- Night sky guide for May 2016
Posted by Adonai on May 01, 2016 in categories Featured articles, Night Sky
May hosts an above average meteor shower - the Eta Aquarids - with its peak on the night of May 5 and the morning of May 6. This will also be the best time of the month to observe faint objects in the night sky because there is no moonlight to interfere.
A rare transit of Mercury across the Sun will occur at 15:06 UTC on May 9. This is an extremely rare event that occurs only once every few years. There will be one other transit of Mercury in 2019 and then the next one will not take place until 2039. This transit will be visible throughout North America, Mexico, Central America, South America, and parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The second meteor shower of the month - the Alpha Scorpiid meteor shower - will reach its maximum rate of activity on May 13. However, the Moon will be 7 days old at the time, and will present significant interference in the early evening sky.
On May 14 - astronomy and stargazing clubs and other organizations will open their doors to the general public and various astronomy enthusiasts, groups and professionals. Contact your local astronomy club or planetarium to find out about special events they may hold on that day.
The Moon will reach full phase at 21:15 UTC on May 21. This full moon will also be a blue moon, the third of four full moons to fall within one of the Earth's seasons.
- May 6 - New Moon - 19:29 UTC. The Moon will be located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
- May 5/6 - Eta Aquarid meteor shower. The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will reach its maximum rate of activity on the night of May 5 and the morning of May 6. This is an above average shower, capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak, with most of the activity seen in the southern hemisphere. The Moon will be 29 days old at the time of peak activity, and so will present minimum interference. In the northern hemisphere, the rate can reach about 30 meteors per hour. Eta Aquarids are produced by dust particles left behind by comet Halley, which has known and observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from April 19 to May 28. The best place to look to see as many meteors as possible is not at the radiant itself, but at any dark patch of sky which is around 90° away from it, since it is at a distance of around 90° from the radiant that meteors will typically appear at their brightest.
- May 9 - Rare transit of Mercury across the Sun - 15:06 UTC. The planet Mercury will move directly between the Earth and the Sun on May 9, 2016. Viewers with telescopes and approved solar filters will be able to observe the dark disk of the planet Mercury moving across the face of the Sun. This is an extremely rare event that occurs only once every few years. There will be one other transit of Mercury in 2019 and then the next one will not take place until 2039. This transit will be visible throughout North America, Mexico, Central America, South America, and parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The best place to view this event in its entirety will be the eastern United States and eastern South America. (Transit Visibility Map and Information)
- May 9 - Mercury at inferior solar conjunction. From our vantage point on the Earth, Mercury will appear very close to the Sun in the sky as it passes between the Sun and Earth. At closest approach, Mercury and the Sun will appear at a separation of only 0°05', making Mercury totally unobservable for several weeks while it is lost in the Sun's glare. Mercury will also pass perigee – the time when it is closest to the Earth – within a few days of the same time, since it will lie on exactly the same side of the Sun as the Earth in the Solar System. It will move to within a distance of 0.56 AU from the Earth, making it appear with its largest angular size. If it could be observed, it would measure 12.1 arcsec in diameter, whilst appearing completely unilluminated. Mercury's reaching inferior conjunction marks the end of its apparition in the evening sky and its transition to becoming a morning object over the next few weeks.
- May 11 - M5 well placed for observation. The globular cluster M5 (NGC 5904) in Serpens will be well placed for observation. It will reach its highest point in the sky at around midnight local time. At a declination of +02°04', it is visible across much of the world; it can be seen at latitudes between 72°N and 67°S. At magnitude 5.8, M5 is quite faint, and certainly not visible to the naked eye, but can be viewed through a pair of binoculars or a small telescope.
- May 13 - Alpha Scorpiid meteor shower. Some shooting stars associated with the Alpha Scorpiid meteor shower will be visible from April 20 to May 19, but the shower will reach its maximum rate of activity on May 13. The maximum rate of meteors expected to be visible from a dark location is around 5 per hour. The Moon will be 7 days old at the time of peak activity, and so will present significant interference in the early evening sky. The radiant of the Alpha Scorpiid meteor shower is at around right ascension 16h20m, declination -24°.
- May 14 - 77P/Longmore at perihelion. Comet 77P/Longmore will make its closest approach to the Sun, at a distance of 2.34 AU.
