THE possibility of life on another planet hit the headlines recently. Have we been here before? Every so often, there is an outburst claiming to have found life beyond planet Earth. I recall the Viking experiments on Mars, which caused a great flap in 1976. Now we have found a strange compound on a distant star which, contrary to popular belief, can be found in space or least in comet tails.
Back on terra firma, we are well into spring, with a burst of decent weather followed by the traditional rain.
Regarding the Solar System, there is less chance to see the aurora now as daylight becomes longer. Keep up to date with all things Sun and Earth at www.spaceweather.com
The phases of the Moon are as follows: First quarter, May 4; Full Moon, May 12 - known as the Flower Moon due to the abundance of blooms at this time of year; Last quarter, May 20; New Moon, May 29.
Onto the planets:
- Mercury can been seen rising in the east just ahead of the sun at the start of the month. It’s pretty bright although often overlooked.
- Venus can be seen before dawn and is at its best towards the end of the month.
- Mars is still moving east, in contrast to its behaviour earlier in the year. This is due to planet Earth overtaking it on the inside!
- Jupiter is in Taurus and sets earlier in the evening.
Constellations and stars to look out for include Leo the Lion, which contains the bright stars Regulus and Denebola. Bootes contains the bright star Arcturus; to its east is Corona Borealis, home of that elusive nova, T Cor Bor, which is still keeping its head down.
Brian Sheen runs the Roseland Observatory, based at Truro High School for Girls. Find out more at www.roselandobservatory.co.uk