The month of May promises not to disappoint! Among other things, a phenomenon, which we have not seen since 2019, will take place.
A shower of shooting stars to start the month
The calendar of astronomical events for May will begin with the êta aquarides. This meteor shower will peak next Thursday night, May 5, until the wee hours of May 6. Between 10 and 30 meteors could cross the sky per hour. The best time will be between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. next Friday.
The Eta Aquarids are the second and last meteor shower of spring. The next opportunity will be at the end of July.
Finally, a lunar eclipse!
A first for three years: astronomy enthusiasts located in North America will be able to observe a total lunar eclipse. Thus on the night of May 15 to 16, our lunar star will cross the shadow of the Earth.
In doing so, the Moon will take on an orange-red hue, hence its nickname “blood moon”. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that when entering the shadow of the Earth, the light emanating from the Sun no longer goes directly to the Moon. A second total lunar eclipse is expected this year, in November, and will be visible in North America.
Reconciliation between Mars and Jupiter
Finally, the month of May will end with a rendezvous between the planets Mars and Jupiter. These will appear particularly close very early in the morning of May 29th. The best time to see the conjunction will be about an hour before sunrise.