May 21 - North Star

May 21 North Star by:

Polaris surrounded by star trails, in an image by Ken Christison. Polaris is the star around which the northern half of the celestial sphere appears to turn.

Polaris is the North Star Many people think Polaris is the sky's brightest star. In fact, Polaris ranks only 50th in brightness. Read more. Thuban is a former pole star Thuban was the Pole Star some 5,000 years ago, when the Egyptians were building the pyramids. Read more. Scientists find new periodic water cycle on Mars A new study shows that Mars has a unique water vapor cycle that occurs only once about every 2 years. The cycle might help explain how Mars lost most of its water. Read more.

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Moon and Saturn up around midnight May 21 Around the world on Tuesday evening, Jupiter rises first in the hours after sunset, followed by the moon and then Saturn around midnight. The waning gibbous moon shines close to Saturn on the sky's dome. If you're not a night owl, try catching Saturn before daybreak. See the chart below. Read more.

Moon and Saturn before sunup May 22 and 23 Look for the moon between Jupiter and Saturn on the morning of May 22. By the morning of May 23, the moon has moved past Saturn. Read more. Submit your photo to EarthSky here! Did a friend forward EarthSkyNews to you? Click here to get your own subscription!

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