The Ellensburg, WA sky for the week of May 21, 2022

Saturday: In 1979, the group Foreigner recorded the song “Head Games”. They could have been singing about the constellations Hercules and Ophiuchus when they said “head games, it’s just you and me baby, head games, I can’t take it anymore” because the heads of these two constellations have been right next to each other in the nighttime sky for all of human history. And just to make it easy for you, a star that bears an Arabic name that means “the head” represents each head. In Hercules, it's Ras Algethi (head of the kneeler); in Ophiuchus, Ras Alhague (head of the serpent charmer). At 11:00 p.m., Ras Alhague, the brighter of the two, is about two fists held upright and at arms length above the east-southeastern horizon. Ras Algethi is about a half a fist to the upper right of Ras Alhague.

Sunday: The moon is passing by all of the morning planets this week. At 4:30 a.m. today, Saturn is a half a fist above the moon, low in the southeastern sky.

Monday: Are you thirsty? I'll wait while you get some water. I will NOT wait while Corvus the crow gets you some water. The Greco-Roman god Apollo made this mistake. He sent Corvus the crow to get some water in the cup known as Crater. Some figs distracted Corvus and he waited for them to ripen so he could eat them. When Corvus got back late, Apollo put Corvus and Crater in the sky with the gently tipping cup just out of the reach of the perpetually thirsty crow. Corvus is a trapezoid-shaped constellation about two fists above due south at 9:30 p.m. Crater is just to the right of Corvus.

Tuesday: Are you up at 2:13 a.m., looking due north and thinking you see a UFO coming to take you away? That's no UFO. It's the bright star Capella, a circumpolar star that never goes below the horizon as viewed from Ellensburg.

Wednesday: Jupiter and Mars are about one fist to the upper left of the moon at 4:30 a.m., low in the southeastern sky.

Thursday: Did you know you can see Venus during the day? It is bright enough. The trick, of course, is knowing where to look. Venus is about a half a fist from the moon throughout the day. At 10:30 a.m., when the pair are highest in the sky, five fists above due south, Venus is about a half a fist to the upper left of the moon. First use binoculars to see Venus. To do this, orient your binoculars so the moon is in the lower right portion of your field of view. Venus will be in the upper left. Now slowly lower your binoculars, keeping your gaze in the direction of Venus. Note where it is compared to the moon. Look away and then look back towards the moon and Venus to try to find it again.

Friday: Are you thirsty when you get up in the morning? I know you are not waiting for Corvus. That’s okay because the Big Dipper is positioned to hold water in the morning sky. Look three fists above the northwest horizon at 4:30 a.m. You’ll see three stars that make a bent handle and four stars that make a cup.

The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week. For up to date information about the night sky, go to https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/planner.cfm.