May has some… interesting developments astronomically. Aside from the 50-year-old satellite crashing back down to Earth, it’s fairly ordinary though.
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is ongoing (April 21 through May 20) but reaches its peak May 5-6. This meteor shower is the result of the Earth passing the trail of the tail of Halley’s Comet.
This month’s one and only full moon will be on May 12. It is called the “Flower Moon.” This is due to the spring-time flowers in bloom. Also, it is the day after Mother’s Day, which is a flowery time as well. There are plenty of livestreams you can view should you not be able to see a clear dark sky, such as Hawaii’s Subaru Telescope on the Big Island.
For planets, Jupiter and Mars will be visible in the early night, with Saturn and Mars becoming visible just before sunrise. On May 31, Venus will be at its “greatest elongation.” This means, from our view, it will be furthest from the Sun, allowing us to see it more easily and clearly.
A chunk of an old Soviet satellite is descending back to its origin. Kosmos 482 was launched on March 31, 1972 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The probe was on its way to land on Venus but due to critical failures in setting the setting a booster’s timer (really), it was unable to break away from the Earth’s orbit. Two pieces of the original craft expect a fiery return home between May 9 and May 11, more than 50 years after their launch. Probably estimates have it hitting somewhere* near the United Kingdom.
There is plenty to see and plenty of apps, websites, and other resources to aid in identifying. NASA is always great for events (like the meteor shower) and flyovers. Happy and lucky stargazing to you.
Astronomy Update for May
By Sam Bishop