Missed Mercury Again

Tonight after class I could see the Moon on the western horizon, but cloudy hazy conditions covered the spot where Mercury should have been.

Gemini

Using my handy Star Wheel, I was able to find the constellation Gemini tonight by looking northwest at around 10 pm. Pollux is the brightest star there. Gemini is often called the twins and is one of 12 constellations in the Zodiac.

Projects Revealed

Tonight the lab students who did an independent project each stood up and talked for a few minutes about what they did. I gave a PowerPoint lecture to the 4th grade class the Kohler Schools about the Milky Way Galaxy. The lecture lasted about 20 minutes and then I played a 6 minute video clip about perspective. During the lecture, if a student answered a question, I gave him/her a Milky Way candy bar.

I was impressed with the other students projects. Janette's Astronomy Day at her school was outstanding, and Travis' model of the Solar System looked great.

Looking For Mercury

According to www.astronomy.com, May is the best month to view Mercury. I indended on trying to look for it tonight after lab, but the cloud cover was still very low. It will be a magnitude -9, the brightest in the sky until May 8, so I will try again when it's clear.