- May 14 - International Astronomy Day. Astronomy Day is an annual event intended to provide a means of interaction between the general public and various astronomy enthusiasts, groups and professionals. The theme of Astronomy Day is "Bringing Astronomy to the People," and on this day astronomy and stargazing clubs and other organizations around the world will plan special events. You can find out about special local events by contacting your local astronomy club or planetarium. You can also find more about Astronomy Day by checking the Web site for the Astronomical League.
- May 15 - Conjunction between the Moon and Jupiter - 08:23 UTC. The Moon and Jupiter will make a close approach, passing within 1°54' of each other. At the moment of closest approach, the Moon will be at mag -12.1, and Jupiter at mag -2.2, both in the constellation Leo. The pair will be too widely separated to fit within the field of view of a telescope, but will be visible to the naked eye or through a pair of binoculars.
- May 21 - Full Moon, Blue Moon - 21:15 UTC. This full moon will also be a blue moon, the third of four full moons to fall within one of the Earth's seasons – defined astronomically to start and end on the Earth's solstices and equinoxes. Normally, only three full moons occur in each of the Earth's four seasons each year. However, there are on average 3.11 full moons within each season. This is because full moons occur on average once every 29.53 days which is slightly less than a third of the length of one of the Earth's seasons – a quarter of the year. As a result, blue moons occur on average once every 2.7 years. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Flower Moon because this was the time of year when spring flowers appeared in abundance. This moon has also been known as the Full Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon. Over the nights following May 21, the Moon will rise a little under an hour later each day so as to become prominent later in the night. Within a few days, it will only be visible in the pre-dawn and early-morning sky. By the time it reaches last quarter, around a week after full moon, it will rise at around midnight and set at around noon. On this occasion the Moon will lie at a declination of -15°40' in the constellation Libra, and so will appear highest in the southern hemisphere. It will be visible from all latitudes north of 64°N. Its distance from the Earth will be 402 000 km (241 790 miles).
- May 22 - Mars at opposition - 11:10 UTC. Mars will be well placed for observation, in the constellation Scorpius. It will be visible for much of the night, reaching its highest point in the sky at around midnight local time. Over the weeks following its opposition, Mars will reach its highest point in the sky four minutes earlier each night, gradually receding from the pre-dawn morning sky while remaining visible in the evening sky for a few months. A chart of the path of Mars across the sky in 2016 can be found here, and a chart of its rising and setting times here.
- May 22 - Conjunction between the Moon and Saturn - 22:18 UTC. The Moon and Saturn will make a close approach, passing within 3°11' of each other. At the moment of closest approach, the Moon will be at mag -12.5, and Saturn at mag 0.8, both in the constellation Ophiuchus. The pair will be too widely separated to fit within the field of view of a telescope, but will be visible to the naked eye or through a pair of binoculars.
- May 27 - M4 well placed for observation. Across much of the world the globular cluster M4 (NGC 6121) in Scorpius will be well placed for observation. It will reach its highest point in the sky at around midnight local time. At a declination of -26°31', it is easiest to see from the southern hemisphere and cannot be seen from latitudes much north of 43°N. At magnitude 5.9, M4 is quite faint, and certainly not visible to the naked eye, but can be viewed through a pair of binoculars or a small telescope.
- May 27 - C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch) at perihelion. Comet C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch) will make its closest approach to the Sun, at a distance of 4.88 AU.
