An astronomical 'Top 10' list

It is always good to get responses from readers of this column, for one thing it lets me know there are people out there who are reading my astronomical ramblings.

Responses range from comments about how much they enjoy the column to questions about "What was that thing I saw last night," to "What do I look at."

That last question got me thinking about writing a column dealing with, just that, what should we look for, or at, for that matter.

With that in mind I recently found a nice bit of information from the good folks at Earth and Sky. Earth and Sky (earthsky.org/radio shows) is a radio program dealing with things terrestrial and astronomical.

On a recent program they dealt with that very idea, what do we look at, or look for. They called it their "Top Ten Tips for Stargazers." Here are some of the things they said.

No. 10. Look up. As simplistic as that sounds, it is the best place to start sky watching. Anytime you are outside, look up. Daytime or nighttime, look up. See what is up there. Did you know you can see the Moon in the daytime? You can, if you look at the right time of the month.

If you are outside after dark or in the early morning before sunrise look up, look all around, see what is there. Notice any bright objects (usually planets) or any patterns in the stars. I have been blathering about constellations long enough now that you should be able to find some of them and with the warmer temperatures coming you will be outside longer in the evenings, look up. Notice what is up there.

No. 9. Watch the Moon. The Moon is visible from anywhere. You don't need a dark sky place to see it. Right now the Moon is beginning its third quarter phase which means it is shrinking in size. Today it will rise at about 3:15 a.m. MDT and set a little before noon. That means if you want to see it you either have to be up very early or outside sometime during the morning hours. Why not go out now and look for it, look in the south or southwest in the late morning hours. Check the Moon phase list below and look for it on the dates mentioned, see what size it it, when does it rise or set and where is it in the sky. There is a handy little tool I use found at www.sunrisesunset.com/ Go to the link and click on custom settings then look for your state and city, yes, McCook is listed, I checked. You can define what product you want and print off the result.

Watch as the Moon changes shape over the month. Did you know we are going to have two full Moon's in May? That means the full Moon on May 31 will be a Blue Moon. We will discuss that in a later column.

Well, more of the top 10 next time.

SKY WATCH: Third quarter Moon tomorrow, Look for a conjunction of the Moon, Mars and Uranus in the east about an hour before sunrise on Saturday morning, May 12. Uranus will be above the Moon and Mars below and to the left, binoculars will be needed. Jupiter is rising now about 10 p.m. local time.

It will be highest above the southern horizon at about 3 a.m. between the constellations of Sagittarius and Scorpius. Saturn is high overhead in Leo in the early evening hours. New Moon on May 16, first quarter on May 23 and full Moon on May 31.

Next time, more stargazing tips.