The Local Weekly The heart and soul of our communities with news and information about the Sunshine Coast
Mercury is not observable in May. Venus will be seen very low in the E but will be difficult to see by the end of the month. Mars can be seen very low in the W in the evening twilight but with some difficulty. Jupiter will be very low in the SE after dark, transits near 11pm and sets in the W near 4am. Saturn rises in the ESE after 11pm and transits in the S near 4am.
On Friday May 12 the Sunshine Coast Astronomy Club is pleased to welcome Sun Kwok, Dean of Hong Kong University, to the Sechelt Arts Centre. Professor Kwok currently serves as President of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). During his talk Mr. Kwok will describe discoveries in astronomy and solar system science over the last 10 years that resulted in a new perspective on the origin of life
On May 5-6 we will see the arrival of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower. The Eta Aquarids are an above average meteor shower. Most of the activity is seen in the southern hemisphere but in the northern hemisphere the rate can reach 30 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust particles left behind by comet Halley which has been known and observed since ancient times. The shower peaks on the evening of May 5 and the morning of May 6. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius.
Wednesday May 10 is the night of the full moon known as the Frog Croaking Moon.
What is the “Big Bang”? The Big Bang is the theory that the Earth was formed from a single point in space during a cataclysmic explosion about 13.7 billion years ago. This is the currently-accepted theory for the origin of the universe and is supported by measurements of background radiation and the observed expansion of space.
