Flower Moon: May’s full moon appears orange and lights up this week’s sky

The full May Lua takes on an orange hue as it rises above the horizon this week. The phenomenon, known as Flower Moon in North American traditions, occurs on Saturday, the 2nd. The exact phase takes place at 2:23 am Tóquio time.

The event marks the moment when Lua is opposite Sol. The coloration arises because of the scattering of light in the Earth’s atmosphere when the satellite appears low. Observadores in Brasil and in other regions of the southern hemisphere can see the star on the nights of May 1st and 2nd, shortly after sunset.

Lua approaches bright star at the end of April

On April 30th and in the early hours of May 1st, the still not full Lua passes close to Spica. Essa first magnitude star is in the constellation Virgem. Spica is about 250 light-years away from Terra and forms a binary system with two massive stars orbiting each other.

Their proximity allows the pair to appear together in the south-southeast sky just after dusk. The show lasts until dawn. Astrônomos recommend locations with little light pollution to distinguish details. Lua continues to grow and gain greater brightness each night.

• Lua and Spica will be visible from 9pm on the 30th
• The pair remains in the sky until dawn on May 1st
• Spica has luminosity equivalent to more than 10 thousand suns
• The constellation of Virgem is high in the Southern Hemisphere at this time

Flor Moon reaches peak brightness on Saturday

The May-filled Lua is named Flower Moon because of its intense flowering in the northern hemisphere spring. The satellite reaches full phase on May 2, at 2:23 am on Japão. No Brasil, the best viewing occurs on the night of Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday.

The star appears in the east with an orange color because of the dust and humidity in the air near the horizon. As it rises, the color becomes lighter and the brightness increases. Esta is not a supermoon. The distance of Terra is a little longer than average, which makes it slightly smaller.

The phenomenon also coincides with the apparent alignment of Mercúrio and the dwarf planet Éris, although they are invisible due to sunlight.

Waning Lua meets Antares on Sunday

On May 3, the already waning Lua appears next to Antares. The giant red star is in the constellation Escorpião. Antares has a diameter about 700 times larger than that of Sol. The pair appears late at night in the south-southeast sky.

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Essa conjunction helps those who observe zodiac constellations. Escorpião is most visible after midnight. Lua continues to lose brightness in the following days.

Ursa Maior dominates the northern sky with seven clearly visible stars

Durante On the nights of April and May, Ursa Maior appears high in the northern sky. The asterism known as Norte from Sete Estrelas or Big Dipper forms the shape of a bucket or shell. The two stars at the edge of the shell point to Polaris, the Estrela of Norte.

The curve of the shell’s cable, if extended, leads to the constellation of Bootes and the star Arcturus. The asterism is almost at the zenith in mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere. No Brasil, it appears lower on the northern horizon, but is still recognizable on clear nights.

The high position makes it easy to use the stars as a reference for orientation. The asterism remains visible most of the night at this time of year.

• Duas shell stars indicate the direction of Polaris
• The cable curve points to Arcturus
• The asterism is part of the Ursa Maior constellation
• Ele serves as a guide to locate other spring constellations

Dicas practices for observing the sky this week

Escolha a place away from urban lights. Leve binoculars or small telescope to see details of the lunar surface. The full Lua illuminates the terrain, but also makes it difficult to see fainter stars.

Para To photograph the orange star on the horizon, use a tripod and long exposure settings. Astronomy Aplicativos shows the exact position of Lua and stars in real time.

The May sky brings other conjunctions in the following days. Regular observation helps keep track of changes in position throughout the seasons.