Lunar eclipse, meteor showers, and other astronomical events that will be witnessed in the sky of the Arab world during May 2023

Weather of Arabia - Yesterday, Sunday, the Astronomical Society in Jeddah announced that there are many astronomical phenomena that will be witnessed in the sky of the Arab world during the month of May 2023.

Lunar eclipse in early May

And she said in a statement, “The month of May begins with the moon in the phase of increasing humpback, and it moves to the phase of the full moon on the fifth of the month, and at this time it causes the sky to be illuminated, which makes it difficult to see the faint objects, and in conjunction with that a visible semi-shadow eclipse of the moon will occur, in Arab world, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia.

For more: Lunar eclipse on May 5... Details and areas that will witness the event

meteor showers

According to the association, this month's moonlight will affect observing the annual Eta Dalian meteor showers, which will peak during the early morning hours, from May 6, 7, and 8, from shortly after midnight, until just before morning twilight.

And she continued, these meteors are usually better observed from the southern hemisphere, as longer nights allow their radiation point to rise higher in the sky, before dawn, and meteors spread more across the sky.

The appearance of Venus

She pointed out that the planet Venus shines very brightly on the western horizon in the early evening, and it can be easily recognized, as it appears as a bright point of light to the naked eye, and it remains for about 3 hours after sunset.

The association confirmed that, beginning in May, Venus is less than 145 million km away, and at the end of the month it is less than 113 million km, despite the brightness of the planet, not many details can be seen, due to its dense clouds that cover it completely.

And the association stated that at the beginning of the month, Venus will resemble an oval-shaped moon, through a telescope, and at the end of the month, half of the planet will be seen exactly like the moon in the phase of the first square.

She pointed out that the only other planet that is easily spotted in the May sky is Mars, which is slightly higher in the sky than Venus.

The association concluded its statement by saying: After the middle of the month, Jupiter is observed very low, on the eastern horizon, with the onset of morning twilight.