May skywatching highlights: The May sky is filled with breathtaking astronomical marvels. These include 'peak Venus', a term used to describe the Morning Star reaching its highest point in the evening sky, and a trio of Moon, Mars and the Morning Star, among other cosmic events.
Stargazers can witness these mesmerising stellar objects if their skies are clear. The following is the list of all celestial bodies that can be seen in the May skies, and the dates when they will be visible.
Peak Venus
Venus has been a constant post-sunset feature since the beginning of 2023. The planet has been rising higher in the sky each day since the year's beginning. Venus will reach its highest point in the western evening sky in May. When the Morning Star reaches this point, it is called 'peak Venus'. After reaching its highest point, Venus will start trending lower each evening. By late July, Venus will completely disappear from the evening skies.
The Morning Star will reappear in the eastern morning sky in August.
Full Moon and lunar eclipse
A Full Moon will illuminate the night skies on May 5. The first lunar eclipse of 2023 also falls on May 5. It will be a penumbral lunar eclipse, the second eclipse this eclipse season, and will be visible in India.
During a penumbral lunar eclipse, the Moon travels through Earth's penumbra, or the fainter outer part of the planet's shadow. The Moon just misses the Earth's umbra, which is the darker, inner part of the planet's shadow.
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon are imperfectly aligned, and the Earth blocks some of the Sun's light from directly reaching the surface of the Moon.
The Moon comes inside the Earth's penumbra because the former is not located exactly opposite to the Sun.
A total umbral eclipse would have occurred had the Moon been located exactly opposite to the Sun. A total umbral eclipse is one in which the Moon is immersed in the darkest part of Earth's umbra.
The magnitude of the penumbral lunar eclipse of May 5 will be minus 0.046. The more negative the magnitude of an astronomical object, the brighter it is.
According to timeandate.com, the first lunar eclipse of the year will be the deepest penumbral eclipse till September 2042.
The penumbral eclipse will begin at around 8:44 pm IST on May 5, and reach its peak, or the maximum phase at around 10:52 pm IST, according to timeanddate.com.
The penumbral eclipse will last for four hours and 18 minutes, and end at around 1:01 am IST on May 6.
The maximum phase of a lunar eclipse is the point when nearly the entire Moon will be inside the Earth's umbra. Therefore, during the maximum phase, the Moon will not appear like a round cookie from which a bite has been taken out. Instead, the Moon will have a dark shade on it, according to Earth Sky.
ALSO READ | First Lunar Eclipse Of 2023 On May 5: All You Need To Know About The Penumbral Eclipse
Saturn to rise together with Moon
Saturn will rise together with a third-quarter Moon, or a half-full Moon on the morning of May 13. The duo will be visible in the southeast a couple of hours before sunrise, according to NASA.
Slim crescent Moon with Jupiter
On May 17, a slim crescent Moon will rise an hour before sunrise. Jupiter will be close to the crescent Moon. The Moon and Jupiter will rise low in the sky. Therefore, people who want to witness the spectacle must have a clear view of the horizon, and can use a pair of binoculars to obtain a clear view of the crescent Moon and Jupiter in the morning twilight sky.
New Moon
Earth's natural satellite will reach its New Moon phase on May 19.
Trio of Moon, Morning Star and Mars
Space enthusiasts can locate a trio of the Moon, the Morning Star and Mars on the evenings of May 22, 23 and 24. The trio will group together in the west. On May 23, the Moon will be located between the Morning Star and the Red Planet.
Magellanic Clouds
The Magellanic Clouds, which are dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way, can be observed in the southern sky with the unaided eye.
First Quarter Moon
The First Quarter Moon, a primary Moon phase in which half of its surface is illuminated, will be visible on May 27.