Crescent moon above Jupiter at dawn May 28
27 May 2011, 08:01 UTC
If you’re up before daybreak on May 28, look for the dazzling planet Jupiter beneath the waning crescent moon. Although we also show the planets Venus and Mars on our sky chart, viewers from northerly latitudes may find it hard to see these two worlds – especially Mars.
At mid-northern latitudes, you’ll need an unobstructed eastern horizon, clear skies, and possibly binoculars to spot Venus close to the horizon. In fact, you might not see Mars at all, with or without an optical aid. South of the equator, however, it’ll be much easier to see Venus and Mars – and even the planet Mercury below Venus.
The moon looks so much larger than the king planet Jupiter because the moon’s so much closer to us. Our closest celestial neighbor, the moon, lies about a quarter million miles away. Jupiter – the 5th planet in orbit outward from the sun – lurks way beyond the moon at more than 2,000 times the moon’s distance.
Jupiter is the largest and most massive planet in the solar system. If Jupiter stood at the moon’s distance from Earth, its great big disk would appear some 1,600 times larger than the lunar disk in ...