- http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2016/05/01/night-sky-guide-for-may-2016/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+adorraeli%2FtsEq+%28The+Watchers+-+watching+the+world+evolve+and+transform%29
Today at 9:31 am by Rocky
» MM&C 5/9/24 The Federation of Chambers of Commerce and the European Union discuss cooperation to fin
Today at 9:27 am by Rocky
» MM&C 5/9/24 Customs, security and economic aspects
Today at 9:24 am by Rocky
» Union of Arab Banks: Iraq's environment encourages investment
Today at 6:57 am by Rocky
» Government advisor: Movement to recover bad debts for the benefit of the Iraqi Trade Bank
Today at 6:55 am by Rocky
» The International Development Bank announces the opening of its new branch in Erbil
Today at 6:52 am by Rocky
» Oil seeks to convert refinery products to “Euro 5”... high quality and environmentally friendly
Today at 6:50 am by Rocky
» Budget delay: the cry for help for paralyzed services and disrupted dreams
Today at 6:47 am by Rocky
» Oil: Completion of projects to improve the quality of petroleum products, and others are under imple
Today at 6:44 am by Rocky
» Chairman of the Securities Commission: 3 million shares, average daily trading volume
Today at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Tamim calls on the countries participating in the meetings of the Arab Administrative Development Or
Today at 6:41 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Endowments: 39 thousand pilgrims, Iraq’s share, and waiving the religious obligation i
Today at 6:39 am by Rocky
» Washington refers to Iraqi legislation that “does not harm” his international presence, and Baghdad
Today at 6:34 am by Rocky
» Deputy: Extending the legislative term depends on sending the budget schedules
Today at 6:30 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Legal: 88 draft laws on the parliamentary shelf
Today at 6:29 am by Rocky
» The head of the movement denies any Iraqi-American negotiations to remove the coalition
Today at 5:23 am by Rocky
» A deputy expects to resolve the issue of electing the Speaker of Parliament next week
Today at 5:22 am by Rocky
» Obtaining the approval of the Minister of Electricity to fill the energy shortage in Dhi Qar
Today at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Economist on the decline in dollar prices: My time and it will not reach its official price
Today at 5:20 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Ministerial Council for National Security approves the 2024-2028 strategy
Today at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Mulla Bakhtiar: Nechirvan Barzani's visit to Iran melted the ice between Erbil and Tehran
Today at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Password "78"... Why did the Sudanese government's interrogations and noisy sessions decline?
Today at 5:16 am by Rocky
» JP Morgan forecasts an increase in the oil capacity of Iraq and other countries in 2025
Today at 5:15 am by Rocky
» Turkish Minister of Transport: The development road will cost $20 billion
Today at 5:13 am by Rocky
» The Supreme Committee for Reconstruction and Investment approves a package of strategic projects
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Work: Preparing a unified national strategy to create job opportunities for youth
Today at 5:11 am by Rocky
» The Prime Minister's financial advisor reduces the risks of the budget deficit
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Sudanese announces the signing of an agreement with Japan to finance small and medium enterprises in
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Government Advisor: The Securities Commission represents the governance base for promoting financial
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» A unified national strategy to create job opportunities for youth
Today at 5:07 am by Rocky
» A one-week deadline to decide the position of Speaker of Parliament
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Parliament: We coordinate with the competent regulatory authorities to examine medicines
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» The Commission suspends the Kurdistan Parliament's voting procedures
Today at 5:03 am by Rocky
» $100 million to localize the pharmaceutical industry
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Increase in external remittances at the Central Bank
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» A government advisor reduces the risks of a budget deficit
Today at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Culture: We seek to invest in the stability of the country to advance the tourism sector
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Integrity announces the results of a questionnaire on bribery in real estate registration department
Today at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Parliament comments on Sudanese plan to restructure the government apparatus: It needs radical refor
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» The dollar rises again against the Iraqi dinar in Baghdad
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Politician: The government does not deal transparently with the issue of expelling the Americans
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» A government bank participating in an accounting project
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Masrour Barzani: The Kurdistan Regional Government has implemented all its obligations and duties
Today at 4:41 am by Rocky
» French Consul: France strengthens relations with the Kurdistan Region
Today at 4:39 am by Rocky
» Studies Center: Sudanese faces the challenges of maintaining sustainable relations with the United S
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» “The absence of democracy is not possible.” The federal government remains silent on the postponemen
Today at 4:37 am by Rocky
» Taqadum Party: The absence of the Speaker of Parliament disrupted the general amnesty law
Today at 4:36 am by Rocky
» The file of oil export through Turkish territory is under the control of politicians
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» For the sake of the position of president and the budget schedules... there is a preference for exte
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» “If you bring the equipment, let’s begin.” Revealing the secrets of Erdogan’s visit to Iraq and the
