The Milky Way will be visible through May in Tennessee. Here's when to look
If the rainstorms break over Tennessee, people may just get a glimpse of the Milky Way this weekend. But if you can't, you have a chance through the end of May.
Every evening we get a glimpse of the vast cosmos that is our galaxy with the different stars that twinkle in the night sky, but in May, the celestial light show is even more brilliant.
The view of our home galaxy will be on display over the weekend and into the next week, and should be exceptionally vibrant, especially in the United States, in late May as the band arcs across the night sky.
Here's a look at how long it should be visible and if Tennesseans could get a chance to see the cosmic event.
Technically, you can always see the Milky Way, but some times of the year are better for viewing than others. The end of May just so happens to be that time.
"Milky Way season," when the galaxy's bright center becomes easier to see from Earth, typically runs from February to October, according to Milky Way photography website Capture the Atlas. However, the best time to see the Milky Way in the Northern Hemisphere is from March to September.
Peak days to view the Milky Way started on May 20 and go through May 30, according to science news website LiveScience.
The best viewing time is between about midnight and 5 a.m., according to Capture the Atlas.
The reason we can see so many stars during this time of year is due to the cycle of the moon and how high in the sky the Milky Way appears from our perspective here on Earth.
At this time of year, on clear nights, especially with a new moon, Tennessee and the rest of the United States will have a good view of a fraction of the stars that make up our home galaxy.
To get the best view of the bands, people should look toward the Summer Triangle. Which is "a shape formed by three bright stars" that span across the Milky Way, according to LiveScience.com.
In the northern hemisphere, the Milky Way rises in the southeast, travels across the southern sky and sets in the southwest, according to Weather.com.
To get the best view, stargazers should look on a clear night away from light pollution.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: The Milky Way will be visible through May. Here's when to look in TN
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