Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
On warm May evenings, observing celestial objects, meteor showers, and even deep space objects will be more comfortable than in the previous cold months. You will be able to see approaches (conjunctions) of the planets of the Solar System with the Moon, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, the Andromeda Nebula, and the Orion Nebula.
Lunar eclipse
In Central Russia, a total lunar eclipse will be visible on the morning of May 5. During these morning hours, the rising Sun may slightly “spoil” the contrast of the event, but it will still be observable. The total lunar eclipse will begin at 5:14 Moscow time and will last until 6:22. The peak of the eclipse: the Moon will turn reddish due to the light reflected from the Sun will be at 5:53. In Novosibirsk, day will break, but opposite the Sun, you will be able to try to see the non-contrasting disk of the light orange Moon. The common name for the full Moon in May is the Flower Moon. It is associated with natural phenomena – the beginning of the flowering of the first spring flowers.
Conjunctions of the planets of the solar system
May 2: Neptune will approach bright, easy-to-spot Venus. Time of approach: 17:07 GMT for Novosibirsk 7 hours. Distance at approach: 2°06′.
On May 3, Mars will be close to the Moon. At this time, if you observe reddish Mars through a telescope, you can see bluish polar caps on it. Time of approach: 23:12 GMT, distance at the moment of approach: 2°06′. This event can be observed until 00:13 GMT on May 4, when the distance at the moment of approach will decrease to 1°59′.
May 12: Full Moon – Micro Moon; the Moon will appear 5% smaller and 10% dimmer than during a normal full moon.
On May 14, the nearly full Moon will be near Alpha Scorpius Antares. Time of approach: 04:10 GMT. Distance at approach: 0°18′. Antares is a dimly lit object, so it is best to use binoculars to observe it.
On May 22, the waning crescent Moon will be near the planet Saturn. Time of approach: 17:51 GMT, distance at approach: 2°30′. Saturn’s rings may not be as bright as at the moments of the planet’s maximum tilt, but they will still be clearly visible in a telescope or binoculars that provide sufficient resolution of closely spaced lines.
In addition to Saturn, on May 22, the small planet Neptune will be near the crescent Moon. Time of approach: 19:15 GMT. Distance at the time of approach: 1°53′.
Venus will be near the Moon on May 23. Time of approach: 21:13 GMT. Distance at approach: 3°33′.
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
May 5-6: The peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, expected activity is up to 50 meteors per hour, but the greater illumination of the Moon on these 2 peak days will somewhat weaken the contrast of the observed meteors. This shower will be observed from April 19 to May 28, which will allow it to be seen on days when the Moon is not in the sky. Location of the radiant: the constellation Aquarius.
In Russia, the conditions for observing this shower are not very favorable, since its radiant rises at about 3 a.m., when the morning dawn has already begun. Thus, only a small window of relatively dark sky remains for observations from about 3:30 to 4:30 a.m., and the number of meteors is usually no more than a few per hour due to the low altitude of the radiant. However, these meteors are interesting in that they enter the Earth’s atmosphere at a very small angle, so they do not penetrate into the dense layers and can fly a long distance before burning out. Therefore, in early May, the Eta Aquarids at Russian latitudes produce a noticeable number of meteors, which are called grazers (from the English grazer – grazing, slightly touching), they can fly in the outer layers of the atmosphere for quite a long time, several seconds, and from the surface of the Earth this flight can look very impressive – like a meteor flying across the entire sky.
Andromeda and Orion Nebulae
On May 27, the Moon will no longer be visible, a new moon will occur, and the illuminated side of the Moon will be facing away from the Earth. This is the best time to observe stars, meteor showers, and deep-sky objects, since the Moon’s light will not illuminate the sky. Some of these objects can be seen in May. This is the bright Andromeda Galaxy (M31) – the closest to our galaxy, it will be visible in our northern hemisphere. It can be observed with the naked eye, but if you also use a telescope, you will be able to distinguish spiral arms and bright centers in this nebula. This nebula is easy to find – it is located halfway between the constellation Cassiopeia (graphically like the letter W) and the constellation Ursa Major.
The next nebula to observe in May is the Orion Nebula (M42). The constellation Orion is very extended and can be easily found by the line of 3 bright stars – Orion’s Belt. The Orion Nebula is located in Orion’s “sword”. It should be observed in early May, before the nebula goes below the horizon in the late night hours.
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