Rush Road Test: 05/24/19

Friday, May 24, 2019

May 24 - What is the Brocken Spectre?

May 24

What is the Brocken Spectre?

The Brocken Spectre, as captured by Michael Burke.

What is the Brocken Spectre?

The Brocken Spectre is your own shadow, cast on mists below you, when you are mountain climbing. The shadow may appear enormous and has a ring around it. Read more.

Send your name to Mars

Want your name to fly to to Mars on NASA's next rover mission in 2020? You'll get your name etched on a microchip affixed to the rover … and a souvenir boarding pass. Here's how.

Huge double asteroid to pass safely May 25

Although it won't be visible to the eye, professional and amateur astronomers are watching for asteroid 1999 KW4. It's oddly shaped, about a mile wide, with a companion moon. Closest approach is tomorrow. Charts here for amateur observers across the globe. Read more.

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Moon is waning … Last quarter moon is this weekend

The next last quarter moon falls on May 26 at 16:34 UTC. Read more, and watch for it this weekend! The moon was almost exactly at last quarter when Deirdre Horan in Dublin, Ireland, captured this photo.

The Crow and the Southern Cross

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Dr Ski in Valencia, Philippines, wrote: "Corvus (the Crow) and Crux (the Southern Cross) are at the same right ascension on the celestial sphere. Meaning, they transit the meridian at the same time (approximately 8:30 p.m. local time). If you reside in mid-northern latitudes ... look for the familiar polygon of Corvus at this time. Then extrapolate a line approximately 40° down to get an idea of how far below your horizon the Southern Cross is." If you're further south, of course, as Dr Ski is ... just look!