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Minnesota Starwatch for May 2024

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Minnesota Starwatch for May 2024


In May the evening sky ushers out the bright winter stars and nudges Leo, the lion — the most prominent spring constellation — toward the western exit. Nightfall comes late, but when it does it reveals the second and third brightest stars in our night sky.

High in the southeast blazes Arcturus, the brightest star in the northern hemisphere of the sky. Only marginally dimmer, brilliant Vega shines lower in the northeast to east. Both stars climb throughout the month, along with their constellations. At 37 light-years distant, Arcturus anchors kite-shaped Bootes, the herdsman, while Vega, at 25 light-years, dominates the small constellation Lyra, the lyre.

In the second half of May, Spica — the only bright star in Virgo, the maiden — will be almost due south at nightfall, below and slightly west of Arcturus. Spica contains two stars, both larger than the sun, separated by just 11 million miles, or 12% of Earth’s distance from the sun. These stars orbit their common center of mass in just four days. It’s thought that their intense mutual gravity deforms both stars into an egg-like shape.

The moon begins the month in the morning sky. Just before dawn on May 3, it appears close above the eastern horizon, to the right of Saturn. After beginning a new cycle on May 7, it visits the Gemini twin stars on May 12; Regulus, in Leo, on May 15; and Spica on May 19. The night of May 22 to May 23, May’s full moon traces a low arc across the sky.

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The waning moon appears in the middle of the Teapot of Sagittarius in the predawn hours of May 26. On May 31 it shines below Saturn, which is rapidly moving up and westward through the morning sky. Far to the lower left of the ringed planet, a barely visible Mars is slowly climbing as Earth gains on it in the orbital race.

Minnesota Starwatch is a service of the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, located in the Tate Laboratory of Physics and Astronomy in Minneapolis.





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Hundreds of Minnesota, Wisconsin schools closed on Friday due to cold

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Hundreds of Minnesota, Wisconsin schools closed on Friday due to cold



Hundreds of schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin have closed or shifted to virtual learning on Friday amid dangerous cold.

Anoka-Hennepin, Minnesota’s largest school district, and St. Paul Public Schools are among those closed for the day. Minneapolis Public Schools already planned to be closed for a teacher work day. The full list of closings is below.

All of Minnesota is under an extreme cold warning, the National Weather Service said, and WCCO has issued NEXT Weather Alerts. Temperatures won’t get above zero until Sunday, and wind chills on Friday morning will dip into the 40s below zero.

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Minnesota protesters call for an economic blackout day without work, school, and shopping. Here’s what to know.

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Minnesota protesters call for an economic blackout day without work, school, and shopping. Here’s what to know.


On Friday, Vanessa Beardsley is inviting her community to come hang out with cats and drink coffee at her Minnesota business, Catzen Coffee — but they won’t be able to spend any money.

Catzen is participating in a January 23rd economic shutdown, in which activists are calling on Minnesotans to close their businesses, not report to work or school, and refrain from shopping in protest of ICE’s presence in the state.

Beardsley said she “immediately” knew she wanted to “stand in solidarity with our fellow businesses and our state,” but didn’t want to completely close her doors. “We are not doing business,” she said, “but we will be open for people who just need a space to come and hang out.”


a large fluffy gray cat on a couch

Big Joe, one of the cats at Catzen.

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Vanessa Beardsley



It’s unclear how widespread participation in the blackout will be or what impact it may have on ICE operations. Local news site Bring Me The News has compiled a running list of more than 200 businesses that have posted on social media that they will be participating. The shutdown, prompted by ICE officer Jonathan Ross’s fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, has been endorsed by a slew of regional labor unions, whose demands include ICE leaving the state and no additional federal funding for the agency.

“Working people, our schools and our communities are under attack. Union members are being detained commuting to and from work, tearing apart families,” Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou, the president of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, said in a statement. “Parents are being forced to stay home, students held out of school, fearing for their lives, all while the employer class remains silent.”

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ICE didn’t respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

In a statement, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said that the Trump administration’s immigration operations “have resulted in countless dangerous criminal illegals being removed from the streets.”

“Making American communities safer will create an environment in which all businesses can thrive in the long term and their customers can feel safe,” Jackson said.

“ICE gets beat up by stupid people, from leadership in Minnesota,” Donald Trump said in a speech at Davos this week. “We actually are helping Minnesota so much, but they don’t appreciate it. Most places do.”

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In addition to the larger shutdown, there’s a march set to run through downtown Minneapolis at 2 p.m. CT. The state is expected to be under extreme cold warnings and extreme cold watch throughout the day on Friday, which might also keep Minnesotans home. Some local businesses are also opting to stay open, but planning to donate a share of — or all — of their profits to related causes.

“I understand why people are choosing to participate in the January 23 blackout, and I support those decisions,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement to Business Insider. “At the same time, our small businesses, especially immigrant-owned businesses, are under a lot of pressure right now, and they could really use our support. However you choose to show up, I hope we keep our neighbors and local businesses in mind.”





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Missing 7-year-old girl from Zimmerman found safe

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Missing 7-year-old girl from Zimmerman found safe



A 7-year-old girl for whom an Amber Alert was issued Wednesday night in central Minnesota has been found safe.

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The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office first notified the public of the missing girl in Zimmerman around 8:20 p.m., asking residents to check their homes and surrounding areas. Around 1 a.m., the sheriff’s office said she had been found safe.

Authorities have a suspect in custody, and the sheriff’s office said it will release more information on what happened to her later. 

The Zimmerman/Livonia Fire District said hundreds of people came out to look for the girl Wednesday night.



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