Star Almanack
Alexander Ferrari Miller

ISO 2026-W20

Week begins: Monday, May 11, 2026

Notation:

Calendar

DateZodiac dayEvents
Mon, May 11, 2026♉ 22
Finest NGC 47 / NGC 4157 · MCG 9-20-106 — Telescope 12 — Northern Spring
Tue, May 12, 2026♉ 23
M98 — Telescope 10 — Tropical Spring
Finest NGC 60 / NGC 4214 · MCG 6-27-42 — Telescope 10 — Northern Spring
Finest NGC 76 / NGC 4216 · MCG 2-31-72 — Telescope 11 — Tropical Spring
C3 / NGC 4236 — Telescope 10 — Arctic Spring
Wed, May 13, 2026♉ 24
Finest NGC 61 / NGC 4244 · Silver Needle / C26 / NGC 4244 — Telescope 10 — Northern Spring
β Cha — Binoculars 4 — Antarctic Spring
M99 — Telescope 10 — Tropical Spring
M106 — Telescope 8 — Northern Spring
Finest NGC 68 / NGC 4274 · MCG 5-29-60 — Telescope 11 — Northern Spring
Thu, May 14, 2026♉ 25
M61 — Telescope 10 — Tropical Spring
M40 — Telescope 8 — Northern Spring
M100 — Telescope 9 — Tropical Spring
Finest NGC 75 / NGC 4361 — Telescope 11 — Tropical Spring
M84 — Telescope 9 — Tropical Spring
Fri, May 15, 2026♉ 26
M85 — Telescope 9 — Tropical Spring
Finest NGC 77 / NGC 4388 · MCG 2-32-41 — Telescope 12 — Tropical Spring
C108 / NGC 4372 — Telescope 8 — Antarctic Spring
M86 — Telescope 9 — Tropical Spring
Finest NGC 69 / NGC 4414 · MCG 5-29-85 — Telescope 11 — Northern Spring
Acrux (α1 Cru) — Naked eye 1 — Southern Spring
α2 Cru — Naked eye 2 — Southern Spring
Finest NGC 78 / NGC 4438 · The Eyes with 4435 — Telescope 11 — Tropical Spring
Finest NGC 62 / NGC 4449 · MCG 7-26-9 / C21 / NGC 4449 — Telescope 10 — Northern Spring
Sat, May 16, 2026♉ 27
🌑 New Moon — 20:01:03 UTC
M49 — Telescope 8 — Tropical Spring
Finest NGC 63 / NGC 4490 · Cocoon Galaxy — Telescope 10 — Northern Spring
M87 — Telescope 9 — Tropical Spring
Gacrux (γ Cru) — Naked eye 2 — Southern Spring
Finest NGC 70 / NGC 4494 · MCG 4-30-2 — Telescope 11 — Northern Spring
M88 — Telescope 10 — Tropical Spring
Finest NGC 79 / NGC 4517 · often mislabeled NGC 4437 — Telescope 11 — Tropical Spring
Sun, May 17, 2026♉ 28
Chara (β CVn) — Binoculars 4 — Northern Spring
Finest NGC 80 / NGC 4526 · MCG 1-32-100 — Telescope 11 — Tropical Spring
Finest NGC 81 / NGC 4535 · Lost Galaxy — Telescope 11 — Tropical Spring
Kraz (β Crv) — Naked eye 3 — Tropical Spring
M91 — Telescope 10 — Tropical Spring
M89 — Telescope 10 — Tropical Spring
Finest NGC 71 / NGC 4559 · MCG 5-30-30 / C36 / NGC 4559 — Telescope 10 — Northern Spring
C38 / NGC 4565 · Needle Galaxy / Finest NGC 72 / NGC 4565 · Needle Galaxy — Telescope 10 — Northern Spring
Finest NGC 82a / NGC 4567 · Siamese Twins — Telescope 12 — Tropical Spring
Finest NGC 82b / NGC 4568 · Siamese Twins — Telescope 12 — Tropical Spring
M90 — Telescope 10 — Tropical Spring
α Mus — Naked eye 3 — Antarctic Spring

Weekly Solar-System Ephemeris

Snapshot: Week begins May 11, 2026, 00:00 UTC.