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary moves to approve the Human Organ and Tissue Bank Law
Today at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Electricity embarks on an 11-axis plan to develop the energy sector
Today at 4:27 am by Rocky
» Al-Asadi announces work on legislating a law on occupational health and safety
Today at 4:26 am by Rocky
» Al-Rasheed: Increasing the amount of loans for restoration and maintenance of buildings to 50 millio
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» Under the chairmanship of Al-Sudani, Reconstruction and Investment agree on projects related to elec
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» Baghdad and Tehran.. New discussions regarding railway connectivity to transport visitors between th
Today at 4:23 am by Rocky
» Immigration: Our plan focuses on the voluntary return of displaced persons and rejecting their house
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» An Iraqi trade delegation in Iran to facilitate the export of agricultural crops to Iraq
Today at 4:21 am by Rocky
» Sudanese launches work on the Union Mills Project in Babil Governorate
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary demands to resolve the selection of the Speaker of Parliament next week: So far, there
Today at 4:18 am by Rocky
» Sudanese inaugurates a sugar production factory expansion project and three other factories
Today at 4:17 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani confirms the unlimited support from the government to develop the success story in the pri
Today at 4:16 am by Rocky
» From Babylon... Al-Sudani announces the referral of the large Hilla sewerage project, phase two, to
Today at 4:15 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The factories that opened in Babylon provide more than 4,000 job opportunities
Today at 4:14 am by Rocky
» A representative calls for the payment of lucrative compensation to farmers after the flooding of wh
Today at 4:13 am by Rocky
» Government Advisor: The Securities Commission represents the governance base for promoting financial
Today at 4:12 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 5/7/24 Iraq Dinar- IQD Update - Regional Trade - A Progession of Reforms - A Global Bac
Yesterday at 6:53 am by Rocky
» MM&C The Iraqi Private Banks Association told NEWS: These are the results of the Prime Minister’s me
Yesterday at 6:52 am by Rocky
» After a break of more than 9 years.. the resumption of a government trade meeting between Iraq and A
Yesterday at 6:51 am by Rocky
» Deputy: The general amnesty law will be passed
Yesterday at 6:46 am by Rocky
» A change in the fuel smuggling map... “control” over the central ports and “laxity” in the north
Yesterday at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani takes three urgent decisions to block the wheat mafias in Iraq
Yesterday at 6:41 am by Rocky
» Electricity embarks on an 11-axis plan to develop the energy sector
Yesterday at 6:39 am by Rocky
» “Thug and smuggler.” A female representative talks about a crocodile in Parliament blackmailing exec
Yesterday at 6:37 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani told the US State Department: Iraq is keen to strengthen its democratic system
Yesterday at 6:36 am by Rocky
» The Central Bank sells more than $275 million at auction today
Yesterday at 6:34 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Commerce stresses the observance of the Iraqi standard in the supply of goods
Yesterday at 6:33 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Trade Bank announces its participation in the process of localizing the salaries of Kurdis
Yesterday at 6:32 am by Rocky
» Iraq adopts an advanced system to combat money laundering and terrorist financing
Yesterday at 5:25 am by Rocky
» Increase in Euphrates River levels due to Turkish water releases
Yesterday at 5:22 am by Rocky
» Demands the need to legislate the capital law
Yesterday at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Parliament decided to extend the legislative term by one month
Yesterday at 5:20 am by Rocky
» A bank participating in the process of localizing the salaries of employees in the region
Yesterday at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary request to the Ministry of Finance regarding defense mobilization dues/document
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Dollar prices in Baghdad and Kurdistan today
Yesterday at 5:16 am by Rocky
» Al-Rasheed decides to increase the ceiling for granting “construction” loans to 75 million dinars
Yesterday at 5:14 am by Rocky
» A government plan to expand the construction of water harvesting dams
Yesterday at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Frozen or banned? An Iranian official reveals the fate of Tehran’s money in Baghdad
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Trade Bank participates in the process of localizing the salaries of Kurdistan Region empl
Yesterday at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Finance confirms the Iraqi government's desire to benefit from the expertise of French companies
Yesterday at 5:09 am by Rocky
» After targeting its branch in Kurdistan... Dana Gas announces a decrease in its profits to $38 milli
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary understanding to extend the legislative term to approve the 2024 budget schedules
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Stopping the Commission’s procedures regarding the region’s elections
Yesterday at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Foreign oil companies violate Iraqi laws
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» The position of Speaker of Parliament depends on the political agreement
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» The Ministry of Finance decides to send the April salary to the Kurdistan region
Yesterday at 5:02 am by Rocky
» It did not reach the Council.. Parliament determines the mechanisms for dealing with the 2024 budget
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» 88 projects awaiting resolution.. What will happen to the stalled laws in Parliament? - Urgent
Yesterday at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives the US Undersecretary of State
Yesterday at 4:59 am by Rocky