Podcaster: Rob Webb
Title: Last Minute Astronomer April 2025
Organization: Physics teacher at Pequea Valley High School
Link: http://mrwebb.podbean.com ;
https://sites.google.com/site/mrwebbonline/ ;
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrWebbPV
https://sites.google.com/site/pvplanetarium/home
follow me : @MrWebbPV on Twitter ; @lastminuteastronomer on Facebook and Instagram
Don’t forget this podcast is found on my Podbean page, Stitcher, and iTunes. There’s also a video version on my YouTube Channel and I can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @mrwebbpv. The Pequea Valley Planetarium and its events and updates are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @pvplanetarium.
Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.
Description: Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, and the Eta Aquarid Meteor shower shine during May 2025. We’ll start by talking about this month’s big events, then highlight the naked eye planets, and finish up with the lunar phases, so you can plan ahead better than me.
Today’s sponsor: Big thanks to our Patreon supporters this month: Rob Leeson, David Bowes, Brett Duane, Benett Bolek, Mary Ann, Frank Frankovic, Michael Freedman, Kim Hay, Steven Emert, Frank Tippin, Rani Bush, Jako Danar, Joseph J. Biernat, Nik Whitehead, Michael W, Cherry Wood, Steve Nerlich, Steven Kluth, James K Wood, Katrina Ince, Phyllis Foster, Don Swartwout, Barbara Geier, Steven Jansen, Donald Immerwahr
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Transcript:
Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, and the Eta Aquarid Meteor shower shine during May 2025.
I’m Rob, your Last Minute Astronomer, bringing astronomy to normies and nerds, with little time to spare.
We’ll start by talking about this month’s big events, then highlight the naked eye planets, and finish up with the lunar phases, so you can plan ahead better than me.
EVENTS
5th – ETA AQUARID METEOR SHOWER – Around 10-20 meteors per hour if we’re lucky, the Eta Aquarids are a minor shower that favors those in the southern hemisphere. The best time this year is after midnight (when the Moon sets) and before dawn. Just remember each meteor is a piece of debris left over from Halley’s comet, and we’re crashing into it at over 100,000 miles per hour, which crushes the atmosphere it hits, heating it up and causing the bright flash. You never know when you’ll see something awesome.
Some advice for watching:
Find a dark location and lie down in a reclining chair or something that insulates you from the ground.
Check the weather to see if the skies will be clear
Adapt your eyes to the dark by staying away from light sources or using a red light if you need to look at a star chart or not trip over something.
Naked-eye PLANETS
Sunset
Jupiter – About 30˚ up the sky in the W after sunset, above Taurus’ head, in between its horns, setting around 11pm. Later in the month, Jupiter is lower in the sky and sets around sunset.
Mars – Almost straight above us after sunset, but toward the SW, between Gemini and Leo (in Cancer), setting by 2am. Throughout the month, Mars will move away from Cancer and toward Leo, a little lower in the sky, setting around 1am.
Morning
Venus, Saturn – A GREAT little challenge for the month! In the beginning of May, get out up to an hour before sunrise, and look over a clear horizon to the East. The easiest one to find will be Venus, hovering 10-15˚ above the horizon, and very bright. It’ll be the last “star” to fade from view. Saturn will be just 4˚ down and to the left of Venus. Throughout the month, you’ll have to get out earlier and earlier since the Sun will rise earlier and earlier each day. Venus will slowly get a little higher each day. Saturn will also get higher, in fact higher than Venus, and further to the right, but will remain dimmer.
Lunar Events
LUNAR CYCLE
Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)
First Quarter Moon – 4th (Visible until midnight)
Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)
Full Moon – 12th (Visible all night)
Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)
Last Quarter Moon – 20th (Visible midnight into the morning)
Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)
New Moon – 26th (darkest skies)
LUNAR CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
The Moon will be traveling across the sky as normal, passing by some planets at particular times.
3rd – Find the Waxing Crescent Moon just 1.5˚ above Mars and the M44 star cluster, which can be seen with binoculars, setting around 2:30am.
21st – 25th – Get out before between 4:30am and sunrise and look East over a fairly clear horizon. Venus and Saturn will be hanging out directly East, less than 15˚ above the horizon. The Moon will be a nice crescent on the 21st, off in the SE, 15˚ to the right of Saturn, which is 15˚ to the right of bright Venus. On the 22nd, the Moon will be just 4˚ to the right of Saturn. On the 23rd, the Moon will move between the two planets, a little closer to Venus on the left than Saturn on the right. On the 24th, a VERY thin crescent Moon is just as high off the horizon as Venus is just 7˚ to the right. Lastly, on the 25th, find Venus, and the Moon will be as far to the left of Venus as Saturn is to the right of Venus.
28th – Coming back around again, the VERY thin crescent Moon is just 7˚ above Jupiter, setting around 11pm.
31st – A second May encounter for Mars, being 5˚ up and to the left of the Moon.
And that’s the sky for this month. If you find this advance notice of the night sky helpful, please support this work by finding Last Minute Astronomer on Patreon, and don’t forget to follow Last Minute Astronomer on Facebook and Instagram. Till next month, I’m the Last Minute Astronomer wishing you fruitful plans and clear skies.
Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with permission.
End of podcast:
365 Days of Astronomy
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Until next time let the stars guide your curiosity!