(-90° to +90°; defaults +45°, 21:00 LAT)

Notation:
Body☉︎☽︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎
Ecliptic♉︎ 20°20′
β −0°00′		♓︎ 3°23′
β −0°13′		♉︎ 16°02′
β −0°29′		♊︎ 20°21′
β +1°19′		♈︎ 24°00′
β −0°49′		♋︎ 20°24′
β +0°24′		♈︎ 10°14′
β −2°12′
ObservingNightNaked eye -9.6☉︎Naked eye -3.9Naked eye 1.2Naked eye -2.0Naked eye 0.9
Rise04:4001:5004:3306:1403:4108:3603:19
Set19:2012:3018:5421:5816:5623:5815:40

Extended targets:

Body⚳︎♅︎♆︎♇︎
Ecliptic♉︎ 22°37′
β −3°35′		♊︎ 0°50′
β −0°10′		♈︎ 3°34′
β −1°20′		♒︎ 5°30′
β −4°05′
Observing☉︎☉︎Telescope 7.8TelescopeTelescope 14.5
Rise05:0805:1403:0001:00
Set19:1820:1315:0709:48

β = ecliptic latitude (+ north, − south).
Rise and set are Local Apparent Time for the selected latitude.
Naked-eye observing uses the Sun’s altitude at the selected Monday observer time: Daylight (Sun ≥ −0.833°), Civil twilight (−0.833° to −6°), Nautical twilight (−6° to −12°), Astronomical twilight (−12° to −18°), and Night (below −18°).
Solar Glare identifies a body too close to the Sun when the sky-state rule does not already supersede its naked-eye classification.
The Sun’s observing status uses this same five-state sky classification.

Notation:

Planet Finder

Planet Finder — Greek / Symbols
Greek / Symbols
Planet Finder — English
English
Planet Finder — Mixed Learner
Mixed Learner

Sky Notes

Kilroy: Sky Notes · generated 2026-10-12 05:40:53 UTC

View:

ISO 2026-W20 runs from May 11 through May 17. Venus is about 2.2° in ecliptic longitude from Elnath in Taurus.

Naked eye: 🌑 New Moon — 20:01:03 UTC. The dark Moon favors faint targets and extended star fields. Use Acrux, Alpha2 Cru, Gacrux, Kraz, α Mus as the week’s fixed-sky framework.

Planets: Moon: Naked eye; magnitude -9.6; direct motion; 38.8% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Solar conjunction in ecliptic longitude May 16 20:01 UTC. Conjunction with Mercury in ecliptic longitude May 17 01:02 UTC. Conjunction with Mars in ecliptic longitude May 14 21:32 UTC. Conjunction with Ceres in ecliptic longitude May 16 18:28 UTC. Conjunction with Saturn in ecliptic longitude May 13 18:10 UTC. Conjunction with Uranus in ecliptic longitude May 17 04:16 UTC. Conjunction with Neptune in ecliptic longitude May 13 06:20 UTC. Mercury: In solar glare; magnitude -1.8; direct motion; 98.6% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Solar conjunction in ecliptic longitude May 14 14:24 UTC. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude May 17 01:02 UTC. Conjunction with Ceres in ecliptic longitude May 14 18:17 UTC. Venus: Naked eye; magnitude -3.9; direct motion; 85.5% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Mars: Naked eye; magnitude 1.2; direct motion; 97.4% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude May 14 21:32 UTC. Ceres: In solar glare; magnitude 8.7; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Solar conjunction in ecliptic longitude May 15 02:46 UTC. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude May 16 18:28 UTC. Conjunction with Mercury in ecliptic longitude May 14 18:17 UTC. Jupiter: Naked eye; magnitude -2.0; direct motion; 99.3% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Saturn: Naked eye; magnitude 0.9; direct motion; 99.9% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude May 13 18:10 UTC. Uranus: In solar glare; magnitude 5.8; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude May 17 04:16 UTC. Neptune: Telescope; magnitude 7.8; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude May 13 06:20 UTC. Pluto: Substantial telescope; magnitude 14.5; retrograde motion; 100.0% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot.

Binoculars: Trace the charted figure of Cha, then identify β Cha at its plotted position. Trace the charted figure of CVn, then identify Chara at its plotted position.

