From half-moon to lunar eclipses: Here are the celestial events visible in the month of May

There are several phenomena in the night sky that people can watch in the month of May. As per Weather.com, a clear view of the night sky will be available in the month of May before the arrival of the monsoon. May is considered the last month suitable for stargazing. Night sky enthusiasts can experience different phenomena on the following days of the month: [caption id=“attachment_9595711” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] A starry night.[/caption]

Monday, 3 May

A half-moon was seen in the Capricorn constellation. On 3 May, the moon passed nearby Saturn and Jupiter on 4 May. It is expected that the moon will be near Neptune on 6 May, Uranus on 10 May, Venus on 12 May, and Mercury on 13 May. If the night sky is dark then stargazers can see all these planets by following the moon.

Wednesday, 5 May

In the night sky on Wednesday, 5 May, the meteor shower of Eta Aquarids can be seen. Between 2:30 am till 5:30 am, Skygazers can see the meteor shower near the Aquarius constellation. NASA has stated that, at its peak, the meteor shower will rain down 30 meteors per hour.

12 May to 17 May

The moon will guide celestial enthusiasts to evening planets including Mercury, Venus, and Mars. The moon and Venus will be close on 12 May while on 17 May, Mercury will be visible in the evening sky.

Sunday, 23 May

Saturn is expected to start its retrograde move on this day, reported Space.com. The publication further states that the change in Saturn’s direction can be observed by the change in Saturn’s distance from the star Theta Capricornus.

Wedneday, 26 May

At around 4:44 pm IST (7:14 am EDT) on Wednesday, 26 May, the moon will reach its full phase. The day will have a lunar eclipse which will be experienced for a minute in Mumbai. Kolkata will see a partial eclipse on this day from 6:15 pm to 6:22 pm.

Saturday, 29 May

In the evening sky on this day, Mercury and Venus will appear close to each other. Celestial enthusiasts will get an opportunity to see the two planets together even through a backyard telescope.