The Best Night Sky Events for May 2024

Last month, I had the opportunity to travel to Killeen, Texas, to take images of the total solar eclipse. Below is one of the 300 images that I managed to capture in between the clouds. 

Now, let us concentrate on May, where we once again look upward at the celestial wonders. I hope it will reaffirm the vastness of our beautiful night sky.

This month, we have meteor showers to planetary alignments. Whether you’re observing from the comfort of your backyard or beneath the open canopy of the great outdoors, I hope May's celestial calendar promises a journey of discovery and wonder for you stargazers.

May 1 — last quarter moon.

The last quarter moon is the third and final quarter phase of the moon during its monthly cycle. At this point (4:27 a.m.), the moon appears half-illuminated, with the left half visible from the Northern Hemisphere and the right half visible from the Southern Hemisphere. This moon is visible after midnight and throughout the morning.

May 6, 7 — Eta Aquarids meteor shower.

The Eta Aquarids is an above-average shower, capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak. Most of the activity is seen in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the rate can reach about 30-40 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust particles left behind by comet Halley, which has been observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from April 19 to May 28. It peaks this year on the night of May 6 and the morning of May 7. The nearly new moon means dark skies for what should be an excellent show this year. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius but can appear anywhere in the sky.

May 8 — new moon.

The moon will be located on the same side of the Earth as the sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 11:21. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters, because there is no moonlight to interfere.

May 9 — Mercury at greatest western elongation.

The planet Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation of 26.4 degrees from the sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

May 15 — first quarter moon.

The first quarter moon marks the halfway point between the new moon and the full moon. It appears as a half-illuminated disk, which occurs at 4:48 a.m., and will have the right half visible from the Northern Hemisphere and the left half visible from the Southern Hemisphere and is visible in the afternoon and evening sky.

May 23 — full moon.

The moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the sun, and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 6:53 a.m. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the flower moon because this was the time of year when spring flowers appeared in abundance. This moon has also been known as the corn-planting moon and the milk moon.

May 30 — last quarter moon.

The last quarter moon appearing before the end of the month is a great example of how you can get two of the same phases occurring within a single calendar month. If this were the second full moon, we would be calling this a blue moon, but since it isn’t, we don’t. For a description of this phase, see May 1.

May 31 — moon Saturn conjunction.

On this date at 3:30 a.m., the moon and Saturn appear less than 2 degrees away from each other. It should make for an intriguing sight in this early morning hour.

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John Taylor is an amateur astronomer who lives in Hayden.