What’s Up in Denver? May 26th through June 1st, 2025

Name: Astronomy Night at Chamberlin Observatory
Start: 2025-05-27
End: 2025-05-27
Location: Chamberlin Observatory

by Editor on May 25, 2025 with No Comments

Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

May 26 – Memorial Day:

The Moon reaches perigee – its closest point to us in its orbit around Earth – at 2 UTC when it’s 223,085 miles (359,022 km) away.
New Strawberry Moon: 9:02 PM

May 27:

The Moon and Jupiter - Created with Stellarium — The Moon and Jupiter – Created with Stellarium

Check out the day old waxing crescent Strawberry Moon next to Jupiter in the constellation Taurus just after sunset.
Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG) – General Meeting for DAS Members: 7:00 PM (more info).

May 28:

The Moon and M35 - Created with Stellarium — The Moon and M35 – Created with Stellarium

DAS MakerSIG Meeting: 7:00 (Zoom)
Look for the waxing Strawberry Moon near the M35 Cluster – a bright open star cluster in the constellation Gemini, containing several hundred stars and easily visible through binoculars or a small telescope around 10PM.

May 29:

The Moon near Castor and Pollux - Created with Stellarium — The Moon near Castor and Pollux – Created with Stellarium

Check out the waxing crescent Strawberry Moon next to the twins, Castor and Pollux – the two brightest stars in the constellation Gemini, with Pollux being an orange giant and the brighter of the pair, while Castor is a multiple star system composed of six stars. Look for them high in the western skies around 10:00 PM

May 30:

Mercury will lie on the far side of the sun, reaching the point in its orbit known at 10:00 PM. Since it is behind the sun, it isn’t visible from Earth. It will re-emerge in the evening sky in June.
Cheyenne Mountain State Park Stargazing: 8:30 PM at the Cheyenne Mountain State Park Visitor’s Center.

May 31:

The Moon near Mars and the Beehive Cluster - Created with Stellarium — The Moon near Mars and the Beehive Cluster – Created with Stellarium

DAS Open House: Mars!: 8:00 PM at the Chamberlin Observatory
Standley Lake Stargazing Astronomy Night: Spring Constellations: 9:00 PM at the Majestic View Nature Center (registration required)
Westcliffe Public Star Party: Explore Scorpius, Sagittarius, and the Lagoon Nebula!: 9:30 PM at the Smokey Jack Observatory in Westcliffe, CO.
Catch the Moon next to Mars and the Beehive Cluster (M44) – a bright open star cluster in the constellation Cancer, visible to the naked eye under dark skies. Watch for these three to sync up in the western skies around 10 PM.

June 1:

Venus at greatest western elongation - Created with Stellarium — Venus at greatest western elongation – Created with Stellarium

Venus will appear to be about 46 degrees from the sun – the farthest it gets away from the sun from earth’s perspective. This position in its orbit is known as greatest western elongation. Look for this bright planet in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

Sky Map

The pdf map of the night sky from SkyMaps.com can be found at https://www.skymaps.com/skymaps

This Week’s Meteoric Activity:

You can keep track of the activity of meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal.

Anthelion (ANT): 1:00 AM local time in eastern Libra: 1 per hour.
eta Aquariids (ETA): last hour before dawn in northeastern Aquarius: 1-2 per hour.

Clear skies and happy stargazing!