]

I have been missing in action for the past 12 months, the weather, buying a house and generally doing anything but astro have all played their part but a recent trip to Mudgee at SASI's annual members star party has got me hooked again.

Here a couple of conjunction photos. The first is among the vines in Mudgee on Sunday 1 May just before sunrise. The second was taken Saturday 14 May from Monteray on the banks of Botany Bay shooting toward Port Botany.

Interesting to see just how far the planets move on what is essentially a small time frame.

Enjoy and thanks for looking.

Wayne

[iceman]

Nice photos Wayne! welcome back!

[iceman]

Had a write-up in the local paper yesterday :)

They interviewed me over the phone last week.

[h0ughy]

ROFL - well now we know your Malin entry Mike;)

[mork]

I posted a few more shots from from Wollongong taken this Sunday morning for you to look at at http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/25160360/1/110522_Conjunction_Venus_Mercury_Mo on_Jupiter?h=b06d67

Regards,
Pieter

[Liz]

Lovely images Pieter, a lovely morning at the beach. :thumbsup:
Jupiter is certainly scooting along now. :)

[mork]

Thanks Liz.

It was a particularly fine morning and its a great spot.

There is a rock pool there where I swim every morning, typically start at about 6:00. Its been really interesting watching the planets jockey for position over the past 4 weeks.

Thank you to the Ice In Space folk for giving me the "heads up" that this was happening.

Regards,
Pieter

[luigi]

I have setup a special gallery on my website for the Conjunctions:

http://www.luisargerich.com/may2011

Weather has been (is) really bad here in Buenos Aires, I missed several nice configurations of the planets but will try to get what I can while it lasts.
I've been waking up at 5am and returning home with nothing for several days...

[Liz]

They are bful images Luis. :thumbsup:

I glanced out the window this am but cloudy, so back to sleep. Good on you for still trying, as Jupiter wont be in that set for much longer.

[iceman]

Excellent Luis, really nice colours.

[Mariner]

Hi All,
I have been looking the great pics. THought I would submit a couple of mine as I haven't seen any posted with all four planets on the 12th yet.
A caveat though..... I am a very average photographer and don't really know what I am doing that much with regards to this field of endeavour - lots of unbridled enthusiam and playing around with exposure times and aperture a bit.

I have compressed these files down to about...nothing but you can still see good colour in Mercury. In a few of them you can see Mars near the eaves of my house. Uranus was up there somewhere, but I couldn't even get it through a scope...

regards,F.

[Liz]

Nicely done Frank. :thumbsup:

Will be sad to see these guys separate, and go their own way.

[firstlight]

Good work Frank. Here is my saga from the 12th http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=75587

Cheers
Tony

[Mariner]

Hi Tony,
Sorry to hear that about your photos not saving. Can't say I have had it happen to me (yet) but I have forgotten to charge batteries for important events and missed the whole thing - bar a few v/poor mobile phone pics... Anyway, I digresss, the first shot you got was amazing! Very sharp with nice colours of the city below - better one great shot than a million ordinary ones.

Good Luck, F.