Hello ...
Here's your Cosmic Pursuits newsletter for May 2026!
1. Who among us will look at the Moon the same way after the spectacularly successful Artemis II mission in which four astronauts looped around its far side and travelled farther from Earth than any humans before? But we Earthbound observers also have plenty to see, including the Moon, of course, as well as Venus and Jupiter in the evening, Mars and Saturn in the morning, and a splash of meteors during the
ongoing Eta Aquarid meteor shower as Earth passes through the tail of Comet 1/P (Halley). Here's what to see in the Night Sky This Month...
2. A new view of the Sombrero Galaxy (Messier 104) shows the brilliant disk of this edge-on spiral surrounded by a glowing sphere of stars ingested when this big galaxy gobbled up dozens of smaller galaxies over the eons. It's an amazing image.
3. In the past 18 years of publishing this website and its precursor, I accepted feature articles from only one other writer - Joe Bergeron. A space artist, accomplished stargazer, and excellent writer, Joe lived in tune with the night sky and helped thousands discover astronomy
through his outreach efforts. He passed away in March from ALS at the age of 70. He will be missed by friends and family. Please enjoy an encore of Joe's telescopic tour of galaxies in the 'Bear's Den'.
4. This
month features a monthly 'Blue Moon', a second full moon in a single calendar month. Of course, a Blue Moon isn't really blue, and the term arose from a misunderstanding, but... well, read this article to get the full story.
5. The annual Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) expo was held in April in Suffern, NY. This exposition features the latest in astronomy gear and offers stargazers a wonderful chance to meet and get engaged with hands-on stargazing. Luca Bartek (Space Koala) has two informative videos that feature the highlights of the
show.
And the astronomy quote of the month:
“Though my soul may set in
darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”
- From the poem "The Old Astronomer" by Sarah Williams
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Wishing you clear skies!
Brian Ventrudo
Publisher
CosmicPursuits.com
