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By Mike Vergara, (951) 461-2889 It is said that April showers bring May flowers. We didn't get much in the way of showers this year, so I went looking for flower nebulas. The word "nebula" is derived from a Greek word that means "cloud." That is essentially what a nebula is – a cloud of gas (and other stuff) that is usually illuminated by a nearby star or star cluster. Surprisingly, there is no astronomical object I could find that is named the "Flower Nebula." It is surprising because there are nebulas out there that have been named for objects various and sundry. There is a Ring, Veil, Witches Head, Wizard, Cats Eye, Coal Sack, Snake, Crab, Flame, Heart, Spare Tyre, and Horsehead, but no Flower. There are nebulas named for specific flowers like the Iris, the Rosette, the Dandelion Puffball, and the flower-related Butterfly. If you go looking for any of these, be prepared! You'll need a location that has very dark skies, and a telescope at least 10 inches in diameter. Even then, most nebulae are hard to see with the human eye. Fortunately, there is an alternate way to see these beautiful objects. Point your favorite internet browser to https://apod. nasa.gov/, scroll to the bottom, click on "Search," and enter the word "nebula." The May full moon is appropriately named the "Full Flower Moon." It's on May 26, just before the Memorial Day weekend. This full moon was also known as the "Full Budding Moon," the "Planting Moon," and the "Moon of the Shedding Ponies." This full moon includes a total lunar eclipse at no extra charge. The eclipse starts at 1:47 am PDT. We will be able to see the eclipse from the beginning through the maximum phase, but the moon will set before the eclipse is finished. There are a *lot* of ISS flyovers this month, both in the early pre-dawn hours and after sunset into mid-evening. There are too many for me to list here, so use "Heavens Above" or your favorite news source for more information. Visit http://skymaps.com/index.html to print your own map of the sky for the month. For information about satellites or the ISS, go to https://heavens-above.com. Clear skies! COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD 20 | THE COLONY NEWS | MAY 2021 | May Sky May Sky