Star*Points for May, 2014 May?s Parade of Planets May nights offer the chance to see all six planets known to the ancients. This month?s column is a travel guide to help you see them for yourself. The best seats are in your back yard. With the exception of one planet, all you need to see them is your own unaided pair of eyes, and perhaps a pair of eyeglasses if you happen to be nearsighted. But if you have a telescope or binoculars, don?t hesitate to drag them out and have a closer look. The parade begins during early evening twilight. The first planet will be our most difficult to find. Although Mercury is at its highest during evening for the year, it is low in the west. In mid-May around 8:30 p.m. ET, Mercury can be found about 15 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon. Look directly above and a little to the left of the point where the sun set about 20 minutes earlier. For Mercury you may need binoculars. Sweep this area of the sky looking for a star-like object. Good luck! Second in the procession is the king of the planets, the giant gas ball Jupiter. You can?t miss it because it?s the brightest ?star? in that part of the sky where it is currently located. In mid-May at 9:00 p.m. Jupiter is due west, and about one third of the way upward from the horizon to the zenith. If you?re not convinced you?re looking at the right object, wait a little while and look again when more stars have emerged and look for two stars that will help confirm your suspicion. Jupiter currently forms an attractive right triangle with two stars above. They are known as the Gemini twins Pollux and Castor. The stars represent the twins? heads. Pollux is directly above Jupiter and to its right is Castor. By month?s end Jupiter will have moved leftward and the triangle becomes more obtuse. This triangular trio, first mentioned here in January, has vigorously persevered. In a telescope Jupiter is a bright cream colored ball with faint red or brown bands. Small telescopes will show Jupiter?s four brightest moons although all may not be visible at any given time. One or more could be hiding in Jupiter?s shadow, behind the planet, or directly in front and difficult to see. The third planet to find is Mars. Turn left from Jupiter, facing south, and you will see yellowish-orange Mars about halfway up from the horizon. On Sunday, May 11 Mars is located to the upper right of the bright waxing gibbous moon. In a telescope Mars is small, only about 1/3 of the apparent diameter of Jupiter in a telescope. Mars was at its closest to us last month. Currently Mars appears to be slowly shrinking as the distance between it and the earth is increasing. In a decent telescope its small polar cap becomes visible with a magnification of at least 100x. I viewed Mars recently through a very nice 125mm (5 inch aperture) apochromatic refractor telescope belonging to the Westminster Astronomical Society (WASI). I could easily see the polar cap and several darker markings on the surface of Mars at 112x. The telescope had the advantage of being motor driven. Thus, it tracked Mars automatically allowing for prolonged viewing while maintaining Mars in the center of the eyepiece field. Around this same time (9:00 p.m.) our fourth planet, Saturn, is rising in the southeast. Saturn is a masterpiece in almost any telescope. The rings are easily visible as are from one to a handful of its brightest moons. This is the month when Saturn reaches opposition ? its nearest point to earth for the year. Thus it remains up all night long. As Saturn gets highest the view should become clearer as the climbing planet is viewed where earth?s atmosphere is less dense. Saturn is best placed for telescopic viewing around midnight during May. On the night of May 14, Saturn is located to the left of the nearly full moon. Our fifth planet won?t be up for several hours. So you may either continue viewing Mars and Saturn until then, or set your alarm clock and get some sleep. Venus can be found low and to the east in the morning twilight around 5:30 a.m. It outshines any other star or planet in the sky. In a telescope Venus is a dazzling gibbous ball. Best views of Venus are typically made during daytime, when Venus is high in the sky and visible and its glare is reduced. So I would recommend tracking it, manually if needed, with your telescope as it rises higher in the morning sky. How long can you follow Venus? Are you able to keep tabs on it after sunrise with a telescope? Send an e-mail and let me know if you have success or not. How about the sixth major planet visible in May? Look below your feet. It?s the earth.