May reserves cool activities in the night sky for astronomy lovers All categories, from the most novice observers to the most experienced!
While the forecasts are rainy for most of the country, The nights of May will be marked by observations of the moon and several planets that will be in great visibility. But the moon’s most important celestial event is the Eta Aquarids (or Eta Aquarids) meteor shower!
Eta Aquarids is an above-average meteor shower capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at peak activity. This is a particularly special event to see from the Southern Hemisphere due to its location and will produce 30 meteors per hour on average.
Rain is produced from dust particles and small space rocks left by Halley’s Comet, which has been observed since ancient times, in its orbit in the Solar System. It rains between 19 April and 28 May every year. This year there will be a peak of activity in the evening on the 5th and in the early morning on the 6th.
These days, the Moon will be nearly full, making the phenomenon difficult to visualize as it will outshine less bright meteors. But if you are patient, you will definitely be able to observe some good ones, especially the brightest ones.
During the event, meteorites will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but they can appear anywhere in the sky. The best viewing will be from a dark place and in the last hours of the 5th and until the next dawn.
The use of sky-observing apps like Celeste Chart, Sky Map, and Stellarium are great for helping visualize astronomical events.
Calendar of the main astronomical events for the month of May 2023
05/05: full moon
05/05: Penumbral lunar eclipse (not visible from Brazil)
05 and 06/05: Peak activity of the Eta Aquariids meteor shower
05/12: The Month Is In The Last Quarter
05/13: Conjunction of Saturn and Moon
05/17: Jupiter’s Moon Occlusion
05/19: New month
05/26: Conjunction of Venus and Moon
05/27: First Quarter Month
05/29: Mercury in Great Western Elongation (Best Time to Observe)
Clear skies and good observations!
Source: Tec Mundo
I’m Blaine Morgan, an experienced journalist and writer with over 8 years of experience in the tech industry. My expertise lies in writing about technology news and trends, covering everything from cutting-edge gadgets to emerging software developments. I’ve written for several leading publications including Gadget Onus where I am an author.
