Brought to you by Dr. Roy Gretton, Journal Editor of The Nottingham Astronomical Society.
Contact details are on the Nottingham Astronomy website: https://nottinghamastro.org.uk/
Please note, the NAS new permanent venue for our main meetings on first Thursday of the month is ยญNottingham Emmanuel School, Gresham Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham. NG2 7YF
The Heart of the Scorpion
Scorpius is the constellation of the zodiac that hosts the Sun in early December, but in late May and early June, while the Sun is high in Taurus, Scorpius is low down in the south at midnight. At our northern latitude the Scorpion never fully shows itself. Its head, claws and upper body are all that we can see protruding above the southern horizon. The brightest star in Scorpius is a red supergiant called Antares (โAntยญahยญreesโ), also known as the Heart of the Scorpion. Antares is a Greek name meaning the โRival of Marsโ, derived from the Greek name for Mars, which is Ares.
Astrophysicists divide stars into dwarves and giants based, of course, on their sizes. A giant star can be enormous compared with our Sun, but as you might guess, a supergiant is truly colossal. Our Sun is less than a million miles across, but Antares has a diameter of the order of 500 million miles! If placed where the Sun is, the outer layers of Antares would reach out to somewhere between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, so the Earth would be deep inside it. An exact ๏ฌgure canโt be put on the starโs diameter because it is constantly pulsating, and for this reason it is classed as a variable star. Stars like Antares reach the supergiant stage after passing through a very energetic youth. A starโs
ultimate fate is determined by its mass. Heavy stars such as Antares, which is over ten times more massive than the Sun, burn through their nuclear fuel (turning hydrogen into helium) at a hectic rate, but as this fuel begins to run out they swell enormously, with the outer layers cooling to become red hot (after originally being white hot). But an even more spectacular fate awaits them when they explode catastrophically in an event called a supernova, that rips the star apart. In the case of Antares, this supernova event could happen within the next couple of million years, and if it does, Antares might look as bright as the Full Moon when viewed from Earth.
To ๏ฌnd Antares at this time of year, stand in a place with a low southern skyline. Antares is easy to spot in the late evening as it is the brightest star in that part of the sky, and is distinctly orange in colour.
The Planets in May and June
Prospects for planetary observation remain very poor this season unless you are an early riser, as all the main planets are morning objects. In late May/early June, Saturn, in the constellation of Aquarius, will be rising at 2 am, to be followed by Mars (in Pisces) at 3 am. Jupiter, Venus and Mercury are still too close to the Sun be seen easily. We shall have to wait until July for the planetary scene to start to become worthwhile again. However, the autumn months promise to be really interesting, with Mars, Jupiter and Saturn on display for much of the night.
Phases of the Moon
| MAY | JUN | |
| Last Quarter | 1st & 30th | 28th |
| New Moon | 8th | 6th |
| First Quarter | 15th | 14th |
| Full Moon | 23rd | 22nd |
