2013 Dance of the Planets: Jupiter, Mercury and Venus Forms a Straight Alignment with Supermoon Visible on May 31 [PHOTOS]
As the month of May comes to an end, the May 31 Friday night will provide one last spectacular 2013 Dance of the Planets view. Planets Jupiter, Mercury and Venus will be forming a rare straight alignment with the visibility of a "closer-than-usual" Supermoon.
To view Jupiter, Venus and Mercury forming a straight line in that sequence, head to the horizon with a clear view at 8 p.m. and look west. Binoculars can provide a better sighting since the formation will be somewhat low in the dark night sky.
Do not waste time in viewing the rare phenomenon for they will rapidly fade away. The celestial display will reportedly end at 9:03 p.m.
On the other hand, the Supermoon will be occurring simultaneously with the planetary alignment as it rises at 8:09 p.m. It will officially become a full moon starting at 9:25 p.m. until it sets at 5:30 a.m. the next day.
A clear dark sky will allow the Supermoon to captivate the viewers with its bigger and brighter appearance above. The Supermoon will continue making an appearance on Saturday, June 1, at approximately 9:08 p.m.
How to capture images of the Supermoon:
1. On Friday night, search for locations with clear view of the night sky. Take a couple of test photographs to see if the spotted location is a good one.
2. The best time to capture an image of the Supermoon is during its rising period. That is the time for the Supermoon to appear the biggest.
3. Use a tripod as well as a slower shutter speed. The tripod will prevent the camera from shaking.
4. Utilize the manual settings on the camera. Slow the camera's shutter speed and use a smaller aperture like f/5.6 or f/8 to have a better focus of the Supermoon.
"Supermoon" is a word used to illustrate the large size appearance of the moon at the night sky. The phenomenon happens when the Moon is at its closest point to the planet Earth.
The "Supermoon" appearance on Friday night is the first of the three more to happen during the summer season. The largest will occur on June 23 while the other "Supermoon" is expected on July 22.
