How to see the May stars: two full moons and a meteor shower
In May 2026, two full moons, an Aquarid meteor shower, and a planetary convergence are expected. Honorary Doctor of Sciences, lecturer Sergey Chumakov told Izvestia about this on April 30. All the details are in the Izvestia article.
Floral Full Moon and Blue Moon
So, in May, the inhabitants of the Earth will be able to observe two full moons. The first one, called the flower one, will happen on May 1st. At the latitude of Moscow, the satellite will appear after 21:00 and reach its peak altitude above the southern horizon by midnight.
According to the Doctor of Sciences, despite the name, the May full moon does not visually differ from the others, and its name is associated with the spring awakening of nature. The second full moon of the month will be on May 31.
"The rare second full moon of the month is called blue, but on this day the Earth's satellite will not necessarily have a bluish hue," said Chumakov.
Aquarids Meteor Shower
The maximum of the Aquarid meteor shower is expected in the morning on May 6. Up to 40 meteors per hour are expected to be active, which corresponds to about one flare per minute. Shooting stars will appear in the southeastern part of the sky, but the light of the rising Sun can significantly complicate observations.
"Shooting stars of Aquarids sometimes differ in brightness and leave behind a barely visible luminous trail, which can be noticed a couple of seconds after the meteor's passage," he said.
According to the Doctor of Sciences, Aquarid meteors are formed by dust particles from the tail of Halley's comet, which burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. To successfully observe the flow, it is recommended to inspect the southeastern horizon for 10-20 minutes, while using telescopes or binoculars is useless due to the unpredictability of star appearance points.
Visibility of Jupiter and Venus
In May, most of the planets of the Solar system, including Mars, Saturn and Neptune, will be hidden in the rays of the daytime sky. Jupiter will remain visible in the western part of the celestial sphere 20-30 minutes after sunset. Also on May 20, the Moon will appear next to the gas giant, which will create a remarkable astronomical picture.
Venus will be visible below Jupiter, which will continue to rise above the horizon and visually approach it during the month. In addition, the Moon will pass close to Venus on May 18. These planets are among the brightest objects in the sky, so they can be observed even in conditions of strong urban illumination.
"Do not miss the chance to see these bright astronomical objects: they can be observed even from a large city with street lighting," the expert concluded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
