CentaurZ

Giant Jupiter is approaching its opposition from the Sun on 2019 JUN 10 when it will appear in the sky all night at magnitude -2.6. Photos and descriptions of Jupiter and its Galilean satellites would be welcome additions to this thread.

Elusive Mercury has commenced its apparition in the early evening western sky following its superior conjunction behind the Sun on 2019 MAY 21. Photos and descriptions of Mercury during this apparition would be welcome additions to this thread.

Asteroid 1 Ceres (also dwarf planet) will appear in opposition to the Sun near the Libra-Ophiuchus border just north of Scorpius on 2019 MAY 29 at magnitude +7.0. That’s beyond naked eye visibility for most people, but it should be easily seen with binoculars. Ceres was the first asteroid to be discovered. That was by Sicilian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801. It has a mean diameter of 945 km. Ceres is named after the Roman Goddess of Agriculture. Her statue is atop a building in which I worked for eight years, the Chicago Board of Trade where agricultural futures are traded. Photos and descriptions of Ceres would be welcome additions to this thread.

Asteroid 20 Massalia will appear in opposition to the Sun near the Libra-Scorpius border on 2019 MAY 20 at magnitude +9.7. Massalia is a stony asteroid with a low inclination to the ecliptic. It was discovered in 1852 by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis. Massalia has a mean diameter of 145 km. It is named after the French city of Marseille. Photos and descriptions of Massalia would be welcome additions to this thread.

It’s nearly time for my monthly New Moon spotting challenge. I use the term New Moon in its classical sense of one’s first sighting of the Moon after its conjunction (Dark Moon) with the Sun. Sharp-eyed observers may want to attempt spotting the one-day-old Moon after sunset on Sunday May 5. Photos and descriptions of the young crescent Moon this month would be welcome additions to this thread.

The next Mercury transit across the Sun will occur on 2019 NOV 11. The Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Near East will be in the zone of visibility.