Watch for a meteor shower and lunar eclipse this weekend

(CNN) With bright meteors blazing across the sky from the Aquariids meteor shower and a chance to see a lunar eclipse, Friday will be a good time to look up at the sky for a day of wonderful celestial events.

Anyone venturing out to spot a meteor at this year’s Aquariids show could see up to 20 meteors an hour, but you need to get up early—the best times to try and spot a meteor will be just before dawn on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. the Estimated peak time for the event is 11 a.m. ET on Saturday.

Along with the showers comes the May flower moon, The first moon of the “month of Venus”and an almost complete alignment with the Sun and Earth. This alignment will create what is known as a penumbral lunar eclipse, which is when the Moon enters the Earth’s outer shadow. This event will be between 11:13 a.m. and 3:31 p.m. ET on Friday But it will not be visible in the Americas because the moon is not there at that time. But it will darken the lunar surface for those in Africa, Asia and Australia.

The collision of celestial events may be exciting to space lovers, but together they can hinder your vision. With the moon fully full, Aquarius will have to compete with some of the bright light interference that can be seen in the night sky.

“I would suggest going out around 3 a.m.. Get a lawn chair and put the moon at your back,” said Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteorite Society. “Look out for these fast meteors shooting up from the eastern horizon. Not all of the meteorites you see will be Eta Aquariids, but it’s easy to tell because Eta Aquariids are so fast.”

More about lunar eclipses

During an eclipse, the Earth’s shadow is cast divided into two parts: the shadow, which is the dark center, and the shadow of the outer shadow, the faint outer shadow. During a semi-light eclipse, the Moon remains on this outer ring, and appears as if it is dimming, but it does not darken completely like a total lunar eclipse.

“The moon passes through part of the Earth’s shadow, and because it looms in the shadow, it’s not very far from the distance it passes through the entire Earth’s shadow,” said Noah Petro, chief of planetary geology, geophysics and geochemistry at NASA. Lab, noting that it will be difficult for someone to see. “The darkening of the moon is very slight, but if someone is in a dark place, they may notice that the full moon is not quite as bright as it used to be.”

However, Pietro encouraged people in Asia and Australia to go out and see lunar eclipses.

“Any opportunity people have to get outside and look at the moon is an excellent opportunity to connect with the moon. Eclipses (partial or total) are great excuses to look at the moon and start looking at it more regularly!”

More on Eta Aquariids

Each annual meteor shower has a radiant, the constellation from which the meteors seem to originate. The constellation of Aquarius is Aquarius, hence the name of the shower, and it lies on the ecliptic, the sun’s path in the sky.

Aquarius Visible only before dawn Since the radiant rises a few hours before sunrise, this limits the evening hours in which you can see it.

Those in northern regions, such as Canada, will have a smaller window to view the activity, said Lunsford of the American Meteor Society, while those in the southern hemisphere will have a slightly longer time frame in which the radiance will shine, and the sun will remain still. stay down.

Aquarians usually produce meteors faster than others, including the most recent Lyrids event in April, which means they tend to produce more continuous trains, smoke trails caused by Scorching meteors disintegrate. Lunsford said that the meteorite’s speed is determined by the angle at which it hits the ground, as the bucket often hits the atmosphere head-on.

Lunsford also mentioned that this year’s peak is expected to see slightly more meteors per hour, and next year even more because of the turbulence that caused the debris trail to come close to Earth. In 2024, Lunsford estimated that those within 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, and it’s fun,” said Lunsford. “You can actually make useful scientific contributions by counting the number of meteorites you see and trying to separate them into Lyrids or non-Lyrids.

“Besides, it’s like having an early Fourth of July celebration…to see a shooting star. And who knows, you could make a lot of wishes if you saw a group.”

More meteor showers to come

The Eta Aquariids will be on hold until May 27, but if you miss their peak, there are plenty of chances for meteor spotting.

Here are the remaining meteor showers for 2023 and peak dates:

• South Delta basins: 30-31 July

• Alpha Capricornids: July 30-31

• Perseids: August 12-13

• Orionids: October 20-21

• South Torres: November 4-5

• North Torres: November 11-12

• Leonids: November 17-18

• Geminids: December 13-14

• Ursids: December 21-22

Solar eclipse and lunar eclipse

The eclipse lunar eclipse event can only be viewed for those 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 will take place on October 14, when the moon moves in front of the earth’s view of the sun, forming a clear circle of fire in the sky.

On October 28, A.J Partial eclipse of the moon It will be viewable in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of North America and most of South America.

More full moons

This year will have 13 full moons, two of them in August. Here is a list of the remaining full moons in the year 2023, According to the Farmers Almanac:

• June 3: Strawberry Moon

• July 3: Pak Moon

• August 1: Sturgeon Moon

• August 30: Blue Moon

• September 29: Harvest Moon

• October 28: Hunter’s Moon

• November 27: Beaver Moon

• December 26: Cold Moon