May 05 Th 3:40 Eta Aquariid Shower (ZHR=6)
May 08 Su 20:21 First Quarter
May 15/16 Mo 0:11 Total Lunar Eclipse
May 16 Mo 0:14 Full Moon
May 22 Su 14:43 Last Quarter
May 30 Mo 7:30 New Moon
May's Flower Moon name should be no surprise; flowers spring forth across North America in abundance this month!
This month's full Moon coincides with a Total lunar Eclipse! A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth stands directly between the Moon and the Sun, which results in Earth casting its shadow on the Moon. This eclipse is a good one as it starts after sunset on Sunday the 15th and ends at 2:52 on Monday morning. Remember, no special equipment needed for viewing a Lunar Eclipse! The Club is planning on being at Mounds State Park for this event to share with members and the public. Mark your calendars!
May 6: The Eta Aquariids
This long-lasting annual shower originates from none other than Halley's Comet, and these meteors come in fast: 41 miles (66 km) per second! This blazing speed often creates trains - something like incandescent smoke trails - that linger for several seconds after the meteors come and go. The shower's radiant (in the Water Jar asterism of Aquarius) never gets very high above the horizon for observers in the Northern Hemisphere, and you'll need to be out after midnight for the best views.
A number of pretty conjunctions are coming just before sunrise in May (photo opps?):
- May 22 Moon-Saturn: 4.6 deg
- May 24 Moon-Mars: 2.9 deg
- May 24 Moon-Jupiter: 3.4
- May 26 Moon-Venus: 0.2
- May 29 Mars-Jupiter: 0.6
