Poster production: Feng Juan
May is approaching, and a large wave of wonderful celestial phenomena such as the beautiful "Star and Moon Fairy Tale", the romantic meteor shower, and the magnificent "Milky Way Arch Bridge" are coming.
On the 4th, Saturn and the Moon took the lead in opening the curtain of the "Tianyu Theater" in May. "At around 4 a.m. that day, the slightly yellowed Saturn will rise to the eastern horizon 'hand in hand' with a waning moon, staging an inseparable' romantic scene. Yang Jing, a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and a director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society, said.
Liu Qing, a starry sky photography enthusiast in Tianjin, photographed Saturn accompanied by the Moon at Jizhaoqiao, Dongli District, Tianjin, on January 14, 2024. (Photo courtesy of me)
An hour before dawn on May 5, the sky will also stage a "double star hugging the moon", when the moon will be between Neptune and Mars.
As a "gift" from the famous Halley's Comet to Earth, the Aquariids η meteor shower will reach its maximum at around 5 o'clock on May 6.
Star photographer Yang Zhiyu photographs the Aquariid η meteor shower in Liujiang Ancient Town, Hongya County, Meishan City, Sichuan Province, in the early morning of May 6, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Starlink CSVA)
"The radiant of this meteor shower rises in the second half of the night, and there is a short observable time of 2 to 3 hours before dawn, which happens to be at the predicted maximum, so it is more suitable for observation. During the maximum period, the moon phase is waning and has little impact on observations. Yang Jing said.
This year's second western elongation of Mercury will be on May 10, but the observation conditions are average, so interested and challenging astronomers can try to find the smallest planet in the solar system and the closest planet to the Sun.
Asteroid No. 2 "Homo sapiens" will reach opposition on May 19, and interested astronomy enthusiasts can catch a glimpse of its mysterious beauty through small astronomical telescopes. During opposition, the ecliptic longitude of Homo sapiens differs from the sun by 180 degrees, and it rises from the eastern horizon as soon as the sun sets, and does not set in the west until sunrise the next day, so it can be observed almost all night.
Beijing starry sky photography enthusiast Wang Junfeng photographed Venus with Jupiter in Beijing's Xicheng District on November 19, 2019. (Photo courtesy of me)
At 5 p.m. on May 23, Venus conjunct Jupiter. In this conjunction, the two bright celestial bodies are extremely close to each other. Although this is a rare event of "stars attracting", the two are too close to the sun to be observed by the general public.
In May, spring and summer alternate, the wind is warm and the days are long, and it is the right time to appreciate the "Milky Way Arch Bridge". At this time, the Milky Way looks like a curved arch bridge or arch from afar, which is very spectacular.
Li Zhaoqi, a Beijing starry sky photography enthusiast, photographed the "Milky Way Arch Bridge" in Yunwu Mountain, Hebei Province on May 20, 2017. (Photo courtesy of me)
"In May, the Milky Way rises between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., with the best time to see it around 2 a.m. Interested members of the public can find a moonless clear night and go to a romantic 'encounter' with the 'Galaxy Arch Bridge'. Yang Jing said.