The month of May prepares great events for astronomy buffs and even the occasional night sky star!
The main astronomical event of the moon will be the first lunar eclipse The sum of the two will take place in 2022. Scheduled for May 16, the eclipse will be fully visible across most of South America, including all of Brazil, as well as parts of North America, Africa and Europe.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, which occurs exactly at the moment when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned and the Earth is between the other two. Because of this arrangement, the Moon is always in full phase when a lunar eclipse occurs, as the surface facing the Earth is fully illuminated by the sun’s rays.
Lunar and solar eclipses can be total or partial, and their duration depends on the Moon’s position in its orbit around the Earth, reaching almost 2 hours.
However, unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be seen from a relatively small area of the Earth, a lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere on the night side of the Earth. Also, lunar eclipses are safe to view without any eye protection or special precautions as they are darker than the full moon itself.
Generally, when the Moon is completely eclipsed, its surface takes on a reddish hue caused by an optical effect known as Rayleigh scattering: sunlight is refracted and scattered in Earth’s atmosphere, which deflects only certain wavelengths toward the Moon.
The total lunar eclipse on the 16th will last just over 1 hour and 20 minutes and will occur at dawn shortly after 00:30.
Stay tuned, because while there will be another total lunar eclipse on November 8 this year, the one in May will be much easier to see in Brazil, as this latter one can only be observed near sunset from here.
Calendar of the main astronomical events of the month of May 2022
05/06: Maximum activity of the eta-Aquarids meteor shower
05/08: Moon in Crescent Quadrant
05/10: Peak activity of the eta-Lyrid meteor shower
05/16: full moon
05/16: full moon eclipse
05/22: Conjunction between Saturn and Moon
05/22: Declining Quarter Moon
05/24: Conjunction between Mars and Moon and Jupiter and Moon
05/27: Conjunction between Venus and Moon
05/29: Conjunction between Mars and Jupiter and Mercury and Moon
05/30: New month
Clear skies and good observations!
Source: Tec Mundo
I am Bret Jackson, a professional journalist and author for Gadget Onus, where I specialize in writing about the gaming industry. With over 6 years of experience in my field, I have built up an extensive portfolio that ranges from reviews to interviews with top figures within the industry. My work has been featured on various news sites, providing readers with insightful analysis regarding the current state of gaming culture.
