China News Agency, Nanjing, May 2 (Yang Yanci) The Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences released the May Tianyu performance list on the 2nd: Aquarius η meteor shower, Lyra η meteor shower will be "sweet" overnight. In addition, comets passing the perihelion, super moon, Mercury alloy star and other wonderful landscapes will appear one by one, dressing up the early summer night sky in the northern hemisphere.
On May 4, a non-periodic comet with the number C / 2017T2 will be the first to enter "human sight", and a rare comet will appear on the day after perihelion. Astronomical experts said that since there has been no bright comet visible to the naked eye for a long time, this "unexpected guest" is very worth looking forward to.
Compared to periodic comets, non-periodic comets often bring brightness surprises. It is predicted that the brightness of this comet, numbered C / 2017T2, is expected to be around 7th grade, which is suitable for observation in the middle and high latitudes of the northern hemisphere.
The comet just fell, and the colorful meteor shower took over Tianyu's romantic covenant. On May 6, the η meteor shower with "long tail" Aquarius struck. According to experts, the mother comet of the meteor shower is the famous Halley Comet, and its formation came from the eruption of Halley Comet.
Historically, the active period of the η meteor shower in Aquarius can last from late April to the end of May. This year's mega event will appear at 5:00 on May 6, Beijing time. According to estimates, its ZHR (Zenith flow per hour during the maximum period) is between 40 and 85, and the public has the opportunity to photograph the gorgeous meteor dragging the "long tail".
Before the η meteor shower in Aquarius has not been completely quiet, Tianyu will usher in a small flow meteor shower-Tianqin η meteor shower. This year, its peak activity occurred on the evening of May 8. Experts believe that the ZHR of the Lyra Meteor Shower has only single digits, so the significance of public observation is not significant.
This month, the performances of the "resident team" of the "Tianyu Theater" such as the moon, Jupiter, and Mercury were also eye-catching.
This year's fourth and final Super Moon will appear on the 7th. If the weather is fine, the public across China will have the opportunity to appreciate a full moon that is bigger and brighter than usual.
On May 13, Tianyu will conjunct Jupiter and Saturn. Interested members of the public watched southeast at dawn, and they could see the wonderful astronomical phenomena of Jupiter and Saturn's "double star with moon".
On May 22, the Mercury alloy star debuted. At that time, the angle between the two is less than 1 degree away from the nearest point, bringing "star whispers" in the dark. Two days later (May 24), a round of Emei Moon will come to Mercury and Venus to join this night sky party. (Finish)