What's Up Above? May Stargazing
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Can you hear the birds? They’re there. A song, a chirp, a whistle. Squirrels squirrelly chasing across branches and limbs. Can you hear a buzz outside? Green is in the air, and growth greets each new day. Why would this not be the same for the night sky? Why would the cosmos be any different? It’s not.
But before turning the page to another celestial season, I must first bid a fond farewell to those special seven sisters. That wispy Pleiades {Messier 45} open star cluster dominated by seven blue sibling stars danced and twirled for us all winter long. Alas, those sisters are sure something special. I will miss them.
May heralds a new stargazing season. The beginning of a period called “galaxy season.” A season when the greatest number of galaxies are visible in the night sky; more so than any other time of the year. A season when we gaze at these distant islands and take pause, and wonder. A season of perspective, a chance to calibrate, a time to renew.
Galaxy season is made possible by the Earth’s tilt and orbit around the Sun. In May, our view of the universe is different. Now, a new perspective. This is because the Milky Way rides the western horizon low and tight. Consequently, when we look up it’s through less comic dust, gas and “fewer” stars. Galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters in deep space and usually obscured, are now visible.
While its galaxy season, much is afoot this month in our own solar system. Be alert though, there is plenty afoot in our solar system; two meteor showers, a hello to Arcturus, a Flower Full Moon, and a sunset planetary diagonal. But wait there’s more: May contains a Blue Moon! That’s two full Moons in one month. This means you gotta stargaze in May.
The Full Flower Moon, May 1st
On the night of May 1st, the Full Flower Moon will rise over the eastern horizon. The term Flower Moon is deeply rooted in many indigenous peoples’ cultures found across North America. Think back to a world before clocks. Time, or passage of it, was measured by the passage of moons and thus, the seasons. The purpose of these names for the Moons was to provide a calendar for members of the group, tribe, or nation to guide them in the planting of crops, hunting at its abundance, and when to harvest and gather resources. Accordingly, the Flower Moon is the peak of spring in bloom indicating the arrival of the planting season.
The Flower Moon is a milestone among our four seasons. It is the peak of spring.
Hola Arcturus, May 1th
Look to the northeast-east after sunset. There, rising above the horizon and making a statement, is the immediately noticeable star, Arcturus. You’re seeing a super massive, super giant, super cool star to view. And it’s big. It's estimated the star’s diameter is around 11 million miles, while residing approximately 36.7 light-years away from Earth. It is estimated that the light we see today, when we look at Arcturus, left that star 40 years ago. Similar in mass to the Earth, Arcturus has swelled 25 times its size, making it approximately 170 times brighter. It’s one reason why Arcturus is the 3rd brightest star in the night sky, and the brightest star in the northern hemisphere.
Polynesian navigators in prehistoric times knew of the importance of Arcturus as a guide star. In double-hulled canoes from Tahiti these intrepid sailors traveled east and north over the expansive endless ocean. They knew they crossed the equator when the star Arcturus was directly overhead during the night time during the summer months. Their position under Arcturus was at the same latitude as the consistent and prevalent western trade winds. It was these winds that pushed travelers west towards island chains and land.
The rising and setting of Arcturus for the Koori people was life sustaining. They knew that Arcturus' appearance in the north signified the arrival of the wood ant larvae, a tremendous food source for the village. They knew summer arrived when Arcturus set over the horizon which coincided with the disappearance of the larvae.
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower, Peak Showers May 6th
Here’s another celestial event designed for all you early early risers. A meteor shower tailor made for you. This meteor shower is debris from Halley’s Comet, which separated from the comet hundreds of years ago. The current journey of Halley’s Comet doesn’t come close enough to Earth to create a shower. And there’s a bonus for you to get up and experience the Eta Aquarids meteor shower. The rate of meteors increases as the radiant point of the shower climbs in the sky as daybreak approaches. Meteors at sunrise.
From your location look to the eastern horizon. Shortly after 2:30am local time the showers’ radiant point rises in the east. While the radiant point is the general area where most of the meteors will appear; remember that comets can and will originate from all points in the night sky, going in all directions. Stay on your toes. You’ll have about three hours before sunrise and obscuring the show which begins at 5:30am. The shower is expected to peak at 3am. You can anticipate seeing ~20 meteors an hour. Why? The last quarter Moon will break over the southeastern sky shortly after midnight and will brighten the night as it rises and rides across the sky, washing out dim meteors.
Oh, and the universe has a cosmic gift for you. Because you rose so early to see this show, when you look for the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, you might also see Eta’s meteor siblings like the Northern Iota Aquarids; and the Northern Delta Aquarids; and then the Southern Iota Aquarids; or, the Southern Delta Aquarids. Say what? Yea, since all these showers all generally radiate from the same region of the sky, you just need to sit back and watch. No joke. My hunch is if you get up early and take a peek east-southeast, you’re gonna see some meteors.
n-Lyrid Meteor Shower, Peak Showers May 8th
The n-Lyrid meteor shower is active for a relatively short period of time from May 3rd through May 14th. During that period meteors should be visible from sunset till sunrise. The parent body responsible for creating the η-Lyrid shower has been identified as comet C/1983 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock).