Small telescope: MCG 9-20-106: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M98: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; MCG 6-27-42: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; MCG 2-31-72: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; NGC 4236: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; Silver Needle: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M99: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M106: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; MCG 5-29-60: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M61: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M100: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; NGC 4361: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M84: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M85: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; MCG 2-32-41: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; NGC 4372: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M86: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; MCG 5-29-85: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; The Eyes with 4435: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; MCG 7-26-9: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M49: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; Cocoon Galaxy: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M87: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; MCG 4-30-2: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M88: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; often mislabeled NGC 4437: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; MCG 1-32-100: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; Lost Galaxy: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M91: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M89: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; MCG 5-30-30: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; Needle Galaxy: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; Siamese Twins: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; Siamese Twins: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M90: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance

Substantial telescope: No fixed-sky Calendar object is classified as requiring a substantial telescope this week.

Other objects listed this week: Siamese Twins

Mercury

Mercury: in solar glare at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Rises 04:33; sets 18:54 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -1.8. The disk is 98.6% illuminated (gibbous). It is 4.3° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 2.131° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Menkar, 12.2° away. Solar conjunction in ecliptic longitude May 14 14:24 UTC. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude May 17 01:02 UTC. Conjunction with Ceres in ecliptic longitude May 14 18:17 UTC. Mercury: 12.2° from Menkar in the Pathfinder.

Venus

Venus: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 8.1° above the horizon. Rises 06:14; sets 21:58 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -3.9. The disk is 85.5% illuminated (gibbous). It is 30.1° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 1.202° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Elnath, 4.8° away. Venus: 4.8° from Elnath in the Pathfinder.

Moon

Moon: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 48.3° below the horizon. Rises 01:50; sets 12:30 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -9.6. The disk is 38.8% illuminated (waning crescent). It is 76.9° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 12.852° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Sadalmelik, 10.9° away. Solar conjunction in ecliptic longitude May 16 20:01 UTC. Conjunction with Mercury in ecliptic longitude May 17 01:02 UTC. Conjunction with Mars in ecliptic longitude May 14 21:32 UTC. Conjunction with Ceres in ecliptic longitude May 16 18:28 UTC. Conjunction with Saturn in ecliptic longitude May 13 18:10 UTC. Conjunction with Uranus in ecliptic longitude May 17 04:16 UTC. Conjunction with Neptune in ecliptic longitude May 13 06:20 UTC. Moon: 10.9° from Sadalmelik in the Pathfinder.

Mars

Mars: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 33.7° below the horizon. Rises 03:41; sets 16:56 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 1.2. The disk is 97.4% illuminated (gibbous). It is 26.3° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.759° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Alrescha, 10.0° away. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude May 14 21:32 UTC. Mars: 10.0° from Alrescha in the Pathfinder.

Jupiter

Jupiter: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 29.0° above the horizon. Rises 08:36; sets 23:58 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -2.0. The disk is 99.3% illuminated (nearly full). It is 60.1° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 0.158° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Pollux, 7.0° away. Jupiter: 7.0° from Pollux in the Pathfinder.

Saturn

Saturn: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 42.6° below the horizon. Rises 03:19; sets 15:40 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 0.9. The disk is 99.9% illuminated (nearly full). It is 40.1° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.105° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Diphda, 19.9° away. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude May 13 18:10 UTC. Saturn: 19.9° from Diphda in the Pathfinder.

Uranus

Uranus: in solar glare at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Rises 05:14; sets 20:13 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 5.8. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 10.5° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 0.058° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Aldebaran, 10.7° away. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude May 17 04:16 UTC. Uranus: 10.7° from Aldebaran in the Pathfinder.

Neptune

Neptune: telescope at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 44.9° below the horizon. Rises 03:00; sets 15:07 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 7.8. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 46.8° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.028° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Fumalsamakah, 17.9° away. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude May 13 06:20 UTC. Neptune: 17.9° from Fumalsamakah in the Pathfinder.

Ceres

Ceres: in solar glare at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Rises 05:08; sets 19:18 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 8.7. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 4.2° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 0.410° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Menkar, 11.9° away. Solar conjunction in ecliptic longitude May 15 02:46 UTC. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude May 16 18:28 UTC. Conjunction with Mercury in ecliptic longitude May 14 18:17 UTC. Ceres: 11.9° from Menkar in the Pathfinder.

Pluto

Pluto: substantial telescope at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 41.2° below the horizon. Rises 01:00; sets 09:48 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 14.5. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 104.8° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is retrograde at 0.002° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Dabih, 8.7° away. Pluto: 8.7° from Dabih in the Pathfinder.