Sunday May 4, 2025

Mars Buzzes the Beehive (evening)

During the first week of May, the eastward orbital motion of the planet Mars will carry it through the northern edge of the large, bright open star cluster in Cancer known as the Beehive and Messier 44. After dusk, you can locate the medium-bright, reddish dot of Mars shining about halfway up the western sky. Binoculars or a backyard telescope will reveal "the Bees" sprinkled just to Mars' south. Mars will approach the cluster from the west until Monday, May 4, when it will graze the outer part of the cluster. Every night after Monday,
the cluster will move a little farther below Mars. The Beehive's position
close to the ecliptic allows it to be frequently visited by the moon and planets. First Quarter Moon

When the moon completes the first quarter of its orbit around Earth at 11:52 a.m. EDT, 8:52 a.m. PDT, or 13:52 UT on Sunday, May 4, the 90 degree angle formed by the Earth, sun, and moon will cause us to see our natural satellite half-illuminated on its eastern, sunward side. While at first quarter, the
moon always rises around noon and sets around midnight in your local time
zone, allowing us to see it in the afternoon daytime sky, too. The evenings surrounding the first quarter phase are the best ones for viewing the lunar terrain when it is dramatically lit by low-angled sunlight.

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
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