PATHOF THE
PLANETS
The planets
in the sky
These illustrations show the size, phase, and orientation of each planet and the two brightest dwarf planets at 0h UT
for the dates in the data table at bottom. South is at the top to match the view through a telescope.
The planets in May 2018
AND
TRI
ARI PSC
CAS
PEG
SGE
EQU
LAC
AQR
PsA CAP
SCT
AQL SER
CYG LY R
VUL
PER
OPH
HER
DRA
BOÖ
CrB
SER
VIR
LIB
PSC
CET
SCL
TAU
FOR
ERI
GRU MIC
SGR CrA
SCO LUP
Objects visible before dawn
Celestial equator
Moon phases Dawn Midnight
Sun
Amphitrite
Vesta
Uranus
Pluto Saturn
Neptune
Mars
Path^ of^ the
Moon^
Mercu
ry
Jupiter appears at its best
for the year in May
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
31 30 29 28 27 26
Venus
Mars
Mercury
Ceres
Uranus
Saturn
Neptune
Pluto
10"
S
WE
N
Jupiter
40 ASTRONOMY • MAY 2018
Planets MERCURY VENUS MARS CERES JUPITER SATURN URANUS NEPTUNE PLUTO
Date May 1 May 15 May 15 May 15 May 15 May 15 May 15 May 15 May 15
Magnitude 0.3 –3.9 –0.7 8.5 –2.5 0.3 5.9 7.9 14.2
Angular size 7. 8 " 12 .1" 12. 8 " 0. 5" 4 4. 8 " 17. 8 " 3.4" 2. 3" 0.1"
Illumination 46% 85% 89% 96% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Distance (AU) from Earth 0.859 1.375 0.734 2.526 4.403 9.319 20.806 30.307 33.001
Distance (AU) from Sun 0.459 0.718 1.476 2.559 5.408 10.066 19.888 29.942 33.562
Right ascension (2000.0) 0h54.1m 5h34.9m 20h07.4m 9h19.6m 15h01.0m 18h36.0m 1h51.3m 23h09.6m 19 h30.3m
Declination (2000.0) 2°41' 24°44' –22°12' 26°36' –15°48' –22°18' 10°53' –6°25' –21°33'