Sun, Moon, and Stars: May 2002

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff
Sun, Moon, Stars May 2002
   


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Major phenomena
4 Last Quarter
12 New Moon
19 First Quarter
26 Full Moon
partial eclipse
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May 2002—Week 1 (May 1-5)

5/4:
0000 UT, 8 pm EDT (May 3)
Neptune is 4 degrees north of the Moon.
0400 UT, 12 am EDT (midnight)
Mercury is at its greatest elongation, or angular distance from the Sun, at 21 degrees east of the Sun.
0700 UT, 3 am EDT
LAST QUARTER
1400 UT, 10 am EDT
Venus is 6 degrees north of Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus.
1700 UT, 1 pm EDT
Mars is 2 degrees north of Saturn.
5/5:
1000 UT, 6 am EDT
Uranus is 4 degrees north of the Moon.


May 2002—Week 2 (May 6-12)

5/7:
1800 UT, 2 pm EDT
Venus is 2 degrees north of Saturn.
1900 UT, 3 pm EDT
The Moon is at its apogee, or farthest point from Earth in its monthly orbit.
5/10:
2100 UT, 5 pm EDT
Venus is 0 degrees 3 minutes north of Mars.
5/12:
1100 UT, 7 am EDT
NEW MOON


May 2002—Week 3 (May 13-19)

5/13:
1400 UT, 10 am EDT
Neptune appears to be motionless in the sky as its direct motion changes to apparent backward, or retrograde, motion.
2100 UT, 5 pm EDT
Mercury is 3 degrees north of the Moon.
5/14:
0800 UT, 4 am EDT
Saturn is 1 degree 1 minute south of the Moon. Saturn is occulted, or hidden from view, by the Moon.
1900 UT, 3 pm EDT
Mars is 0 degrees 6 minutes north of the Moon. Mars is occulted, or hidden from view, by the Moon.
2300 UT, 7 pm EDT
Venus is 0 degrees 8 minutes north of the Moon. Venus is occulted, or hidden from view, by the Moon.
5/15:
1200 UT, 8 am EDT
Vesta, the third-largest asteroid, is 1 degree 1 minute south of the Moon. The asteroid is occulted, or hidden from view, by the Moon.
5/16:
0500 UT, 1 am EDT
Mercury appears to be motionless in the sky as its direct motion changes to apparent backward, or retrograde, motion.
1200 UT, 8 am EDT
Jupiter is 2 degrees south of the Moon.
5/19:
2000 UT, 4 pm EDT
FIRST QUARTER


May 2002—Week 4 (May 20-26

5/23:
1600 UT, 12 pm EDT (noon)
The Moon is at its perigee, or closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit.
5/26:
1600 UT, 12 pm (noon)
FULL MOON
Partial eclipse [more about eclipses in 2002]


May 2002—Week 5 (May 27-31

5/27:
0700 UT, 3 am EDT
Mercury is in inferior conjunction, that is, the Sun and the Earth are aligned on opposite sides of Mercury.
5/31:
0800 UT, 4 am EDT
Neptune is 4 degrees north of the Moon.

 

 

 
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