Last Minute Astronomer - May Episode

I’m Rob, your Last Minute Astronomer, bringing astronomy to
normies and nerds, with little time to spare. We’ll start by
talking about this month’s big events, then highlight the naked
eye planets, and finish up with the lunar phases, so you can plan
ahead better than me. 


 


5th – ETA AQUARID METEOR SHOWER – Around 10-20
meteors per hour if we’re lucky, the Eta Aquarids are a minor
shower that favors those in the southern hemisphere.  The
best time this year is after midnight (when the Moon sets) and
before dawn. Just remember each meteor is a piece of debris left
over from Halley’s comet, and we’re crashing into it at over
100,000 miles per hour, which crushes the atmosphere it hits,
heating it up and causing the bright flash. You never know when
you’ll see something awesome!


Some advice for watching: 


Find a dark location and lie down in a reclining chair or
something that insulates you from the ground.


Check the weather to see if the skies will be clear 


Adapt your eyes to the dark by staying away from light sources or
using a red light if you need to look at a star chart or not trip
over something.  


 


Naked-eye PLANETS


Sunset:


Jupiter - About 30˚ up the sky in the W after sunset, above
Taurus’ head, in between its horns, setting around 11pm. 
Later in the month, Jupiter is lower in the sky and sets around
sunset.


 


Mars - Almost straight above us after sunset, but toward the SW,
between Gemini and Leo (in Cancer), setting by 2am. Throughout
the month, Mars will move away from Cancer and toward Leo, a
little lower in the sky, setting around 1am.


 


Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with
permission. 


 


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