The M.A.S. Newsletter
Journal of the Mauritius Astronomical Society
May 99
The Next Meeting:
Friday 28th of May at 7hr30 pm
at the St Esprit College, Quatre Bornes.
This will be a general observation night...
The Fate of the Universe:
From recent studies of type 1a
supernovae close to the edge of the observable Universe, two teams of astronomers have
come to conclusion that the rate of expansion of the Universe is not slowing down. This
observation apparently contradicts the predictions of the currently accepted model of the
Universe.
Satellite Spotting:
A new trend in amateur
astronomy is satellite spotting. If you are interested in the subject, you might wish to
visit the site; Click on Satellite Predictions in the Links Page . On this Site you will find information about the time
and direction to look for such orbiting objects as the HST, ISS and many others.
The sky this month:
Venus is the brightest 'star' in the sky at dusk. The brightness of the planet is on the rise and will reach a maximum of magnitude -4.5 in mid July. It is very interesting to follow the gradual change in the phase of the planet which is for now a waning gibbous. For that you need a small telescope with aperture of at least 60 mm. The table below shows the planet's visibility in the course of the coming months.
| Date | Setting | Visible Diameter | % Illuminated | Visible Magnitude |
| May 15 | 20:34 | 18.1" | 63 | -4.16 |
| 20 | 20:39 | 18.9" | 61 | -4.18 |
| 25 | 20:44 | 19.8" | 58 | -4.20 |
| 30 | 20:48 | 20.7" | 56 | -4.23 |
| June 5 | 20:53 | 22.1" | 53 | -4.26 |
| 10 | 20:56 | 23.3" | 50 | -4.29 |
| 15 | 20:58 | 24.7" | 47 | -4.33 |
| 20 | 20:59 | 26.3" | 44 | -4.36 |
| 25 | 20:58 | 28.1" | 41 | -4.39 |
| 30 | 20:56 | 30.1" | 38 | -4.42 |
| Sept 5 | 20:52 | 32.3" | 34 | -4.44 |
| 10 | 20:46 | 34.9" | 30 | -4.46 |
| 15 | 20:38 | 37.7" | 26 | -4.48 |
| 20 | 20:27 | 40.9" | 22 | -4.47 |
| 25 | 20:13 | 44.3" | 17 | -4.45 |
| 30 | 19:54 | 47.9" | 13 | -4.40 |
Jupiter is now easily observable at dawn. It is then at an elevation of about 25o above the eastern horizon in the constellation of the fishes. Lower down on the horizon are the planets Saturn and Mercury. Mercury is dropping fast and will soon become unobservable.
Serge Florens, Secretary