We are about to see the Moon pass through a red giant star

The moon is moving towards the star Antares - the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, known as a red supergiant. This time falls right on the Full Moon of May, also known as the Rabbit Moon or Flower Moon.

The Vietnam Association of Astronomy and Cosmology (VACA) said that in the night sky these days, the Moon is gradually moving towards the star Antares - the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Each night, you will see the distance between them shorten compared to the previous night. The last night before the Moon passes through Scorpius to the other side is at the time of this month's Full Moon, which is 8:53 p.m. May 23 (ie April 16 of the lunar calendar) .

Antares is located about 550 light years from Earth.

Antares is a red supergiant star. It is one of the brightest stars in the Moon's apparent path, and one of the very few stars bright enough to be seen even quite close to the full Moon. Its red color and brightness have long been compared to Mars (the fourth planet of the Solar System).

Antares is located about 550 light years from Earth, has a mass of about 12.4 times the mass of the Sun, a radius 883 times that of the Sun and a surface temperature of around 3,400K. It has a companion called Antares B with a mass about 10 times that of the Sun and a surface temperature of about 18,500K.

The name Antares is derived from an ancient Greek word, equivalent in meaning to "anti-Ares" meaning "opposite to Ares" or "anti-Ares", because this star when viewed above The night sky also has red light and is very bright. The name is meant to compare it to the enemy of Mars - the planet named after the god of war Ares.

According to VACA, the full moon falling in May of this solar calendar is called the "Rabbit Moon" by Europeans . However, it has nothing to do with the Chinese story of the Jade Rabbit and Chang'e. The reason for this name is because in many parts of Europe, this is the time of year when rabbits reproduce very quickly and people start setting traps to catch rabbits.

Meanwhile, in North America, the Full Moon in May has another name, "Flower Moon" , because this is the time when many types of flowers bloom on a large scale in this area.