Global Courant 2023-05-05 17:29:36
With bright meteors streaking across the sky from the Aquariids meteor shower and a chance to see a lunar eclipse, Friday is the time to look to the skies for a day of spectacular celestial events.
Anyone heading out to spot a meteor with this year’s Aquariids show can see up to 20 meteors an hour, but you’ll need to get up early – the best times to try and see a meteor are just before sunrise on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. The the estimated peak time of the event is Saturday at 11am ET.
Next to the shower comes May’s flower moon, the first full moon of the ‘flower month’and its near-perfect alignment with the sun and Earth. That alignment will lead to what is known as a penumbral lunar eclipse, which is when the Moon enters Earth’s outer shadow. This event will be between 11:13 a.m. and 3:31 p.m. ET Friday but will not be visible in America because the moon is not up then. But it will cause an eclipse of the lunar surface for people in Africa, Asia and Australia.
The collision of celestial events can be exciting for space enthusiasts, but together they can obscure your view. With the moon completely full, the Aquariids will have to compete with some bright light interference to be seen in the night sky.
“I would suggest going out around 3 a.m. Grab a lawn chair and put the moon at your back,” said Robert Lunsford, coordinator of the American Meteor Society’s fireball report. “Look at these fast meteors shooting up from the eastern horizon. Not all the meteors you see will be Eta Aquariids, but they are easy to see because the Eta Aquariids are very fast.”
MORE ABOUT THE MOON ECLIPSE
During a solar eclipse, the shadow is cast by the Earth divided into two parts: the umbra, the dark center, and the penumbra, the fainter outer shadow. During a penumbral eclipse, the moon stays on this outer ring, making it appear to eclipse, but not completely dark as in a total lunar eclipse.
“The moon passes through part of the Earth’s shadow, and because it passes through the shadow, it’s not as far as when it passes through the entire Earth’s shadow,” said Noah Petro, NASA’s Planetary Geology chief. Geophysics and Geochemistry Lab, pointing out that it will be difficult for anyone to see. “The dimming of the moon is very slight, but if someone is in a dark place, they may notice that the full moon is not as bright as usual.”
Still, Petro encouraged people in Asia and Australia to get out and see the lunar eclipse.
“Any chance people have to look at the moon is an excellent opportunity to connect with our moon. Eclipses (penumbral or total) are great excuses to look at the moon and start looking at it more regularly!”
MORE ABOUT THE ETA AQUARIIDS
Each annual meteor shower has a radiant, the constellation from which the meteors appear to come. The Aquariids constellation is Aquarius, hence the name of the shower, and lies on the ecliptic, the path of the sun across the sky.
The Aquariids are visible only just before sunrise since the radiant rises a few hours before the sun, limiting the evening hours in which you can see them.
Those in northern areas, such as Canada, will have a smaller window to see activity, said Lunsford of the American Meteor Society, while those in the southern hemisphere will have a slightly longer window of time where the radiant will be up and the sun still down. are.
The Aquariids usually produce meteors that are faster than others, including the Lyrids last event in April, which means they tend to produce more stubborn trains, smoke trails caused by disintegration of the lightning fast meteors. A meteor’s speed is determined by the angle at which it meets Earth, with the Aquariids usually colliding head-on with the atmosphere, Lunsford said.
Lunsford also said this year’s peak is expected to see slightly more meteors per hour, and even more next year because of disturbances that have caused the debris path to move closer to Earth. In 2024, Lunsford estimates that those in the southern tropics could see a range of 75 to 100 meteors per hour.
“You don’t need expensive equipment; it’s a way you can participate in astronomy without spending a lot of money, and it’s fun,” Lunsford said. “You can actually make useful scientific contributions by counting the number of meteors you see and separating them into Lyrids or non-Lyrids.
Plus, it’s like having an early Fourth of July celebration… to see a shooting star. And who knows, you can make a lot of wishes if you see a couple.’
MORE METEOR TUBES TO COME
The Eta Aquariids will be hanging around until May 27, but if you missed their peak, there are many more opportunities to spot a meteor.
These are the remaining meteor showers of 2023 and their peak dates:
Southern Delta Aquariids: July 30-31 Alpha Capricornids: July 30-31 Perseids: August 12-13 Orionids: October 20-21 Southern Taurids: November 4-5 Northern Taurids: November 11-12 Leonids: November 17-18 Geminids: December 13-14 Ursids: December 21-22
SUN AND MOON ECLIPSE
The penumbral lunar eclipse is only visible to people in certain parts of the world, but there are other chances to see an eclipse in your area:
If you live in North, Central or South America, an annular solar eclipse takes place on October 14, when the moon moves in front of Earth’s view of the sun, creating a sharp, fiery circle in the sky.
On October 28 a partial lunar eclipse will be seen in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of North America and much of South America.
MORE FULL MOONS
There are 13 full moons this year, two of which are in August. Here is the list of remaining full moons in 2023, according to the Farmer’s Almanac:
June 3: Strawberry Moon July 3: Buck Moon August 1: Sturgeon Moon August 30: Blue Moon September 29: Harvest Moon October 28: Hunter Moon November 27: Beaver Moon December 26: Cold Moon
