2024, May 27: Look for a Dwarf Planet

May 27, 2024: Dwarf Planet Ceres is near the moon before sunrise.  Mars and Saturn are east of the moon during predawn light.

Ceres taken by NASA's Dawn mission during its approach to the dwarf planet. (NASA Photo)
Photo Caption – Ceres taken by NASA’s Dawn mission during its approach to the dwarf planet. (NASA Photo)

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:21 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:16 p.m. CDT.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Moon, Dwarf Planet Sirius

2024, May 27: The moon and Ceres are in the same binocular field of view.
Chart Caption – 2024, May 27: The moon and Ceres are in the same binocular field of view.

For sky watchers looking for a challenge, especially after gaining practice looking for Uranus while Jupiter was in the same field of view, try to find the asteroid Ceres, also known as a dwarf planet in the modern solar system model.

With the early sunrise, attempt this view at two hours before sunrise, when the sky is still dark. With a binocular, place the gibbous moon toward the lower left in the field of view.  Ceres is above the center of the field between two dim stars, cataloged as HIP 96139 and HIP 96012.

With the moonlight, they might be a challenge to see.  To locate the field of view, find 51 Sagittarii (51 Sgr on the chart), 52 Sagittarii (52 Sgr), and Chi-1 Sagittarii (χ1 Sgr).  The topaz star HIP 95865 is near the center of the field.

Shift the binocular slightly so that the moon leaves the view.  Again, locate the key stars in the field and attempt to find the dwarf planet.

Asteroids mostly lie between Mars and Jupiter in the main belt. A number is associated with the name, indicating the order of discovery.  1Ceres indicates that it was the first discovered and then renamed as a dwarf planet in 2006, when the International Astronomical Union, astronomy’s official naming body, redefined the term “planet” – dethroning 134340Pluto’s planet status – and calling it a dwarf planet with 1Ceres, 136199Eris, and others.

Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24

Here is today’s planet forecast:

Morning Sky

Morning Moon

2024, May 27: The moon is in the south before sunrise.
Chart Caption – 2024, May 27: The moon is in the south before sunrise.

An hour before sunrise, the gibbous moon, 84% illuminated, is in the southern sky to the east of the Teapot of Sagittarius.

Morning Planets

2024, May 27: Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky before daybreak.
Chart Caption – 2024, May 27: Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky before daybreak.

Mars and Saturn are farther eastward.  Saturn is easier to see 25° above the east-southeast horizon. Telescopic views are nearing, with the planet approaching an altitude that is above the atmosphere’s blurring effects.

Saturn is brighter than most stars this morning, but it is not as bright like Venus or Jupiter.

Mars is over 10° above the eastern horizon and over 30° to Saturn’s lower left.  The Red Planet rises before the beginning of twilight in three mornings, making it easier to see throughout June.

The solar system’s major planetary bodies are west of the sun and in the predawn sky.  Mercury rises less than 50 minutes before the sun and is lost in the sun’s brilliance.  Jupiter and Venus are deeper in morning twilight and closer to the sun.

Neptune is 11° east (to the lower left) of Saturn, while Uranus is not far from Jupiter in bright light.  The classic ninth planet Pluto is west of the sun and 9° to the upper left of the moon.  This body with a dual personality in the public’s psyche is too dim to see in morning twilight, and even so, a large-diameter telescope is needed to see it.

Evening Sky

Vega, Deneb After Sunset

2024, May 27: Vega and Deneb are in the northeast after sundown.
Chart Caption – 2024, May 27: Vega and Deneb are in the northeast after sundown.

With the major solar system bodies west of the sun and in the predawn sky, several bright stars are in the evening sky.  Blue-white Vega, the third brightest star visible from the mid-northern latitudes, is about one-third of the way up in the northeast.

Meaning “the falling eagle or vulture,” Vega is 25 light years away and shines with an intensity of 50 suns.  The star generally marks the direction of the sun’s travel through the galaxy.

Vega is the brightest star, sometimes representing a bright jewel, in the tiny constellation Lyra the Harp or Lyre.

A second star, Deneb – meaning “the hen’s tail” – is about 15° above the horizon and over 20° to Vega’s lower left. In this case, the hen is Cygnus the Swan.

Deneb is one of the brightest stars in the sun’s neighborhood, shining with an intrinsic brightness of nearly 50,000 suns at 1,400 light years away.

Altair soon joins Vega and Deneb to display the Summer Triangle.  The stellar trio shines from the eastern sky after sundown at solstice time.  This evening Altair rises nearly 90 minutes after sundown and by midnight the triangle is easy to see.

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