23 May to 11 June – 8:30 pm CDT
Both Mercury and Venus were recently on the opposite side of the Sun from the Earth at superior conjunction. Coming from that relative position both planets travel eastward until they reach a point with respect to the Sun that we see as the furthest apart, or the greatest angular separation between the Sun and Mercury or Venus. This happens on either side of the Sun and are known as elongations. Since both planets are on the east side of the Sun they are both heading toward eastern elongation. In the animated graphic above you can see all of Mercury’s orbit on the east side of the Sun including the part where Mercury reaches eastern elongation and heads back toward the Sun. Because Venus is further from the sun it has a longer orbital period around the sun and likewise a longer orbital path so Venus’s orbital path on the graphic extends past the edge.
Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for more observing information.
This evening, Wednesday 22 May, at sunset or shortly after look toward the west northwest horizon to see a trio of planets – Jupiter with Mercury and Venus lower to the right. All three planets will be close enough to be seen in the same field of view of binoculars through the end of this month as this animated graphic shows. 
Just a quick note to alert you to a free book download for the Kindle. The book, Engineering Stories, is written by an engineer colleague of mine, and contains seven short fiction stories about engineers and how they do what they do. The stories are well written and allow the reader to follow the path an engineer takes from initial brainstorming through the development process to the final product.
This evening the first quarter Moon is close to the star Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion.
Earlier this morning the ISS, International Space station, flew over the midwest in a path that lasted 4 minutes and at its peak the ISS reached 85 degrees in altitude – nearly straight up. The path it followed took it from the southwest horizon across the summer triangle past the star Altair in Aquila the Eagle, towards the east northeast horizon.
