The first week of May is rich in astronomical phenomena. On the 5th there is a lunar eclipse, and on the 6th we have the maximum of the Aquarid meteor shower. The planets Venus and Mars are visible in the evening, and Saturn in the morning, about 4 o’clock, is shown on astronomical calendar published by Admiral Vasile Urceanu Observatory.

May 5 Lunar eclipse

On May 5, a penumbral lunar eclipse will take place, which will be quite difficult to observe from the city. The eclipse will begin at 6:13 p.m., peak at 8:22 p.m., and end at 10:31 p.m. From almost all of Romania, we will see how the Moon rises when it is already in the penumbra of our planet, around the maximum of the eclipse.

The eclipse will be difficult to see because it begins when the Moon is very close to the horizon, and the best viewing location is where you can see the sunrise in the summer.

On May 5, the full moon phase also occurs, at 20:33.

What planets can be seen?

Venus and Mars are very visible in the evening, and Saturn is visible in the morning.

Venus is very easy to see in the west, an hour after sunset. Look at the sky around 9:00 PM and you will see a very bright star: Venus. The planet moves among the stars, rising to the stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini. It sets around midnight so you have a few hours to see it.

Not far from Venus, above and to the left is also Mars. Look above Venus at two bright stars located side by side. This is Castor and Pollux in Gemini. Below them, on the left, a more orange star, not very bright, is the planet Mars. The red planet is far from us, at a distance of 270 million kilometers, and we can hardly see it. Even with a telescope, you can distinguish few details.

Saturn also rises in the morning. It is visible from 4 o’clock, to the southeast, not very high above the horizon. He sees himself as a lone star, the brightest in his field.

May sky

In the May night sky, you can see the bright yellowish star Arcturus in the constellation Volopas (Buarul). Its magnitude is 0, that is, it is one of the brightest stars in the sky. Compare the color of Arcturus with the star Spica in Virgo. You will see the difference between a yellowish star and a white one.

In the south, not far from the horizon, was part of Virgo, as well as the constellation Libra. Antares, a red-orange star in the constellation Scorpius, rises around midnight. The name Antares comes from the word “rival of Ares”, which means Mars, the red color of the star is similar to the color of the planet Mars.

Above the constellation Scorpio we meet Ophiuchus, “the man with the snake.” This is a large constellation with a small number of bright stars, but a large number of globular clusters. Hercules is in the east, high in the midnight sky. To the east of Hercules is the bright star Vega. It is slightly fainter in brightness than Arcturus and is part of the constellation Lyra. The stars to the east and south of Vega, not far from it, form a musical instrument — a lyre.

Above Vega we meet Dragon, Dragon. His head is a quadrilateral to the north of Lyra, and his body coils between Heracles, Ursa Minor, and Ursa Major.

At the end of May’s short nights, Hercules will be south of the meridian, and the summer triangle (consisting of the stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair) is visible in the southeast. Antares will be in the south, and the constellation Sagittarius – in the east.

At the time for which the map is drawn, we can see two planets: Venus, very bright, in Gemini, and Mars, in the same constellation bordering Cancer.

Photo source: Dreamstime.com