In May, residents of Russia will be able to observe the International Space Station's flyby, the Moon's conjunction with Venus and Jupiter, and the peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower – these astronomical phenomena were reported by Vladilen Sanakoev, an engineer at the Ural Federal University's educational astronomical observatory.
At the beginning of the month, the International Space Station will appear in the western sky closer to morning, and after May 8 until May 17, predominantly before midnight. The station looks like a bright point smoothly moving from west to south. At the latitude of Yekaterinburg, the ISS will rise above 30 degrees above the horizon, while in Salekhard, it will only be visible near the horizon line.
On May 18, 19, and 20, after 10:00 PM, a beautiful astronomical event is expected in the western sky: the Moon will successively approach Venus, and then Jupiter. This phenomenon can be observed with the naked eye in clear weather.
The peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower will occur on the night of May 5-6. The theoretical intensity of the shower is 40–80 meteors per hour, however, due to the low position of the radiant above the horizon and the nearly full Moon (about 80% illumination), the actual chances of a single observer seeing more than one or two "shooting stars" per hour are low. Sanakoev noted that for observations, it is better to choose the eastern part of the sky closer to the middle of the night – meteors will visually "scatter" upwards from a point located low above the horizon.
The expert emphasized that May is among the most favorable months for observing the ISS in mid-latitudes, but weather conditions and light pollution can significantly affect the visibility of all listed phenomena.