Reference the above image above as it shows the shower’s radiant point at 8:30pm local time in the constellation Lyra. It is easy to find since that point rises in the northeast just west of its extra bright alpha star, Vega. As the evening progresses to night, the shower will rotate up and around the Celestial North Pole, eventually being overpowered by the light of a new day. When this happens the radiant point is directly overhead. Later at 5am on May 9th, the Earth’s rotation then points us in the optimal position towards the incoming meteors. By then the shower reaches its maximum potential of 3 meteors per hour. This is the best time to look. Yet, rather than looking for meteors streaking across the sky, they will more often appear to fall downward towards you. Unfortunately, the anticipated rate of meteors per hour this year n-Lyrid Meteor shower is below average. Set your expectations for 2 meteors per hour.
Like the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, that pesky last quarter Moon will break over the southeastern sky shortly after 1:30am and will begin to brighten the night as it rises and rides across the sky. The result is the dim meteors are washed out.
Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury Taking In a Sunset, May 28th
The King of the Sky has watched over us for a few seasons. Truly, for the last nine months that bluish (some see yellow) white dot of a spotlight in the night, that which arced high across the eastern, southern, and now setting in western skies is our friend, Jupiter. Even better, we were able to view the god of the sky in retrograde motion. Our fifth planet from the Sun, literally stood still. Equivalent to Zeus, the head of the gods in Greek mythology, stood still.
Now on the move again, Jupiter, also referred to as Jove, dominates the western sky, lingering with Venus after they both witnessed a spectacular sunset. That zippy little speedster of our innermost planet, Mercury couldn’t resist the view, and so took a moment from all the urgency and joined Jupiter and Venus in a diagonal alignment.
(Wait, wasn’t Mercury just in the eastern sky at sunrise? Yes it was, that sneaky little hot rock. While appearing diminutive, Mercury was out some late nights with Neptune, Saturn, Mars, and Pluto that turned into a few early mornings. You see, ever since Pluto’s demotion, they don’t hang out that much anymore.)
To view our trio on the 28th, look west at sunset. In fact, join them and take in the Sun waving arrivederci to the day around 8pm local time. Reflecting the sunlight at an opportune angle, all three of the planets will be white pricks of light with no other points of light in the region. The trio are visible till Mercury slides behind the edge of the Earth at 9:45pm. While antsy Mercury must move on, there’s no reason for you to follow suit, since Jupiter and Venus will continue to, as Roger Waters sang, “shine on you crazy diamonds.” (I added the “s” to diamond which is the correct title and lyric from the song.)
A Full Blue Micromoon, May 30 - 31st
The May 30 -31 Full Moon is the second Full Moon in the month of May, and it is called a “Blue Moon.” (Of note, a Blue Moon has nothing to do with a beer from Denver, Colorado.) To be precise, a Blue Moon is when a second Full Moon occurs in the same month, or a third Full Moon inside a season containing four Full Moons.* Plus, the Moon can also appear blue due to atmospheric conditions and effects, as well as ash from wildfires, and it doesn’t have to be full.
And this month’s Full Moon is a Full Micromoon. A Micromoon, or Minimoon, or Apogee Moon, happens when the Moon is near or at the point of apogee in its elliptical orbit around the Earth. That is the moment when the Moon is farthest away from the Earth. Remember the Moon’s orbit around the Earth is not a round circle; rather it is an ellipse, a bit of a somewhat flattened circle. This May’s Blue Moon will appear about 7% smaller than an average Full Moon. This time around, the difference may be hard to detect.
The month of May shows us that we stand firmly in a new season. A season of growth, renewal, and new beginnings. It is happening all around. We can look deep into the cosmos, and when we do, be inspired, and refreshed. Ready to begin. But what if you don’t have a telescope? Not to worry; celestial splendor awaits morning and night in May. Get up and out to look for meteor showers, stars arriving and planets departing.
In that spirit, if you own a telescope, get it out and go galaxy hunting. If you don’t own one, prod your friend who has one to get it out and take you galaxy hunting. When you look at these galaxies with your own eyes, you’re not going to see a Hubble telescope-like image. What you will see are thin, diffused, wisps, smudges, blobs, and when you look directly at them, they are often dull.
Then you blink your eyes. There in a flash you glimpse the delicate details of a wispy distant island world, a galaxy off in the universe. It’s a bit overwhelming. It may take your breath away. You may feel energized. You may feel renewed. Do you think this is what all that May buzzing, chirping, and squirreling-around is all about?
Oh, and remember to wave fare ye well to those free-spirit swinging, joyful and swaying seven sisters, the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. My guess is Atlas shrugs and shakes his head sometimes with their antics.
Clear skies to you!
*The astronomical calendar divides the year into four seasons with each normally containing three full moons. Those three moons often carry traditional names tied to agricultural or cultural rhythms. The system assumed three per season, and the names were assigned accordingly.
But the lunar cycle runs about 29.5 days, while a season runs roughly 91 days. That slight mismatch means that about every 2.5 years, a season ends up with four full moons instead of three. When that happens, the naming sequence gets thrown off and thus one moon has to absorb the disruption. That moon, the third of the four, not the fourth itself, is called a Blue Moon.