(CNN) Friday will be a good time to see the sky for a day of amazing celestial events, with bright meteors lighting up the sky from Aquarites meteor showers and a chance to see a lunar eclipse.
Anyone trying to spot meteors during this year’s Aquariids show could see up to 20 meteors an hour, but you need to get up early — Friday, Saturday or dawn are the best times to spot a meteor. Sunday. the Peak time for the event will be 11 a.m. ET on Saturday.
With the rain comes the flowery May moon, The first full moon in the month of Venusand almost perfect alignment with the Sun and Earth. This alignment creates what’s called a penumbral eclipse, when the Moon enters Earth’s outer shadow. this event ET Friday between the hours of 11:13 a.m. and 3:31 p.m But it cannot be seen in America because the moon does not rise then. But it can darken the lunar surface for people in Africa, Asia and Australia.
The collision of celestial events can be exciting to space lovers, but together they can cloud your view. When the moon is fully full, Aquarius has to contend with some of the bright light overlap that can be seen in the night sky.
“I recommend going out at 3 a.m., getting a lawn chair and putting the moon behind you,” said Robert Lunsford, Fireball report coordinator for the American Meteorological Society. “Look out for these fast meteors heading out from the eastern horizon. Not all of the meteorites you see will be Eta Aquarids, but Eta Aquarids are so fast they’re easy to identify.”
More about lunar eclipses
Earth’s shadow falls during an eclipse divided into two parts: Umbra, which is the dark center and penumbra, the dull outer shadow. During a semi-light eclipse, the Moon stays in this outer ring and appears dimmer, but not quite as dark as a total lunar eclipse.
“The moon passes through part of the Earth’s shadow, and because it scratches the shadow, it is not very far when it passes through the entire Earth’s shadow,” said Noah Petro, director of planetary geography, geophysics and geochemistry at NASA. The tester noted that it would be difficult for anyone to see. “The opacity of the moon is very low, but if someone is in a dark place, they may notice that the full moon is not as bright as usual.”
However, Pedro encouraged people in Asia and Australia to go outside and watch the lunar eclipse.
“People go out and look at the moon as a great opportunity to connect with the moon. Eclipses (partial or total) are a great excuse to look at the moon and start looking at it regularly!”
More about Eta Aquarits
Each annual meteor shower contains a halo, which is the constellation from which the meteors originate. The constellation of Aquarius, hence the name Rain, lies on the ecliptic, the sun’s path across the sky.
Aquarites too It is known only before dawn Since the sun’s rays rise a few hours earlier than the sun, it limits the time of the evening when you can see them.
People in northern regions like Canada will have a smaller window to watch the activity, said Lunsford of the American Meteorological Society, while people in the southern hemisphere will have radiance and the sun will be there a little longer. Stay calm.
Aquarius ponds usually produce meteors faster than others, including the most recent Lyrid event in April, which tend to form more continuous trains, resulting in smoke trails. Fast burning meteorites decay. Because a meteor’s velocity is determined by the angle at which it encounters the Earth, Lunsford said, meteorites often hit the atmosphere.
Lunsford pointed out that the peak this year will witness a little more than one hour of meteorites, and next year it will be more than that, due to the turbulence that causes the debris path to approach the Earth. By 2024, Lunsford estimates that people in the southern tropics could see a range of 75 to 100 meteors per hour.
“You don’t need expensive equipment; It’s a way you can get involved in astronomy without spending a lot of money, which is fun.” “You can actually make useful scientific contributions by counting the number of meteorites that you see and trying to classify them as lipid or non-lipid.
“Besides, having an early Fourth of July celebration…is like seeing a shooting star. And who knows, if you see a group, you might make a lot of choices.”
And there will be meteor showers
The Eta Aquariids will be around until May 27, but if you miss their peak, there’s still plenty of opportunity for meteor spotting.
Here are the remaining meteor showers for 2023 and peak dates:
• South Delta Aquarius: July 30-31
• Alpha Capricornids: July 30-31
• Perseids: August 12-13
• Orionides: October 20-21
• Southern Taret: November 4-5
• Northern Taritz: November 11-12
• Leonids: November 17-18
• Gemini: December 13-14
• Ursits: December 21-22
Solar eclipse and lunar eclipse
The lunar eclipse can only be seen by people in certain parts of the world, but there are other opportunities to see the eclipse in your area:
If you live in North, Central or South America, Annular solar eclipse It occurs on October 14th when the Moon faces Earth’s Sun, forming a clear circle of fire in the sky.
On October 28, A.J Partial lunar eclipse It can be seen in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of North America, and most of South America.
Also full moons
There will be 13 full moons this year, including two in August. Here is a list of the remaining full moons in 2023: According to the Farmers’ Almanac:
• June 3: Strawberry Moon
• July 3: Pak Moon
• August 1st: Sturgeon Moon
• August 30: Blue Moon
• September 29: Harvest Moon
• October 28: Hunter’s Moon
November 27th: Beaver Moon
• December 26: Cold Moon
