~ St. Maarten’s Backyard Astronomy for May 11 & 12 ~
Sun rises at 5:41am
Sun sets at 6:36pm
Moon phase: First quarter, waxing crescent
Moon rise: 11:46am
Moon set: 12:10am
The moon reaches its first quarter phase on Sunday. When you see it, look for the nearby bright star, which will be Regulus. This is the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion. On the night of May 11, the moon will be at or near its half-illuminated first quarter phase, and its dark side will be aimed towards Regulus.
Leo is one of the oldest known constellations, a lion that ruled the night skies and terrorized the mythological royalty that inhabited the starry heavens. He was thought to be invincible, until Hercules was given the test to destroy the creature.
According to the legend, Hercules tried and failed using his bow and arrow, but then succeeded by choking the beast with his superhuman strength, and afterwards he wore Leo’s belt across his shoulders to commemorate the victory.
Such romantic tales fill our minds as we look up at the stars and wonder how we humans have come so far in our understanding of universe around us.
Thank you for keeping up with the Night Sky articles. If you are out later on in the week, each star rises about four minutes earlier each day than written here, and the moon rises 50 minutes later. Night Sky is researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett. Earthsky.org is a key resource for information and images. Questions or comments? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
