Space events worth looking up to in the sky this weekend.
On Friday, the sky will be illuminated with dazzling meteors from the Aquariids meteor shower and there’s also an opportunity to witness a lunar eclipse.
It will be a remarkable day for stargazing enthusiasts to look up and enjoy a spectacular celestial display. If you are planning to watch the Aquariids meteor shower, be sure to rise early as you may witness up to 20 meteors per hour.
For those looking to catch a glimpse of the meteor, the optimal periods to do so will be early in the morning just before sunrise on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. The meteor shower is projected to reach its maximum intensity around 11 a.m. ET on Saturday.
Accompanying the meteor shower is the May flower moon, which marks the first full moon of the “month of flower.” It will be positioned almost precisely between the sun and Earth, resulting in a penumbral lunar eclipse as the moon enters Earth’s outer shadow.
The eclipse will occur on Friday between 11:13 a.m. and 3:31 p.m. ET, but unfortunately, it won’t be visible in the Americas since the moon won’t be above the horizon during that time. Nevertheless, the eclipse will lead to a slight darkening of the lunar surface for sky-watchers in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
The convergence of these astronomical phenomena may be thrilling for astronomy enthusiasts, but their co-occurrence could potentially obstruct your observation. Since the moon will be at its full phase, its brightness may impede the visibility of the Aquariids meteor shower in the nighttime sky.
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An eclipse is characterized by Earth’s shadow being divided into two regions: the umbra, which is the dark inner portion, and the penumbra, which is the lighter outer shadow. In a penumbral eclipse, the moon remains within this outer region, resulting in a subdued appearance as though it is fading, rather than a complete obscuration as observed in a total lunar eclipse.
As the moon travels through the Earth’s shadow, it brushes against it rather than passing through the complete shadow, resulting in a relatively shorter distance covered compared to a full passage.
The dimming of the moon is very slight, but if someone is in a dark place, they may notice the full moon is not quite as bright as normal.
Each yearly meteor shower has a radiant point, which is the constellation from which the meteors seem to emanate. The Aquariids meteor shower originates from the Aquarius constellation, located along the ecliptic or the path of the sun in the sky, hence its name.
Since the radiant rises a few hours before sunrise, the best time to view the Aquariids is just before dawn, with limited visibility during the evening hours.
individuals residing in northern regions like Canada will have a more limited viewing opportunity due to the meteor shower’s shortened period of activity. Conversely, those located in the Southern Hemisphere will have a slightly more extensive time frame to view the shower, during which the radiant point will be visible, and the sun will still be below the horizon.
