How to Find Comet SWAN/Goodbye to Venus

Venus is disappearing after tonight as it crosses in front of the Sun and reemerges in the dawn over the coming weeks. Be sure to catch a farewell glimpse immediately after sunset, just look due west as close to horizon as possible, it follows just behind the Sun on the exact same path over the horizon.

Don’t forget to check out the next launch attempt of SpaceX’s manned Demo-2 mission tomorrow, Saturday May 30 @ 3:22 pm EDT.

SpaceX

Once in orbit, the crew and SpaceX mission control will verify the spacecraft is performing as intended by testing the environmental control and life support systems, the maneuvering thrusters, and thermal control systems, among other things. Crew Dragon will perform a series of phasing maneuvers to position itself for rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station.

Another stellar treat visible in the skies just after twilight is Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8). While it’s not as bright as was hoped, it’s visible in binoculars or a small telescope around 10 pm and later. You’ll need a clear view of the Northern horizon away from street lights.

To find Comet SWAN, follow the line formed by the top two stars in the Big Dipper’s pan and stop just above the horizon. This will get you within the general area, if you have binoculars you can sweep this region in a slow, methodical scan to increase your chances of locating this rare comet.

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Use the top two stars in the Big Dipper to help locate the region comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) will sweep through over the coming days

Sky & Telescope’s weekly observing guide offers more detail on celestial happenings, check it out here:

This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 29 - June 6 - Sky & Telescope Evening sky

■ This evening Mercury is as high in the western twilight as it will get during this apparition, although it has faded a bit since last week. It's now magnitude 0.0. And look early in bright twilight to see if you can still catch Venus barely above the west-northwest horizon a mere 20 minutes after sunset, as shown below.

Check back each weekday @ 5:00 pm for more observing guides and science news!

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Stay well, and clear skies!