Moon, Mercury make a splendid pair

It was beautiful! The excruciatingly thin crescent of a moon just hanging there in the evening sky with the bright, splendid dot of the planet Mercury riding just beneath it. Both could be seen in the same binocular field of view.

Here the moon was, resplendent with the low-key glow of earthshine--that reflection of sunlight off the surface of the Earth lighting the moon -- offering just a hint of the craters and maria that otherwise would be completely hidden.

At first we didn't think we would be able to observe the pairing. A minor thunderstorm had just moved through the area leaving a thick blanket of cloud blocking all view of the sky to the south and east. However, to the west was a cleared wedge of sky with only a few streaks of cloud left over.

Grabbing binoculars and heading for the car we drove to our favorite observing place just west of town. There, on the crest of a hill, we had a wonderful view of the cleared sky with the glittering gems of the moon and Mercury showing with no incumberances.

As the evening progressed other jewels began to dot the view. Up and to the right Capella, the brightest star in Auriga, the Charioteer, blazed forth. Overhead brilliant Castor and Pollox in Gemini added their worth along with red Mars just off to their left making a visible lineup of astronomical beauty.

Also overhead the Big Dipper appeared in its usual upside-down springtime position, appearing to pour its watery contents onto the Earth -- an appropriate celestial metaphor for the season.

Sirius was behind one of the thick cloud banks to the southwest, but I knew it was there from seeing it the previous evening. At that time of the evening Sirius blazes furiously, sparkling in the thick lower atmosphere in shades of white and blue and red -- a positively radiant object when viewed through a pair of binoculars.

Also hidden in the cloud banks to the south were Regulus and Saturn in Leo, the Lion. I had seen them the previous evening. If Saturn had been visible that evening it would have made three planets in one viewing.

Invisible in the sky glow from the setting sun was Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus, the Bull as were the bright stars of our old friend Orion, the Hunter. One of the constellations of winter, Orion is now leaving the evening sky for the summer but will come on stage again in the fall of the year to march majestically across the southern winter sky.

Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, the Maiden was likewise behind the cloud bank but its presence was inferred from previous sightings. A just-passed full moon will join Spica on the evening of May 16 to make a dazzling conjunction in the early evening sky.

Bright Arcturus in Bootes, the Herdsman could be found by following the arc in the handle of the Big Dipper and if the curve was followed further it will lead to Spica.

All-in-all, almost too much adventure for one evening. Guess we will just save some of it for later; let's go home and have some ice cream.

SKY WATCH: The stars of summer are making their presence known in the early evening. Vega, the brightest star in Lyra, the Lyre, is rising in the east just after sunset soon followed by its companion stars from the Summer Triangle Deneb in Cygnus, the Swan and Altair in Aquila, the Eagle. All are up and visible in the east and northeast by 11 pm. The heavy hitters of summer, Scorpius, the scorpion and Sagittarius, the Archer clear the southeastern horizon by 1:30 a.m. with very bright Jupiter lagging just behind the archer. The just-passed full moon will bracket Antares in Scorpius on May 20 and 21 after midnight and join Jupiter on Saturday, May 24, for an early morning conference.

Next time: More astronomical blathering.