LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – If you can get up early in the morning of Cinco De Mayo (May 5), say, around 4:30 a.m., you are in for a treat.
The Eta Aquarids meteor shower will take place.
Look toward the east. The moon will affect your viewing, but some of the brighter meteors can still be seen.
Also occurring early in the morning of May 5 is the close pairing of Saturn and the Moon. Look toward the southwest for this.
The constellation we want to explore in May is Ursa Major, the Big Bear.
High in the northern sky, this magnificent pattern of stars has been recognized by many cultures since man began gazing at the stars.
Within Ursa Major, there are seven bright stars that form a pattern we call an asterism. In this case, the asterism is known as The Big Dipper (or “The Plough” if you live in England).
The two end stars in the cup of the dipper point to Polaris, the North Star.
The second star from the end of the handle is Mizar. If you have very good eyesight, you may see that Mizar is really a double star, Alcor being the name of its companion.
With a telescope, Ursa Major reveals a wealth of deep sky objects:
There is the Owl Nebula, appearing as the face of a ghostly owl.
There is M 108, a galaxy similar to ours that shows itself tilted on its edge.
Finally, the Pinwheel galaxy lives up to its name.
John Zimmerman is a resident of Lake County and has been an amateur astronomer for more than 50 years. For more information about Astronomy and local resources, visit his Web site at www.lakecountyskies.com .