May's lunar eclipse and a wild-card meteor shower may offer double spectacle

There is a chance of two major highlights occurring within the month of May.

The first, a total lunar eclipse, is a certainty, but the second, a potentially strong meteor shower at the end of the month, is a wild card.

Here is what you need to know to watch the sky.

When is the next lunar eclipse?

May 15-16: Total eclipse of the moon 

This event is perfect for most of the Americas, as skywatchers in the Eastern and Central time zones will be able to see the entire eclipse from start to finish.

The moon will turn into a ruddy, ghostly orb for observers along the Pacific coast of Oregon. The moon will be magnified by an optical illusion as it comes above the east-southeast horizon, which could bode well for photographers who can frame the already-eclipsed moon with distant landmarks.

Unfortunately for northern and western Alaska, the eclipse ends before the moonrise. Across the Atlantic Ocean, the moonset will affect a lot of Africa and Europe.

There is a timetable for observers in the US.

It will take one hour and 25 minutes for totality to last. The lower part of the moon will appear brighter than the upper part during the total phase because it will pass south of the center of the Earth's shadow.

It is difficult to say in advance how the moon will look, because it is dependent on the state of our atmosphere and a chaotic brew of clouds, volcanic dust and other contaminants.

May 30-31: A brand-new meteor shower? 

At the end of May, there is a chance we could be treated to a brand-new meteor shower with the potential to be the best display of 2022. It is a one-time only event and the circumstances for producing meteor activity are unique.

The comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 broke into several pieces in 1995. This comet has been disintegrating since it was first disrupted. Over the past 27 years, dozens of bits and pieces have crumbled off the original fragments.

Astronomers around the world have been looking at whether Earth will pass through this swarm of ejected material and if it will lead to a shower of meteorites. Skywatchers won't reach a consensus until the shower shows up late on the night of May 30.

The situation is difficult to predict. When Earth passes through small particles that trail behind the comet, the comet crosses the point where the two intersect before Earth does. Earth will pass through the intersection first.

That would mean no shower. The comet shot out material in all directions when it fell apart. The pressure of solar radiation should not have pushed the larger debris into the tail.

Maybe enough of the larger pieces of debris fell into the right place at the right time to allow it to pass through the intersection point before Earth does. The larger size of this material would make them bright enough to be seen.

The difference between all or nothing is fraught with uncertainties.

In the best-case scenario, we could see a bunch of slow, bright meteors, glowing with a ruddy or orange tint, falling at the rate of scores or even many hundreds per hour.

On the other hand, it is possible that Earth will not encounter any comet particles at all. Another possibility is that the meteors will be very slow and not visible to the naked eye. We cannot say for sure what to expect since we have never seen this swarm before.

The shooting stars would appear to dart from a part of the sky near the brilliant orange star Arcturus in the constellation of Bo. The stars in the handle of the Big Dipper make a curve that is easy to translate into a smooth arcs. You will come to Arcturus if you continue the imaginary arcs about the length of the Big Dipper.

As to when the shower should reach its peak, for those in the Pacific time zone it should be 10 p.m. on May 30; for those in the Eastern time zone that translates to 1 a.m. on May 31. Unfortunately, for the Pacific Northwest, the twilight sky will likely be too bright, probably precluding a view of any possible display.

For the more technically inclined, you can peruse a research paper I penned for the International Meteor Organization (IMO) about this potential meteor outburst. 

Let's hope Nature is in a show-off mode that night.

Space.com will give more information on how you can get the best views of the events as we get closer to them.

The instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium is Joe Rao. He writes about astronomy for a number of publications. Follow us on social media.